DevEyes

Give AI coding assistants "eyes" to see your local development UI.

DevEyes is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that captures screenshots from your local development environment and automatically optimizes them for LLM consumption. It bridges the gap between cloud-based AI tools (Bolt.new, Lovable, v0) and local development where AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and Cline are effectively blind to UI output.

Features

• Smart Screenshot Capture - Capture screenshots from any localhost URL with automatic LLM optimization

• Authentication Support - Login once, screenshot protected pages (dashboards, admin panels) automatically

• Full-Page Screenshots - Capture entire scrollable pages with auto-scroll to trigger lazy-loaded content

• Auto-Compression - Automatically resizes and compresses images to stay within Claude's limits (8000px max, 1568px optimal)

• Local Save Fallback - Save screenshots locally for MCP clients that don't support embedded images (Augment, Cline)

• Viewport Presets - Built-in presets for mobile, tablet, and desktop testing

• Console Capture - Captures browser console errors, warnings, and network failures

• Multi-Browser Support - Choose between Chromium (default), Firefox, or WebKit

• Auto Browser Install - Automatically installs the required browser on first run

• Zero Configuration - Works out of the box with sensible defaults

Related MCP server: Screeny MCP Server

Installation

npm install deveyes

Or run directly with npx:

npx deveyes

Browser Installation

DevEyes automatically installs the required browser on first run. No manual setup needed!

If you prefer to pre-install or use a different browser:

# Pre-install (optional)
npx playwright install chromium

# Or install Firefox/WebKit
npx playwright install firefox
npx playwright install webkit

Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration (~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS/Linux or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deveyes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["deveyes"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to your Cursor MCP settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deveyes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["deveyes"]
    }
  }
}

Cline

Add to your Cline MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deveyes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["deveyes"]
    }
  }
}

Using a Different Browser

By default, DevEyes uses Chromium. To use Firefox or WebKit:

Via CLI argument:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deveyes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["deveyes", "--browser", "firefox"]
    }
  }
}

Via environment variable:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deveyes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["deveyes"],
      "env": {
        "DEVEYES_BROWSER": "webkit"
      }
    }
  }
}

Supported browsers: chromium (default), firefox, webkit

Local Screenshot Storage

For MCP clients that don't display embedded images (like Augment Code or Cline), you can enable local screenshot saving:

Enable by default (recommended for Augment/Cline users):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deveyes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["deveyes"],
      "env": {
        "DEVEYES_SAVE_SCREENSHOTS": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

With automatic cleanup (keep only last 50 screenshots):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deveyes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["deveyes"],
      "env": {
        "DEVEYES_SAVE_SCREENSHOTS": "true",
        "DEVEYES_MAX_SCREENSHOTS": "50"
      }
    }
  }
}

With custom directory (full control):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deveyes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["deveyes"],
      "env": {
        "DEVEYES_SAVE_SCREENSHOTS": "true",
        "DEVEYES_SCREENSHOT_DIR": "/Users/me/screenshots"
      }
    }
  }
}

Screenshot Directory Detection

DevEyes automatically detects where to save screenshots using this priority:

1. DEVEYES_SCREENSHOT_DIR - If set, uses this exact path

2. Project root - Looks for package.json or .git walking up from cwd, saves to {project}/.deveyes/screenshots/

3. Home directory fallback - If no project found, saves to ~/.deveyes/screenshots/

This ensures screenshots work reliably across all platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux) and MCP client configurations.

Authentication for Protected Pages

DevEyes can capture screenshots of pages behind login (dashboards, admin panels, etc.) by saving your session.

Step 1: Login and Save Session

npx deveyes login http://localhost:3000

This opens a headed browser. Log in to your app, then press Enter in the terminal. Your session (cookies + localStorage) is saved to .deveyes/auth/localhost-3000.json.

Step 2: Screenshot Protected Pages

Now all screenshots for that domain automatically use your saved session:

Take a screenshot of http://localhost:3000/dashboard

No more login pages in your screenshots!

Managing Auth States

# List all saved auth states
npx deveyes auth-list

# Remove auth for a domain
npx deveyes logout http://localhost:3000

# See all commands
npx deveyes --help

How It Works

• Auth is saved per-domain (e.g., localhost:3000, app.example.com)

• Session cookies may expire based on your app's settings - just re-run login when needed

• Auth files are stored in .deveyes/auth/ (already in .gitignore)

• Response metadata shows authenticated: { domain, used: true } when auth was applied

Usage

Once configured, your AI assistant can use the screenshot tool to capture your UI:

Basic Screenshot

Take a screenshot of http://localhost:3000

Mobile Viewport

Capture http://localhost:3000 with mobile viewport

Full Page

Take a full page screenshot of http://localhost:3000/about

Available Viewports

You can also use custom dimensions: 1280x720 or 1280x720@2x for retina.

