Outbound’s own connections
Every connection the app itself can make, the hosts involved, when each happens, and the switch that stops it.
Settings › Outbound’s Connections lists every connection Outbound itself can open, one row each. The live state beside the name is On, Off, or Only when you use it. Each row shows why the connection exists, the hosts, when it runs, and the control that stops it. The page’s closing line: “Outbound labels its own traffic in the Network Monitor too.”
On a fresh install, only App updates and Location database reach the network on their own. Everything else stays quiet until you use it.
| Connection | Talks to | When | Turning it off |
|---|---|---|---|
| App updates | outboundfirewall.com | Once a day while automatic checks are on, and when you choose Check for Updates. The check reads the signed feed. The update file’s address is the one named in that feed. | Settings › Updates › Check for updates automatically |
| Problem reports | outboundfirewall.com | When you send a report from Help › Report a Problem. The report is the one you write, and only the parts you choose to include. | There is no switch. Not sending a report is what keeps it quiet. |
| Blocklists | The https addresses you add | When you add a list, and when its refresh is due, including the ads list you turn on during setup. The background agent fetches them and looks about once a minute. | Remove the list in Settings › Blocklists |
| Managed rule feed | The RuleFeedURL your administrator sets | At launch and about every six hours while that preference is set. | Your administrator removes RuleFeedURL |
| Location database | download.db-ip.com | While automatic updates are on, when the offline city database is missing or a newer month is published. You can also install it from Settings › Monitor. | Settings › Monitor › Update the location database automatically |
| Website icons | A site shown in Outbound | Only when Download icons from websites is on, and only for a connection that is already allowed. Icons that ship with the app need no network. | Settings › Appearance › Download icons from websites |
| Assistant | api.openai.com, api.anthropic.com, generativelanguage.googleapis.com, openrouter.ai | After you choose OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini or OpenRouter, add a key, and turn on Send figures to. A custom server such as Ollama or LM Studio uses the address you enter. Test Connection sends one request when you press it. | Settings › Intelligence › Send figures to |
| Crash reports and usage | us.i.posthog.com, and the host in the build’s Sentry DSN | Only while Share anonymous crash reports and usage is on. Usage events go to PostHog when the build has a key. Crash reports go to the Sentry host. The DSN in this copy is empty, so it sends no crash report until a DSN is set. | Settings › General › Share anonymous crash reports and usage |
| License | live.dodopayments.com | When you activate or deactivate a key, and when a saved key is due for a check. The app looks about every six hours and contacts the server if the last successful check was more than seven days ago. | Deactivate the key in Settings › License |
| Encrypted DNS | dns.quad9.net, cloudflare-dns.com, dns.google, dns.nextdns.io | While Encrypt DNS lookups is on. NextDNS uses your profile id. A custom resolver uses the address you enter. The DNS test sends one lookup to the HTTPS resolver. | Settings › DNS › Encrypt DNS lookups |
| Dictation model | Apple’s servers, chosen by macOS | The first time you dictate a question in a language whose model is not installed. Recognition then runs on this Mac. | There is no switch. Not using dictation keeps it quiet. |
| Coding agents | Whichever registry npm is set to use | When you choose Claude Code or Codex and agree to use it, or press Test. Outbound runs npx, which can download an adapter the first time. Other agents are programs already on this Mac. | Settings › Intelligence › Answered by |
For the AI features’ data handling, see Providers and what is sent.