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Crawlio Browser

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Documentation | API Reference | Chrome Extension

MCP server that gives AI full control of a live Chrome browser via CDP. 150 tools with framework-aware intelligence, typed evidence infrastructure, tracking pixel analysis, technographic fingerprinting, SEO auditing, and confidence-tracked findings — captures what static crawlers can't see.

Related MCP server: Chrome MCP Server

When to use Crawlio Browser

Use Crawlio Browser when your AI needs to interact with a real browser — SPAs, authenticated pages, dynamic content, JS-rendered frameworks. Unlike headless browser tools, Crawlio Browser connects to your actual Chrome via a lightweight extension, giving the AI access to your logged-in sessions, cookies, and full browser state.

Crawlio Browser vs headless browser tools: Headless tools launch a separate browser process. Crawlio Browser connects to your existing Chrome — no separate browser, no login flows, full access to your tabs and sessions.

WARNING

This is the trade-off, stated plainly: connecting your own Chrome is the feature, and it means an AI agent can act as you on every site you are logged into. It attaches Chrome's debugger to the tab you connect, so it can read cookies, storage, and page content for that session.

Review what you connect it to. Prefer a dedicated Chrome profile for agent work. Nothing is captured until you connect a tab, and you can see the exact tool surface before configuring anything by running npx crawlio-browser tools. Sites can opt out with <meta name="crawlio-agent" content="disable">, which the extension honors.

Quick Start

  1. Install the Chrome Extension

  2. Run the init wizard:

    npx crawlio-browser init

That's it. Auto-detects and configures 14 MCP clients: Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT Desktop, Windsurf, Cline, Zed, Goose, OpenCode, MCPorter, and Cline CLI.

Init wizard options

npx crawlio-browser init              # Default: code mode, stdio transport
npx crawlio-browser init --full       # Full mode (every tool exposed individually)
npx crawlio-browser init --portal     # Portal mode (persistent HTTP server)
npx crawlio-browser init --cloudflare # Add Cloudflare MCP (89 tools, no wrangler)
npx crawlio-browser init --dry-run    # Show what would happen
npx crawlio-browser init --yes        # Skip prompts (CI / scripted installs)
npx crawlio-browser init -a claude    # Target specific MCP client

As an Agent Plugin

The package is also an Agent Plugins v1 plugin, so a conformant client can load it directly instead of running the wizard — plugin.json at the root, the eleven skills under skills/, and the MCP server declared in mcp.json.

The product-facing crawlio-* workflows are folded into the eleven shipped skills. The similarly named definitions in agents/ remain repo-local development fixtures: they import src/evidence/* and loops/*, neither of which is part of the npm runtime. They are excluded from package.json instead of advertising a second, non-executable product surface.

Point the client at the installed package:

node_modules/crawlio-browser        # after `npm install crawlio-browser`

mcp.json resolves the server through ${PLUGIN_ROOT}/dist/mcp-server/index.js, which is why the plugin has to be an installed package rather than an unpacked tarball — the server imports its dependencies at runtime, so a bare extract starts and then dies without answering.

Inspecting what it exposes

npx crawlio-browser tools          # What code mode exposes (the default)
npx crawlio-browser tools --full   # Every tool, individually
npx crawlio-browser tools --json   # Machine-readable, for diffing across versions
npx crawlio-browser doctor         # Bridge, portal, native host, client configs
npx crawlio-browser --help         # All commands and options
npx crawlio-browser --version      # Version only

Both are read-only and run without a browser, an extension, or a network connection — you can see the whole surface before you configure any client. The numbers come from the same builders the server registers, so they cannot disagree with what your client receives.

Transport Modes

Mode

Command / URL

Protocol

Best For

stdio

npx crawlio-browser

JSON-RPC over stdin/stdout

Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf — client manages process lifecycle

Portal (HTTP)

POST http://127.0.0.1:3001/mcp

MCP Streamable HTTP

Claude Code, ChatGPT Desktop — server survives session restarts

Portal (SSE)

GET /sse + POST /message

Server-Sent Events

Legacy clients needing SSE transport

Portal mode is recommended for Claude Code — the server persists across context compaction and session restarts. On macOS, --portal installs a launchd agent for auto-start on login.

Manual setup (any client)

Claude Desktop — add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{ "mcpServers": { "crawlio-browser": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "crawlio-browser"] } } }

Claude Code (Portal Mode) — start npx crawlio-browser --portal, then add to .mcp.json:

{ "mcpServers": { "crawlio-browser": { "type": "http", "url": "http://127.0.0.1:3001/mcp" } } }

Claude Code (stdio):

claude mcp add crawlio-browser -- npx -y crawlio-browser

Cursor — add to .cursor/mcp.json:

{ "mcpServers": { "crawlio-browser": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "crawlio-browser"] } } }

Windsurf — add to Windsurf Settings > MCP:

{ "mcpServers": { "crawlio-browser": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "crawlio-browser"] } } }

Cline (VS Code) — add to settings.json:

{ "cline.mcpServers": { "crawlio-browser": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "crawlio-browser"] } } }

ChatGPT Desktop — Settings > Integrations > MCP: URL: http://127.0.0.1:3001/mcp | Type: Streamable HTTP

How It Works

AI Client (stdio/http)  -->  MCP Server (Node.js)  -->  Chrome Extension (MV3)
                             crawlio-browser               WebSocket -> CDP

The MCP server communicates with the Chrome extension via WebSocket. The extension controls the browser through Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP).

