Alternative to · Smee.io
Smee.io forwards webhooks to localhost. HookSense lets your agent await them.
Smee.io (from the GitHub/Probot world) is a clever free proxy: it pipes webhooks to your localhost over an event stream while you watch. But an AI agent doesn't watch a terminal — it needs to create a callback endpoint and block on the result. HookSense gives the agent create_callback_endpoint and wait_for_callback over MCP, signature-verified, no localhost required.
What developers tell us about Smee.io
- It's a forwarding proxy for human-driven local dev — no way for an agent to await a result over MCP.
- Nothing is persisted and there's no signature verification, so an agent can't trust or recover a payload.
- No wait_for_callback primitive — the agent would have to run its own listener and poll it.
- Throwaway channels, no MCP integration, no replay an agent can trigger.
Why teams switch
Your agent awaits the result over MCP
create_callback_endpoint then wait_for_callback — the agent blocks until the signed payload arrives. No localhost listener, no event stream to babysit.
MCP-native install
`npx @hooksense/mcp` adds create, wait, verify, and replay tools to Claude or Cursor. The agent owns the endpoint.
Signature-verified callbacks
verify_signature is built in — the agent only acts on a payload it can trust. Smee offers no signature verification.
Auto-retries and dead-letter (soon)
Failed callbacks retry with backoff and land in a dead-letter queue so an agent never silently loses a result. Paid plans are in early access.
Pricing, side by side
Smee.io
Free (open source)
Forwarding proxy: no history, no signatures, no MCP, no wait primitive
HookSense
$0 / $29/mo
Catch: callback endpoints + MCP. Hook: more endpoints, signature verification, retries (soon)
How to migrate (15 minutes)
- 1Install the MCP server: `npx @hooksense/mcp` in Claude or Cursor.
- 2Have your agent call create_callback_endpoint for a signed, hosted callback URL.
- 3Hand it to the long-running tool, async job, or human approver instead of a smee channel.
- 4The agent calls wait_for_callback and blocks until the signed result arrives.
- 5Use verify_signature and get_callback_payload to act on a trusted payload.
FAQ
Does HookSense forward to localhost like smee.io?
It does something better for agents: instead of piping to localhost, it hosts the callback endpoint and lets your agent call wait_for_callback over MCP to receive the signed result. No localhost listener required.
Can I still use smee for quick throwaway local dev?
Sure. Smee is fine for a one-off where a human watches the terminal. HookSense is the agent-native callback layer — the better default when an AI agent needs to create an endpoint and await a verified result.
Is HookSense open source like smee?
HookSense is a hosted product with a free plan, not open source. You get the agent-native callback layer — create_callback_endpoint, wait_for_callback, verify_signature over MCP — that smee doesn't provide.
Give your agent a callback URL.
Add HookSense to Claude or Cursor with `npx @hooksense/mcp`. Free to start; request early access for paid plans.
Get a callback URL