Why not just use print() or logging?

Logging shows fragments. Tether connects the prompt, action, file diff, command output, failed test, and recovery point in one local execution graph.

Can I use this with production code?

Yes. It's a local proxy, so your real code doesn't change. Use it locally for debugging, or keep it running. Tether only stores traces locally and never sends anything anywhere.

How much money does caching actually save?

It depends on your agent. If you're iterating on prompt logic and re-running the same retrieval steps, caching saves you 50-90% of API spend while you debug. Each cached hit costs $0.0000.

Does Tether add latency to my agent?

Negligible. Tether runs locally on your machine. The only overhead is the proxy hop, which is less than 1ms. Real LLM calls are the bottleneck, not Tether.

Can I share traces with my team?

Not yet. Each developer runs their own Tether instance locally. Export as JSON is coming in a later release.

How does Tether intercept LLM calls without SDK changes?

Tether runs a local HTTP proxy on your machine. You point your AI client's base_url at http://localhost:8080/v1 — that's the only change required. Tether forwards requests to the real provider and records everything locally.

Does Tether send my prompts or API keys to the cloud?

No. Tether is fully air-gapped. Your prompts and responses stay on your machine. macOS secrets use Keychain-aware storage, Linux uses the same local proxy model, and traces stay local.

Which LLM providers does Tether support?

Tether supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, LM Studio, and any provider that accepts an OpenAI-compatible base_url. It also works with LangChain, LangGraph, LlamaIndex, and similar frameworks.

Yes. Tether is free during the alpha period. The core proxy is open source.

Home/Docs/System overview

Architecture

System overview

A high-level map of the local-first desktop clients, Rust proxy, storage layer, provider upstreams, and release automation.

Install Setup steps

Release: Alpha channel
Runtime: macOS + Linux + local proxy
Docs: 19 guides

Runtime shape

text

tether capture -- <agent command>
      -> wrapper starts or uses local proxy
      -> source adapters normalize agent events
      -> SQLite trace database
      -> macOS or Linux desktop execution graph

The proxy is one capture path, not the whole product. Tether also ingests local logs and adapter events, stores normalized execution evidence locally, and serves a local REST API consumed by the macOS and Linux apps.

Module map

Surface	Responsibility
tether capture	Wrap local agent commands and coordinate proxy or adapter-based capture.
core/proxy/src/gateway	Provider routing, upstream forwarding, cache hit responses, stream completion.
core/proxy/src/trace	Capture, summarize, persist, query, replay, rollback evidence, and session lifecycle.
apps/macos/Sources/Core	Shared trace models and reducer state.
apps/macos/Sources/Networking	Proxy API, local launcher, Keychain, and source-log ingestion.
apps/macos/Tether/Features	App shell, graph, sidebar, inspector, settings, and welcome UI.
apps/linux	Tauri shell, React graph, inspector, settings, and Linux sidecar proxy control.
apps/web	Marketing site and public documentation pages.