Guide · Agent skill

How to use the Proxychains Network Proxy agent skill

Updated 2026-10-29 · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The proxychains skill is an agent skill that tells an AI agent to retry failed network commands such as git, pip, npm, curl, wget, docker and ssh through a proxy server using proxychains4. It is aimed at developers whose machine already runs a local proxy and who hit timeouts, DNS errors or blocked access to services like GitHub, PyPI, npm or Docker registries. After this guide you will know how to install the skill, trigger it with plain requests, and set up the proxychains configuration it expects.

Proxychains Network Proxy2025Emma/vibe-coding-cn · MIT Download the skill

Quick start

1Install proxychains4. Install the proxychains-ng package with apt, yum, dnf, pacman or brew, then confirm it with proxychains4 --version.
2Start your local proxy. Make sure a proxy service is listening on 127.0.0.1:9910, or plan to edit the configuration to point at your own port.
3Add the skill folder. Unzip the downloaded skill and place it in ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
4Create the configuration file. Create ~/.proxychains/proxychains.conf with your proxy entry in the [ProxyList] section.
5Test the proxy. Run proxychains4 curl https://ipinfo.io/json and check that it shows the proxy's IP address rather than yours.
6Ask the agent to retry. Give a natural request that names the failed command and error, and let the agent rerun it through proxychains4.

What an agent skill is and what this one does

An agent skill is a folder of instructions and reference files that an AI agent loads when a task matches the skill's description. This skill's description says it should be used when encountering connection timeouts, DNS failures, or blocked network access.

When it applies, the skill tells the agent to add proxychains4 in front of the failed command, so that the program's network connections are forced through a proxy. The default proxy in the source is http://127.0.0.1:9910.

Connection timeout errors
DNS resolution failures
"Connection refused" errors
HTTP 403 or 451 blocked access
Failures from git, pip, npm, curl, wget and similar commands

Install the proxychains4 tool first

The skill needs the proxychains4 program (proxychains-ng) on your machine. The source lists installs through apt, yum and brew. Running the skill without it will produce a "command not found" error.

On Debian or Ubuntu the source uses sudo apt install proxychains4. On CentOS or RHEL it uses sudo yum install proxychains-ng, and on macOS brew install proxychains-ng. The source also covers Fedora (sudo dnf install proxychains-ng) and Arch Linux (sudo pacman -S proxychains-ng). Check the install with proxychains4 --version.

sudo apt install proxychains4  # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo yum install proxychains-ng  # CentOS/RHEL
brew install proxychains-ng  # macOS

Install the skill from the ZIP download

Download the ZIP for this skill from this page and unzip it. For a personal setup, place the skill folder in ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, place it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder.

In the Claude apps you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills. The skill folder includes SKILL.md, the scripts/setup-proxy.sh setup script, and the references folder with index.md, quick-reference.md, setup-guide.md and troubleshooting.md.

Personal: ~/.claude/skills/
Project: .claude/skills/ inside your project
Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Create the proxychains configuration

The skill expects a proxychains configuration file. The source recommends ~/.proxychains/proxychains.conf and mentions /etc/proxychains.conf as a system-level option. The sample below creates the user-level file pointing to 127.0.0.1:9910. Only run it if you have a proxy listening on that port, or edit the last line to match your proxy.

The source also shows a temporary option using environment variables PROXYCHAINS_SOCKS5_HOST and PROXYCHAINS_SOCKS5_PORT, but note that these names are SOCKS5-specific while the default entry is an http proxy.

mkdir -p ~/.proxychains
cat > ~/.proxychains/proxychains.conf << 'EOF'
# Proxychains configuration
strict_chain
proxy_dns
remote_dns_subnet 224
tcp_read_time_out 15000
tcp_connect_time_out 8000

[ProxyList]
http 127.0.0.1 9910
EOF

Test that the proxy is working

Before relying on the skill, confirm that your proxy answers and that proxychains routes traffic through it. The source suggests checking the port is listening and running a test request through the proxy.

If the test shows your own IP address instead of the proxy's, the routing is not working. The troubleshooting steps in the source cover checking the port and the configuration file.

Check the port with ss -tunlp | grep 9910 or netstat -tunlp | grep 9910
Test the proxy directly with curl -x http://127.0.0.1:9910 https://www.google.com
Verify routing with proxychains4 curl https://ipinfo.io/json

proxychains4 curl https://ipinfo.io/json

Trigger the skill with natural requests

You do not need special syntax. Ask the agent in plain language to fix or retry a network-blocked task, and the skill's description should match. Mention the failing command and the error when you can, since the skill is designed to react to those errors.

The source describes automatic use, so the agent may also add proxychains4 on its own after a network error or for known slow sources such as github.com, pypi.org and registry.npmjs.org.

"git clone failed with a timeout, try it through the proxy."
"pip install hangs on connection timeout, retry it with proxychains."
"npm install gives a DNS failure, can you rerun it through the local proxy?"
"docker pull is blocked, retry through proxychains4."

Know the limits and safety notes

Proxychains works by intercepting network calls from programs that are dynamically linked. The source says statically linked programs are not supported, only TCP is supported (not UDP), and some programs that use special network libraries may not work.

The skill runs scripts and uses the network. Traffic and commands for the affected programs go through whichever proxy you configure, so only use it with a proxy you control or are allowed to use. The source also says the skill makes the agent reroute commands automatically without asking, so review what it runs. Environments with sensitive credentials or private data need extra care.

Only dynamically linked programs are supported
Only TCP traffic is routed, not UDP
Use only proxies that your policy and local law allow
Sudo is needed only to install system packages or edit /etc/proxychains.conf

What people use it for

Retrying a git clone of a GitHub repository that timed out on the first attempt.
Reinstalling Python packages with pip install -r requirements.txt when PyPI access is blocked.
Running npm install in a project when the registry lookup fails with a DNS error.
Pulling a Docker image through proxychains4 docker pull when the registry is unreachable.
Checking which IP address a command uses with the ipinfo.io test.

Frequently asked questions

Is the proxychains agent skill free?

The skill is distributed under the MIT licence, as listed on this page. The proxychains4 tool itself is installed from apt, yum, dnf, pacman or brew packages, and this guide does not state any prices.

What do I need before installing the proxychains skill?

You need proxychains4 (proxychains-ng) installed, a running proxy service on 127.0.0.1:9910 or a configuration pointing to your own proxy, and a Bash shell for the setup script. Sudo is only needed to install system packages or edit /etc/proxychains.conf.

Where do I put the skill folder?

Unzip the ZIP and place the folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or in .claude/skills/ inside a project. In the Claude apps you can upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Why does my proxychains command still fail?

The source says to check that the proxy is running on 127.0.0.1:9910, confirm the port with ss or netstat, and review the proxychains configuration file. If the test command still fails, try a different proxy address in the config.

Does proxychains work with every program?

No. The source says it only supports dynamically linked programs and only TCP connections, so statically linked programs and UDP traffic are not covered.

How is this different from setting a proxy in the tool itself?

Proxychains wraps a command and forces its network connections through the proxy without changing the program, whereas many tools need their own proxy settings. The skill automates adding proxychains4 to failed commands, so you do not have to type it each time.

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Our verdict

This skill suits developers who already run a local proxy on 127.0.0.1:9910 and want the agent to retry blocked commands through it. It is not a good fit if you have no proxy service, if routing traffic through a proxy may break your policy or local law, or if you handle sensitive data that should not pass through a proxy you do not fully control.

Download the skill