Perplexity Comet MCP

A production-grade MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that bridges Claude Code with Perplexity's Comet browser for autonomous web browsing, research, and multi-tab workflow management.

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Why Perplexity Comet MCP?

Approach	Limitation
Search APIs	Static text, no interaction, no login support
Browser Automation	Single-agent model overwhelms context, fragments focus
Perplexity Comet MCP	Claude codes while Comet handles browsing autonomously

This is a significantly enhanced fork of hanzili/comet-mcp with Windows support, smart completion detection, robust connection handling, and full tab management.

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Features

Core Capabilities

• Autonomous Web Browsing - Comet navigates, clicks, types, and extracts data while Claude focuses on coding
• Deep Research Mode - Leverage Perplexity's research capabilities for comprehensive analysis
• Login Wall Handling - Access authenticated content through real browser sessions
• Dynamic Content - Full JavaScript rendering and interaction support

Enhanced Features (New in This Fork)

Feature	Description
Windows/WSL Support	Full compatibility with Windows and WSL environments
Tab Management	Track, switch, and close browser tabs with protection
Smart Completion	Detect response completion without fixed timeouts
Auto-Reconnect	Exponential backoff recovery from connection drops
One-Shot Reliability	Pre-operation health checks for consistent execution
Agentic Auto-Trigger	Automatically triggers browser actions from natural prompts

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Comparison with Original

Capability	Original	Enhanced
Platform Support	macOS	Windows, WSL, macOS
Available Tools	6	8 (+comet_tabs, +comet_upload)
Completion Detection	Fixed timeout	Stability-based
Connection Recovery	None	Auto-reconnect with backoff
Tab Management	None	Full registry and control
Health Monitoring	None	Cached health checks
Last Tab Protection	None	Prevents browser crash

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Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or higher
• Perplexity Comet Browser installed
• Claude Code or compatible MCP client

Install via npm

npm install -g perplexity-comet-mcp

Install from Source

git clone https://github.com/RapierCraft/perplexity-comet-mcp.git
cd perplexity-comet-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Configure Claude Code

Add to your Claude Code MCP settings (~/.claude/settings.json or VS Code settings):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "comet-bridge": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/perplexity-comet-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Windows Users: Use the full Windows path:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "comet-bridge": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\Users\\YourName\\perplexity-comet-mcp\\dist\\index.js"]
    }
  }
}

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Tools Reference

comet_connect

Establish connection to Comet browser. Auto-launches if not running.

Parameters: None
Returns: Connection status message

Example:

> comet_connect
Comet started with debug port 9223
Connected to Perplexity (cleaned 2 old tabs)

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comet_ask

Send a prompt to Comet and wait for the complete response. Automatically triggers agentic browsing for URLs and action-oriented requests.

Parameters:
  - prompt (required): Question or task for Comet
  - newChat (optional): Start fresh conversation (default: false)
  - timeout (optional): Max wait time in ms (default: 120000)

Returns: Complete response text

Examples:

# Simple research query
> comet_ask "What are the latest features in Python 3.12?"

# Agentic browsing (auto-triggered)
> comet_ask "Go to github.com/trending and list top Python repos"

# Site-specific data extraction
> comet_ask "Check the price of iPhone 15 on amazon.com"

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comet_poll

Check status and progress of ongoing tasks. Returns the response if completed.

Parameters: None
Returns: Status (IDLE/WORKING/COMPLETED), steps taken, or final response

Example:

> comet_poll
Status: WORKING
Browsing: https://github.com/trending
Current: Scrolling page

Steps:
  - Preparing to assist you
  - Navigating to github.com
  - Clicking on Trending
  - Scrolling page

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comet_stop

Halt the current agentic task if it goes off track.

Parameters: None
Returns: Confirmation message

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comet_screenshot

Capture a screenshot of the current browser view.

Parameters: None
Returns: PNG image data

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comet_tabs

View and manage browser tabs. Essential for multi-tab workflows.

Parameters:
  - action (optional): "list" (default), "switch", or "close"
  - domain (optional): Domain to match (e.g., "github.com")
  - tabId (optional): Specific tab ID

Returns: Tab listing or action confirmation

Examples:

# List all external tabs
> comet_tabs
2 browsing tab(s) open:
  - AGENT-BROWSING: github.com [ACTIVE]
    URL: https://github.com/trending
  - AGENT-BROWSING: stackoverflow.com
    URL: https://stackoverflow.com/questions

# Switch to a tab
> comet_tabs action="switch" domain="stackoverflow.com"
Switched to stackoverflow.com (https://stackoverflow.com/questions)

# Close a tab (protected if last tab)
> comet_tabs action="close" domain="github.com"
Closed github.com

Tab Protection:

• Cannot close the last external browsing tab (prevents Comet crash)
• Internal tabs (chrome://, Perplexity UI) are automatically filtered

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comet_mode

Switch Perplexity search modes for different use cases.

Parameters:
  - mode (optional): "search", "research", "labs", or "learn"

Returns: Current mode or confirmation of switch

Mode	Use Case
search	Quick web searches
research	Deep, comprehensive analysis
labs	Data analytics and visualization
learn	Educational explanations

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comet_upload

Upload files to file input elements on web pages. Essential for posting images to social media, attaching files to forms, or uploading documents.