Capabilities

Framework-Aware Intelligence

Every execute call probes the browser for framework signatures and injects a shape-shifting smart object with framework-native accessors. React state, Vue reactivity, Next.js routing, Shopify cart data — 17 framework namespaces across 4 tiers, detected at runtime and rebuilt on every navigation. The AI doesn't query a generic DOM; it queries the framework's own data structures.

Evidence-Based Analysis

Method Mode adds higher-order methods and a typed evidence system on top of Code Mode. smart.extractPage() runs 7 parallel operations in a single call — page capture, performance metrics, security state, font detection, meta extraction, accessibility audit, and mobile-readiness check. Failed operations produce typed CoverageGap records instead of silent nulls. Findings created with smart.finding() get their confidence automatically adjusted when supporting data is missing. The result: structured, auditable research output with gap tracking and confidence propagation.

Session Recording & Replay

Record browser interactions as structured data, then compile them into reusable SKILL.md automations. 12 interaction tools are automatically intercepted during recording — clicks, typing, navigation, scrolling — each capturing args, result, timing, and page URL. One compileRecording() call converts the session into a deterministic automation script.

Robot Training

Capture human-guided browser demonstrations as replayable robot-training bundles. The default-mode observe lifecycle starts an event-driven recorder inside the extension; collection keeps running if the MCP process disconnects or restarts. On reconnection, training_stop exports the retained run and materializes the complete 13-file RecordingBundle for replay and API synthesis. Full mode keeps the existing robot_training_* names as compatibility aliases.

Page monitoring is resident for the same reason: an extension-owned background tab and Chrome alarm collect bounded ARIA snapshots while no MCP server is present. Training and monitor history share a 25 MiB local budget, with 20 completed training runs, 50 monitor jobs, 200 snapshots total, and 50 snapshots per monitor as count caps. Old completed data is evicted first; active work is never silently evicted. Work starts only through explicit MCP lifecycle actions; the same actions report status, stop collection, clear monitor snapshots, and—with an exact id plus explicit confirmation—delete a stopped training/recording record from Chrome while preserving its materialized files. The extension popup remains a connection and browser-access status surface. Storage values are keys-only unless the caller explicitly opts in. Monitor snapshots intentionally retain compact ARIA page text locally; starting a monitor should therefore be treated as consent to retain the visible content of that URL until it is cleared.

Auto-Settling & Actionability

Every mutative action (click, type, navigate, select_option) runs actionability checks before acting — polling visibility, dimensions, enabled state, and overlay detection. After the action, a progressive backoff settle delay ([0, 20, 100, 100, 500]ms) waits for DOM mutations to quiesce. The AI doesn't need manual sleep() calls between actions.

Several Tabs at Once

Any command that acts on a page takes an optional tabId from list_tabs. Omit it and the command runs on the connected tab, exactly as before; supply one and it runs on that tab instead, with the whole command surface available on each. Commands overlap, so two tabs can be driven at the same time:

const [checkout, search] = await Promise.all([
  bridge.send({ type: "browser_snapshot", tabId: 42 }),
  bridge.send({ type: "browser_snapshot", tabId: 57 }),
]);

Targeting a tab never changes which tab connect_tab points at, so an agent working several tabs cannot reassign the one a human is watching. Frame selection, coverage sessions, and framework detection are per tab. Network capture is the exception — it records one tab at a time and says which tab holds it rather than interleaving two.

Chrome Profiles

An extension instance is confined to its own Chrome profile and cannot see any other, so with Crawlio enabled in more than one, commands land in whichever profile connected first. list_profiles shows the profiles that have connected and which is being driven; switch_profile moves the connection to another. One profile is driven at a time — the released extension reconnects in the background, so switching back is immediate.

Profiles identify themselves with a UUID minted into their own extension storage. It distinguishes a profile without describing it: no account, no email, no path, and no additional permission.

Selecting a profile keeps cooperating extensions out of each other's way — it is not a security boundary, since the id is asserted by the extension rather than proved. The bridge's existing protections are unchanged: one extension at a time, and each must prove the server holds the real bridge token before anything executes.

Architecture

A layered execution architecture where each layer absorbs a category of complexity that would otherwise fall on the model. The model sees four primary tools and a clean SDK. Everything beneath that surface is the runtime absorbing reality.

