# Perplexity Comet MCP
[](https://www.npmjs.com/package/perplexity-comet-mcp)
[](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
[](https://nodejs.org)
[](https://www.typescriptlang.org/)
[](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/)
[]()
A production-grade MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that bridges Claude Code with Perplexity's Comet browser for autonomous web browsing, research, and multi-tab workflow management.
---
## Why Perplexity Comet MCP?
| Approach | Limitation |
|----------|------------|
| **Search APIs** | Static text, no interaction, no login support |
| **Browser Automation** | Single-agent model overwhelms context, fragments focus |
| **Perplexity Comet MCP** | Claude codes while Comet handles browsing autonomously |
This is a significantly enhanced fork of [hanzili/comet-mcp](https://github.com/hanzili/comet-mcp) with Windows support, smart completion detection, robust connection handling, and full tab management.
---
## Features
### Core Capabilities
- **Autonomous Web Browsing** - Comet navigates, clicks, types, and extracts data while Claude focuses on coding
- **Deep Research Mode** - Leverage Perplexity's research capabilities for comprehensive analysis
- **Login Wall Handling** - Access authenticated content through real browser sessions
- **Dynamic Content** - Full JavaScript rendering and interaction support
### Enhanced Features (New in This Fork)
| Feature | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| **Windows/WSL Support** | Full compatibility with Windows and WSL environments |
| **Tab Management** | Track, switch, and close browser tabs with protection |
| **Smart Completion** | Detect response completion without fixed timeouts |
| **Auto-Reconnect** | Exponential backoff recovery from connection drops |
| **One-Shot Reliability** | Pre-operation health checks for consistent execution |
| **Agentic Auto-Trigger** | Automatically triggers browser actions from natural prompts |
---
## Comparison with Original
| Capability | Original | Enhanced |
|------------|----------|----------|
| Platform Support | macOS | Windows, WSL, macOS |
| Available Tools | 6 | 8 (+comet_tabs, +comet_upload) |
| Completion Detection | Fixed timeout | Stability-based |
| Connection Recovery | None | Auto-reconnect with backoff |
| Tab Management | None | Full registry and control |
| Health Monitoring | None | Cached health checks |
| Last Tab Protection | None | Prevents browser crash |
---
## Installation
### Prerequisites
- Node.js 18 or higher
- [Perplexity Comet Browser](https://www.perplexity.ai/comet) installed
- Claude Code or compatible MCP client
### Install via npm
```bash
npm install -g perplexity-comet-mcp
```
### Install from Source
```bash
git clone https://github.com/RapierCraft/perplexity-comet-mcp.git
cd perplexity-comet-mcp
npm install
npm run build
```
### Configure Claude Code
Add to your Claude Code MCP settings (`~/.claude/settings.json` or VS Code settings):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"comet-bridge": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/perplexity-comet-mcp/dist/index.js"]
}
}
}
```
**Windows Users:** Use the full Windows path:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"comet-bridge": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["C:\\Users\\YourName\\perplexity-comet-mcp\\dist\\index.js"]
}
}
}
```
---
## Tools Reference
### comet_connect
Establish connection to Comet browser. Auto-launches if not running.
```
Parameters: None
Returns: Connection status message
```
**Example:**
```
> comet_connect
Comet started with debug port 9223
Connected to Perplexity (cleaned 2 old tabs)
```
---
### comet_ask
Send a prompt to Comet and wait for the complete response. Automatically triggers agentic browsing for URLs and action-oriented requests.
```
Parameters:
- prompt (required): Question or task for Comet
- newChat (optional): Start fresh conversation (default: false)
- timeout (optional): Max wait time in ms (default: 120000)
Returns: Complete response text
```
**Examples:**
```
# Simple research query
> comet_ask "What are the latest features in Python 3.12?"
# Agentic browsing (auto-triggered)
> comet_ask "Go to github.com/trending and list top Python repos"
# Site-specific data extraction
> comet_ask "Check the price of iPhone 15 on amazon.com"
```
---
### comet_poll
Check status and progress of ongoing tasks. Returns the response if completed.
