• PrivadoVPN has added a built-in MCP server to its Windows, macOS apps
• It lets MCP-compatible AI tools manage your VPN connection
• The server is opt-in, runs entirely on the device, and is restricted to localhost

The latest update from PrivadoVPN hands the keys to your VPN over to your AI assistant.

The provider has built a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server into its Windows and macOS apps, letting compatible AI development tools connect to and control your connection directly from your coding environment.

MCP is the open standard Anthropic introduced in late 2024 to link AI systems with external tools and data. By adopting it, PrivadoVPN joins a growing list of providers wiring their apps into the agentic era, allowing the best VPN services to be driven by natural language rather than menus and toggles.

What PrivadoVPN's MCP server does

PrivadoVPN's server plugs into MCP-compatible tools including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, LM Studio, and Visual Studio Code.

Once it's running, an assistant can connect or disconnect the VPN, switch server locations, and check your current connection, IP address, and status. It can also list available locations, swap between WireGuard, IKEv2, and OpenVPN protocols, toggle the Kill Switch, and run basic network diagnostics.

Under the hood, the server is a local HTTP component embedded in the client. It listens on a fixed port (5801 by default) and is restricted to localhost, so it cannot be reached remotely. Commands run through the official PrivadoVPN app, and any change shows up instantly in the interface.

Security sits at the centre of the design. The server is off by default and has to be switched on by the user; it never leaves the device, and every action is executed by the PrivadoVPN client itself rather than handed to the AI.

The company pitches the feature to developers, QA teams, and power users who routinely run tests across different regions and VPN configurations.

You can see all the technical details on PrivadoVPN's support page.

How to use PrivadoVPN's MCP server

To turn it on, users need to open the PrivadoVPN app, head to Settings, then Application, and turn on the MCP Server option. Once saved, it runs quietly in the background.

From there, you point your AI tool at the endpoint, http://127.0.0.1:5801/mcp.

In Claude Code, for example, a single terminal command registers it, while Codex, Cursor, LM Studio, and VS Code each take a short JSON snippet in their MCP configuration.

The VPN and AI agents race

PrivadoVPN is only the first of a growing but still small list of VPN providers joining the AI agents race.

ExpressVPN, for example, claimed an industry first in March when it launched an MCP server in beta for its desktop apps. Siilarly to Privado, also ExpressVPN's tool is opt-in, local, and covered by its strict no-logs policy.

Norton VPN went further with its "VPN for Agents", an AI-native tool that spins up temporary, Docker-based tunnels so each agent and task gets its own separate connection.

Windscribe took a different route, releasing a skill that lets agents such as OpenClaw drive its command line interface (CLI) on a dedicated machine, while PureVPN turned ChatGPT into a conversational assistant that recommends servers and connects through deep links.

• IPVanish added OpenVPN Data Channel Offload (DCO) to its Windows app
• Internal testing recorded download increases of up to 196%
• The feature cannot be used at the same time as OpenVPN Scramble

IPVanish has released a new Windows client built around High-Speed Mode, the provider's implementation of OpenVPN Data Channel Offload (DCO). The company claims the feature lifts OpenVPN download speeds by up to 196%.

OpenVPN remains one of the most widely supported protocols in the industry, prized for its maturity and its ability to work almost anywhere. Its weakness has always been pace, which is why so many of the best VPN services now steer users towards WireGuard by default.

OpenVPN DCO addresses this problem. It moves the heavy lifting of encryption out of the app and into the deepest core of the operating system, cutting latency and easing CPU load without changing the protocol's security.

IPVanish has also swapped its Windows OpenVPN cipher from AES-256-CBC to AES-256-GCM, a change it says trims 32% off the time needed to connect to a server.

OpenVPN DCO remains an exclusive for Windows users. As the provider confirms to TechRadar, "OpenVPN DCO isn't possible on macOS, iOS, or Android. Those operating systems have locked-down kernels."

What IPvanish's High-Speed Mode actually changes, and how to use it

Standard OpenVPN shuttles data back and forth between the VPN app and the operating system. Every one of those handovers costs time. DCO keeps the data channel closer to the Windows networking layer instead, so encrypted traffic moves through the system with fewer stops.

IPVanish tested servers in New York, London, Berlin, and Tokyo, three times a day across three consecutive days. Averaged out, downloads improved by 131% on TCP and 196% on UDP, while uploads rose 34% and 101% respectively.

"IPVanish is already known for offering fast VPN speeds, and today we're raising the bar for Windows OpenVPN," said Subbu Sthanu, General Manager, Consumer Cybersecurity at IPVanish, adding that streamers, gamers, and remote workers should all feel the difference.

You can turn the feature on by updating your Windows app and going to the OpenVPN protocol in the Settings tab.

One catch is that High-Speed Mode is not compatible with OpenVPN Scramble — IPVanish's obfuscation feature that disguises your VPN traffic to slip past networks that block it. Turn one on, and you lose the other. For anyone connecting from a school, an office, or a country that filters VPNs, Scramble is probably the more important feature.

Which other VPNs offer OpenVPN DCO

ExpressVPN was among the first providers to unveil OpenVPN DCO in March 2025, claiming a 2,000% jump in UDP performance. Windscribe also added DCO on Windows at the same time, recently extending it to Linux, too.

Norton VPN followed in September 2025, citing doubled speeds and 15% lower latency.

Surfshark, NordVPN, and PrivadoVPN all ship a DCO adapter in their Windows clients, too. It's still a short list, with most providers betting on WireGuard instead.