The layer worth understanding is the one that assembles itself. Detection runs against the live page on first use, and the smart object is built to match what that page turned out to be — smart.react.* exists only where React does. Nothing about the target is known at startup, so the surface is composed per tab rather than declared up front.

                     ┌───────────────────────────────────┐
                     │        AI Model (LLM)             │
                     │  Writes code, reads errors, loops  │
                     └───────────────┬───────────────────┘
                                     │  search, execute, observe, connect_tab (+ 3 job tools)
                                     ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     Crawlio Browser runtime                      │
│                                                                  │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │  METHOD MODE                                               │  │
│  │  Behavioral protocol + higher-order methods                │  │
│  │  scrollCapture · waitForIdle · extractPage · comparePages  │  │
│  │  detectTables · extractTable · waitForNetworkIdle ·        │  │
│  │  extractData                                               │  │
│  │                                                            │  │
│  │  ↳ Absorbs: behavioral variance, ad-hoc composition,      │  │
│  │    inconsistent output shapes, data extraction patterns    │  │
│  ├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤  │
│  │  POLYMORPHIC CONTEXT                                       │  │
│  │  17 framework namespaces, injected Just-In-Time            │  │
│  │  react · vue · angular · nextjs · shopify · ...            │  │
│  │                                                            │  │
│  │  ↳ Absorbs: framework opacity, minified code,             │  │
│  │    devtools hook complexity                                │  │
│  ├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤  │
│  │  ACTIONABILITY ENGINE                                      │  │
│  │  7 core smart methods with built-in resilience             │  │
│  │  click · type · navigate · waitFor · evaluate ·            │  │
│  │  snapshot · rebuild                                        │  │
│  │                                                            │  │
│  │  ↳ Absorbs: DOM timing, hydration delays, CSS animations, │  │
│  │    disabled states, overlapping elements                   │  │
│  ├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤  │
│  │  TETHERED IPC BRIDGE                                       │  │
│  │  WebSocket ↔ Chrome extension, message queue,              │  │
│  │  heartbeat, auto-reconnect, stale detection                │  │
│  │                                                            │  │
│  │  ↳ Absorbs: connection drops, tab refreshes,              │  │
│  │    port conflicts, extension lifecycle                     │  │
│  ├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤  │
│  │  COMMAND CHANNEL                                           │  │
│  │  bridge.send → CDP browser control via the extension       │  │
│  │  crawlio.*   → Crawlio HTTP endpoints                      │  │
│  │  Live searchable catalog: browser + Crawlio HTTP           │  │
│  └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                     │
                                     ▼
                     ┌───────────────────────────────────┐
                     │         Live Chrome Browser        │
                     │   Persistent session, real DOM,    │
                     │   framework runtime, user state    │
                     └───────────────────────────────────┘

What Each Layer Absorbs

Layer

Without It

With It

Tethered IPC Bridge

Script crashes on tab refresh, pending commands lost on reconnect, port conflicts on startup

Resilient WebSocket with message queue (100-msg capacity), heartbeat stale detection (15s intervals), auto-reconnect with drain

Actionability Engine

click('#btn') fires before the button renders, during CSS transitions, or while an overlay covers it

Progressive polling (exists → has dimensions → visible → not disabled → not obscured) with [0, 20, 100, 100, 500]ms backoff

Polymorphic Context

Model sees minified <div> elements; reading React state requires knowing exact hook paths, renderer maps, and fiber root API

Runtime probes live JS environment, recognizes 64 frameworks and attaches up to 17 matching namespaces (smart.react.getVersion(), smart.nextjs.getData())

Method Mode

Model composes primitives ad-hoc — inconsistent scroll loops, missed edge cases, varying return shapes

18 tested methods encode correct patterns; behavioral protocol constrains workflow

Execution Lifecycle

  1. Discovery — Model calls search("page capture performance") and gets documentation for relevant commands

  2. Framework Detection — Runtime probes the live DOM, detects active frameworks, constructs polymorphic smart object with appropriate namespaces

  3. Scope Assembly — Model's code is compiled into an async function with injected parameters: bridge (the browser command channel), crawlio (HTTP client), sleep, TIMEOUTS, smart (7 core + 18 higher-order methods + up to 17 framework namespaces), compileRecording

  4. Execution — Method Mode methods compose the lower layers: extractPage() fires 7 parallel bridge.send() calls; click() runs the actionability engine; react.getVersion() evaluates framework-specific expressions

  5. Error Recovery (Agentic REPL) — On failure, the browser stays in the exact state that produced the error. The model reads the structured error, adjusts, and calls execute again. Framework cache persists — no re-detection unless URL changed

Design Principles

  1. Absorb complexity downward — Every category of difficulty (connection management, DOM timing, framework detection, multi-step composition) is handled by the layer best equipped for it. The model only encounters the clean interface at the top.

