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nascoder-terminal-browser-mcp

🌐 NasCoder Terminal Browser MCP

🚀 Ultimate Standalone Terminal Browser & Web Scraper - Browse any website, extract content & links directly in your terminal with zero file pollution. 100% standalone with smart fallbacks, enhanced by optional terminal browsers. Perfect for documentation reading, API exploration & web scraping.

npm version downloads standalone no-files cross-platform

⚡ Quick Start (2 minutes)

Method 1: Simple CLI Tool (Easiest)

# Install
npm install -g nascoder-terminal-browser-mcp

# Use immediately
browse https://example.com
browse https://docs.python.org --format summary
browse https://news.ycombinator.com --format links

Method 2: Amazon Q CLI Integration

# Install
npm install -g nascoder-terminal-browser-mcp

2. Add to Q CLI

Edit ~/.config/amazonq/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nascoder-terminal-browser": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["nascoder-terminal-browser-mcp"],
      "timeout": 30000,
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}

3. Restart Q CLI

# Exit Q CLI
/quit

# Start again
q chat

4. Try It!

Browse https://example.com and show me the content

Related MCP server: kage-mcp

🔥 Why Choose This MCP?

Feature

Standard Tools

NasCoder Terminal Browser

File Downloads

❌ Creates files

✅ No files - terminal only

Dependencies

❌ Requires external tools

✅ 100% standalone

Browser Support

Limited

✅ Multiple engines + fallback

Fallback Method

None

✅ Built-in fetch+html-to-text

Link Extraction

Manual

✅ Automatic link parsing

Content Formatting

Raw HTML

✅ Clean terminal formatting

Error Handling

Basic

✅ Advanced retry & fallback

Output Control

Fixed

✅ Multiple format options

🎯 What You Get

🚀 Standalone Operation

  • Zero external dependencies - Works on any system with Node.js

  • Built-in fallback - Uses fetch+html-to-text when no terminal browsers available

  • Smart enhancement - Automatically uses lynx/w3m/links if installed for better formatting

  • Always functional - Never fails due to missing system tools

Terminal Web Browsing

  • No file pollution - Everything displayed directly in terminal

  • Multiple browser engines - lynx, w3m, links, elinks with auto-selection

  • Smart fallback - Uses fetch+html-to-text if no terminal browsers available

  • Clean formatting - Optimized for terminal reading

Advanced Features

  • Link extraction - Automatically find and list all page links

  • Content truncation - Prevent overwhelming output with length limits

  • Multiple formats - Choose between full, content-only, links-only, or summary

  • Error resilience - Multiple fallback methods ensure success

Developer Friendly

  • Zero configuration - Works out of the box

  • Comprehensive logging - Debug issues easily

  • Flexible options - Customize behavior per request

  • MCP standard - Integrates with any MCP-compatible system

🛠️ Available Tools

1. terminal_browse

Browse websites and display content directly in terminal.

Parameters:

  • url (required) - Website URL to browse

  • browser - Terminal browser to use (auto, lynx, w3m, links, elinks)

  • format - Output format (full, content-only, links-only, summary)

  • extractLinks - Extract page links (true/false)

  • maxLength - Maximum content length to prevent overwhelming output

Example:

Use terminal_browse to visit https://docs.github.com with format=summary

2. check_browsers

Check which terminal browsers are available on your system.

Example:

Check what terminal browsers are available

3. extract_links

Extract all links from a webpage without showing full content.

Parameters:

  • url (required) - Website URL to extract links from

  • maxLinks - Maximum number of links to return (default: 50)

Example:

Extract all links from https://news.ycombinator.com

🚀 Usage Examples

🎯 Simple CLI Commands

# Browse any website
browse https://example.com

# Get page summary with stats
browse https://docs.python.org --format summary

# Extract all links
browse https://news.ycombinator.com --format links

# Full content with metadata
browse https://github.com/trending --format full

# Limit content length
browse https://very-long-page.com --max-length 1000

# Use specific browser
browse https://example.com --browser lynx

📋 Available Formats

  • content - Clean page text (default)

