Configuration

Glance can be configured via command-line flags, environment variables, or a configuration file.

Command-Line Flags

glance [flags]

Available Flags

Flag	Default	Description
--proxy-port	15500	Proxy server port
--dashboard-port	15501	Dashboard web UI port
--mcp-port	15502	MCP server port
--db-path	~/.glance.db	Path to SQLite database
--log-level	info	Log level (debug, info, warn, error)
--mcp	false	Run in MCP-only mode (for Claude Desktop)
--android	false	Enable Android device auto-configuration

| --help | | Show help message | | --version | | Show version |

Examples

# Run on custom ports
glance --proxy-port 8080 --dashboard-port 8081

# Enable debug logging
glance --log-level debug

# Run MCP server only
glance --mcp

# Auto-configure Android device
glance --android



# Custom database location
glance --db-path /tmp/glance-test.db

Environment Variables

Environment variables take precedence over default values but are overridden by command-line flags.

Variable	Equivalent Flag
GLANCE_PROXY_PORT	--proxy-port
GLANCE_DASHBOARD_PORT	--dashboard-port
GLANCE_MCP_PORT	--mcp-port
GLANCE_DB_PATH	--db-path
GLANCE_LOG_LEVEL	--log-level

Example

export GLANCE_PROXY_PORT=8080
export GLANCE_DASHBOARD_PORT=8081
export GLANCE_LOG_LEVEL=debug
glance

Configuration File

Note: Configuration file support is planned for future releases.

Future versions will support a glance.yaml or .glance.yml file:

# glance.yaml (planned)
proxy:
  port: 15500
  host: localhost

dashboard:
  port: 15501

mcp:
  port: 15502
  enabled: true

database:
  path: ~/.glance.db
  maxSize: 1GB
  autoClean: true

logging:
  level: info
  format: json

rules:
  autoLoad: ./rules.json

Database Configuration

Location

By default, Glance stores data in ~/.glance.db.

Change location:

glance --db-path /custom/path/glance.db

Performance Tuning

The database uses:

• Write-Ahead Logging (WAL): For better concurrency
• Write-Behind Caching: For high performance
• Auto-vacuum: To manage database size

Size Management

Monitor database size:

ls -lh ~/.glance.db

Clear old data:

1. Via Dashboard: Click "Clear Traffic"
2. Via API: DELETE /api/traffic
3. Via MCP: Use clear_traffic tool
4. Manually: rm ~/.glance.db (when Glance is stopped)

Logging

Log Levels

• debug: Verbose logging for development
• info: Normal operation (default)
• warn: Warnings only
• error: Errors only

Log Format

Default format: human-readable text

2026-02-22 10:30:00 INFO  Proxy listening on :15500
2026-02-22 10:30:01 DEBUG Intercepted GET https://api.example.com/users

Log to File

# Redirect to file
glance > glance.log 2>&1

# Or use tee to see and save
glance 2>&1 | tee glance.log

Network Configuration

Binding Address

By default, Glance binds to localhost (127.0.0.1) for security.

To allow external connections (not recommended):

# Future feature
glance --bind-address 0.0.0.0

⚠️ Security Warning: Never expose Glance to untrusted networks. It has no authentication and can intercept sensitive data.

Custom Ports

If default ports conflict:

glance \
  --proxy-port 8080 \
  --dashboard-port 8081 \
  --mcp-port 8082

Update clients accordingly:

export HTTP_PROXY=http://localhost:8080
export HTTPS_PROXY=http://localhost:8080

MCP Configuration

Claude Desktop Setup

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "glance": {
      "command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/glance",
      "args": ["--mcp"]
    }
  }
}

MCP-Only Mode

Run just the MCP server (no proxy or dashboard):

glance --mcp

Useful for:

• Dedicated MCP instance for AI agents
• Reduced resource usage
• Separate MCP and proxy instances

Custom MCP Port

glance --mcp-port 15503

Performance Tuning

Memory Usage

Limit memory by clearing traffic regularly:

# Clear traffic older than 1 hour
# (API endpoint - planned feature)
DELETE /api/traffic?older=1h

Database Optimization

For high-traffic scenarios:

1. Use faster storage: SSD over HDD
2. Increase cache: More RAM for write-behind cache
3. Regular cleanup: Clear old traffic data
4. Partition database: Separate databases for different projects

Request Throughput

Glance can handle:

• ~1000 requests/second on modern hardware
• Concurrent connections: 10,000+
• Database writes: Batched for efficiency

Security Considerations

Local Only

Default: Glance only listens on localhost (127.0.0.1)

Never expose to the internet:

• No authentication
• MITM capabilities
• Sensitive data in database

CA Certificate

Location: Generated in memory, exported via API

Security:

• Private key never saved to disk (by default)
• Certificate valid for 1 year
• Only trust on development machines

Database

Encryption: Not encrypted by default

Protect sensitive data:

# Use encrypted filesystem
# Set restrictive permissions
chmod 600 ~/.glance.db

Multi-Instance Setup

Run multiple Glance instances:

# Instance 1
glance --proxy-port 15500 --db-path ~/.glance-dev.db

# Instance 2 (different terminal)
glance --proxy-port 16500 --db-path ~/.glance-test.db --dashboard-port 16501

Use cases:

• Separate environments (dev, staging, test)
• Different projects
• Isolated test scenarios

Docker Configuration

Note: Official Docker image planned for future release.

For now, run from source:

FROM golang:1.24
WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
RUN make build
EXPOSE 15500 15501 15502
CMD ["./glance"]

Next Steps

• Troubleshooting - Common configuration issues
• API Reference - Programmatic configuration
• Development Guide - Build and customize