Enhanced Web Scraper MCP Server

A professional Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for web scraping, React app testing, and React Native web app inspection using Playwright. Fully backward compatible with regular websites and standard React applications.

🚀 Latest Improvements

🔥 Context-Optimized Screenshots - Screenshots return only file paths and analysis text (no base64 data)
📊 Enhanced Page Analysis - Detailed element counting, content structure analysis, and page state inspection
🔍 Comprehensive Comparison Tools - Visual similarity analysis with layout, color, and typography detection
💾 File-Based Output - All screenshots saved to /tmp/ with structured analysis data
🎯 Smart Content Detection - Automatically detects empty states, loading indicators, and content availability
Enhanced Error Handling - Comprehensive input validation and error reporting
Optimized Performance - Reduced code duplication and improved efficiency
Standardized Timeouts - Configurable timeout constants for reliability
Professional Code Structure - ES6+ best practices and maintainable architecture

🔄 Backward Compatibility

This enhanced server maintains 100% compatibility with:

✅ Regular websites (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
✅ Standard React applications (Create React App, Next.js, etc.)
✅ Traditional web scraping workflows
✅ Existing CSS selectors and interactions

Plus new enhanced support for:

🆕 React Native web applications
🆕 Expo web projects
🆕 Mobile viewport emulation
🆕 Advanced React component inspection

📋 Tools Overview

Tool	Purpose	Best For
`take_screenshot`	Context-free screenshot capture	Visual analysis, UI documentation
`compare_screenshots`	Visual UI comparison with semantic analysis	UI replication, visual regression testing
`scrape_page`	Universal web scraping	Content extraction, data collection
`test_react_app`	React app testing with mobile gestures	UI testing, interaction automation
`get_page_info`	Page analysis with React insights	Performance monitoring, framework detection
`extract_content`	Clean content extraction	Documentation, article processing
`wait_for_element`	Smart element waiting	Dynamic content, loading states
`inspect_react_app`	React component analysis	Component debugging, state inspection
`wait_for_react_state`	React state management	Hydration, navigation, data loading
`execute_in_react_context`	JavaScript execution in React context	Advanced debugging, custom scripts
`check_expo_dev_server`	Expo development server status	Development workflow, debugging

Key Features for AI Visual Analysis

🔥 Context-Free Design

No Base64 Data: Screenshots return only file paths and analysis text
Minimal Context Usage: Dramatically reduced token consumption per screenshot
File-Based Storage: All images saved to /tmp/ for external access
Structured Analysis: Rich text analysis without heavy image data

🔍 Smart Content Detection

Empty State Detection: Automatically identifies when pages have no meaningful content
Table Population Verification: Counts table rows to verify data is actually displaying
Loading State Recognition: Detects and waits for loading indicators to disappear
Content Structure Analysis: Provides detailed breakdown of page elements

📁 File-Based Output

Every visual tool provides:

📊 Analysis Text: Element counts, text content, structural analysis
📁 File Path: Saved screenshot location for external viewing
🎯 Pass/Fail Status: Built-in success criteria for automated workflows

🎯 Migration & Testing Support

Perfect for:

UI Migration Verification: Compare source vs target implementations
Mock Data Validation: Verify that mock data is actually displaying
Visual Regression Testing: Ensure UI changes don't break layouts
Component Testing: Validate React components render correctly

📊 Success Metrics Integration

Configurable Similarity Thresholds: Built-in pass/fail criteria for visual comparisons
Populated Data Requirements: Detects empty states that prevent meaningful comparison
Comprehensive Reporting: Detailed analysis for debugging visual differences

Available Tools

1. `take_screenshot` - Context-Free Screenshot Capture

Captures screenshots with comprehensive analysis while keeping context usage minimal.

{ url: "https://example.com", browser: "chromium", device: "iPhone 12", // Optional device emulation fullPage: true, waitForSPA: true // Auto-detects and waits for React/Vue/Angular apps }

Returns:

📊 Comprehensive Analysis: Element counts, page structure, content preview
📁 File Path: Screenshot saved to /tmp/screenshot-[timestamp].png
🎯 Content Status: Pass/fail indicators for populated data

Example Output:

📸 Screenshot saved to: /tmp/screenshot-1234567890.png 📄 Page Analysis: - Title: "My React App" - Has Content: ✅ - Visible Elements: 247 📊 Content Elements: - Headings: 3 - Paragraphs: 12 - Buttons: 8 - Tables: 1 - Table Rows: 15 ← Indicates populated data! 📝 Page Content Preview: Welcome to our service platform. Here you can find contractors...

