Browser Tools MCP server

This server allows you to monitor and interact with browser activity through Chrome, giving AI tools access to console logs, network traffic, screenshots, and DOM elements through Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js installed on your system
• Google Chrome browser

Install the Chrome Extension

1. Download the latest version of the Chrome extension:

   https://github.com/AgentDeskAI/browser-tools-mcp/releases/download/v1.1.0/chrome-extension-v1-1-0.zip
   

2. Extract the ZIP file to a folder on your computer

3. Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://extensions/

4. Enable "Developer Mode" using the toggle in the top-right corner

5. Click "Load unpacked" and select the extracted extension folder

Install the Node Server

Install and run the server using npx:

npx @agentdeskai/browser-tools-server

This will start the middleware server that connects the Chrome extension to your MCP client.

Install the MCP Server

To install the MCP server component:

npx @agentdeskai/[email protected]

Usage

Setting Up the Connection

1. Open Chrome and the webpage you want to monitor
2. Open Chrome DevTools (F12 or Right-click > Inspect)
3. Ensure your Node Server is running in a terminal window
4. Connect your MCP client (like Cursor, Claude Desktop, etc.)

Available Tools

The MCP server provides several tools for browser interaction:

Capturing Console Logs

The server automatically captures browser console logs when DevTools is open. Access these logs through your MCP client.

Monitoring Network Traffic

XHR requests and responses are monitored automatically. The server intelligently truncates data to avoid token limits and removes sensitive information like cookies.

Taking Screenshots

Request screenshots through your MCP client. The images are saved locally on your system and never sent to third-party services.

Working with DOM Elements

Select elements in the browser to analyze their structure. The current selected element is available to your MCP client.

Managing Logs

You can wipe stored logs through commands in your MCP client when needed.

Configuring the Extension

Access extension settings by clicking on the BrowserTools icon in your Chrome toolbar:

• Adjust token limits for logs
• Configure truncation settings
• Set the screenshot folder path
• View connection status

Troubleshooting

If logs aren't appearing in your MCP client:

1. Make sure Chrome DevTools is open
2. Verify the Node Server is running
3. Check that you're using the latest version of both the extension and server
4. Restart the Node Server if needed

If you encounter issues, you can restart the server or reload the extension through Chrome's extension management page.

How to add this MCP server to Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.