The Perplexity Comet MCP server bridges Claude Code with the Perplexity Comet browser for autonomous web browsing, research, and multi-tab workflow management.
Core Capabilities:
Autonomous Web Browsing: Send natural language prompts for autonomous navigation, clicking, typing, and data extraction with full JavaScript rendering and dynamic content support
Deep Research: Leverage Perplexity's search, research, labs, and learn modes for comprehensive analysis, bypassing limitations of static search APIs
Authenticated Content Access: Handle websites behind login walls using real browser sessions
Multi-Tab Management: List, switch between, and close browser tabs with domain-based filtering and last-tab protection to prevent accidental crashes
File Upload: Upload local files (images, documents) to web forms and file inputs with auto-detection or CSS selector targeting
Task Control: Monitor ongoing agentic tasks for status and progress, with ability to stop runaway tasks
Screenshot Capture: Take PNG screenshots of current browser views for documentation or analysis
Enhanced Reliability: Smart completion detection, auto-reconnection with exponential backoff, and pre-operation health checks ensure robust execution
Cross-Platform Support: Full compatibility across Windows, macOS, and WSL with automatic platform detection and fallback mechanisms
Enables autonomous web browsing and research through Perplexity's Comet browser, providing tools for navigation, data extraction, tab management, screenshot capture, file uploads, and leveraging Perplexity's research modes for comprehensive analysis.
Click on "Install Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type
@followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@Perplexity Comet MCPresearch the latest React 19 features and summarize key changes"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
Perplexity Comet MCP
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 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 installed
Claude Code or compatible MCP client
Install via npm
npm install -g perplexity-comet-mcpInstall from Source
git clone https://github.com/RapierCraft/perplexity-comet-mcp.git
cd perplexity-comet-mcp
npm install
npm run buildConfigure Claude Code
Add to your Claude Code MCP settings (~/.claude/settings.json or VS Code settings):
{
"mcpServers": {
"comet-bridge": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/perplexity-comet-mcp/dist/index.js"]
}
}
}Windows Users: Use the full Windows path:
{
"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 messageExample:
> 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 textExamples:
# 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 responseExample:
> 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 pagecomet_stop
Halt the current agentic task if it goes off track.
Parameters: None
Returns: Confirmation messagecomet_screenshot
Capture a screenshot of the current browser view.
Parameters: None
Returns: PNG image datacomet_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 confirmationExamples:
# 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.comTab 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 switchMode | 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 inputsExamples:
# 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.pdfWorkflow for posting images:
Navigate to the post creation page (e.g., Reddit, Twitter)
Use
comet_upload checkOnly=trueto find file inputsUse
comet_upload filePath="..." selector="..."to attach the fileContinue 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 |
| MCP server and tool handlers |
| Chrome DevTools Protocol client with reconnection logic |
| Perplexity interaction, prompt submission, response extraction |
| TypeScript interfaces for tabs, state, and CDP types |
Configuration
Environment Variables
Variable | Description | Default |
| Custom path to Comet executable | Auto-detected |
| CDP debugging port | 9223 |
Custom Comet Path
# Windows
set COMET_PATH=C:\Custom\Path\comet.exe
# macOS/Linux
export COMET_PATH=/custom/path/to/Comet.app/Contents/MacOS/CometTroubleshooting
Connection Issues
Problem: Error: Failed to list targets: ECONNREFUSED
Solutions:
Ensure Comet browser is installed
Close any existing Comet instances
Run
comet_connectto 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=180000Windows-Specific Issues
Problem: ECONNRESET errors on Windows
Solution: This version includes PowerShell-based fetch workarounds. Ensure:
PowerShell is available in PATH
No firewall blocking localhost:9223
Problem: Comet not found on Windows
Solution: Set custom path:
set COMET_PATH=%LOCALAPPDATA%\Perplexity\Comet\Application\comet.exeWSL-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:
Create or edit
%USERPROFILE%\.wslconfig(e.g.,C:\Users\YourName\.wslconfig):
[wsl2]
networkingMode=mirroredRestart WSL:
wsl --shutdownOpen 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
git clone https://github.com/RapierCraft/perplexity-comet-mcp.git
cd perplexity-comet-mcp
npm install
npm run buildRun in Development
npm run devRun Tests
npm testProject 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.mdContributing
Contributions are welcome. Please read CONTRIBUTING.md before submitting a pull request.
Development Guidelines
Maintain TypeScript strict mode compliance
Add tests for new features
Update documentation for API changes
Follow existing code style
Attribution
This project is an enhanced fork of comet-mcp by 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 for details.
Links
Built with precision by RapierCraft
Resources
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