real-browser-mcp

<p align="center"> <img src="assets/logo.png" alt="Real Browser MCP" width="100" height="100" /> </p>

<h1 align="center">real-browser-mcp</h1>

<p align="center"> <strong>The missing piece in AI coding: your agent can now see your REAL browser.</strong> </p>

<p align="center"> <a href="https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/real-browser-mcp/fkkimpklpgedomcheiojngaaaicmaidi"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Chrome_Extension-4285F4?style=for-the-badge&logo=googlechrome&logoColor=white" alt="Chrome Extension" /></a>   <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/real-browser-mcp"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/MCP_Server-CB3837?style=for-the-badge&logo=npm&logoColor=white" alt="MCP Server" /></a>   <a href="cursor://anysphere.cursor-deeplink/mcp/install?name=real-browser&config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoibnB4IiwiYXJncyI6WyIteSIsInJlYWwtYnJvd3Nlci1tY3AiXX0="><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Add_to_Cursor-6366f1?style=for-the-badge&logo=data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAyNCAyNCI+PHBhdGggZD0iTTEyIDJMMiA3bDEwIDUgMTAtNS0xMC01ek0yIDE3bDEwIDUgMTAtNS0xMC01LTEwIDV6TTIgMTJsMTAgNSAxMC01LTEwLTUtMTAgNXoiIGZpbGw9IndoaXRlIi8+PC9zdmc+" alt="Add to Cursor" /></a>   <a href="#-teach-your-agent"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/🧠_Agent_Rules-22c55e?style=for-the-badge" alt="Agent Rules" /></a> </p>

<p align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/ofershap/real-browser-mcp/actions/workflows/ci.yml"><img src="https://github.com/ofershap/real-browser-mcp/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg" alt="CI" /></a> <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/real-browser-mcp"><img src="https://img.shields.io/npm/v/real-browser-mcp.svg" alt="npm version" /></a> <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/real-browser-mcp"><img src="https://img.shields.io/npm/dm/real-browser-mcp.svg" alt="npm downloads" /></a> <a href="https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg" alt="License: MIT" /></a> <a href="https://www.typescriptlang.org/"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/TypeScript-strict-blue" alt="TypeScript" /></a> </p>

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You ship a fix. Your agent says "done, please verify." You alt-tab to Chrome, navigate to the page, log in, click around, find the bug.

Your agent just wrote the code. It could also verify it. It already has your browser open right there. It just can't see it.

Now it can.

<p align="center"> <img src="assets/preview.png" alt="Real Browser MCP" width="100%" /> </p>

---

Quick Start

Two parts:

• MCP server - runs on your machine, talks to your AI agent
• Chrome extension - sits in your browser, executes the commands

1. Add the MCP server

Cursor (one click):

<img src="https://cursor.com/deeplink/mcp-install-dark.svg" alt="Install in Cursor" height="32" />

Or add manually in Cursor Settings > MCP > "Add new MCP server":

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "real-browser": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "real-browser-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

<details> <summary>Claude Desktop, Windsurf, or other MCP clients</summary>

Claude Desktop: Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows). Add the same JSON block.

Windsurf: Settings > MCP. Same config.

Any MCP-compatible client works.

</details>

2. Install the Chrome extension

<img src="https://developer.chrome.com/static/docs/webstore/branding/image/iNEddTyWiMfLSwFD6qGq.png" alt="Available in the Chrome Web Store" height="58" />

Or load from source:

git clone https://github.com/ofershap/real-browser-mcp.git

1. Open chrome://extensions and enable Developer mode (toggle in the top right)
2. Click Load unpacked and select the extension/ folder from the cloned repo

Click the Real Browser MCP icon in your toolbar.

Green dot = connected. Gray = waiting for server.

Done. Your agent can see your browser.

---

How Others Compare

	Real Browser MCP	Playwright MCP	Chrome DevTools MCP
Uses your existing browser	Yes	No, launches new	Partial, needs debug port
Sessions and cookies	Already there	Fresh profile	Manual setup
Works behind corporate SSO	Yes	No	Depends
Setup	Extension + MCP config	Headless browser	Chrome with --remote-debugging-port

---

🧠 Teach Your Agent

The agent can use all 18 tools out of the box, but it works better when it knows when and how to chain them. A config file teaches the right workflow - snapshot first, then act, then verify.

Run one command:

npx real-browser-mcp --setup cursor

This installs:

• ~/.cursor/rules/real-browser-mcp.mdc - teaches the snapshot-first workflow, how to handle dropdowns, when to use screenshots vs snapshots
• ~/.cursor/commands/check-browser.md - adds /check-browser to your Cursor chat

After that, type /check-browser in any chat. Or just say "check the result in my browser" and the agent knows what to do.

