real-browser
📇 🏠 - MCP server + Chrome extension that gives AI agents control of the user's real brow
What is real-browser?
real-browser is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to 📇 🏠 - mcp server + chrome extension that gives ai agents control of the user's real brow
📇 🏠 - MCP server + Chrome extension that gives AI agents control of the user's real brow
This server falls under the Browser Automation category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- MCP protocol support
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
NPM
npx -y real-browser-mcpManual Installation
npx -y real-browser-mcpConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use real-browser
real-browser-mcp is an MCP server paired with a Chrome extension that gives AI agents control of the user's actual Chrome browser — including existing sessions, cookies, and logged-in accounts — rather than launching a fresh headless browser. It exposes 18 tools covering navigation, element interaction, text input, screenshots, JavaScript execution, network monitoring, and tab management. This makes it ideal for automating workflows on sites that require authentication or complex session state that headless browsers cannot replicate.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18 or later with npx available
- Google Chrome browser installed
- The real-browser-mcp Chrome extension installed from the Chrome Web Store
- An MCP-compatible client: Cursor, Claude Desktop, or Claude Code
Install the Chrome extension
Install the real-browser-mcp companion Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store. This extension acts as the bridge between the MCP server and your running Chrome instance.
Add the MCP server to your client configuration
Add the real-browser-mcp server to your Cursor or Claude Desktop MCP settings. No API keys are required — it communicates with the Chrome extension over a local WebSocket.
{
"mcpServers": {
"real-browser": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "real-browser-mcp"]
}
}
}Set up agent rules (optional but recommended)
Run the setup command to install agent rules that help the AI client understand how to use the browser tools effectively.
npx real-browser-mcp --setup cursorVerify the WebSocket connection
The MCP server listens on WebSocket port 7225 by default. Open Chrome and check the extension icon — it should show as connected. If you changed the port, set the WS_PORT environment variable.
{
"mcpServers": {
"real-browser": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "real-browser-mcp"],
"env": {
"WS_PORT": "7225"
}
}
}
}Start giving browser commands to your AI agent
With Chrome open and the extension connected, your AI agent can now navigate pages, click elements, type text, take screenshots, and monitor network requests in your real browser session.
real-browser Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop or Cursor MCP config for real-browser-mcp with the default WebSocket port.
{
"mcpServers": {
"real-browser": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "real-browser-mcp"],
"env": {
"WS_PORT": "7225"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts to control your real Chrome browser via the MCP server.
- "Navigate to https://github.com and take a screenshot of the homepage"
- "Click the Sign In button and type my username into the email field"
- "Find all links on the current page and extract their text"
- "Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Load More button"
- "Monitor network requests while I log in and show me the API calls made"Troubleshooting real-browser
MCP server starts but Chrome extension shows as disconnected
Ensure the Chrome extension is installed and enabled. The extension must be active in Chrome for the WebSocket handshake to succeed on port 7225. Try reloading the extension from chrome://extensions and restarting the MCP server.
Port conflict on WebSocket port 7225
Set the WS_PORT environment variable to an available port (e.g. 7226) in your MCP config env block, and update the Chrome extension settings to use the same port.
browser_click or browser_type has no effect on the page
Use browser_snapshot first to get the accessibility tree with element references. Target elements by their ref IDs rather than CSS selectors for more reliable interaction. Some pages with strict CSP may block JavaScript execution via browser_evaluate.
Frequently Asked Questions about real-browser
What is real-browser?
real-browser is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that 📇 🏠 - mcp server + chrome extension that gives ai agents control of the user's real brow It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install real-browser?
Install via npm with the command: npx -y real-browser-mcp. Then add the server configuration to your AI client's JSON config file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json).
Which AI clients work with real-browser?
real-browser works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is real-browser free to use?
Yes, real-browser is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
real-browser Alternatives — Similar Browser Automation Servers
Looking for alternatives to real-browser? Here are other popular browser automation servers you can use with Claude, Cursor, and VS Code.
Chrome DevTools MCP
★ 40.6kAI-powered Chrome automation server with natural language element detection. Control Chrome browser through MCP protocol for testing, debugging, and performance analysis. Features 91% accuracy in element location, works with free AI models, and suppo
UI TARS Desktop
★ 34.9k📇 🏠 - Browser automation capabilities using Puppeteer, both support local and remote browser connection.
Playwright
★ 32.8kA production-ready browser automation server that enables AI assistants to interact with web pages using tools for navigation, element interaction, and data extraction. It features a built-in Inspector UI and robust crash recovery for reliable automa
Page Agent
★ 18.0kJavaScript in-page GUI agent. Control web interfaces with natural language.
Chrome
★ 11.7kAn extension-based MCP server that enables AI assistants to control your browser, leveraging existing sessions and login states for automation and content analysis. It provides over 20 tools for semantic tab search, interactive element manipulation,
LAMDA
★ 7.8kThe most powerful Android RPA agent framework, next generation mobile automation.
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