Chrome DevTools MCP review

Q: How do I install Chrome DevTools MCP?

Run { "mcpServers": { "chrome-devtools": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest"] } } }. It needs Node.js ^20.19.0 || ^22.12.0 || >=23. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

Chrome DevTools MCP is an MCP server and CLI that lets coding agents control and inspect a live Chrome browser using Chrome DevTools.

Updated Nov 1, 2026. Review written Oct 22, 2026 from the project's own sources; usage data refreshed every Monday.

TL;DR

Chrome DevTools MCP lets coding agents such as Claude, Cursor, Copilot or Antigravity control and inspect a live Chrome browser. Chrome DevTools MCP is for developers who want agents to debug, automate and analyze the performance of web pages. It runs as an MCP server or a CLI and ships with agent skills.

54.6kGitHub stars
+509new stars, week of Oct 25
~2.7Mdownloads a week, +24% vs 4-week avg
#4in MCP and agent tools this week

Chrome DevTools MCP at a glance

Category: MCP and agent tools
Maintained by: ChromeDevTools (organization, @ChromeDevTools on GitHub)
License: Apache 2.0
Language: TypeScript, JavaScript, HTML
Repository: github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp
Website: developer.chrome.com/docs/devtools/agents
npm package: chrome-devtools-mcp 1.11.0
Latest release: chrome-devtools-mcp-v1.11.0 on GitHub, Oct 15, 2026
First published: Sep 11, 2025

What Chrome DevTools MCP does

Chrome DevTools MCP records performance traces and extracts performance insights using Chrome DevTools.
Chrome DevTools MCP analyzes network requests, takes screenshots and checks console messages with source-mapped stack traces.
Chrome DevTools MCP automates actions in Chrome with Puppeteer and waits automatically for action results.
Chrome DevTools MCP includes a `chrome-devtools` CLI to control the browser from a terminal without MCP.
Chrome DevTools MCP ships skills for accessibility audits, cookie debugging, LCP optimization and memory leak debugging.
Chrome DevTools MCP offers heap snapshot tools and a get_css_style tool, added in recent releases.

How it works

Chrome DevTools MCP runs through npx as an MCP server configured in your MCP client. The server starts Chrome automatically when the client uses a tool that needs a browser. Chrome DevTools MCP uses Puppeteer for automation and Chrome DevTools for traces. Performance tools may send trace URLs to the Google CrUX API for field data. Flags such as --headless, --isolated and --slim change its behavior.

How to install and start using Chrome DevTools MCP

MCP client config (npx)

{ "mcpServers": { "chrome-devtools": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest"] } } }

CLI with npm

npm i chrome-devtools-mcp@latest -g

Requirements

Node.js LTS version; npm package engines list ^20.19.0 || ^22.12.0 || >=23.
Chrome current stable version or newer.
npm.
An MCP client such as Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code or Antigravity, or the CLI.

First steps

Add the chrome-devtools server config to your MCP client using npx and chrome-devtools-mcp@latest.
Enter the prompt "Check the performance of https://developers.chrome.com" in your MCP client.
Confirm the client opens the browser and records a performance trace.
Optionally install the skills as a plugin in Claude Code, Copilot / VS Code or Gemini CLI.

Who Chrome DevTools MCP is for

Developers who want a coding agent to verify web code in a real Chrome browser.
Web developers debugging performance, network requests, console errors or memory leaks with an AI assistant.
Teams building agentic tooling that need an integrated browser subagent.
Shell users who want to script Chrome from the terminal with the CLI.

Limitations to know

Chrome DevTools MCP officially supports only Google Chrome and Chrome for Testing; other Chromium browsers may behave unexpectedly.
Chrome DevTools MCP exposes browser content to MCP clients, so avoid sensitive or personal data in that browser.
Chrome DevTools MCP collects usage statistics by default; opt out with --no-usage-statistics.
Chrome DevTools MCP skills are version-specific and must be updated whenever the server or CLI is updated.

Is Chrome DevTools MCP growing? Usage data

In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, Chrome DevTools MCP ranked #60 on the Devtoolwatch Board and #4 in MCP and agent tools, with a momentum score of 73 out of 100. Its main package had about 2.7M downloads that week, +24% against its own 4-week average.

New GitHub stars per week for the last 12 weeks, from GitHub's stargazer history (today's stargazers by the week they starred).

Show the weekly numbers

New GitHub stars per week for Chrome DevTools MCP
Week of	New stars
Aug 9, 2026	477
Aug 16, 2026	392
Aug 23, 2026	622
Aug 30, 2026	924
Sep 6, 2026	729
Sep 13, 2026	580
Sep 20, 2026	329
Sep 27, 2026	336
Oct 4, 2026	373
Oct 11, 2026	544
Oct 18, 2026	413
Oct 25, 2026	509

On Hacker News

Chrome ships WebGPU, 936 points and 398 comments (Apr 6, 2023)
Chrome DevTools MCP (2025), 604 points and 234 comments (Mar 15, 2026)
Shipping JPEG XL in Chrome, 575 points and 409 comments (Oct 7, 2026)
"Begin disabling installed extensions still using Manifest V2 in Chrome stable", 552 points and 472 comments (Oct 11, 2024)
The <select> element can now be customized with CSS, 507 points and 187 comments (Mar 31, 2025)

The Board ranks tools by four signals each week: new stars, new stars for the repo's size, added downloads and download growth beyond the market. How the ranking works.