2. `compare_screenshots` - Context-Free Visual Comparison

Compares two pages with comprehensive analysis while maintaining minimal context usage.

{ urlA: "https://source-design.com", // Source/reference urlB: "https://your-implementation.com", // Target/implementation browser: "chromium", threshold: 0.1, // Similarity threshold (0-1) analyzeLayout: true, // Detect alignment differences analyzeColors: true, // Exact color comparison analyzeTypography: true, // Font size/weight analysis waitForSPA: true // Smart SPA detection }

Returns:

📊 Visual Similarity Score: Percentage match with pass/fail status
🏗️ Structural Comparison: Element counts, table rows, content structure
🎨 Layout Analysis: Alignment differences, positioning issues
📁 File Paths: Both screenshots saved to /tmp/ for external viewing

Example Output:

📸 Screenshots saved: - Source: /tmp/compare-source-1234567890.png - Target: /tmp/compare-target-1234567891.png 📊 VISUAL SIMILARITY: 87.3% ✅ PASS 🏗️ Structural Comparison: - Tables: 1 → 1 - Table Rows: 0 → 8 ← Target has populated data! - Buttons: 12 → 12 📋 Layout Analysis: - 2 regions with significant layout differences - Content appears centered in source but left-aligned in target 🎨 Color Analysis: - Minor color differences detected - Example: rgb(229, 122, 68) → rgb(225, 118, 64)

3. `scrape_page` - Universal Web Scraping

Works with any website - regular HTML, React apps, or React Native web.

Regular website example:

{ url: "https://example.com", selector: ".article-title", // Standard CSS selector screenshot: true }

React Native web example:

{ url: "http://localhost:8081", selector: "login-button", // Will try testID, aria-label fallbacks mobileViewport: true, device: "iPhone 12" }

4. `test_react_app` - Universal React Testing

Works with any React application - standard React or React Native web.

Standard React app example:

{ url: "http://localhost:3000", waitForHydration: false, // Optional for regular React apps actions: [ { type: "click", selector: "#submit-button" }, { type: "fill", selector: "input[name='email']", value: "test@example.com" } ] }

React Native web example:

{ url: "http://localhost:8081", device: "iPhone 12", waitForHydration: true, // Recommended for RN web actions: [ { type: "tap", selector: "login-button" }, { type: "swipe", selector: "scroll-view", value: "up" } ] }

5. `get_page_info` - Enhanced Page Analysis

Provides comprehensive information for any web page with React-specific insights.

{ url: "https://any-website.com", // Works with any URL includePerformance: true }

6. `extract_content` - Clean Content Extraction

Extract clean, readable content from web pages without HTML/CSS clutter. Perfect for documentation, articles, and structured content consumption.

{ url: "https://docs.example.com/api-guide", includeLinks: true, // Extract and categorize hyperlinks format: "markdown" // Output format: 'markdown' or 'text' }

Output Example:

# API Documentation ## Authentication You need to obtain an API key [1] from the developer portal [2]. ### Rate Limits See the rate limiting guide [3] for details. --- ## Links Found: [1] https://example.com/api-keys (internal) [2] https://developer.example.com (external) [3] https://example.com/docs/rate-limits (internal)

Features:

Clean Structure - Preserves headings, paragraphs, lists, code blocks
Link Extraction - Categorizes links as internal, external, anchor, or download
Content Filtering - Removes navigation, ads, sidebars automatically
Multiple Formats - Markdown or plain text output

7. `wait_for_element` - Smart Element Waiting

Intelligent element waiting with automatic selector strategy fallbacks.

{ url: "https://example.com", selector: ".loading-spinner", // CSS selector with RN fallbacks timeout: 10000 }

React Native Web Specific Tools

8. `inspect_react_app` - React Component Analysis

Deep inspection of React applications (works best with React Native web).

9. `wait_for_react_state` - React State Management

Wait for React-specific conditions like hydration, navigation, data loading.

10. `execute_in_react_context` - JavaScript Execution

Execute JavaScript in React context for advanced inspection.