Tool Reference

screenshot

Capture a screenshot from any URL with automatic optimization for LLM consumption.

Parameters:

Returns:

• Optimized JPEG image (base64)

• Metadata including:

  • Original and processed dimensions

  • Transforms applied

  • Estimated token cost

  • Console errors/warnings

  • Network errors

  • savedTo / relativePath (when save=true)

  • hint - Helpful message for retry or configuration

Image Optimization

DevEyes automatically optimizes images to work within Claude's constraints:

Full-Page Screenshot Handling

When fullPage=true, DevEyes:

1. Auto-scrolls through the entire page to trigger lazy-loaded content (Intersection Observer, scroll animations)

2. Forces animation completion by disabling CSS animations/transitions

3. Maintains readable width (minimum 800px) even for very tall pages

4. Allows larger file size (~1.5MB vs ~750KB) for detailed full-page captures

Development

Setup

git clone https://github.com/gnana997/deveyes.git
cd deveyes
npm install
npx playwright install chromium

Commands

# Development mode (with hot reload)
npm run dev

# Build for production
npm run build

# Run tests
npm test

# Run tests once
npm run test:run

# Debug with MCP Inspector
npm run inspect

Testing with MCP Inspector

The MCP Inspector provides a visual interface for testing your server:

npm run inspect

This opens a browser UI at http://localhost:6274 where you can:

• List available tools

• Execute the screenshot tool with different parameters

• View responses and debug issues

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        MCP CLIENT                               │
│            (Claude Desktop / Cursor / Cline)                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              │ JSON-RPC over stdio
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     DEVEYES MCP SERVER                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────────┐ │
│  │   Tool      │  │   Image     │  │   Browser               │ │
│  │   Handler   │  │   Processor │  │   Manager               │ │
│  │             │  │   (Sharp)   │  │   (Playwright)          │ │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘  └─────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              │ HTTP
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   YOUR LOCAL DEV SERVER                         │
│                (localhost:3000, 5173, etc.)                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Troubleshooting

"Browser not found" error

DevEyes automatically installs browsers, but if installation fails, manually install:

npx playwright install chromium
# or for other browsers:
npx playwright install firefox
npx playwright install webkit

Screenshot times out

Increase the wait time or try a different wait strategy:

Take a screenshot of http://localhost:3000 with waitFor: load

Image too large

DevEyes automatically optimizes images. If you're still seeing issues, the page content itself may be very large. Try:

• Using a smaller viewport

• Capturing a specific section instead of full page

• Ensuring your dev server is responding quickly

Console not capturing errors

Make sure your page has finished loading. Use waitFor: load or waitForSelector to ensure the page is ready:

Screenshot http://localhost:3000 waitForSelector: #app

Image not displaying in Augment/Cline

Some MCP clients (Augment Code, Cline) don't support embedded images in tool responses. Use the save parameter or enable it by default:

Option 1: Per-request

Take a screenshot of http://localhost:3000 with save=true

Option 2: Set as default (recommended) Add DEVEYES_SAVE_SCREENSHOTS=true to your MCP server config (see Local Screenshot Storage).

The screenshot will be saved to .deveyes/screenshots/ and you can attach it manually to your chat.

Full-page screenshot missing content

If sections appear blank in full-page screenshots, the page may have:

• Heavy lazy loading - Try waiting longer with waitFor: load

• Scroll-triggered animations - DevEyes auto-scrolls but some complex animations may need waitForSelector

• Dynamic content loading - Use waitForSelector to wait for specific elements

Screenshot shows login page instead of dashboard

Your session may have expired. Re-authenticate:

npx deveyes login http://localhost:3000

To check if auth exists for a domain:

npx deveyes auth-list

Screenshot save fails on macOS/Linux

If save=true fails with a path or permission error:

1. Check the logs - DevEyes logs which directory it's using:

   [DevEyes] Screenshot dir (project): /path/to/.deveyes/screenshots
   [DevEyes] Screenshot dir (home fallback): ~/.deveyes/screenshots

2. Use custom directory - Set DEVEYES_SCREENSHOT_DIR to a writable path:

   {
     "env": {
       "DEVEYES_SCREENSHOT_DIR": "/Users/me/screenshots"
     }
   }

3. Home directory fallback - If no project is detected, DevEyes saves to ~/.deveyes/screenshots/ which should always be writable.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our contributing guidelines and submit PRs to the main repository.

License

MIT

Links

• GitHub Repository

• Report Issues

• MCP Documentation