Parameters:
  - filePath (required): Absolute path to the file to upload
  - selector (optional): CSS selector for specific file input
  - checkOnly (optional): If true, only checks what file inputs exist

Returns: Success message or error with available inputs

Examples:

# Upload an image to the first file input found
> comet_upload filePath="/home/user/screenshot.png"
File uploaded successfully: /home/user/screenshot.png

# Check what file inputs exist on the page
> comet_upload filePath="dummy" checkOnly=true
Found 2 file input(s) on the page:
  1. #image-upload
  2. input[name="attachment"]

# Upload to a specific input
> comet_upload filePath="/home/user/doc.pdf" selector="#attachment-input"
File uploaded successfully: /home/user/doc.pdf

Workflow for posting images:

1. Navigate to the post creation page (e.g., Reddit, Twitter)
2. Use comet_upload checkOnly=true to find file inputs
3. Use comet_upload filePath="..." selector="..." to attach the file
4. Continue with form submission

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Architecture

┌─────────────────┐     MCP Protocol      ┌──────────────────┐
│   Claude Code   │ ◄──────────────────► │  Perplexity      │
│   (Your IDE)    │                       │  Comet MCP       │
└─────────────────┘                       └────────┬─────────┘
                                                   │
                                          Chrome DevTools
                                            Protocol
                                                   │
                                          ┌────────▼─────────┐
                                          │  Comet Browser   │
                                          │  (Perplexity)    │
                                          └──────────────────┘
                                                   │
                                          ┌────────▼─────────┐
                                          │   External       │
                                          │   Websites       │
                                          └──────────────────┘

Key Components

Component	Purpose
index.ts	MCP server and tool handlers
cdp-client.ts	Chrome DevTools Protocol client with reconnection logic
comet-ai.ts	Perplexity interaction, prompt submission, response extraction
types.ts	TypeScript interfaces for tabs, state, and CDP types

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Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
COMET_PATH	Custom path to Comet executable	Auto-detected
COMET_PORT	CDP debugging port	9223

Custom Comet Path

# Windows
set COMET_PATH=C:\Custom\Path\comet.exe

# macOS/Linux
export COMET_PATH=/custom/path/to/Comet.app/Contents/MacOS/Comet

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Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

Problem: Error: Failed to list targets: ECONNREFUSED

Solutions:

1. Ensure Comet browser is installed
2. Close any existing Comet instances
3. Run comet_connect to auto-start with correct flags

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Problem: WebSocket connection closed during long tasks

Solution: This version handles reconnection automatically. If persistent, increase timeout:

comet_ask prompt="..." timeout=180000

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Windows-Specific Issues

Problem: ECONNRESET errors on Windows

Solution: This version includes PowerShell-based fetch workarounds. Ensure:

1. PowerShell is available in PATH
2. No firewall blocking localhost:9223

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Problem: Comet not found on Windows

Solution: Set custom path:

set COMET_PATH=%LOCALAPPDATA%\Perplexity\Comet\Application\comet.exe

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WSL-Specific Issues

Problem: WSL cannot connect to Windows localhost:9223

Explanation: WSL2 uses a separate network namespace by default. The MCP uses Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP) which requires WebSocket connections to Windows localhost.

Solution: Enable WSL mirrored networking:

1. Create or edit %USERPROFILE%\.wslconfig (e.g., C:\Users\YourName\.wslconfig):

[wsl2]
networkingMode=mirrored

2. Restart WSL:

wsl --shutdown

3. Open a new WSL terminal and try again.

Alternative: Run Claude Code from Windows PowerShell instead of WSL.

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Problem: UNC paths are not supported warnings

Explanation: This is a benign warning from PowerShell when launched from WSL. The MCP handles this automatically.

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Tab Management Issues

Problem: Cannot close - this is the only browsing tab

Explanation: This is intentional protection. Comet requires at least one external tab. Open another tab first, then close the unwanted one.

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Development

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/RapierCraft/perplexity-comet-mcp.git
cd perplexity-comet-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Run in Development

npm run dev

Run Tests

npm test

Project Structure

perplexity-comet-mcp/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts        # MCP server entry point
│   ├── cdp-client.ts   # CDP connection management
│   ├── comet-ai.ts     # AI interaction logic
│   └── types.ts        # TypeScript definitions
├── dist/               # Compiled JavaScript
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── README.md

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Please read CONTRIBUTING.md before submitting a pull request.

Development Guidelines

1. Maintain TypeScript strict mode compliance
2. Add tests for new features
3. Update documentation for API changes
4. Follow existing code style

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Attribution

This project is an enhanced fork of comet-mcp by hanzili.

Key Enhancements by RapierCraft

• Windows and WSL platform support
• Tab management system (comet_tabs tool)
• Smart completion detection
• Auto-reconnect with exponential backoff
• Health check caching
• Agentic prompt auto-transformation
• Last tab protection
• Internal tab filtering

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License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

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Links

• Perplexity Comet Browser
• Model Context Protocol
• Claude Code
• Original comet-mcp

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Built with precision by RapierCraft