  2. Shape the SDK to the target — The polymorphic context system detects what the page is and reshapes available methods to match. The model writes against a stable interface; the runtime adapts underneath.

  3. Preserve state across cycles — The tethered architecture means the model can fail, learn, and retry against the same live environment — transforming error handling from "restart from scratch" into "adjust and continue."

How It Compares

Code Mode is Cloudflare's idea and a good one: present tools as a typed API and let the model write code against it, because models have seen far more code than tool calls. Crawlio Browser applies that pattern to a target it was not built for — a live browser holding your session. This is an MCP server, not an alternative to MCP.

Dimension

Standard MCP

Cloudflare Code Mode

Crawlio Browser

Tools in context

50-100+ schemas

2 (search, execute)

7 (4 primary + 3 async job tools)

Execution environment

N/A (tool calls)

V8 isolate (stateless)

Local async sandbox, tethered to a live browser

DOM access

Via individual tool calls

None

Live, persistent, framework-aware

Framework awareness

None

None

up to 17 namespaces, attached per page

Action resilience

Model must handle timing

N/A (no DOM)

Built-in actionability polling + settle delays

Error recovery

Re-call individual tool

Re-create isolate

Re-run against the state that produced the error

Multi-step patterns

Model improvises

Model writes loops

18 tested higher-order methods + behavioral protocol

The row that matters is error recovery. An isolate is disposable by design — that is what makes it safe to run untrusted code, and it means a failure discards the state that caused it. Here execution is tethered to a real tab, so when code fails the browser is still sitting in exactly the situation that broke it: same scroll position, same modal, same half-filled form. The model reads the error and runs again against that. Neither approach is better in general; they are answers to different problems, and the sandboxing guarantees Cloudflare gets from V8 isolates are genuinely stronger than what a local async sandbox provides.

Read the full architecture guide &rarr;

Two Modes

Code Mode (4 primary tools) — default

Collapses 150 tools into four high-level tools, plus get_job_result, list_jobs, and cancel_job for async execution — so tools/list reports

That makes the tools/list payload 85% smaller, measured by serializing the result each mode actually returns rather than estimated from a tool count. Code mode is not free: execute and search carry long descriptions, so the measured reduction is smaller than a naive tools-only ratio suggests. Check it yourself — npx crawlio-browser tools --json prints both surfaces without connecting to anything.

Tool

Description

search

Discover available commands by keyword

execute

Run async JS with bridge, crawlio, smart, sleep, and compileRecording in scope

observe

Start/query/stop extension-resident training, recording, and page monitors

connect_tab

Connect to a browser tab

// Navigate and screenshot
await bridge.send({ type: 'browser_navigate', url: 'https://example.com' }, 30000);
await sleep(2000);
const screenshot = await bridge.send({ type: 'take_screenshot' }, 10000);
return screenshot;

Full Mode (150 tools)

Every tool exposed directly to the LLM. Enable with --full:

npx crawlio-browser init --full

Smart Object

In Code Mode, the smart object provides framework-aware helpers with auto-waiting and actionability checks.

Core Methods

Method

Description

smart.evaluate(expression)

Execute JS in the page via CDP

smart.click(selector, opts?)

Auto-waiting click with 500ms settle

smart.type(selector, text, opts?)

Auto-waiting type with 300ms settle

smart.navigate(url, opts?)

Navigate with 1000ms settle

smart.waitFor(selector, timeout?)

Poll until element is actionable

smart.snapshot()

Accessibility tree snapshot

smart.rebuild()

Re-detect frameworks and reattach namespaces for the current page

Higher-Order Methods

Method

Description

smart.scrollCapture(opts?)

Scroll to bottom, capturing screenshots at each position. Handles stuck-scroll detection, bottom detection, section capping, and scroll reset.

smart.waitForIdle(timeout?)

MutationObserver-based idle detection — waits for 500ms quiet window. Timeout hard-capped at 15s. Replaces blind sleep() calls.

smart.extractPage(opts?)

7 parallel operations in one call — page capture, performance, security, fonts, meta, accessibility, mobile-readiness. Returns typed PageEvidence with CoverageGap[] for anything that failed.

smart.comparePages(urlA, urlB)

Navigates to both URLs, runs extractPage() on each, returns a ComparisonScaffold with 11 dimensions, shared/missing fields, and comparable metrics.

