Browser Tools MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Name: Browser Tools MCP Server
Author: AgentDeskAI

Why use it

Key features

Reads YOUR Chrome, not a headless one — logged-in auth, extensions, cookies
Console logs, network requests, selected-element inspection
Built-in audits: Lighthouse-style perf, a11y, SEO, Best Practices, Next.js
All data stays local — no cloud roundtrip

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

browser-tools.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browser-tools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@agentdeskai/browser-tools-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browser-tools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@agentdeskai/browser-tools-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browser-tools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@agentdeskai/browser-tools-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browser-tools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@agentdeskai/browser-tools-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "browser-tools",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@agentdeskai/browser-tools-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "browser-tools": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "@agentdeskai/browser-tools-mcp@latest"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add browser-tools -- npx -y @agentdeskai/browser-tools-mcp@latest

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use Browser Tools

Debug a live front-end bug using real console + network context

👤 Frontend engineers ⏱ ~15 min intermediate

When to use: A bug only reproduces in your actual session (logged in, specific data). You want the agent to read the console and network tab.

Prerequisites

Chrome extension installed + bridge server running — Install extension from releases page, then npx @agentdeskai/browser-tools-server@latest in a terminal
MCP server wired to your client — npx -y @agentdeskai/browser-tools-mcp@latest

Flow

Reproduce the bug with DevTools open

Open the affected page in Chrome with the extension active. Trigger the bug. Don't close the tab.✓ Copied

→ Bug visible, extension icon shows it's capturing
Pull context into the agent

Get the last 50 console messages and any failed network requests. Summarize what the page is yelling about.✓ Copied

→ Specific errors surfaced with stack traces
Diagnose and propose fix

Based on the errors, point at the file/line likely responsible. If 404s, identify the bad URL; if JS errors, the root cause.✓ Copied

→ Concrete hypothesis with evidence

Outcome: A debugging loop where the agent has the same context as you opening DevTools — faster than reading a screenshot description.

Pitfalls

Bridge server not running, MCP silently returns empty data — Always check curl localhost:3025/identity responds first; the bridge must be running before the MCP call
Capturing from the wrong tab — Extension captures the active tab. Click into the right tab before asking the agent

Combine with: sentry

Run a Lighthouse-style audit on the page you're looking at

👤 Frontend / SEO / a11y engineers ⏱ ~10 min beginner

When to use: You want to audit a page as it actually renders in your session (not a clean crawler).

Flow

Open the target page

Navigate to <URL> in Chrome with the extension active.✓ Copied

→ Page loaded
Run the audit mode

Run the audit tool — perf, a11y, SEO, best practices. Summarize top 5 issues with fix suggestions.✓ Copied

→ Prioritized issue list
Focus in

For the accessibility failures, list exact selectors and the WCAG rule violated.✓ Copied

→ Actionable remediation steps

Outcome: A full audit without leaving your browser, scoped to real user state.

Pitfalls

Audits for auth-gated pages fail because the tool re-navigates — Use the debugger mode's element/console tools on the already-loaded page instead of the full audit

Inspect and explain a specific element

👤 Frontend devs, designers ⏱ ~5 min beginner

When to use: Something looks off in one component. You want a quick 'what CSS is applied and why' without digging.

Flow

Select the element in DevTools

Open DevTools, click the element inspector, select the offending element.✓ Copied

→ Element highlighted in Elements panel
Ask the agent to inspect

Get the selected element's computed styles, inherited rules, and bounding box. Explain why it's rendering the way it is.✓ Copied

→ Explanation grounded in actual CSS cascade
Propose a fix

Suggest the smallest CSS change to achieve [desired visual]. Show the before/after rule.✓ Copied

→ Minimal diff suggestion

Outcome: CSS debugging at conversation speed.

Pitfalls

Element selection doesn't persist — agent sees a different one — Re-select the element right before asking; don't let the DevTools panel change focus between messages

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

browser-tools + sentry

Reproduce a Sentry error in YOUR browser and pull live console context

Sentry issue WEB-3a91 says an XHR to /api/checkout returns 500. Navigate to the page in my Chrome, reproduce, and capture the console + network.✓ Copied

browser-tools + playwright

browser-tools for live debugging, Playwright for repeatable reproductions afterward

I found the bug in my live Chrome via browser-tools. Now write a Playwright test that reproduces the exact click sequence.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	When to call	Cost
takeScreenshot	Visual capture of current state	free
getConsoleLogs / getConsoleErrors	Debug any JS error	free
getNetworkLogs / getNetworkErrors	Diagnose failed API calls	free
getSelectedElement	User has selected an element in DevTools	free
runAccessibilityAudit	A11y review of current page	free
runPerformanceAudit	Perf audit of current page	free
runSEOAudit	SEO review	free
runBestPracticesAudit	General code quality review	free
runNextJSAudit	You're on Next.js	free
wipeLogs	Clear between investigation sessions	free

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: None — all local
Tokens per call: Log dumps can be big (5k+ tokens). Use wipeLogs between sessions.
Monetary: Free, open source
Tip: Wipe logs before each investigation — avoids pulling in unrelated noise

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: None — runs against your existing Chrome session

Data egress: Only to localhost:3025 (the bridge). Nothing leaves your machine except via whatever the agent/MCP client does.

Extension has access to your browser data by design. Only install from official releases. Review source before granting permissions.

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

All tools return empty / 'not connected'

The bridge server isn't running. Start it: npx @agentdeskai/browser-tools-server@latest in a dedicated terminal.

Verify: curl http://localhost:3025/identity

Extension icon grey / inactive

Click the extension icon, confirm it says 'Connected'. If not, reload the tab.

Audits fail with timeout

Some audits need extra time on heavy pages. Close other tabs to free CPU; re-run.

Wrong tab captured

The extension captures the tab that was last activated. Click into the right tab immediately before calling a tool.

Alternatives

Browser Tools vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
chrome-devtools MCP	You want direct CDP access without a browser extension	No extension needed but you lose real-user-session context
Playwright MCP	You need repeatable automation, not live debugging	Clean browser — can't see your logged-in session

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills