Real Browser

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MCP server + Chrome extension that gives AI coding agents control of your real browser with existing sessions, logins, and cookies. Works with Cursor, Claude, W

by ofershap

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About

MCP server + Chrome extension that gives AI coding agents control of your real browser with existing sessions, logins, and cookies. Works with Cursor, Claude, Windsurf.

README

real-browser-mcp

The missing piece in AI coding: your agent can now see your REAL browser.

You ship a fix. Your agent says "done, please verify." You alt-tab to Chrome, navigate to the page, log in, click around, find the bug.

Your agent just wrote the code. It could also verify it. It already has your browser open right there. It just can't see it.

Now it can.

Quick Start

Two parts:

MCP server - runs on your machine, talks to your AI agent
Chrome extension - sits in your browser, executes the commands

1. Add the MCP server

Cursor (one click):

Or add manually in Cursor Settings > MCP > "Add new MCP server":

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

Claude Desktop, Windsurf, or other MCP clients

Claude Desktop: Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows). Add the same JSON block.

Windsurf: Settings > MCP. Same config.

Any MCP-compatible client works.

2. Install the Chrome extension

Or load from source:

git clone https://github.com/ofershap/real-browser-mcp.git

Open chrome://extensions and enable Developer mode (toggle in the top right)
Click Load unpacked and select the extension/ folder from the cloned repo

Click the Real Browser MCP icon in your toolbar.

Green dot = connected. Gray = waiting for server.

Done. Your agent can see your browser.

How Others Compare

	Real Browser MCP	Playwright MCP	Chrome DevTools MCP
Uses your existing browser	Yes	No, launches new	Partial, needs debug port
Sessions and cookies	Already there	Fresh profile	Manual setup
Works behind corporate SSO	Yes	No	Depends
Setup	Extension + MCP config	Headless browser	Chrome with `--remote-debugging-port`

🧠 Teach Your Agent

The agent can use all 18 tools out of the box, but it works better when it knows when and how to chain them. A config file teaches the right workflow - snapshot first, then act, then verify.

Run one command:

npx real-browser-mcp --setup cursor

This installs:

~/.cursor/rules/real-browser-mcp.mdc - teaches the snapshot-first workflow, how to handle dropdowns, when to use screenshots vs snapshots
~/.cursor/commands/check-browser.md - adds /check-browser to your Cursor chat

After that, type /check-browser in any chat. Or just say "check the result in my browser" and the agent knows what to do.

Claude Code setup

npx real-browser-mcp --setup claude

Adds an AGENTS.md to your project root. Claude Code auto-discovers it.

See agent-config/ for manual installation or to customize the rules.

What It Can Do

18 tools. Grouped by purpose.

See

Tool	What it does
`browser_snapshot`	Accessibility tree with element refs. Compact mode (default) returns only interactive elements
`browser_screenshot`	Capture what's on screen
`browser_text`	Extract raw text from page or element
`browser_find`	Query elements by CSS selector

Interact

Tool	What it does
`browser_click`	Click by ref or CSS selector
`browser_click_text`	Click by visible text. Works through React portals and overlays
`browser_type`	Type into inputs and contenteditable fields
`browser_press_key`	Key combos (Enter, Escape, Ctrl+A)
`browser_scroll`	Scroll pages and virtual containers
`browser_hover`	Trigger tooltips and dropdowns
`browser_select`	Pick from native `<select>` dropdowns
`browser_wait`	Wait for elements to appear or disappear

Navigate

Tool	What it does
`browser_navigate`	Go to a URL in the active tab
`browser_tabs`	List, create, close, or focus tabs

Debug

Tool	What it does
`browser_console`	Console output (log, warn, error)
`browser_network`	XHR/fetch requests with status codes
`browser_evaluate`	Run JavaScript via Chrome DevTools Protocol
`browser_handle_dialog`	Handle alert/confirm/prompt dialogs

Configuration

Env var	Default	What it does
`WS_PORT`	`7225`	WebSocket port for extension connection

Connection drops are handled automatically with exponential backoff (1s to 30s), ping/pong health checks every 10s, and per-tool timeouts (5s for clicks, 60s for navigation).