```
Parameters: None
Returns: Status (IDLE/WORKING/COMPLETED), steps taken, or final response
```
**Example:**
```
> comet_poll
Status: WORKING
Browsing: https://github.com/trending
Current: Scrolling page
Steps:
- Preparing to assist you
- Navigating to github.com
- Clicking on Trending
- Scrolling page
```
---
### comet_stop
Halt the current agentic task if it goes off track.
```
Parameters: None
Returns: Confirmation message
```
---
### comet_screenshot
Capture a screenshot of the current browser view.
```
Parameters: None
Returns: PNG image data
```
---
### comet_tabs
View and manage browser tabs. Essential for multi-tab workflows.
```
Parameters:
- action (optional): "list" (default), "switch", or "close"
- domain (optional): Domain to match (e.g., "github.com")
- tabId (optional): Specific tab ID
Returns: Tab listing or action confirmation
```
**Examples:**
```
# List all external tabs
> comet_tabs
2 browsing tab(s) open:
- AGENT-BROWSING: github.com [ACTIVE]
URL: https://github.com/trending
- AGENT-BROWSING: stackoverflow.com
URL: https://stackoverflow.com/questions
# Switch to a tab
> comet_tabs action="switch" domain="stackoverflow.com"
Switched to stackoverflow.com (https://stackoverflow.com/questions)
# Close a tab (protected if last tab)
> comet_tabs action="close" domain="github.com"
Closed github.com
```
**Tab Protection:**
- Cannot close the last external browsing tab (prevents Comet crash)
- Internal tabs (chrome://, Perplexity UI) are automatically filtered
---
### comet_mode
Switch Perplexity search modes for different use cases.
```
Parameters:
- mode (optional): "search", "research", "labs", or "learn"
Returns: Current mode or confirmation of switch
```
| Mode | Use Case |
|------|----------|
| search | Quick web searches |
| research | Deep, comprehensive analysis |
| labs | Data analytics and visualization |
| learn | Educational explanations |
---
### comet_upload
Upload files to file input elements on web pages. Essential for posting images to social media, attaching files to forms, or uploading documents.
```
Parameters:
- filePath (required): Absolute path to the file to upload
- selector (optional): CSS selector for specific file input
- checkOnly (optional): If true, only checks what file inputs exist
Returns: Success message or error with available inputs
```
**Examples:**
```
# Upload an image to the first file input found
> comet_upload filePath="/home/user/screenshot.png"
File uploaded successfully: /home/user/screenshot.png
# Check what file inputs exist on the page
> comet_upload filePath="dummy" checkOnly=true
Found 2 file input(s) on the page:
1. #image-upload
2. input[name="attachment"]
# Upload to a specific input
> comet_upload filePath="/home/user/doc.pdf" selector="#attachment-input"
File uploaded successfully: /home/user/doc.pdf
```
**Workflow for posting images:**
1. Navigate to the post creation page (e.g., Reddit, Twitter)
2. Use `comet_upload checkOnly=true` to find file inputs
3. Use `comet_upload filePath="..." selector="..."` to attach the file
4. Continue with form submission
---
## Architecture
```
┌─────────────────┐ MCP Protocol ┌──────────────────┐
│ Claude Code │ ◄──────────────────► │ Perplexity │
│ (Your IDE) │ │ Comet MCP │
└─────────────────┘ └────────┬─────────┘
│
Chrome DevTools
Protocol
│
┌────────▼─────────┐
│ Comet Browser │
│ (Perplexity) │
└──────────────────┘
│
┌────────▼─────────┐
│ External │
│ Websites │
└──────────────────┘
```
### Key Components
| Component | Purpose |
|-----------|---------|
| `index.ts` | MCP server and tool handlers |
| `cdp-client.ts` | Chrome DevTools Protocol client with reconnection logic |
| `comet-ai.ts` | Perplexity interaction, prompt submission, response extraction |
| `types.ts` | TypeScript interfaces for tabs, state, and CDP types |
---
## Configuration
### Environment Variables
| Variable | Description | Default |
