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Zen

v1.2.1•Knowledge & Memory•stable

Selfhosted notes app. Single golang binary, notes stored as markdown within SQLite, full-text search, very low resource usage

markdownmcp-servernotespreactsqlite
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What is Zen?

Zen is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to selfhosted notes app. single golang binary, notes stored as markdown within sqlite, full-text search, very low resource usage

Selfhosted notes app. Single golang binary, notes stored as markdown within SQLite, full-text search, very low resource usage

This server falls under the Knowledge & Memory category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.

Features

  • Selfhosted notes app. Single golang binary, notes stored as

Use Cases

Self-hosted markdown notes with full-text search
Lightweight SQLite-backed knowledge storage
sh6drack

Maintainer

LicenseMIT License
Languagejavascript
Versionv1.2.1
UpdatedMay 17, 2026
Statushealthy
Maintenanceactive

Works with

ClaudeOpenAIwindowsmacoslinux
View SourceBrowse All Servers

Installation

NPM

npx -y zen-mcp

Manual Installation

npx -y zen-mcp

Configuration

Configuration Details

Config File

claude_desktop_config.json

Performance

Response Metrics

Response Time< 200ms
ThroughputMedium

Resource Usage

Memory UsageLow
CPU UsageLow

How to Set Up and Use Zen

Zen MCP is a Model Context Protocol server that connects AI assistants to the Zen Browser, enabling programmatic control of browser tabs, navigation, form interaction, and content extraction through 20 purpose-built tools. Using the WebSocket-based WebDriver BiDi protocol over a remote debugging port, it lets Claude and other MCP clients read page content, fill forms, click elements, take screenshots, and manage multiple tabs without any external API keys. Developers and testers use this server to automate browser workflows directly from their AI assistant.

Prerequisites

  • Zen Browser installed on your system (available at zen-browser.app)
  • Node.js 20 or higher
  • An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop
  • Zen Browser launched with remote debugging enabled on port 9222
1

Install the zen-mcp package

Install the zen-mcp package globally via npm so it is available as a command on your PATH.

npm install -g zen-mcp
2

Launch Zen Browser with remote debugging enabled

Start Zen Browser with the remote debugging port flag so the MCP server can connect via WebSocket.

/Applications/Zen.app/Contents/MacOS/zen --remote-debugging-port 9222
3

Configure the MCP server for Claude Desktop

Add the zen-mcp server to your Claude Desktop configuration file. The server uses the ZEN_DEBUG_PORT environment variable (default 9222) to find the browser.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zen-browser": {
      "command": "zen-mcp",
      "env": {
        "ZEN_DEBUG_PORT": "9222"
      }
    }
  }
}
4

Grant permissions in Claude settings

Add the zen-browser tool permissions to your Claude settings.json to allow the MCP tools without confirmation prompts.

{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": ["mcp__zen-browser__*"]
  }
}
5

Verify the connection

Ask Claude to list open browser tabs to confirm the MCP server can communicate with Zen Browser. All 20 tools are prefixed with zen_ (e.g., zen_navigate, zen_snapshot, zen_click).

Zen Examples

Client configuration

Full Claude Desktop configuration for zen-mcp with the debugging port explicitly set.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zen-browser": {
      "command": "zen-mcp",
      "env": {
        "ZEN_DEBUG_PORT": "9222"
      }
    }
  }
}

Prompts to try

Use these prompts after connecting to automate browser tasks through Claude.

- "Navigate to https://example.com and take a screenshot"
- "List all open tabs in my Zen Browser"
- "Fill in the login form on the current page with my credentials"
- "Extract all text content from the current page and summarize it"
- "Click the 'Submit' button on the current page and wait for the result"
- "Open a new tab, go to github.com, and get the page title"

Troubleshooting Zen

zen-mcp cannot connect to Zen Browser

Verify Zen Browser is running with --remote-debugging-port 9222. Open a browser tab to http://localhost:9222/json to confirm the debugging API is active. Ensure no firewall rules block localhost WebSocket connections on that port.

Tools are not recognized or show as unavailable in Claude

Confirm that zen-mcp is on your system PATH by running `which zen-mcp` in a terminal. If not found, reinstall with `npm install -g zen-mcp`. Also verify the mcp__zen-browser__* permission is added to Claude's settings.json.

ZEN_DEBUG_PORT environment variable not picked up

Explicitly set ZEN_DEBUG_PORT in the env block of your MCP configuration rather than relying on shell environment. Restart Claude Desktop after editing the config file to reload the server.

Frequently Asked Questions about Zen

What is Zen?

Zen is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that selfhosted notes app. single golang binary, notes stored as markdown within sqlite, full-text search, very low resource usage It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.

How do I install Zen?

Install via npm with the command: npx -y zen-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 Zen?

Zen works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.

Is Zen free to use?

Yes, Zen is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.

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Quick Config Preview

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

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json

Read the full setup guide →

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