Typed Evidence

Methods for structured analysis findings with confidence propagation:

Method

Description

smart.finding(data)

Create a validated Finding with claim, evidence, sourceUrl, confidence, and method. Rejects malformed input with specific errors.

smart.findings()

Get all session-accumulated findings (returns a copy)

smart.clearFindings()

Reset session findings and coverage gaps

When a finding's dimension matches an active coverage gap, confidence is automatically capped:

Input Confidence

Active Gap

Output

high

reducesConfidence: true

medium + confidenceCapped: true

medium

reducesConfidence: true

low + confidenceCapped: true

low

any

low (floor)

any

no matching gap

unchanged

Framework Namespaces

When a framework is detected, the smart object exposes framework-specific helpers:

Method

Returns

getVersion()

Version string and bundle type

getRootCount()

Number of React root components

hasProfiler()

Whether profiler is available

isHookInstalled()

Whether DevTools hook is installed

Method

Returns

getVersion()

Vue version string

getAppCount()

Number of Vue app instances

getConfig()

App config object

isDevMode()

Whether DevTools is enabled

Method

Returns

getVersion()

ng-version attribute value

isDebugMode()

Whether debug APIs available

isIvy()

Whether Ivy compiler is active

getRootCount()

Number of Angular root elements

getState()

Full state object

Method

Returns

getVersion()

Svelte version string

getMeta()

Svelte metadata object

isDetected()

Whether Svelte is detected

Method

Returns

isInstalled()

Whether Redux DevTools is installed

getStoreState()

Full store state

Method

Returns

getVersion()

Alpine version string

getStoreKeys()

Store object keys

getComponentCount()

Count of [x-data] components

Method

Returns

getData()

__NEXT_DATA__ object

getRouter()

Router state (pathname, query, asPath)

getSSRMode()

SSR mode (hybrid, app-router, static)

getRouteManifest()

Current page data

Method

Returns

getData()

__NUXT__ object

getConfig()

App config

isSSR()

Whether server-rendered

Method

Returns

getContext()

__remixContext object

getRouteData()

Loader data from state

Method

Returns

getShop()

Shop metadata (theme, locale, currency)

getCart()

Shopping cart object

Method

Returns

isWP()

Whether WordPress is present

getRestUrl()

REST API endpoint

getPlugins()

List of active plugins

Namespace

Methods

smart.gatsby

getData(), getPageData()

smart.woocommerce

getParams()

smart.laravel

getCSRF()

smart.django

getCSRF()

smart.drupal

getSettings()

smart.jquery

getVersion()

Method Mode

Code Mode asks the model to write code. Method Mode gives that code a tested vocabulary:

would otherwise improvise.

await smart.extractTable(selector)   // not a hand-rolled scrape loop
await smart.scrollCapture()          // not a guessed scroll cadence

It is a domain layer over Code Mode, not a replacement: the tool surface does not change, the model still sees the same four primary tools, and the same 182-command catalog sits underneath. What changes is what happens inside execute.

The surface is assembled per page. Detection recognizes 64 frameworks and attaches up to 17 matching namespaces, so smart.react.* exists only where React does — the model never has to ask what the page is built with, or guess at hook paths and fiber internals to find out.

And because execution is tethered to a live tab rather than a disposable isolate, a failure leaves the browser in the exact state that produced it. The model reads the structured error and runs again against that state, rather than rebuilding the situation from scratch.

The Maturity Ladder

Layer

Optimizes For

Behavioral Variance

Evidence Quality

Raw MCP (150 tools)

Completeness

High — flat tool list, no composition guidance

None — unstructured text

Code Mode (7 tools)

Token efficiency

Medium — right primitives, ad-hoc composition

None — model-defined shapes

Method Mode (+ 18 methods + protocol)

Consistency

Low — proper methods, protocol constraints

Convention — { finding, evidence, url }

+ typed evidence (gaps + confidence)

Correctness

Minimal — typed schemas, tool-enforced findings

Structural — typed records, gap tracking, confidence propagation

Architecture

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      execute sandbox                       │
│                                                            │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │  Behavioral Protocol  (web-research skill)           │  │
│  │  Acquire → Normalize → Analyze                       │  │
│  ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤  │
│  │  Evidence Infrastructure                             │  │
│  │  finding() · findings() · clearFindings()            │  │
│  │  Typed records · Coverage gaps · Confidence prop.    │  │
│  ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤  │
│  │  Higher-Order Methods  [18]                          │  │
│  │  scrollCapture · waitForIdle · extractPage ·         │  │
│  │  comparePages · detectTables · extractTable ·        │  │
│  │  waitForNetworkIdle · extractData · detectSections · │  │
│  │  detectTechnologies · parseTrackingPixels · ...      │  │
│  ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤  │
│  │  Smart Core  [7 methods]                             │  │
│  │  evaluate · click · type · navigate · waitFor ·      │  │
│  │  snapshot · rebuild                                  │  │
│  ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤  │
│  │  Framework Namespaces  [up to 17, attached per page] │  │
│  │  react · vue · angular · nextjs · shopify · ...      │  │
│  ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤  │
│  │  bridge.send()  — the browser command channel        │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Each layer up encodes more domain knowledge. bridge.send({ type: "capture_page" }) captures a page. smart.extractPage() captures a page AND runs performance metrics, security state, font detection, accessibility analysis, and mobile-readiness checks in parallel — seven operations, one call, graceful failure on supplementary data, typed gaps for anything that fails.

