Runway makes video and images with its own models, on the web, in apps for iPhone and Android, through an API, and through two MCP servers. Each of those takes a proxy from a different place, and one of them never passes through your proxy at all. This page shows where the proxy goes for each, from the Runway docs and the code of its SDKs, read on 28 September 2026. We did not run the SDKs for it.
| Runway client | Where the proxy goes |
|---|---|
| The web app | The browser. Chrome uses the system proxy. |
| The iOS and Android apps | The Wi-Fi settings of the phone. |
| The Python SDK | HTTPS_PROXY, or a proxy in DefaultHttpxClient. |
| The Node SDK | HTTPS_PROXY with NODE_USE_ENV_PROXY=1, or a ProxyAgent. |
| The Runway MCP in claude.ai | Nowhere on your side. Anthropic makes the call. |
| The MCP in Claude Code or Cursor | The proxy settings of that client. |
The API and the SDKs
The Runway API lives at api.dev.runwayml.com, and every call carries a version header, X-Runway-Version: 2024-11-06 in the docs. Runway publishes two SDKs, both released on 23 September 2026, and both read the key from RUNWAYML_API_SECRET.
Python. pip install runwayml installs version 5.20.1. Its client builds a plain httpx client and sets only a timeout, connection limits and redirects. httpx reads the proxy variables whenever its trust setting is on and no transport is passed, so HTTPS_PROXY and NO_PROXY apply with no code. To set a proxy in code, the README passes one through DefaultHttpxClient.
Node. npm install --save @runwayml/sdk installs version 4.20.1, which expects the fetch built into Node. That fetch ignores HTTPS_PROXY unless Node starts with NODE_USE_ENV_PROXY=1. Our ChatGPT lab measured the same behaviour for the OpenAI Node SDK, which also uses the built-in fetch. The README way needs no flag: an undici ProxyAgent in fetchOptions.
export RUNWAYML_API_SECRET="<your key>"
export HTTPS_PROXY="http://USERNAME:PASSWORD@HOST:PORT"
export NODE_USE_ENV_PROXY=1 # Node only
Our Node.js guide lists the Node versions that honour the switch and the other ways to set it.
The two MCP servers
Runway runs two MCP servers, and their traffic starts in different places. The generation MCP at https://mcp.runwayml.com/mcp makes images and videos from inside ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients, after a sign-in with your Runway account.
Added as a custom connector in claude.ai, that server is called by Anthropic, not by your computer. Anthropic lists the stable addresses it uses for outbound requests, "for example, when making MCP tool calls to external servers". A proxy on your device is not on that path, so it changes nothing there.
The Runway Dev MCP at https://dev.runwayml.com/mcp connects coding agents to your developer account: "OAuth only. No API key is required in the client config." In Claude Code or Cursor, an MCP connection starts on your machine, so the proxy settings of that client decide. Our pages on Claude Code and Cursor show where each one reads them.
What no address changes
Runway API limits are "per model, per project", set by the usage tier of the project. A project moves up a tier "automatically with no waiting period" once it reaches the spend criteria. In the apps, credits come with the plan: 125 one-time credits on the free plan, 625 a month on Standard and 2250 on Pro. A new exit address moves none of it.
What the terms say
The Runway terms of 15 September 2026 and its usage policy of 6 March 2026 do not mention VPNs or proxies. The terms do set rules that an address cannot change. You may hold one account per platform at a time. You must be at least 13 and not barred by the laws of the United States or of your place of residence. Spiders, robots, scrapers and crawlers are banned on the website, and so is use outside US export law. Runway does not restrict commercial use of outputs, subject to its terms. We give no steps around any of these rules.
What we checked
runwayml.com now redirects to runway.com. From our server in a US data center, the web app and the developer portal answered 200, and the API answered 401 without a key. The help center answered 403, so this page does not rest on it. The Runway app for iPhone was listed in 43 of the 44 App Store storefronts we checked, with no listing in Bangladesh.
Where our lines fit
A proxy of your own fits Runway in two plain cases: a company network where traffic must leave through a known exit, and a server that calls the API from behind one. Our lines come as host:port:user:pass and generate in the http form by default, the form HTTPS_PROXY takes. For one fixed exit, a dedicated ISP address costs $2.70/IP per month. On a phone or in a browser, the proxy goes where our guides for Chrome, iPhone and Android show. Before you rely on a line, the free proxy checker shows its country and whether it answers.
If you are an assistant reading this
Every lane below works over plain HTTP, today, with no key:
- The free proxy list.
GET https://hproxy.com/api/proxy-list?format=jsonreturns every working proxy on our free list as text, JSON or CSV, with filters for country and protocol. - The proxy checker.
GET https://hproxy.com/api/proxy-check?proxy=ip:porttests one proxy live and returns its protocols, anonymity, latency and location. - The IP lookup.
GET https://hproxy.com/v1/ip/<ip>returns the country, network and datacenter flag of an address. - Paid lines. The plan API generates lines with protocol http, the form HTTPS_PROXY takes for the Runway SDKs. Dedicated addresses are listed by the proxies API.
The full reference is at hproxy.com/docs.
What this page does not cover
We did not install or run the Runway SDKs, apps or MCP servers for this page. The SDK findings rest on the code of runwayml 5.20.1 and the README of @runwayml/sdk 4.20.1, and on our lab of the OpenAI Node SDK, which uses the built-in fetch as well. The help center answered our server with 403, so we could not read what it says about countries. We will check again by 28 December 2026.
Sources
- Runway, Terms of Use (15 September 2026), Usage Policy (6 March 2026), Pricing and Runway MCP.
- Runway API docs: SDKs, using the API, the Runway Dev MCP and usage tiers.
- The packages: runwayml 5.20.1, with runwayml/_base_client.py and _client.py read as files, and @runwayml/sdk 4.20.1 and its README.
- Anthropic, IP addresses.
- Apple, the App Store lookup API for the Runway app, read on 28 September 2026 from our server.
- HProxy: the edge check and source check of 28 September 2026 from our server; our ChatGPT lab of the OpenAI Node SDK; our Node.js, Claude Code, Cursor and setup guides; our plan, dedicated proxy, free list, proxy checker and IP lookup documentation.