Chrome DevTools MCP alternatives

Other MCP servers and agent tools on the Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum:

MCP and agent tools ranked by momentum, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026
Rank	Tool	Stars	Downloads/wk
#1	REAREA is an MCP server and CLI that lets coding agents reverse engineer native binaries, JavaScript and Electron apps, .NET assemblies,…	415.5k	760.6k
#2	ha-mcpha-mcp is an unofficial Model Context Protocol server that lets AI assistants control and manage Home Assistant using natural language.	5.4k	118.1k
#3	TregTreg is a registry and proxy that gives AI agents one token for a catalog of paid third-party API endpoints and team-shared tools.	6.9k	6.7k
#5	codebase-memory-mcpHigh-performance code intelligence MCP server. Indexes codebases into a persistent knowledge graph — average repo in milliseconds. 162…	47.9k	–
#6	open-computer-use👾 Open Computer Use – Open-Source Alternative to Codex Computer Use	2.8k	–
#7	Unity MCPUnity MCP is an open-source bridge that lets AI assistants control the Unity Editor through the Model Context Protocol.	15.6k	–

All MCP servers and agent tools, ranked

Recent Chrome DevTools MCP releases

chrome-devtools-mcp-v1.11.0, Oct 15, 2026
chrome-devtools-mcp-v1.10.1, Sep 23, 2026
chrome-devtools-mcp-v1.10.0, Sep 23, 2026
chrome-devtools-mcp-v1.9.0, Sep 8, 2026
chrome-devtools-mcp-v1.8.0, Aug 25, 2026

Chrome DevTools MCP FAQ

Is Chrome DevTools MCP free and open source?

Yes. Chrome DevTools MCP's source code is on GitHub (ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp) under the Apache 2.0 license, so you can use it for free.

How do I install Chrome DevTools MCP?

Run { "mcpServers": { "chrome-devtools": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest"] } } }. It needs Node.js ^20.19.0 || ^22.12.0 || >=23. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

Is Chrome DevTools MCP still maintained?

Yes. The ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp repository was last updated on Oct 21, 2026, and the latest release, chrome-devtools-mcp-v1.11.0 on GitHub, came out on Oct 15, 2026.

How popular is Chrome DevTools MCP?

Chrome DevTools MCP has 54.6k GitHub stars as of Nov 1, 2026. It gained 509 new stars in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, against a 12-week average of 519 a week. Its main package had about 2.7M downloads that week, +24% against its own 4-week average. That made it #4 among MCP servers and agent tools on the Devtoolwatch Board.

Chrome DevTools MCP vs Playwright MCP: how do they compare?

Chrome DevTools MCP and Playwright MCP are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as MCP servers and agent tools. Chrome DevTools MCP has 54.6k GitHub stars and Playwright MCP has 38.9k. In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, Chrome DevTools MCP's main package had 2.7M downloads and Playwright MCP's had 8.4M. Playwright MCP is a Model Context Protocol server from Microsoft that lets LLMs automate browsers through Playwright's structured accessibility snapshots. Playwright MCP review.

Chrome DevTools MCP vs Browser Use: how do they compare?

Chrome DevTools MCP and Browser Use are both tracked by Devtoolwatch. Chrome DevTools MCP has 54.6k GitHub stars and Browser Use has 119.7k. In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, Chrome DevTools MCP's main package had 2.7M downloads and Browser Use's had 1.5M. Browser Use review.

What are the best alternatives to Chrome DevTools MCP?

Other MCP servers and agent tools on the Devtoolwatch Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum: REA (#1), ha-mcp (#2), Treg (#3), codebase-memory-mcp (#5), open-computer-use (#6). The alternatives table above has their numbers.

What is Chrome DevTools MCP used for?

Chrome DevTools MCP lets coding agents control and inspect a live Chrome browser. Agents can record performance traces, analyze network requests, take screenshots, read console messages and automate page actions.

How does Chrome DevTools MCP work?

Chrome DevTools MCP runs as an MCP server that your client launches with npx. The server starts Chrome when a tool needs it, uses Puppeteer for automation and uses Chrome DevTools to record traces.

How do I use Chrome DevTools MCP in Claude Code?

Chrome DevTools MCP installs in Claude Code as a plugin. Run /plugin marketplace add ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp, then /plugin install chrome-devtools-mcp@chrome-devtools-plugins. The plugin installs the MCP server and all skills.

How do I use Chrome DevTools MCP in VS Code?

Chrome DevTools MCP installs in Copilot / VS Code through the Chat: Install Plugin From Source command. Enter ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp as the source.

Can I use Chrome DevTools MCP without MCP?

Yes. Chrome DevTools MCP includes the chrome-devtools CLI, which controls the browser from a terminal with commands like navigate_page and take_screenshot.

Does Chrome DevTools MCP send data to Google?

Yes, by default. Chrome DevTools MCP collects usage statistics and may send trace URLs to the CrUX API. Disable them with --no-usage-statistics and --no-performance-crux.

Sources

Chrome DevTools MCP README badge

Maintainers can show the tool's weekly Board rank in their README:

[![Devtoolwatch](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/badge/chrome-devtools-mcp.svg)](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp/)

How this page is made: Devtoolwatch writes each review from the project's README, releases, package metadata and website, with an AI model, then checks every claim against the source it cites and drops what the sources don't support. The numbers come from Devtoolwatch's daily GitHub snapshots, GitHub's stargazer history, and the npm and PyPI download APIs. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].