  • summary - Brief overview with stats

  • links - All extracted links

  • full - Complete content with links

🔧 CLI Options

browse <url> [options]

Options:
  --format, -f     Output format (content, summary, links, full)
  --max-length, -l Maximum content length [default: 2000]
  --browser, -b    Browser to use (auto, lynx, w3m, links)
  --help, -h       Show help

🤖 Amazon Q CLI Integration

Browse https://example.com

Documentation Reading

Browse https://docs.python.org/3/ with format=content-only
Extract links from https://github.com/trending

Quick Summary

Browse https://news.ycombinator.com with format=summary

Specific Browser

Browse https://example.com using lynx browser

📊 Output Formats

Full Format (default)

  • Complete page content

  • All extracted links

  • Metadata and statistics

  • Method used for browsing

Content-Only

  • Just the page text content

  • No links or metadata

  • Clean reading experience

  • Only the extracted links

  • Perfect for navigation

  • Numbered list format

Summary

  • Brief content preview

  • Key statistics

  • Quick overview

🔧 Dependencies & Installation

📦 What's Included (Standalone)

The package includes everything needed to work:

  • @modelcontextprotocol/sdk - MCP protocol support

  • node-fetch - HTTP requests

  • cheerio - HTML parsing

  • html-to-text - HTML to text conversion

  • winston - Logging

🚀 Optional Enhancements

For even better text formatting, install terminal browsers:

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install lynx w3m links

# Ubuntu/Debian  
sudo apt install lynx w3m links elinks

# CentOS/RHEL
sudo yum install lynx w3m links elinks

💡 How It Works

  1. First Choice: Uses terminal browsers (lynx, w3m, links) if available

  2. Automatic Fallback: Uses built-in fetch+html-to-text if no browsers found

  3. Always Works: Never fails due to missing dependencies

🛠️ Terminal Browser Support

Supported Browsers

  • lynx - Best text formatting, recommended

  • w3m - Good table support, images in some terminals

  • links - Interactive features, mouse support

  • elinks - Enhanced links with more features

Installation Commands

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install lynx w3m links

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install lynx w3m links elinks

# CentOS/RHEL
sudo yum install lynx w3m links elinks

Auto-Selection Priority

  1. lynx (best formatting)

  2. w3m (good compatibility)

  3. links (interactive features)

  4. elinks (enhanced features)

  5. fetch+html-to-text (always available fallback)

🎨 Advanced Usage

Custom Content Length

{
  "url": "https://very-long-page.com",
  "maxLength": 5000
}
{
  "url": "https://documentation-site.com",
  "format": "links-only",
  "maxLinks": 100
}

Specific Browser

{
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "browser": "w3m",
  "extractLinks": false
}

🔍 Troubleshooting

"No terminal browsers found"

# Install at least one terminal browser
brew install lynx  # macOS
sudo apt install lynx  # Ubuntu

"Browser failed" errors

  • The tool automatically falls back to fetch+html-to-text

  • Check internet connectivity

  • Some sites may block terminal browsers

Content too long

Use maxLength parameter to limit output:
Browse https://long-page.com with maxLength=2000

Q CLI doesn't see MCP

  1. Check ~/.config/amazonq/mcp.json syntax

  2. Restart Q CLI (/quit then q chat)

  3. Verify package installation: npm list -g nascoder-terminal-browser-mcp

📈 Performance Features

Smart Caching

  • No file system caching (by design)

  • Memory-efficient processing

  • Fast response times

Error Handling

  • Multiple fallback methods

  • Graceful degradation

  • Comprehensive error messages

Resource Management

  • 30-second timeout protection

  • Memory-conscious content truncation

  • Efficient link extraction

🎉 Success Stories

"Finally, a way to browse documentation without cluttering my filesystem with temp files!" - Developer

"The automatic fallback from lynx to fetch+html-to-text saved my workflow when lynx wasn't available." - DevOps Engineer

"Perfect for scraping API docs directly in my terminal. The link extraction is incredibly useful." - API Developer

📋 Comparison

Tool

Files Created

Browser Support

Link Extraction

Fallback Method

NasCoder Terminal Browser

None

4 browsers

Automatic

fetch+html-to-text

curl + html2text

❌ Temp files

❌ None

❌ Manual

❌ None

wget + pandoc

❌ Downloads

❌ None

❌ Manual

❌ None

lynx alone

❌ Can save files

✅ lynx only

❌ Manual

❌ None

📄 License

MIT - Feel free to use, modify, and distribute


🚀 Ready to browse the web in your terminal without file clutter?

