Browser MCP (community fork)

A maintained fork of Browser MCP, the MCP server and Chrome extension that lets AI tools automate your existing browser.

Upstream development has slowed, so this repository exists to keep the project usable, fix regressions, and ship improvements without waiting on the original maintainers.

About

Browser MCP connects an MCP server to a Chrome extension so applications like Cursor, VS Code, Claude, and Windsurf can drive the browser you already use: your profile, your logins, your tabs.

This fork keeps that model and focuses on reliability for day-to-day agent workflows.

Why this fork

• Upstream activity and issue response have been limited for some time.
• Cursor and other clients restart MCP processes frequently; the original server could drop the extension connection on every restart.
• We wanted standalone builds, clearer pairing, and hardening without depending on upstream release cadence.

If upstream becomes active again, we are happy to contribute fixes back. Until then, this repo is the maintained line.

What is different here

Compared to upstream 0.1.x, this fork (0.2.x) includes:

• Persistent bridge daemon — keeps the extension WebSocket alive across MCP restarts.
• Separate control channel — the editor reconnects without killing the browser tab connection.
• No port killing on startup — avoids random Not connected errors.
• Bridge token auth — local control traffic requires a token in ~/.browsermcp/bridge.token.
• Input validation — blocks dangerous navigation schemes and caps payload sizes.
• One-click pairing — browsermcp pair writes client config and starts the daemon.
• Standalone build — ships a self-contained dist/ without fragile monorepo assumptions.

See README-STABILITY.md for implementation details and pairing steps.

The extension/ directory tracks popup UI fixes (for example, disconnecting from any tab). See extension/README.md.

Features

• Fast — automation runs locally; no remote browser latency.
• Private — browser activity stays on your machine.
• Logged in — uses your existing profile and sessions.
• Stealth — uses your real browser fingerprint to reduce basic bot detection.

Quick start

From a local build:

npm install
npm run build
node dist/index.js pair --open cursor

After pairing, restart the browsermcp MCP server in your editor. In Chrome, open the Browser MCP extension and click Connect on the tab you want to automate.

Published installs can use:

npx @browsermcp/mcp pair --open cursor

Development

Requires Node.js 18+.

npm install
npm run build
npm run typecheck
npm run test

Run the MCP inspector:

npm run inspector

Credits

Browser MCP was created by the BrowserMCP project and adapted from the Playwright MCP server to automate the user's browser rather than spawning new browser instances.

This fork is maintained independently. Upstream website and docs remain at browsermcp.io and docs.browsermcp.io for reference.

License

Apache-2.0. See LICENSE.