Setting Up a Tor Relay on macOS: Complete Guide with IP Rotation

Overview

This guide documents setting up a Tor relay on macOS (M4 Max MacBook Pro), including troubleshooting issues, port forwarding on a Vodafone Gigabox router, monitoring with nyx, and creating an IP rotation script. If you’ve seen tools like tornet on YouTube but can’t run them on macOS, this guide is for you!

Why Run a Tor Relay?

By running a Tor relay, you help others stay anonymous online. Your relay becomes part of the Tor network, routing encrypted traffic for journalists, activists, researchers, and privacy-conscious users worldwide.

Types of Tor Relays:

Type	What It Sees	Risk Level
Guard (Entry)	User’s real IP	Low
Middle	Neither user nor destination	Lowest
Exit	Destination websites	Highest
Bridge	Unlisted entry for censored users	Low

This guide sets up a Middle Relay - the safest option that still helps the network.

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Prerequisites

• macOS (tested on M4 Max, works on M1/M2/M3/Intel)
• Homebrew installed
• Router access for port forwarding
• Terminal familiarity

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Step 1: Install Tor

brew install tor

Verify installation:

tor --version

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Step 2: Configure Tor as a Relay

Edit the Tor configuration file:

nano /opt/homebrew/etc/tor/torrc

Add or modify these lines:

# Basic relay configuration
Nickname YourRelayName
ORPort 9001
SocksPort 9050
ControlPort 9051

# Your public IP (find with: curl ifconfig.me)
Address YOUR_PUBLIC_IP

# Contact info (optional but recommended)
ContactInfo your@email.com

# Bandwidth limits (adjust to your connection)
RelayBandwidthRate 1 MB
RelayBandwidthBurst 2 MB
AccountingMax 40 GB
AccountingStart month 3 15:00

# IMPORTANT: This makes you a Middle relay (NOT an exit)
ExitPolicy reject *:*

Save with Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X.

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Step 3: Start Tor

brew services start tor

Check status:

brew services list | grep tor

View logs:

tail -f /opt/homebrew/var/log/tor.log

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Mistake #1: Trying to Use systemctl on macOS

What I tried:

sudo systemctl start tor

Error:

System has not been booted with systemd as init system (PID 1). Can't operate.

Why it failed: macOS doesn’t use systemd - that’s a Linux thing!

The fix: Use Homebrew services:

brew services start tor    # Start
brew services stop tor     # Stop
brew services restart tor  # Restart
brew services list         # Check status

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Mistake #2: tornet Doesn’t Work on macOS

What I tried:

tornet --interval 2 --count 0

Error:

[!] No supported service manager found (systemctl or service)

Why: tornet expects Linux service managers.

The fix: Use nyx instead (official Tor monitor) or create your own IP rotation script (shown below).

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Step 4: Port Forwarding (Vodafone Gigabox)

Your relay needs port 9001 open to the internet.

Find Your Local IP

ipconfig getifaddr en0
# Example: 192.168.1.38

Access Your Router

1. Open browser: http://192.168.1.1
2. Login (check sticker on router for credentials)

Add Port Forward Rule

Navigate to: Internet → Port Forwarding (or Advanced → NAT)

Field	Value
Name	Tor Relay
Protocol	TCP
External Port	9001
Internal IP	192.168.1.38 (your Mac’s IP)
Internal Port	9001
Enable	Yes

Save and apply.

Verify Port is Open

Use these online tools:

• https://canyouseeme.org/ - Enter port 9001
• https://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/open-ports/

Expected result: Port 9001 is OPEN

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Mistake #3: Wrong IP in Tor Config

What happened:

[WARN] Your server has not managed to confirm reachability for its ORPort(s) at 109.77.12.130:9001

But my current IP was different!

Why: My public IP had changed (dynamic IP from ISP).

The fix:

# Get current public IP
curl ifconfig.me

# Update torrc
nano /opt/homebrew/etc/tor/torrc
# Change: Address YOUR_CURRENT_IP

# Restart Tor
brew services restart tor

Tip: If you have a dynamic IP, consider removing the Address line and letting Tor auto-detect, or set up Dynamic DNS.

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Mistake #4: macOS Firewall Blocking Tor

Symptoms: Port shows closed even with router forwarding.

Check firewall status:

sudo /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --getglobalstate

Add Tor exception:

sudo /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --add /opt/homebrew/bin/tor
sudo /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --unblockapp /opt/homebrew/bin/tor

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Success: Relay is Live!

After fixing the IP and port forwarding:

[NOTICE] Self-testing indicates your ORPort 109.78.86.31:9001 is reachable from the outside. Excellent.
[NOTICE] Publishing server descriptor.

Check your relay online (after 1-3 hours):

• https://metrics.torproject.org/rs.html - Search your relay name

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Step 5: Install nyx (Tor Monitor)

nyx is the official Tor relay monitor - like tornet but works on macOS!

brew install nyx

Run it:

nyx

nyx Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
← →	Switch pages
g	Bandwidth graph
c	Connections
l	Logs
n	New Identity (rotate IP)
q	Quit

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Step 6: IP Rotation Script (tornet Alternative)

Since tornet doesn’t work on macOS, here’s a custom script that does the same thing!

