chrome-bridge

chrome-bridge is a Chrome extension and HTTP MCP server that lets LLM agents operate every tab in the Chrome browser you use every day.

It operates your existing Chrome through accessibility snapshots, strict element references, and a virtual cursor, with the following principles:

• Do not select one tab at connection time; make every tab in every window available for operation.

• Provide tab listing, creation, closing, and selection as MCP tools.

• Use Streamable HTTP, rather than stdio, as the MCP transport.

• Implement the MCP server in Python with uv.

Record individual operations

chrome-bridge can record one requested operation from its initial page state through its visible result, without foregrounding the target tab. Add video_filename to a wait, input, upload, or navigation/history tool and the extension saves a silent WebM below Downloads/chrome-bridge/, including 500 ms before and after the operation.

The 27-second showcase uses the self-contained, fictional Kiteframe demo; it contains no real user, browser, account, or machine data. For example, after taking a current snapshot and obtaining the button ref:

browser_click(
    element="Create my workspace button",
    ref="s12e7",
    video_filename="signup-submit.webm",
)

Omit video_filename to preserve the tool's original return value and avoid recording overhead. The standalone browser_record_video tool records a bounded hold without performing another page action.

The current vertical slice supports simultaneous connections from multiple Chrome profiles and provides the following 21 tools. When multiple browsers are connected, use browser_instances to find their IDs and pass browser_id to each tool. It may be omitted when only one browser is connected.

Comparison with similar tools

This feature comparison is based on public documentation available as of 2026-07-18. Because each project has a different scope, the table is intended as a guide for choosing a tool, not as a simple ranking.

Sources: Browser MCP server setup, Browser MCP extension setup, Browser MCP changelog, mcp-chrome README, mcp-chrome tool reference.

Structure

apps/
├── extension/  # Manifest V3 Chrome extension
└── server/     # Python FastMCP + Streamable HTTP + WebSocket bridge
packages/
└── sdk/        # Direct API Python SDK and managed-server launcher

The MCP client connects to http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp. The Chrome extension makes an outbound connection to ws://127.0.0.1:8765/extension and returns results from Chrome API operations.

Python applications can instead use chrome-bridge-sdk without an MCP client. Its exclusive session is enforced by the shared server across processes, so target and snapshot refs cannot be changed by another SDK workflow while the session is active.

from chrome_bridge_sdk import ChromeBridge

chrome = ChromeBridge()

async with chrome.session() as session:
    tabs = await session.browser_tabs()
    await session.browser_tab_select(tab_id=tabs[0].id)
    snapshot = await session.browser_snapshot()

session() reuses a compatible server or starts a shared managed server automatically. There are no public open, close, or restart methods; an SDK-started server exits after five idle minutes. High-level operations return typed immutable models; call() remains available when an integration needs the raw Direct API JSON result.

Quick start

uv tool install chrome-bridge-mcp
chrome-bridge-mcp

For Python SDK use, install both distributions through the SDK dependency:

uv add chrome-bridge-sdk

1. Install Chrome Bridge from Chrome Web Store. The v0.1 release is Unlisted, so use this direct URL.

2. If needed, set a Browser label in Options to identify the profile.

3. Connect the MCP client to http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp.

For source setup and Load unpacked development, see the development guide.

A typical Streamable HTTP configuration looks like this. Adjust field names for your MCP client.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-bridge": {
      "transport": "streamable-http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Connectivity check:

curl http://127.0.0.1:8765/health
uv run pytest

Local CI-equivalent validation:

uv sync --all-groups --locked
uv run ruff check apps/server packages/sdk scripts
uv run ruff format --check apps/server packages/sdk scripts
uv run pytest
uv run python scripts/validate_static.py
npm --prefix apps/extension ci
npm --prefix apps/extension run lint
npm --prefix apps/extension test

To run isolated E2E without using your everyday Chrome profile or default port 8765, install bundled Chromium once and invoke the test explicitly.

npm --prefix apps/extension exec playwright install --no-shell chromium
npm --prefix apps/extension run test:e2e

GitHub Actions runs the same gates with Python 3.11/3.12, Node 20, and bundled Chromium.

Build reproducible extension ZIP and Python wheel/sdist artifacts with SHA-256 checksums, then run a clean-install smoke test:

uv run python scripts/build_release.py
uv run python scripts/validate_release.py
uv run python scripts/check_release_reproducible.py

The verified extension ZIP is also the Chrome Web Store submission artifact; do not create a separate Store build. See the Chrome Web Store submission guide for the Unlisted-first rollout, listing assets, privacy declarations, permission justifications, reviewer instructions, and update automation. The public privacy policy describes extension data handling.

See docs/development.md for detailed procedures, docs/api.md for the tool API, docs/architecture.md for design, docs/release.md for distribution, and SPEC.md for the normative specification. docs/operations.md is canonical for routine operation, configuration, logging, and incident response.

License

chrome-bridge is licensed under the MIT License. Playwright-derived extension code remains under Apache-2.0; see THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md for provenance and license details.