browser-automation

Browser Automation (Chrome MCP Server)

Turn your Chrome browser into your intelligent assistant - Let AI take control of your browser.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user:

• Wants to automate browser tasks (clicking, filling forms, navigating)
• Needs to take screenshots of web pages or elements
• Wants to extract content from web pages
• Asks to search browsing history or manage bookmarks
• Needs to monitor network requests
• Wants AI to interact with websites using their existing login sessions

Installation

Step 1: Install the Native Bridge

npm install -g mcp-chrome-bridger
# or
pnpm install -g mcp-chrome-bridger
mcp-chrome-bridger register

Step 2: Install Chrome Extension

Download from GitHub Releases:

1. Download mcp-chrome-extension-vX.X.X.zip
2. Open Chrome → chrome://extensions/
3. Enable "Developer mode"
4. Click "Load unpacked" and select the extracted folder
5. Click the extension icon → Click "Connect"

Step 3: Configure MCP Client

Add to your MCP client configuration:

Streamable HTTP (Recommended):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-mcp-server": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:12306/mcp"
    }
  }
}

STDIO (Alternative):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-chrome-bridger", "stdio"]
    }
  }
}

Available Tools (20+)

Browser Management

Tool	Description
get_windows_and_tabs	List all browser windows and tabs
chrome_navigate	Navigate to URLs, control viewport
chrome_switch_tab	Switch active tab
chrome_close_tabs	Close specific tabs
chrome_go_back_or_forward	Browser history navigation

Screenshots

Tool	Description
chrome_screenshot	Capture full page, viewport, or specific elements

Content Analysis

Tool	Description
chrome_get_web_content	Extract HTML/text from pages
chrome_get_interactive_elements	Find clickable elements
search_tabs_content	AI-powered semantic search across tabs
chrome_console	Capture browser console output

Interaction

Tool	Description
chrome_click_element	Click elements via CSS selector
chrome_fill_or_select	Fill forms and select options
chrome_keyboard	Simulate keyboard input

Data Management

Tool	Description
chrome_history	Search browsing history
chrome_bookmark_search	Find bookmarks
chrome_bookmark_add	Add new bookmarks
chrome_bookmark_delete	Delete bookmarks

Network

Tool	Description
chrome_network_capture_start/stop	Monitor network requests
chrome_network_request	Send HTTP requests with browser cookies

Example Usage

Navigate and Screenshot

User: "Take a screenshot of github.com"

AI uses:
1. chrome_navigate(url: "https://github.com")
2. chrome_screenshot(fullPage: true)

Fill a Form

User: "Login to my account on example.com"

AI uses:
1. chrome_navigate(url: "https://example.com/login")
2. chrome_fill_or_select(selector: "#email", value: "[email protected]")
3. chrome_fill_or_select(selector: "#password", value: "...")
4. chrome_click_element(selector: "button[type=submit]")

Search History

User: "Find all pages I visited about React hooks last week"

AI uses:
1. chrome_history(text: "React hooks", startTime: "1 week ago")

Extract Content

User: "What does this page say about pricing?"

AI uses:
1. chrome_get_web_content()
2. Analyzes the extracted content

Advantages Over Playwright

Feature	Playwright MCP	Chrome MCP Server
Browser Instance	New browser process	Your existing Chrome
Login Sessions	Need to re-login	Uses existing sessions
User Settings	Clean environment	Your bookmarks, extensions, settings
Startup Time	Slow (launch browser)	Instant (extension already loaded)
Resource Usage	Heavy	Lightweight

Multi-Client Support

Multiple AI clients can connect simultaneously:

• Claude Code
• Cursor
• Kiro
• Any MCP-compatible client

Each client gets its own session while sharing the same Chrome browser.

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Connecting

1. Check extension is enabled in chrome://extensions/
2. Click extension icon → Verify "Connected" status
3. Restart Chrome if needed

Port Already in Use

The server automatically handles port conflicts. If issues persist:

lsof -i :12306
kill <PID>

Resources

• GitHub: https://github.com/femto/mcp-chrome
• npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/mcp-chrome-bridger
• Releases: https://github.com/femto/mcp-chrome/releases