Multiple Chrome profiles

Run two server instances on different ports:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browser-work": {
      "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "real-browser-mcp"]
    },
    "browser-personal": {
      "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "real-browser-mcp"],
      "env": { "WS_PORT": "9333" }
    }
  }
}

Update the port in each extension popup to match.

Architecture

Everything stays on your machine. The extension connects to the MCP server via WebSocket on localhost. No cloud, no proxy, nothing leaves your browser.

real-browser-mcp/
├── mcp-server/          MCP server (npm package, TypeScript)
│   └── src/tools/       One file per tool, registry pattern
├── extension/           Chrome extension (Manifest V3, plain JS)
│   ├── background.js    Service worker, WebSocket client, tool handlers
│   ├── content.js       Console capture
│   └── popup/           Connection status UI
├── agent-config/        Pre-built configs for Cursor + Claude Code
│   ├── cursor/          Rules and commands
│   ├── skills/          Browser automation skill
│   └── setup.mjs        One-command installer
└── tests/               Bridge + registry tests

Stack: TypeScript (strict) · MCP SDK · WebSocket · Chrome Extension Manifest V3 · Vitest

Development

git clone https://github.com/ofershap/real-browser-mcp.git
cd real-browser-mcp
npm install
npm run build
npm test

Command	What it does
`npm run build`	Compile TypeScript
`npm run dev`	Watch mode
`npm test`	Run tests
`npm run typecheck`	Type check without emitting
`npm run setup:cursor`	Install Cursor rule + command

FAQ

Does it work with my logged-in sessions?

That's the whole point. The extension runs inside your actual Chrome - same cookies, same sessions, same local storage. No re-authentication needed.

Does it send data anywhere?

No. The MCP server and extension talk over WebSocket on localhost. Nothing leaves your machine. There's no analytics, no telemetry, no cloud component. Privacy policy.

Which AI clients work?

Any MCP-compatible client. Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Windsurf, Cline, and anything else that speaks the MCP protocol.

Can I use it with multiple Chrome profiles?

Yes. Run two MCP server instances on different ports. See Configuration for the setup.

How is this different from Playwright MCP or browser-use?

They launch a new browser instance from scratch - no state, no cookies, no sessions. You have to replay the full login flow every time. This connects to the browser you already have open with everything already loaded.

Contributing

Bug reports, feature requests, and PRs welcome. Open an issue first for larger changes.

Author

Made by ofershap

LinkedIn GitHub

_{README built with README Builder}

License

MIT © Ofer Shapira

from github.com/ofershap/real-browser-mcp

Install Real Browser in Claude Desktop, Claude Code & Cursor

Recommended · one command, every IDE

unyly install real-browser-mcp

Installs into Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor & VS Code — handles npx, uvx and build-from-source repos for you.

First time? Get the CLI: curl -fsSL https://unyly.org/install | sh

Or configure manually

Run in your terminal:

claude mcp add real-browser-mcp -- npx -y real-browser-mcp

Step-by-step: how to install Real Browser

Install Real Browser in Claude Desktop Install Real Browser in Claude Code Install Real Browser in Cursor Install Real Browser in VS Code

FAQ

Is Real Browser MCP free?

Yes, Real Browser MCP is free — one-click install via Unyly at no cost.

Does Real Browser need an API key?

No, Real Browser runs without API keys or environment variables.

Is Real Browser hosted or self-hosted?

Self-hosted: the server runs locally on your machine via the install command above.

How do I install Real Browser in Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor?

Open Real Browser on unyly.org, pick your client tab (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor) and press Install — the config is generated automatically, no JSON editing.

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