# Tidesman

Runs and inspects Linux containers on macOS via Apple's container tool. Helpful when testing code in isolated environments directly from the assistant.

- MCP server · `type=mcp` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (Devin Desktop), Cline, Zed · ★ 7
- Author: JeronimoColon
- License: not stated · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/JeronimoColon/tidesman-mcp
- Updated: 2026-07-18
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/tidesman

## What it does

Tidesman connects MCP clients to Apple's container tool on macOS. The server bypasses command line wrappers. It talks directly to the background apiserver over XPC via Swift. This exposes twenty tools for image management and process execution.

System prerequisites are strict. You need an Apple Silicon Mac and macOS 26. The server fails immediately if Apple's container service is not running beforehand. One can also pass the `--mode` flag to disable destructive actions like deleting images or stopping active containers.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

**Install**
- The MCP registry has no launch command for it: see the repository README

## When to use it
- spin up a Linux container from an image to test code
- execute commands and fetch logs inside an active container
- inspect disk space consumed by images and volumes
- prune unused images and stopped containers

## Example prompts
- Call `container_list` to see what is currently running.
- Run the test suite inside the container using `container_exec`.
- Check recent output for this container with `container_logs`.

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NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md