Create the Script

Save as ~/scripts/tor-rotate.sh:

#!/bin/bash
#
# Tor IP Rotation Script
# Rotates Tor exit IP every N seconds
#

# Colors
GREEN='\033[0;32m'
CYAN='\033[0;36m'
YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
NC='\033[0m' # No Color

# Default interval (seconds)
INTERVAL=${1:-10}

echo -e "${CYAN}"
echo "  ╔═══════════════════════════════════════╗"
echo "  ║       TOR IP ROTATOR - CipherStream   ║"
echo "  ╚═══════════════════════════════════════╝"
echo -e "${NC}"
echo -e "${YELLOW}Rotating IP every ${INTERVAL} seconds${NC}"
echo -e "${YELLOW}Press Ctrl+C to stop${NC}"
echo ""

# Counter
count=0

while true; do
    count=$((count + 1))

    # Request new circuit
    echo -e 'AUTHENTICATE ""\r\nSIGNAL NEWNYM\r\nQUIT' | nc 127.0.0.1 9051 > /dev/null 2>&1

    # Wait for circuit to establish
    sleep 2

    # Get new IP
    NEW_IP=$(curl -s --socks5 127.0.0.1:9050 https://check.torproject.org/api/ip 2>/dev/null | grep -o '"IP":"[^"]*"' | cut -d'"' -f4)

    # Get timestamp
    TIMESTAMP=$(date '+%H:%M:%S')

    # Display
    echo -e "${GREEN}[${count}]${NC} ${TIMESTAMP} - New IP: ${CYAN}${NEW_IP}${NC}"

    # Wait for next rotation (minus the 2 seconds we already waited)
    sleep $((INTERVAL - 2))
done

Make Executable

chmod +x ~/scripts/tor-rotate.sh

Usage

# Default: Rotate every 10 seconds
~/scripts/tor-rotate.sh

# Custom: Rotate every 30 seconds
~/scripts/tor-rotate.sh 30

Sample Output

  ╔═══════════════════════════════════════╗
  ║       TOR IP ROTATOR - CipherStream   ║
  ╚═══════════════════════════════════════╝

Rotating IP every 10 seconds
Press Ctrl+C to stop

[1] 14:35:10 - New IP: 185.220.101.45
[2] 14:35:20 - New IP: 23.129.64.142
[3] 14:35:30 - New IP: 51.15.43.205
[4] 14:35:40 - New IP: 109.70.100.31

Add Alias

echo 'alias tor-rotate="~/scripts/tor-rotate.sh"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Now just run:

tor-rotate
tor-rotate 20  # Custom interval

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Important: Relay vs Client

Your relay and browsing are separate:

Component	Port	Purpose
Relay (ORPort)	9001	Helps others - PUBLIC
Client (SOCKS)	9050	Your browsing - ANONYMOUS

• IP rotation only affects YOUR browsing (port 9050)
• Your relay uptime and stats are NOT affected
• You can browse anonymously while helping the network!

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Useful Commands Cheatsheet

# Tor Service
brew services start tor
brew services stop tor
brew services restart tor
brew services list | grep tor

# Check Tor is running
ps aux | grep -w tor

# View logs
tail -f /opt/homebrew/var/log/tor.log

# Test your anonymity
curl --socks5 127.0.0.1:9050 https://check.torproject.org/api/ip

# Get your public IP
curl ifconfig.me

# Monitor with nyx
nyx

# Rotate IP manually
echo -e 'AUTHENTICATE ""\r\nSIGNAL NEWNYM\r\nQUIT' | nc 127.0.0.1 9051

# Check port is listening
lsof -i :9001
lsof -i :9050

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Helpful Aliases

Add to ~/.zshrc:

# Tor aliases
alias tor-start='brew services start tor'
alias tor-stop='brew services stop tor'
alias tor-restart='brew services restart tor'
alias tor-status='brew services list | grep tor'
alias tor-logs='tail -f /opt/homebrew/var/log/tor.log'
alias tor-ip='curl --socks5 127.0.0.1:9050 https://check.torproject.org/api/ip'
alias tor-rotate='~/scripts/tor-rotate.sh'
alias torcurl='curl --socks5 127.0.0.1:9050'

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Configure Firefox for Tor

1. Open Firefox → Settings → Network Settings
2. Select “Manual proxy configuration”
3. SOCKS Host: 127.0.0.1
4. Port: 9050
5. Select “SOCKS v5”
6. Check “Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5”
7. Click OK

Verify at: https://check.torproject.org/

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Port Check URLs

• https://canyouseeme.org/
• https://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/open-ports/
• https://portchecker.co/

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Check Your Relay Status

After a few hours online:

• https://metrics.torproject.org/rs.html - Search your nickname or fingerprint

Your relay info will show:

• Uptime
• Bandwidth
• Country
• Flags earned (Stable, Fast, Valid, etc.)

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Summary

Problem	Solution
systemctl not found	Use brew services
tornet not working	Use nyx or tor-rotate.sh
Port closed	Forward port 9001 on router
Wrong IP in config	Update Address in torrc
Firewall blocking	Add Tor exception

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Key Takeaways

1. Homebrew manages Tor on macOS - not systemctl
2. tornet is Linux-only - use nyx + custom scripts on Mac
3. Port 9001 must be forwarded - check with online tools
4. Middle relays are safest - use ExitPolicy reject *:*
5. Relay and client are separate - IP rotation doesn’t affect relay uptime
6. nyx is your friend - official Tor monitor that works on macOS

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Resources

• Tor Project
• Tor Relay Guide
• nyx Documentation
• Tor Metrics - Relay Search
• Homebrew

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Running a Tor relay is a small contribution that makes a big difference. You’re helping journalists, activists, and privacy-conscious users worldwide stay safe online.

Welcome to the Tor network! 🧅