Evidence Infrastructure

Coverage Gaps — When supplementary operations in extractPage() fail, they don't silently return null. A typed gap is recorded with the dimension, reason, impact, and whether it reduces confidence on related findings:

// Example gap from a failed performance metrics call
{ dimension: "performance", reason: "CDP domain disabled", impact: "method-failed", reducesConfidence: true }

Tool-Enforced Findingssmart.finding() validates every field at the tool level. The model cannot produce a finding without meeting the schema — it either returns a valid Finding or gets a clear error. Findings accumulate across execute calls within a session via smart.findings().

Session Aggregation — Findings and coverage gaps persist across execute calls. A model can make findings across multiple calls, then retrieve the full set with smart.findings(). Reset with smart.clearFindings().

End-to-End Example: Competitive Audit

// 1. Extract and compare both sites (scaffold + gaps included)
const comparison = await smart.comparePages(
  'https://acme.com',
  'https://rival.com'
);

// 2. Make findings — confidence auto-adjusts based on data availability
smart.finding({
  claim: 'Rival loads 2.3x faster on Largest Contentful Paint',
  evidence: [
    `Acme LCP: ${comparison.siteA.performance?.webVitals?.lcp}ms`,
    `Rival LCP: ${comparison.siteB.performance?.webVitals?.lcp}ms`,
  ],
  sourceUrl: 'https://acme.com',
  confidence: 'high',
  method: 'comparePages + extractPage performance metrics',
  dimension: 'performance',  // if perf data failed, confidence caps to "medium"
});

smart.finding({
  claim: 'Acme has 12 images without alt text; Rival has 0',
  evidence: [
    `Acme imagesWithoutAlt: ${comparison.siteA.accessibility?.imagesWithoutAlt}`,
    `Rival imagesWithoutAlt: ${comparison.siteB.accessibility?.imagesWithoutAlt}`,
  ],
  sourceUrl: 'https://acme.com',
  confidence: 'high',
  method: 'comparePages + extractPage accessibility summary',
  dimension: 'accessibility',
});

// 3. Capture visual evidence
await smart.navigate('https://acme.com');
await smart.waitForIdle();
const acmeVisuals = await smart.scrollCapture({ maxSections: 5 });

// 4. Return accumulated session findings + visual evidence
return {
  findings: smart.findings(),
  scaffold: comparison.scaffold,
  gaps: { acme: comparison.siteA.gaps, rival: comparison.siteB.gaps },
  visualEvidence: { acme: acmeVisuals.sectionCount + ' sections captured' },
};

Examples

Navigate, extract, and analyze

// Connect to active tab, extract structured page evidence
const page = await smart.extractPage();
const finding = smart.finding({
  claim: `Site uses ${page.capture.framework?.name || 'no detected framework'}`,
  evidence: [`Framework: ${JSON.stringify(page.capture.framework)}`],
  sourceUrl: page.meta?.canonical || 'active tab',
  confidence: 'high',
  method: 'extractPage framework detection',
});
return { page: page.meta, finding };

Mobile emulation + screenshot

// Emulate iPhone and capture
await bridge.send({ type: 'emulate_device', device: 'iPhone 14' }, 10000);
await smart.navigate('https://example.com');
await smart.waitForIdle();
const screenshot = await bridge.send({ type: 'take_screenshot' }, 10000);
return screenshot;

Record and compile automation

// Record a browser session, then compile to reusable skill
await bridge.send({ type: 'start_recording' }, 10000);
await smart.navigate('https://example.com');
await smart.click('button.submit');
await smart.type('#email', 'test@example.com');
const session = await bridge.send({ type: 'stop_recording' }, 10000);
return compileRecording(session.session, 'signup-flow');

Intercept and mock network

// Block analytics, mock API response
await bridge.send({
  type: 'browser_intercept',
  pattern: '*analytics*',
  action: 'block'
}, 10000);
await bridge.send({
  type: 'browser_intercept',
  pattern: '*/api/user',
  action: 'mock',
  body: JSON.stringify({ name: 'Test User' }),
  statusCode: 200
}, 10000);
await smart.navigate('https://example.com');
return await smart.snapshot();

Session Recording

Record browser sessions as structured data, then compile them into reusable automation skills. 12 interaction tools are automatically intercepted during recording (click, type, navigate, scroll, etc.), capturing args, result, timing, and page URL.

// In code mode: record, interact, compile
await bridge.send({ type: 'start_recording' }, 10000);
// ... interact with the page ...
const session = await bridge.send({ type: 'stop_recording' }, 10000);
const skill = compileRecording(session.session, 'my-automation');
return skill;

In full mode, recording is available as 4 individual tools: start_recording, stop_recording, get_recording_status, and compile_recording.