Install now and experience the difference!

npm install -g nascoder-terminal-browser-mcp

Built with ❤️ by NasCoder (@freelancernasimofficial)

Available Tools

3 tools
check_browsersA

Check which terminal browsers are available on the system

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault

No parameters

TDQS

A4/5.0
Behavior3/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

With no annotations, the description must carry the burden of transparency. It clearly indicates a read-only check but does not explain how availability is determined, what browsers are checked, or the return format. There is no contradiction with annotations.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is a single, front-loaded sentence with no wasted words. It conveys the essential purpose efficiently.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given the absence of parameters and output schema, the description adequately explains the tool's purpose. However, adding a note about what it returns (e.g., a list of available browsers) would improve completeness.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

The tool has zero parameters, which earns a baseline of 4. The description appropriately avoids inventing parameter details since none exist.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description uses a specific verb ('Check') and resource ('terminal browsers available on the system'), clearly distinguishing it from siblings like terminal_browse and extract_links. It unambiguously states what the tool does.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines3/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description implies usage for verifying browser availability before invoking terminal_browse, but it does not explicitly state when to use this tool versus alternatives. It offers no exclusions or prerequisites.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

terminal_browseA

Browse websites and display content directly in terminal without saving files. Supports multiple terminal browsers (lynx, w3m, links) with fallback to fetch+html-to-text.

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
urlYesURL to browse (must include http:// or https://)
formatNoOutput formatfull
browserNoTerminal browser to use (auto selects best available)auto
maxLengthNoMaximum content length to display (prevents overwhelming output)
extractLinksNoExtract and display links from the page

TDQS

A3.8/5.0
Behavior3/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

With no annotations provided, the description carries the burden of behavioral disclosure. It usefully notes 'without saving files' and the fallback to fetch+html-to-text, which explains error handling. However, it does not disclose return format, error behavior, or side effects beyond these points.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is two sentences: the first states the core purpose and key constraint, the second adds browser support/fallback. No wasted words; it's appropriately front-loaded.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given the moderately complex schema (5 params, enums, defaults) and no output schema, the description provides a solid high-level overview. It could mention output formats or the extractLinks feature, but the schema covers those, so the description is adequate for informing tool selection.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

The schema provides 100% coverage of all five parameters with clear descriptions, so the description adds no additional parameter-level detail. Baseline of 3 is appropriate because the schema handles the semantics effectively.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description clearly states the tool's function: browsing websites and displaying content directly in terminal, with a specific constraint (no file saving) and mention of multiple browser support. It distinguishes itself from sibling tools (check_browsers, extract_links) by focusing on actual browsing/display.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines3/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description implies the primary use case (browsing a URL) but does not explicitly contrast with sibling tools or state when not to use it. It offers no guidance on selecting between this and check_browsers/extract_links, though the browser support detail hints at a selection mechanism.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

Tool Schema Changelog

Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. 3 tool updatesv1.0.5
    • First observedcheck_browsers
    • First observedextract_links
    • First observedterminal_browse

TDQS

A4.1/5.0

Scored across 3 tools

Disambiguation5/5

Each tool has a clear, distinct purpose: browsing, checking available browsers, and extracting links. No overlap or ambiguity between them.

Naming Consistency5/5

All tool names follow a consistent verb_noun pattern (terminal_browse, check_browsers, extract_links), making the set predictable and easy to navigate.

Tool Count5/5

With only 3 tools, the server is tightly scoped to terminal browsing. Each tool is essential and there is no bloat or redundancy.

Completeness5/5

The tool surface fully covers the stated domain: browsing content, checking browser availability, and extracting links. There are no obvious gaps for typical terminal browsing workflows.

Maintenance

ActivityInactive
ResponsivenessNo issues

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