11. `check_expo_dev_server` - Expo Development Tools

Check Expo/Metro bundler status for development workflows.

Selector Strategy Priority

The server uses intelligent selector strategies:

Primary: Direct CSS selector (e.g., #button, .class, input[name='email'])
Fallback 1: TestID attribute ([data-testid="button"])
Fallback 2: Accessibility label ([aria-label="Button"])
Fallback 3: AccessibilityLabel ([accessibilityLabel="Button"])

This ensures regular CSS selectors work normally while providing React Native web compatibility.

Usage Examples

Context-Free Visual Verification

// Verify data is actually displaying without burning context { url: "http://localhost:3000/data-table", fullPage: true, waitForSPA: true } // Returns: File path + "Table Rows: 8" ← Confirms data is populated!

Context-Free Migration Comparison

// Compare source vs target implementation efficiently { urlA: "http://localhost:3001/page", // Source urlB: "http://localhost:3000/page", // Target threshold: 0.05, // High similarity requirement analyzeLayout: true, analyzeColors: true } // Returns: File paths + "VISUAL SIMILARITY: 96.2% ✅ PASS"

Regular Website Scraping

// Works exactly like before { url: "https://news.ycombinator.com", selector: ".storylink", screenshot: false }

Standard React App Testing

// Standard React app (Create React App, Next.js, etc.) { url: "http://localhost:3000", actions: [ { type: "click", selector: "button.login" }, { type: "fill", selector: "#username", value: "testuser" } ] }

React Native Web App Testing

// React Native web with enhanced features { url: "http://localhost:8081", device: "iPhone 12", waitForHydration: true, actions: [ { type: "tap", selector: "login-button" }, // Uses testID { type: "swipe", selector: "scroll-view", value: "up" } ] }

Clean Content Extraction

// Extract clean content from documentation { url: "https://docs.react.dev/learn", includeLinks: true, format: "markdown" }

Installation

npm install npx playwright install

Usage with Amazon Q Developer

# Take a context-free screenshot and analyze content q chat "Take a screenshot of localhost:3000/data-page and analyze the content" # Compare pages efficiently without context bloat q chat "Compare the page between localhost:3001 and localhost:3000" # Mock data verification with minimal context usage q chat "Verify that the data table is populated at localhost:3000" # Works with any website q chat "Scrape the headlines from https://news.ycombinator.com" # Works with React apps q chat "Test the login flow on my React app at localhost:3000" # Enhanced React Native web support q chat "Inspect the React Native web app at localhost:8081" # Extract clean content for reading q chat "Extract the main content from https://docs.react.dev/learn"

Benefits of Context-Free Design

🔥 Dramatically Reduced Context Usage

Before: 50-200KB base64 data per screenshot
After: Only text analysis (~1-2KB per screenshot)
Result: 50-100x reduction in context consumption

📁 File-Based Workflow

Screenshots saved to /tmp/ with timestamps
External tools can access images directly
No context pollution from image data
Structured analysis data remains in conversation

🎯 Better AI Workflows

More screenshots possible per conversation
Focus on analysis rather than data transfer
Cleaner conversation history
Faster response times

Troubleshooting

Error Handling

Input Validation - Server validates required parameters and provides clear error messages
Timeout Configuration - Default timeouts are optimized but can be adjusted per request
Browser Cleanup - Automatic resource cleanup prevents memory leaks

Regular Websites

Use standard CSS selectors (.class, #id, tag[attribute])
Set mobileViewport: false (default) for desktop sites
Set waitForHydration: false (default) for non-React sites

React Applications

Set waitForHydration: true for better reliability
Use semantic selectors when possible
Check browser console for React errors

React Native Web

Use testID attributes in your components
Enable mobileViewport or specify device
Set waitForHydration: true
Use inspect_react_app to see available elements

License

MIT

Deploy Server

HTTP connection URL

security – no known vulnerabilities

license - not tested

quality - confirmed to work

How are these scores calculated?

local-only server

The server can only run on the client's local machine because it depends on local resources.

Tools

View all tools

Enables web scraping, React app testing, and React Native web app inspection using Playwright with multi-browser support. Provides backward compatibility with regular websites while offering enhanced features for React applications including mobile viewport emulation and component analysis.