Auto-Settling

Mutative tools (browser_click, browser_type, browser_navigate, browser_select_option) use actionability checks:

  1. Pre-flight: Polls element visibility, stability, and enabled state before acting

  2. Action: Dispatches the CDP command

  3. Post-settle: Waits for DOM mutations to quiesce with progressive backoff [0, 20, 100, 100, 500]ms

This means the AI doesn't need to manually add sleep() or waitFor() calls between actions — the tools handle SPA rendering delays automatically.

Framework Detection

Detects 64 technologies across 4 tiers using globals, DOM markers, meta tags, HTTP headers, and script URLs:

Tier

Frameworks

Signal Strength

Meta-frameworks

Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Remix, Gatsby

Unique globals + parent detection

Core

React, Vue.js, Angular, Svelte, Astro, Qwik, SolidJS, Lit, Preact

Globals + DOM markers

CMS & Platforms

WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Squarespace, Wix, Drupal, Magento, Ghost, Bubble

Meta tags + globals

Libraries & Tools

jQuery, Bootstrap, Tailwind CSS, Alpine.js, HTMX, Turbo, Stencil, Redux, Ember.js, Backbone.js

DOM + globals

Multi-framework detection returns a primary framework (meta-framework takes priority) plus a subFrameworks array for the full stack.

Tools Reference

The table below is a hand-written guide to the commonly used tools, not the complete set. For the full, current surface — all 150 of them, read from the server itself — run npx crawlio-browser tools --full.

Connection & Status

Tool

Description

connect_tab

Connect to a browser tab by URL, tab ID, or active tab

disconnect_tab

Disconnect from the current tab

list_tabs

List all open tabs with IDs and URLs

get_connection_status

Check CDP connection state

reconnect_tab

Force reconnect to fix stale connections

get_capabilities

Report live browser-bridge availability by tab, CDP domain, and permission state

Page Capture

Tool

Description

capture_page

Full capture: framework + network + console + DOM

detect_framework

Detect JS framework and version

start_network_capture

Start recording network requests

stop_network_capture

Stop recording and return captured requests

get_console_logs

Get console logs (errors, warnings, info)

get_cookies

Get cookies (sensitive values redacted)

get_dom_snapshot

Simplified DOM tree with shadow DOM and iframe support

take_screenshot

Viewport/full-page/element image (JPEG default, PNG on request)

get_response_body

Get response body for a captured network request

Navigation & Interaction

Tool

Description

browser_navigate

Navigate to a URL (auto-settle)

browser_click

Click element by CSS selector (auto-settle, left/right/middle, modifiers)

browser_double_click

Double-click element

browser_type

Type text into element (auto-settle)

browser_press_key

Press keyboard key (Enter, Tab, Escape, shortcuts)

browser_hover

Hover over element

browser_select_option

Select <option> by value (auto-settle)

browser_scroll

Scroll page or element

browser_drag

Drag from one element to another

browser_file_upload

Upload files to <input type="file">

browser_wait

Wait N milliseconds

browser_wait_for

Wait for element state (visible, hidden, attached, detached)

Network

Tool

Description

browser_intercept

Block, modify headers, or mock responses for URL patterns

emulate_network

Throttle network (offline, 3G, 4G, WiFi presets)

set_cache_disabled

Disable/enable browser cache

set_extra_headers

Add custom headers to all requests

get_websocket_connections

List active WebSocket connections

get_websocket_messages

Get WebSocket message history

Frames & Tabs

Tool

Description

get_frame_tree

Get frame hierarchy (main + iframes)

switch_to_frame

Switch execution context to iframe

switch_to_main_frame

Switch back to main frame

create_tab

Create new tab with URL

close_tab

Close tab by ID

switch_tab

Focus a tab by ID

Cookies & Storage

Tool

Description

set_cookie

Set cookie (supports httpOnly via CDP)

delete_cookies

Delete cookies by name/domain/path

get_storage

Read localStorage or sessionStorage

set_storage

Write storage item

clear_storage

Clear all storage items

get_databases

List IndexedDB databases

query_object_store

Query IndexedDB object store

clear_database

Clear or delete IndexedDB database

Dialogs

Tool

Description

get_dialog

Get pending JS dialog (alert/confirm/prompt)

handle_dialog

Accept or dismiss dialog

Emulation

Tool

Description

set_viewport

Set viewport dimensions

set_user_agent

Override User-Agent string

emulate_device

Emulate device (iPhone, iPad, Pixel, Galaxy, Desktop)

set_geolocation

Override geolocation coordinates

set_stealth_mode

Anti-detection mode (opt-in, patches webdriver fingerprint)

