Chrome DevTools MCP

What is Chrome DevTools MCP?

Chrome DevTools MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives AI coding assistants direct access to Chrome DevTools. It allows agents to launch, drive, and probe a Chrome instance, collecting performance traces, network data, console output, screenshots, and more.

How to use Chrome DevTools MCP?

Add the server to your MCP client – insert a JSON snippet into the client’s configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-devtools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Start the client – when a tool that needs a browser is invoked, the server will automatically launch Chrome (or attach to an existing instance via --browserUrl or --wsEndpoint).
Send prompts – ask the agent to perform actions such as navigating to a page, recording a trace, or extracting console messages.

Key features of Chrome DevTools MCP

Performance insights – record Chrome traces and obtain actionable metrics.
Full‑stack debugging – capture network requests, console logs, screenshots, and DOM snapshots.
Reliable automation – Puppeteer‑based actions with automatic waiting for results.
Configurable launch – headless mode, custom executable path, isolated profile, proxy, and Chrome channel selection.
Fine‑grained toolset – 30+ generated tools covering input, navigation, emulation, performance, network, and debugging.

Use cases of Chrome DevTools MCP

Automated web‑app testing – let an LLM drive a browser, assert UI states, and gather performance data.
Performance audit assistance – generate reports on page load speed, layout jitter, and CPU usage.
Debugging sessions – retrieve console errors, network failures, or DOM snapshots during a coding‑assistant session.
Data extraction – navigate sites, fill forms, and scrape structured information via MCP‑enabled agents.
Cross‑browser experimentation – switch Chrome channels (stable, beta, canary) to compare behaviour.

FAQ

Q: Do I need to install Chrome manually? A: Yes. A current stable Chrome (or a chosen channel) must be on the system. The server can launch it or attach to an already‑running instance.

Q: Can I run the server headlessly? A: Set the --headless flag (boolean) in the args list. By default the browser opens with UI.

Q: How do I connect to an existing Chrome instance? A: Use --browserUrl=http://127.0.0.1:9222 or --wsEndpoint=ws://... together with optional --wsHeaders for authentication.

Q: What about privacy? A: The server exposes all page content to the MCP client. Avoid running it on pages containing sensitive data.

Q: Which platforms are supported? A: Any platform where Node.js v20+ and Chrome are available (Linux, macOS, Windows).

chrome-devtools-mcp lets your coding agent (such as Gemini, Claude, Cursor or Copilot) control and inspect a live Chrome browser. It acts as a Model-Context-Protocol (MCP) server, giving your AI coding assistant access to the full power of Chrome DevTools for reliable automation, in-depth debugging, and performance analysis.

Tool reference | Changelog | Contributing | Troubleshooting

Key features

Get performance insights: Uses Chrome DevTools to record traces and extract actionable performance insights.
Advanced browser debugging: Analyze network requests, take screenshots and check the browser console.
Reliable automation. Uses puppeteer to automate actions in Chrome and automatically wait for action results.

Disclaimers

chrome-devtools-mcp exposes content of the browser instance to the MCP clients allowing them to inspect, debug, and modify any data in the browser or DevTools. Avoid sharing sensitive or personal information that you don't want to share with MCP clients.

Requirements

Node.js v20.19 or a newer latest maintenance LTS version.
Chrome current stable version or newer.
npm.

Getting started

Add the following config to your MCP client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-devtools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

[!NOTE]
Using chrome-devtools-mcp@latest ensures that your MCP client will always use the latest version of the Chrome DevTools MCP server.

MCP Client configuration

amp mcp add chrome-devtools -- npx chrome-devtools-mcp@latest

To use the Chrome DevTools MCP server follow the instructions from Antigravity's docs to install a custom MCP server. Add the following config to the MCP servers config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-devtools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest",
        "--browser-url=http://127.0.0.1:9222",
        "-y"
      ]
    }
  }
}

This will make the Chrome DevTools MCP server automatically connect to the browser that Antigravity is using. If you are not using port 9222, make sure to adjust accordingly.

