---
title: "Connecting modelpiper.com to ToolPiper on your Mac"
description: "How do I connect the web app to ToolPiper, and why does it say ToolPiper is not connected?"
date: 2026-09-01
author: "ModelPiper"
tags: ["Connect", "Web App", "Pairing", "Troubleshooting"]
type: "faq"
canonical: "https://modelpiper.com/help/connecting-the-web-app"
---

# Connecting modelpiper.com to ToolPiper on your Mac

> How do I connect the web app to ToolPiper, and why does it say ToolPiper is not connected?

Click **Connect ToolPiper** on the page that needs it. The web app talks to ToolPiper on your own machine over `127.0.0.1:9998`, so the two have to be paired once per browser before the site can reach it. Nothing about the pairing leaves your Mac.

## The connect gesture

ToolPiper must be running first. Then click one of these:

-   **Connect ToolPiper** in the search box at the top of any page.
-   **Connect ToolPiper here** on a page whose feature needs it.
-   **Connect ToolPiper to listen** on an article, to have it read aloud.

All three run the same pairing. Once it succeeds the browser holds the pairing and the rest of the site works without asking again.

## Why the site never asks on its own

Auth only ever opens from a click. A site that popped a credential prompt because a request failed would put that prompt on marketing pages, in screenshots and in search results, for visitors who never asked for it. So a failed request goes quiet and waits for you.

That is also why the box says ToolPiper is not connected rather than trying to fix it: the next move is yours.

## It says ToolPiper is not connected, but it is running

-   **Check the app is actually up.** ToolPiper shows a window and a menu bar icon. If neither is there, the app is not running and nothing local is listening.
-   **Re-run the pairing.** A pairing is per browser and per profile. A new browser, a new profile, or cleared site data means pairing again.
-   **Try the developer token link.** The **Use a developer token instead** link beside the connect button is the fallback when the popup flow is blocked, which happens with some popup blockers and in some Safari configurations.

## If you have no Mac app installed

The page search still works: it runs entirely in your browser and searches the site. What needs ToolPiper is answering questions with a model, because the model is the one running on your machine.