Security

Tool

Description

get_security_state

TLS certificate details, protocol, cipher

ignore_certificate_errors

Ignore cert errors for staging environments

Service Workers

Tool

Description

list_service_workers

List all service worker registrations

stop_service_worker

Stop/unregister a service worker

bypass_service_worker

Bypass service workers for network requests

DOM Manipulation

Tool

Description

set_outer_html

Replace element's HTML

set_attribute

Set element attribute

remove_attribute

Remove element attribute

remove_node

Remove element from DOM

CSS & JS Coverage

Tool

Description

start_css_coverage / stop_css_coverage

Track which CSS rules are used

start_js_coverage / stop_js_coverage

Track which JS code is executed

get_computed_style

Get resolved CSS properties for element

force_pseudo_state

Force :hover, :focus, :active states

Performance & Memory

Tool

Description

get_performance_metrics

Chrome metrics + Web Vitals (LCP, CLS, FID)

get_dom_counters

Count DOM nodes, documents, event listeners

force_gc

Force garbage collection

take_heap_snapshot

V8 heap snapshot summary

PDF & Accessibility

Tool

Description

print_to_pdf

Generate PDF (custom paper, margins, orientation)

get_accessibility_tree

Accessibility tree for screen-reader audit

Targets & Contexts

Tool

Description

get_targets

List all Chrome targets (pages, workers, extensions)

attach_to_target

Attach CDP session to any target

create_browser_context

Create isolated (incognito-like) context

Visual Debug

Tool

Description

highlight_element

Highlight element with colored overlay

show_layout_shifts

Visualize CLS regions

show_paint_rects

Visualize paint/repaint areas

Session Recording

Tool

Description

start_recording

Begin recording browser session

stop_recording

Stop recording and return session data

get_recording_status

Check recording state

compile_recording

Compile session into SKILL.md automation

Robot Training

Tool

Description

robot_training_start

Start a fresh monitored demonstration run

robot_training_status

Query extension-retained runs and recording state

robot_training_stop

Stop/export a resident run and persist all bundle artifacts

robot_training_clear

Confirm deletion of one stopped extension-retained run; preserve artifact files

robot_training_artifacts

List files in a robot-training artifact directory

monitor_page

Start/query/stop extension-resident recurring page monitors

Crawlio App Integration

Optional — requires Crawlio.app running locally.

ControlServer authentication is automatic and local-only: the MCP reads CRAWLIO_MCP_TOKEN when explicitly set, otherwise Crawlio.app's mode-0600 ~/Library/Logs/Crawlio/mcp.token, and sends it only to the discovered 127.0.0.1 ControlServer. The value is never returned in MCP results or written to logs.

Tool

Description

extract_site

Start a Crawlio crawl of the active tab's URL

get_crawl_status

Get crawl progress and status

get_enrichment

Get browser enrichment data

get_crawled_urls

Get crawled URLs with status and pagination

enrich_url

Navigate + capture + submit enrichment in one call

Requirements

  • Node.js >= 18

  • Chrome (or Chromium) with the Crawlio for Chrome extension installed

  • Crawlio.app (optional) — for site crawling and enrichment

Permission floor

The production extension has no standing host access. Its required permissions are debugger (the CDP control plane), storage (bridge/session settings and durable resident metadata), and alarms (reconnect, idle-release, and resident monitor wakeups). The dedicated onboarding page asks once for every optional capability declared by the active build. In production that is tabs, nativeMessaging, and http://127.0.0.1/*, covering tab discovery/adoption, authenticated local token provisioning, and loopback bridge discovery.

Onboarding is the only surface that can open Chrome's permission prompt. The extension popup and MCP tools only report missing access and route the user back to onboarding. connect_tab({url}), agent-owned tabs, robot training, and resident monitoring can still create and control their own tabs if the tabs metadata grant is denied. Crawlio does not request <all_urls>, activeTab, tabGroups, or unlimitedStorage.

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/Crawlio-app/crawlio-browser.git
cd crawlio-browser
npm install
npm run build          # selectors → semantic-grounding → MCP server → extension

Build output lands in dist/mcp-server/ (ESM bundle) and dist/extension/ (the unpacked MV3 extension).

To develop against the extension, build the dev variant and load it unpacked:

npm run build:dev      # → dist/extension-dev, with __DEV__ logging enabled

Then open chrome://extensions, enable Developer mode, choose Load unpacked, and select dist/extension-dev. Reload the extension there after each rebuild.

npm test               # vitest
npm run typecheck      # server + extension TypeScript projects

Resources

Contributing

Contributions are welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md for the build and development loop, and CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md for community expectations. Please report security vulnerabilities privately via SECURITY.md rather than in a public issue.

License

Apache-2.0 — see LICENSE.

The selector kernel in packages/selectors is MIT-licensed: it contains code ported from Selector Forge (MIT) and Chromium DevTools (BSD-3-Clause). See packages/selectors/LICENSE and THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md for full attributions.

A
license - permissive license
Not graded
quality - not tested
A
maintenance

Maintenance

Maintainers
Response time
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6Releases (12mo)
Commit activity

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