Chrome DevTools MCP

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 | Design Principles

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 browser console messages (with source-mapped stack traces).

• 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.

Performance tools may send trace URLs to the Google CrUX API to fetch real-user experience data. This helps provide a holistic performance picture by presenting field data alongside lab data. This data is collected by the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX). To disable this, run with the --no-performance-crux flag.

Usage statistics

Google collects usage statistics (such as tool invocation success rates, latency, and environment information) to improve the reliability and performance of Chrome DevTools MCP.

Data collection is enabled by default. You can opt-out by passing the --no-usage-statistics flag when starting the server:

Google handles this data in accordance with the Google Privacy Policy.

Google's collection of usage statistics for Chrome DevTools MCP is independent from the Chrome browser's usage statistics. Opting out of Chrome metrics does not automatically opt you out of this tool, and vice-versa.

Collection is disabled if CHROME_DEVTOOLS_MCP_NO_USAGE_STATISTICS or CI env variables are set.

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:

If you are intersted in doing only basic browser tasks, use the --slim mode:

See Slim tool reference.

MCP Client configuration

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:

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.

Install via CLI (MCP only)

Use the Claude Code CLI to add the Chrome DevTools MCP server (guide):

Install as a Plugin (MCP + Skills)

To install Chrome DevTools MCP with skills, add the marketplace registry in Claude Code:

Then, install the plugin:

Restart Claude Code to have the MCP server and skills load (check with /skills).

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:

Start Copilot CLI:

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

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

Click the button to install:

Or install manually:

Follow the MCP install guide, with the standard config from above. You can also install the Chrome DevTools MCP server using the VS Code CLI:

Click the button to install:

Or install manually:

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

Project wide:

Globally:

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

Go to Settings | Tools | AI Assistant | Model Context Protocol (MCP) -> Add. Use the config provided above. The same way chrome-devtools-mcp can be configured for JetBrains Junie in Settings | Tools | Junie | MCP Settings -> Add. Use the config provided 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.

The Chrome DevTools MCP server can be used with Katalon StudioAssist via an MCP proxy.

Step 1: Install the MCP proxy by following the MCP proxy setup guide.

Step 2: Start the Chrome DevTools MCP server with the proxy:

Note: You may need to pick another port if 8080 is already in use.

Step 3: In Katalon Studio, add the server to StudioAssist with the following settings:

• Connection URL: http://127.0.0.1:8080/mcp

• Transport type: HTTP

Once connected, the Chrome DevTools MCP tools will be available in StudioAssist.

Add the following configuration to your opencode.json file. If you don't have one, create it at ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json (guide):

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.

Install the Chrome DevTools MCP server using the Qoder CLI (guide):

Project wide:

Globally:

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:

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

Tools

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

• Input automation (9 tools)

  • click

  • drag

  • fill

  • fill_form

  • handle_dialog

  • hover

  • press_key

  • type_text

  • upload_file

• Navigation automation (6 tools)

  • close_page

  • list_pages

  • navigate_page

  • new_page

  • select_page

  • wait_for

• Emulation (2 tools)

  • emulate

  • resize_page

• Performance (4 tools)

  • performance_analyze_insight

  • performance_start_trace

  • performance_stop_trace

  • take_memory_snapshot

• Network (2 tools)

  • get_network_request

  • list_network_requests

• Debugging (6 tools)

  • evaluate_script

  • get_console_message

  • lighthouse_audit

  • list_console_messages

  • take_screenshot

  • take_snapshot

Configuration

The Chrome DevTools MCP server supports the following configuration option:

• --autoConnect If specified, automatically connects to a browser (Chrome 144+) running in the user data directory identified by the channel param. Requires the remoted debugging server to be started in the Chrome instance via chrome://inspect/#remote-debugging.

  • Type: boolean

  • Default: false

• --browserUrl Connect to a running, debuggable Chrome instance (e.g. http://127.0.0.1:9222). For more details see: https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp#connecting-to-a-running-chrome-instance.

  • Type: string

• --wsEndpoint 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 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

• --experimentalScreencast Exposes experimental screencast tools (requires ffmpeg). Install ffmpeg https://www.ffmpeg.org/download.html and ensure it is available in the MCP server PATH.

  • Type: boolean

• --chromeArg Additional arguments for Chrome. Only applies when Chrome is launched by chrome-devtools-mcp.

  • Type: array

• --ignoreDefaultChromeArg Explicitly disable default 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

• --performanceCrux Set to false to disable sending URLs from performance traces to CrUX API to get field performance data.

  • Type: boolean

  • Default: true

• --usageStatistics Set to false to opt-out of usage statistics collection. Google collects usage data to improve the tool, handled under the Google Privacy Policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy). This is independent from Chrome browser metrics. Disabled if CHROME_DEVTOOLS_MCP_NO_USAGE_STATISTICS or CI env variables are set.

  • Type: boolean

  • Default: true

• --slim Exposes a "slim" set of 3 tools covering navigation, script execution and screenshots only. Useful for basic browser tasks.

  • Type: boolean

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

Connecting via WebSocket with custom headers

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

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

By default, the Chrome DevTools MCP server will start a new Chrome instance with a dedicated profile. This might not be ideal in all situations:

• If you would like to maintain the same application state when alternating between manual site testing and agent-driven testing.

• When the MCP needs to sign into a website. Some accounts may prevent sign-in when the browser is controlled via WebDriver (the default launch mechanism for the Chrome DevTools MCP server).

• If you're running your LLM inside a sandboxed environment, but you would like to connect to a Chrome instance that runs outside the sandbox.

In these cases, start Chrome first and let the Chrome DevTools MCP server connect to it. There are two ways to do so:

• Automatic connection (available in Chrome 144): best for sharing state between manual and agent-driven testing.

• Manual connection via remote debugging port: best when running inside a sandboxed environment.

Automatically connecting to a running Chrome instance

Step 1: Set up remote debugging in Chrome

In Chrome (>= M144), do the following to set up remote debugging:

1. Navigate to chrome://inspect/#remote-debugging to enable remote debugging.

2. Follow the dialog UI to allow or disallow incoming debugging connections.

Step 2: Configure Chrome DevTools MCP server to automatically connect to a running Chrome Instance

To connect the chrome-devtools-mcp server to the running Chrome instance, use --autoConnect command line argument for the MCP server.

The following code snippet is an example configuration for gemini-cli:

Step 3: Test your setup

Make sure your browser is running. Open gemini-cli and run the following prompt:

The Chrome DevTools MCP server will try to connect to your running Chrome instance. It shows a dialog asking for user permission.

Clicking Allow results in the Chrome DevTools MCP server opening developers.chrome.com and taking a performance trace.

Manual connection using port forwarding

You can connect to a running Chrome instance by using the --browser-url option. This is useful 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 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.

Step 2: Start the Chrome browser

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

Linux

Windows

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:

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.

Debugging Chrome on Android

Please consult these instructions.

Known limitations

See Troubleshooting.