---
name: localtunnel
description: Expose localhost to the world for easy testing and sharing using localtunnel
license: MIT
compatibility: opencode
metadata:
  audience: agents
  use-case: development
---

## What I do

localtunnel exposes your localhost to the world for easy testing and sharing. It creates a public URL that forwards requests to your local development server. This is useful for:
- Testing webhooks from external services (Twilio, Stripe, etc.)
- Sharing work-in-progress with others
- Browser testing from external tools

## When to use me

Use this skill when:
1. You need to expose a local development server to the internet
2. External services need to call back to your local machine
3. You want to share a local URL with others for testing
4. You need to receive webhooks from third-party services

## Installation

localtunnel requires Node.js. Install it globally:

```bash
npm install -g localtunnel
```

Or as a project dependency:

```bash
npm install localtunnel
```

## CLI Usage

### Basic usage (non-interactive)

```bash
lt --port 8000
```

### With specific subdomain (request only, not guaranteed)

```bash
lt --port 8000 --subdomain my-app
```

### Using environment variables

```bash
PORT=3000 lt
```

### Common CLI options

- `--port` - Local port number to expose (required)
- `--subdomain` - Request a specific subdomain (not guaranteed)
- `--local-host` - Proxy to a hostname other than localhost

## API Usage

For programmatic use in Node.js scripts:

```javascript
const localtunnel = require('localtunnel');

(async () => {
  const tunnel = await localtunnel({ port: 3000 });
  
  console.log('Tunnel URL:', tunnel.url);
  
  tunnel.on('close', () => {
    console.log('Tunnel closed');
  });
})();
```

### API options

- `port` (number, required) - Local port to expose
- `subdomain` (string) - Request specific subdomain
- `host` (string) - Proxy server URL (default: https://localtunnel.me)
- `local_host` (string) - Proxy to different hostname
- `local_https` (boolean) - Enable HTTPS tunneling
- `local_cert`, `local_key`, `local_ca` (string) - Certificate paths
- `allow_invalid_cert` (boolean) - Disable cert checks

## Non-interactive usage in OpenCode

Since OpenCode runs in non-interactive mode:

1. **Always use `npx localtunnel` or the CLI** - Do not use interactive prompts
2. **Run in background** - Use run_background_process for long-lived tunnels
3. **Handle tunnel URL** - Extract and display the URL to the user
4. **Clean up** - Close tunnel when done using `tunnel.close()` or process termination

Example for running a tunnel in background:

```javascript
// Start local server first, then:
const tunnel = await localtunnel({ port: 3000 });
console.log('Public URL:', tunnel.url);
```

## Important notes

- The tunnel URL is assigned dynamically and may change on reconnect
- Tunnels can close unexpectedly; handle the `close` event
- For production use, consider proper deployment instead of localtunnel
- Some features require the tunnel to stay running