Chrome DevTools MCP will not start the browser instance automatically using this approach as as the Chrome DevTools MCP server runs in Antigravity's built-in browser. If the browser is not already running, you have to start it first by clicking the Chrome icon at the top right corner.

claude mcp add chrome-devtools npx chrome-devtools-mcp@latest

codex mcp add chrome-devtools -- npx chrome-devtools-mcp@latest

On Windows 11

Configure the Chrome install location and increase the startup timeout by updating .codex/config.toml and adding the following env and startup_timeout_ms parameters:

[mcp_servers.chrome-devtools]
command = "cmd"
args = [
    "/c",
    "npx",
    "-y",
    "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest",
]
env = { SystemRoot="C:\\Windows", PROGRAMFILES="C:\\Program Files" }
startup_timeout_ms = 20_000

Start Copilot CLI:

copilot

Start the dialog to add a new MCP server by running:

/mcp add

Configure the following fields and press CTRL+S to save the configuration:

Server name: chrome-devtools
Server Type: [1] Local
Command: npx -y chrome-devtools-mcp@latest

code --add-mcp '{"name":"chrome-devtools","command":"npx","args":["chrome-devtools-mcp@latest"]}'

Click the button to install:

Or install manually:

Go to Cursor Settings -> MCP -> New MCP Server. Use the config provided above.

droid mcp add chrome-devtools "npx -y chrome-devtools-mcp@latest"

Project wide:

gemini mcp add chrome-devtools npx chrome-devtools-mcp@latest

Globally:

gemini mcp add -s user chrome-devtools npx chrome-devtools-mcp@latest

Alternatively, follow the MCP guide and use the standard config from above.

In Kiro Settings, go to Configure MCP > Open Workspace or User MCP Config > Use the configuration snippet provided above.

Or, from the IDE Activity Bar > Kiro > MCP Servers > Click Open MCP Config. Use the configuration snippet provided above.

In Qoder Settings, go to MCP Server > + Add > Use the configuration snippet provided above.

Alternatively, follow the MCP guide and use the standard config from above.

Click the button to install:

Go to Settings | AI | Manage MCP Servers -> + Add to add an MCP Server. Use the config provided above.

Your first prompt

Enter the following prompt in your MCP Client to check if everything is working:

Check the performance of https://developers.chrome.com

Your MCP client should open the browser and record a performance trace.

[!NOTE]
The MCP server will start the browser automatically once the MCP client uses a tool that requires a running browser instance. Connecting to the Chrome DevTools MCP server on its own will not automatically start the browser.

Tools

If you run into any issues, checkout our troubleshooting guide.

Input automation (8 tools)
- click
- drag
- fill
- fill_form
- handle_dialog
- hover
- press_key
- upload_file
Navigation automation (6 tools)
Emulation (2 tools)
- emulate
- resize_page
Performance (3 tools)
Network (2 tools)
- get_network_request
- list_network_requests
Debugging (5 tools)

Configuration

The Chrome DevTools MCP server supports the following configuration option:

--browserUrl, -u Connect to a running Chrome instance using port forwarding. For more details see: https://developer.chrome.com/docs/devtools/remote-debugging/local-server.
- Type: string
--wsEndpoint, -w WebSocket endpoint to connect to a running Chrome instance (e.g., ws://127.0.0.1:9222/devtools/browser/). Alternative to --browserUrl.
- Type: string
--wsHeaders Custom headers for WebSocket connection in JSON format (e.g., '{"Authorization":"Bearer token"}'). Only works with --wsEndpoint.
- Type: string
--headless Whether to run in headless (no UI) mode.
- Type: boolean
- Default: false
--executablePath, -e Path to custom Chrome executable.
- Type: string
--isolated If specified, creates a temporary user-data-dir that is automatically cleaned up after the browser is closed. Defaults to false.
- Type: boolean
--userDataDir Path to the user data directory for Chrome. Default is $HOME/.cache/chrome-devtools-mcp/chrome-profile$ CHANNEL_SUFFIX_IF_NON_STABLE
- Type: string
--channel Specify a different Chrome channel that should be used. The default is the stable channel version.
- Type: string
- Choices: stable, canary, beta, dev
--logFile Path to a file to write debug logs to. Set the env variable DEBUG to * to enable verbose logs. Useful for submitting bug reports.
- Type: string
--viewport Initial viewport size for the Chrome instances started by the server. For example, 1280x720. In headless mode, max size is 3840x2160px.
- Type: string
--proxyServer Proxy server configuration for Chrome passed as --proxy-server when launching the browser. See https://www.chromium.org/developers/design-documents/network-settings/ for details.
- Type: string
--acceptInsecureCerts If enabled, ignores errors relative to self-signed and expired certificates. Use with caution.
- Type: boolean
--chromeArg Additional arguments for Chrome. Only applies when Chrome is launched by chrome-devtools-mcp.
- Type: array
--categoryEmulation Set to false to exclude tools related to emulation.
- Type: boolean
- Default: true
--categoryPerformance Set to false to exclude tools related to performance.
- Type: boolean
- Default: true
--categoryNetwork Set to false to exclude tools related to network.
- Type: boolean
- Default: true

