WATCHTOWER / COVERAGE
Know where the picture ends.
What the current invited alpha can show, what it cannot see, and how to read its observations.
What you can inspect.
| Source | What it adds | Where it ends |
|---|---|---|
| Network connections | Process attribution, destination information and data volume for observed flows. | No TLS contents. Hostnames are not available for every flow. An AI-service list cannot identify every private or self-hosted endpoint. |
| MCP proxy | Tool calls and messages on the MCP connections you configure through Watchtower. | Does not see connections that bypass the proxy or built-in agent tools that do not cross MCP. |
| Claude Code and Codex records | Configured coding-agent activity in the timeline and session replay. | Depends on the integration and what the agent reports. It is not independent file-access auditing. |
| Presence | Away-and-back transitions based on lock, sleep, console session and idle state, alongside activity. | No keystrokes or screen contents. Presence does not establish who requested an action or whether it was authorized. |
| Flags and readings | Advisory context with the originating rule or on-device model identified. | Not proof of a threat, a complete security audit or a guarantee that unflagged activity is safe. |
Services are destinations,
not a list of threats.
Watchtower classifies known AI destinations using a maintained list shipped with the app. You can tag a destination as AI when the list does not recognize it. A connection shows that a program contacted a destination; it does not reveal why encrypted data was sent or what a remote service did with it.
The alpha’s “What left this Mac” view compares data sent by program. Byte counts describe volume, not the contents of the upload.
OUR READING OF THE MARKET
The combination is the angle.
Our review did not identify another local, observe-only product combining runtime MCP traffic, agent hook events, per-process network flows and presence on one machine. This is an inference from a limited review, not proof of uniqueness. Commercial EDR add-ons were not surveyed.
Watchtower’s proposition is the combination and the context it gives you. It is not a claim to replace endpoint protection or to catch everything a scanner misses.
Technique claims need evidence.
A detailed technique-by-technique coverage catalogue is under review. It is not published here as a detection promise. Any future claim must match a released build and have reviewed evidence showing the observable signal and its limitations.
Read the actual alpha release notes →