Applications

Applications are the IDEs and AI coding assistants that use the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to interact with your development environment.

What Are Applications?

In CyberCage, an Application is any software that:

• Uses MCP to connect to servers
• Has a configuration that CyberCage can detect
• Can be protected to secure MCP communications

Examples include:

• Claude Desktop
• Claude Code
• VS Code / VS Codium
• Cursor
• Windsurf
• Zed
• Kiro
• Codex CLI
• Antigravity
• IntelliJ IDEA (beta)
• n8n (API-based integration)

Automatic Detection

CyberCage automatically detects applications by scanning for their configurations in standard locations.

Configuration Levels

Many IDEs support two levels of MCP configuration:

1. User Configuration - Global settings for your user account
2. Workspace Configuration - Project-specific settings per workspace/folder

CyberCage monitors both levels to ensure complete protection.

Why Both Levels Matter

User Configuration

• Global MCP servers you use across all projects
• Example: GitHub integration, general utilities
• Typically safer since you configured them globally
• One-time approval covers all projects

Workspace Configuration

• Project-specific servers unique to each project
• Example: Database access for a specific app
• Higher risk - Each project could have different servers
• Requires per-project approval to prevent malicious repositories

How Protection Works

When you enable protection for an application:

1. Configuration Secured - CyberCage takes control of the MCP configuration
2. Servers Monitored - All MCP server communications are analyzed
3. Threats Blocked - Malicious requests and responses are prevented
4. Activity Logged - Everything is recorded for compliance

Protection States

Applications can be in different protection states:

Status	What It Means	What to Do
Protected	Actively monitoring all MCP activity	Normal operation
Unprotected	Detected but not secured	Enable protection
Pending	Protection being activated	Wait and restart app
Error	Issue preventing protection	Check troubleshooting
Offline	Application not running	Start the application

Managing Applications

Enabling Protection

1. Navigate to Applications in the Dashboard
2. Find your application in the list
3. Toggle protection ON
4. Restart the application when prompted

Disabling Protection

Sometimes you may need to temporarily disable protection:

Valid Reasons:

• Troubleshooting connectivity issues
• Testing new MCP servers in development
• Emergency access during service outages

To Disable:

1. Toggle protection OFF in the Dashboard
2. Restart the application
3. Remember to re-enable as soon as possible

Application Registry

CyberCage maintains a registry of known applications that includes:

• Where to find configuration files
• How to identify each application
• Optimal protection methods for each

This registry is automatically updated to support new applications.

Supported Applications

Tier 1 Support (Full Protection)

These applications have complete, tested protection:

• Claude Desktop - Desktop application for AI assistance
• Claude Code - Code-focused IDE with AI features
• VS Code / VS Codium - Visual Studio Code with MCP extension
• Cursor - AI-first code editor
• Windsurf - Next-generation IDE
• Zed - High-performance code editor
• Kiro - Collaborative development environment
• Codex CLI - Command-line AI assistant
• Antigravity - Modern development environment

Tier 2 Support (Beta Protection)

These applications have protection with some limitations:

• IntelliJ IDEA - JetBrains IDE suite

API-Based Integration

These applications use a different integration approach:

• n8n - Workflow automation platform (uses REST API instead of config files)

Adding New Applications

If your application isn't supported:

1. Check if it uses MCP protocol
2. Request support via GitHub Issues
3. Provide configuration file location
4. We'll add support in the next release

Configuration Examples

Claude Desktop Configuration

Location varies by platform:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\
• Linux: ~/.config/claude/

Example configuration structure:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "***"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code Configuration

Can be at user or workspace level:

• User: Platform-specific user settings location
• Workspace: .vscode/settings.json in your project folder

Next Steps

• Dashboard Applications - Manage your protected applications
• MCP Servers - Understand server security
• Policy & Threats - Configure application-specific rules
• Troubleshooting - Resolve common issues