Pass them via the args property in the JSON configuration. For example:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-devtools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest",
        "--channel=canary",
        "--headless=true",
        "--isolated=true"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Connecting via WebSocket with custom headers

You can connect directly to a Chrome WebSocket endpoint and include custom headers (e.g., for authentication):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-devtools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest",
        "--wsEndpoint=ws://127.0.0.1:9222/devtools/browser/<id>",
        "--wsHeaders={\"Authorization\":\"Bearer YOUR_TOKEN\"}"
      ]
    }
  }
}

To get the WebSocket endpoint from a running Chrome instance, visit http://127.0.0.1:9222/json/version and look for the webSocketDebuggerUrl field.

You can also run npx chrome-devtools-mcp@latest --help to see all available configuration options.

Concepts

User data directory

chrome-devtools-mcp starts a Chrome's stable channel instance using the following user data directory:

Linux / macOS: $HOME/.cache/chrome-devtools-mcp/chrome-profile-$CHANNEL
Windows: %HOMEPATH%/.cache/chrome-devtools-mcp/chrome-profile-$CHANNEL

The user data directory is not cleared between runs and shared across all instances of chrome-devtools-mcp. Set the isolated option to true to use a temporary user data dir instead which will be cleared automatically after the browser is closed.

Connecting to a running Chrome instance

You can connect to a running Chrome instance by using the --browser-url option. This is useful if you want to use your existing Chrome profile or if you are running the MCP server in a sandboxed environment that does not allow starting a new Chrome instance.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to connect to a running Chrome Stable instance:

Step 1: Configure the MCP client

Add the --browser-url option to your MCP client configuration. The value of this option should be the URL of the running Chrome instance. http://127.0.0.1:9222 is a common default.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-devtools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest",
        "--browser-url=http://127.0.0.1:9222"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Step 2: Start the Chrome browser

[!WARNING]
Enabling the remote debugging port opens up a debugging port on the running browser instance. Any application on your machine can connect to this port and control the browser. Make sure that you are not browsing any sensitive websites while the debugging port is open.

Start the Chrome browser with the remote debugging port enabled. Make sure to close any running Chrome instances before starting a new one with the debugging port enabled. The port number you choose must be the same as the one you specified in the --browser-url option in your MCP client configuration.

For security reasons, Chrome requires you to use a non-default user data directory when enabling the remote debugging port. You can specify a custom directory using the --user-data-dir flag. This ensures that your regular browsing profile and data are not exposed to the debugging session.

macOS

/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir=/tmp/chrome-profile-stable

Linux

/usr/bin/google-chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir=/tmp/chrome-profile-stable

Windows

"C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir="%TEMP%\chrome-profile-stable"

Step 3: Test your setup

After configuring the MCP client and starting the Chrome browser, you can test your setup by running a simple prompt in your MCP client:

Check the performance of https://developers.chrome.com

Your MCP client should connect to the running Chrome instance and receive a performance report.

If you hit VM-to-host port forwarding issues, see the “Remote debugging between virtual machine (VM) and host fails” section in docs/troubleshooting.md.

For more details on remote debugging, see the Chrome DevTools documentation.

Known limitations

Operating system sandboxes

Some MCP clients allow sandboxing the MCP server using macOS Seatbelt or Linux containers. If sandboxes are enabled, chrome-devtools-mcp is not able to start Chrome that requires permissions to create its own sandboxes. As a workaround, either disable sandboxing for chrome-devtools-mcp in your MCP client or use --browser-url to connect to a Chrome instance that you start manually outside of the MCP client sandbox.

Chrome DevTools MCP