<details> <summary>Claude Code setup</summary>

npx real-browser-mcp --setup claude

Adds an AGENTS.md to your project root. Claude Code auto-discovers it.

</details>

See agent-config/ for manual installation or to customize the rules.

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What It Can Do

18 tools. Grouped by purpose.

See

Tool	What it does
browser_snapshot	Accessibility tree with element refs. Compact mode (default) returns only interactive elements
browser_screenshot	Capture what's on screen
browser_text	Extract raw text from page or element
browser_find	Query elements by CSS selector

Interact

Tool	What it does
browser_click	Click by ref or CSS selector
browser_click_text	Click by visible text. Works through React portals and overlays
browser_type	Type into inputs and contenteditable fields
browser_press_key	Key combos (Enter, Escape, Ctrl+A)
browser_scroll	Scroll pages and virtual containers
browser_hover	Trigger tooltips and dropdowns
browser_select	Pick from native <select> dropdowns
browser_wait	Wait for elements to appear or disappear

Navigate

Tool	What it does
browser_navigate	Go to a URL in the active tab
browser_tabs	List, create, close, or focus tabs

Debug

Tool	What it does
browser_console	Console output (log, warn, error)
browser_network	XHR/fetch requests with status codes
browser_evaluate	Run JavaScript via Chrome DevTools Protocol
browser_handle_dialog	Handle alert/confirm/prompt dialogs

---

Configuration

Env var	Default	What it does
WS_PORT	7225	WebSocket port for extension connection

Connection drops are handled automatically with exponential backoff (1s to 30s), ping/pong health checks every 10s, and per-tool timeouts (5s for clicks, 60s for navigation).

<details> <summary>Multiple Chrome profiles</summary>

Run two server instances on different ports:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browser-work": {
      "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "real-browser-mcp"]
    },
    "browser-personal": {
      "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "real-browser-mcp"],
      "env": { "WS_PORT": "9333" }
    }
  }
}

Update the port in each extension popup to match.

</details>

---

<details> <summary><strong>Architecture</strong></summary>

Everything stays on your machine. The extension connects to the MCP server via WebSocket on localhost. No cloud, no proxy, nothing leaves your browser.

real-browser-mcp/
├── mcp-server/          MCP server (npm package, TypeScript)
│   └── src/tools/       One file per tool, registry pattern
├── extension/           Chrome extension (Manifest V3, plain JS)
│   ├── background.js    Service worker, WebSocket client, tool handlers
│   ├── content.js       Console capture
│   └── popup/           Connection status UI
├── agent-config/        Pre-built configs for Cursor + Claude Code
│   ├── cursor/          Rules and commands
│   ├── skills/          Browser automation skill
│   └── setup.mjs        One-command installer
└── tests/               Bridge + registry tests

Stack: TypeScript (strict) · MCP SDK · WebSocket · Chrome Extension Manifest V3 · Vitest

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>Development</strong></summary>

git clone https://github.com/ofershap/real-browser-mcp.git
cd real-browser-mcp
npm install
npm run build
npm test

Command	What it does
npm run build	Compile TypeScript
npm run dev	Watch mode
npm test	Run tests
npm run typecheck	Type check without emitting
npm run setup:cursor	Install Cursor rule + command

</details>

FAQ

<details> <summary>Does it work with my logged-in sessions?</summary>

That's the whole point. The extension runs inside your actual Chrome - same cookies, same sessions, same local storage. No re-authentication needed.

</details>

<details> <summary>Does it send data anywhere?</summary>

No. The MCP server and extension talk over WebSocket on localhost. Nothing leaves your machine. There's no analytics, no telemetry, no cloud component. Privacy policy.

</details>

<details> <summary>Which AI clients work?</summary>

Any MCP-compatible client. Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Windsurf, Cline, and anything else that speaks the MCP protocol.

</details>

<details> <summary>Can I use it with multiple Chrome profiles?</summary>

Yes. Run two MCP server instances on different ports. See Configuration for the setup.

</details>

<details> <summary>How is this different from Playwright MCP or browser-use?</summary>

They launch a new browser instance from scratch - no state, no cookies, no sessions. You have to replay the full login flow every time. This connects to the browser you already have open with everything already loaded.

</details>

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Contributing

Bug reports, feature requests, and PRs welcome. Open an issue first for larger changes.

Author

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License

MIT © Ofer Shapira