|----------|-------------|---------|
| `COMET_PATH` | Custom path to Comet executable | Auto-detected |
| `COMET_PORT` | CDP debugging port | 9223 |
### Custom Comet Path
```bash
# Windows
set COMET_PATH=C:\Custom\Path\comet.exe
# macOS/Linux
export COMET_PATH=/custom/path/to/Comet.app/Contents/MacOS/Comet
```
---
## Troubleshooting
### Connection Issues
**Problem:** `Error: Failed to list targets: ECONNREFUSED`
**Solutions:**
1. Ensure Comet browser is installed
2. Close any existing Comet instances
3. Run `comet_connect` to auto-start with correct flags
---
**Problem:** `WebSocket connection closed` during long tasks
**Solution:** This version handles reconnection automatically. If persistent, increase timeout:
```
comet_ask prompt="..." timeout=180000
```
---
### Windows-Specific Issues
**Problem:** `ECONNRESET` errors on Windows
**Solution:** This version includes PowerShell-based fetch workarounds. Ensure:
1. PowerShell is available in PATH
2. No firewall blocking localhost:9223
---
**Problem:** Comet not found on Windows
**Solution:** Set custom path:
```bash
set COMET_PATH=%LOCALAPPDATA%\Perplexity\Comet\Application\comet.exe
```
---
### WSL-Specific Issues
**Problem:** `WSL cannot connect to Windows localhost:9223`
**Explanation:** WSL2 uses a separate network namespace by default. The MCP uses Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP) which requires WebSocket connections to Windows localhost.
**Solution:** Enable WSL mirrored networking:
1. Create or edit `%USERPROFILE%\.wslconfig` (e.g., `C:\Users\YourName\.wslconfig`):
```ini
[wsl2]
networkingMode=mirrored
```
2. Restart WSL:
```powershell
wsl --shutdown
```
3. Open a new WSL terminal and try again.
**Alternative:** Run Claude Code from Windows PowerShell instead of WSL.
---
**Problem:** `UNC paths are not supported` warnings
**Explanation:** This is a benign warning from PowerShell when launched from WSL. The MCP handles this automatically.
---
### Tab Management Issues
**Problem:** `Cannot close - this is the only browsing tab`
**Explanation:** This is intentional protection. Comet requires at least one external tab. Open another tab first, then close the unwanted one.
---
## Development
### Build from Source
```bash
git clone https://github.com/RapierCraft/perplexity-comet-mcp.git
cd perplexity-comet-mcp
npm install
npm run build
```
### Run in Development
```bash
npm run dev
```
### Run Tests
```bash
npm test
```
### Project Structure
```
perplexity-comet-mcp/
├── src/
│ ├── index.ts # MCP server entry point
│ ├── cdp-client.ts # CDP connection management
│ ├── comet-ai.ts # AI interaction logic
│ └── types.ts # TypeScript definitions
├── dist/ # Compiled JavaScript
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── README.md
```
---
## Contributing
Contributions are welcome. Please read [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) before submitting a pull request.
### Development Guidelines
1. Maintain TypeScript strict mode compliance
2. Add tests for new features
3. Update documentation for API changes
4. Follow existing code style
---
## Attribution
This project is an enhanced fork of [comet-mcp](https://github.com/hanzili/comet-mcp) by [hanzili](https://github.com/hanzili).
### Key Enhancements by RapierCraft
- Windows and WSL platform support
- Tab management system (comet_tabs tool)
- Smart completion detection
- Auto-reconnect with exponential backoff
- Health check caching
- Agentic prompt auto-transformation
- Last tab protection
- Internal tab filtering
---
## License
MIT License - see [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
---
## Links
- [Perplexity Comet Browser](https://www.perplexity.ai/comet)
- [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/)
- [Claude Code](https://claude.ai/code)
- [Original comet-mcp](https://github.com/hanzili/comet-mcp)
---
Built with precision by [RapierCraft](https://github.com/RapierCraft)
