chrome-devtools-cli

name	chrome-devtools-cli
description	Use only when explicitly requested by the user or, during an explicit debugging session, after other relevant checks such as typecheck, lint, and tests have been exhausted.

The chrome-devtools-mcp CLI lets you interact with the browser from your terminal.

Setup

Note: If this is your very first time using the CLI, see references/installation.md for setup. Installation is a one-time prerequisite and is not part of the regular AI workflow.

AI Workflow

1. Execute: Run tools directly (e.g., chrome-devtools list_pages). The background server starts implicitly; do not run start/status/stop before each use.
2. Inspect: Use take_snapshot to get an element <uid>.
3. Act: Use click, fill, etc. State persists across commands.

Snapshot example:

uid=1_0 RootWebArea "Example Domain" url="https://example.com/"
  uid=1_1 heading "Example Domain" level="1"

Command Usage

chrome-devtools <tool> [arguments] [flags]

Use --help on any command. Output defaults to Markdown, use --output-format=json for JSON.

Input Automation ( from snapshot)

chrome-devtools take_snapshot --help # Help message for commands, works for any command.
chrome-devtools take_snapshot # Take a text snapshot of the page to get UIDs for elements
chrome-devtools click "id" # Clicks on the provided element
chrome-devtools click "id" --dblClick true --includeSnapshot true # Double clicks and returns a snapshot
chrome-devtools drag "src" "dst" # Drag an element onto another element
chrome-devtools drag "src" "dst" --includeSnapshot true # Drag an element and return a snapshot
chrome-devtools fill "id" "text" # Type text into an input or select an option
chrome-devtools fill "id" "text" --includeSnapshot true # Fill an element and return a snapshot
chrome-devtools handle_dialog accept # Handle a browser dialog
chrome-devtools handle_dialog dismiss --promptText "hi" # Dismiss a dialog with prompt text
chrome-devtools hover "id" # Hover over the provided element
chrome-devtools hover "id" --includeSnapshot true # Hover over an element and return a snapshot
chrome-devtools press_key "Enter" # Press a key or key combination
chrome-devtools press_key "Control+A" --includeSnapshot true # Press a key and return a snapshot
chrome-devtools type_text "hello" # Type text using keyboard into a focused input
chrome-devtools type_text "hello" --submitKey "Enter" # Type text and press a submit key
chrome-devtools upload_file "id" "file.txt" # Upload a file through a provided element
chrome-devtools upload_file "id" "file.txt" --includeSnapshot true # Upload a file and return a snapshot

Navigation

chrome-devtools close_page 1 # Closes the page by its index
chrome-devtools list_pages # Get a list of pages open in the browser
chrome-devtools navigate_page --url "https://example.com" # Navigates the currently selected page to a URL
chrome-devtools navigate_page --type "reload" --ignoreCache true # Reload page ignoring cache
chrome-devtools navigate_page --url "https://example.com" --timeout 5000 # Navigate with a timeout
chrome-devtools navigate_page --handleBeforeUnload "accept" # Handle before unload dialog
chrome-devtools navigate_page --type "back" --initScript "foo()" # Navigate back and run an init script
chrome-devtools new_page "https://example.com" # Creates a new page
chrome-devtools new_page "https://example.com" --background true --timeout 5000 # Create new page in background
chrome-devtools new_page "https://example.com" --isolatedContext "ctx" # Create new page with isolated context
chrome-devtools select_page 1 # Select a page as a context for future tool calls
chrome-devtools select_page 1 --bringToFront true # Select a page and bring it to front

Emulation

chrome-devtools emulate --networkConditions "Offline" # Emulate network conditions
chrome-devtools emulate --cpuThrottlingRate 4 --geolocation "0x0" # Emulate CPU throttling and geolocation
chrome-devtools emulate --colorScheme "dark" --viewport "1920x1080" # Emulate color scheme and viewport
chrome-devtools emulate --userAgent "Mozilla/5.0..." # Emulate user agent
chrome-devtools resize_page 1920 1080 # Resizes the selected page's window

Performance

chrome-devtools performance_analyze_insight "1" "LCPBreakdown" # Get more details on a specific Performance Insight
chrome-devtools performance_start_trace true false # Starts a performance trace recording
chrome-devtools performance_start_trace true true --filePath t.gz # Start trace and save to a file
chrome-devtools performance_stop_trace # Stops the active performance trace
chrome-devtools performance_stop_trace --filePath "t.json" # Stop trace and save to a file
chrome-devtools take_memory_snapshot "./snap.heapsnapshot" # Capture a memory heapsnapshot

Network

chrome-devtools get_network_request # Get the currently selected network request
chrome-devtools get_network_request --reqid 1 --requestFilePath req.md # Get request by id and save to file
chrome-devtools get_network_request --responseFilePath res.md # Save response body to file
chrome-devtools list_network_requests # List all network requests
chrome-devtools list_network_requests --pageSize 50 --pageIdx 0 # List network requests with pagination
chrome-devtools list_network_requests --resourceTypes Fetch # Filter requests by resource type
chrome-devtools list_network_requests --includePreservedRequests true # Include preserved requests

Debugging & Inspection

chrome-devtools evaluate_script "() => document.title" # Evaluate a JavaScript function on the page
chrome-devtools evaluate_script "(a) => a.innerText" --args 1_4 # Evaluate JS with UID arguments
chrome-devtools get_console_message 1 # Gets a console message by its ID
chrome-devtools lighthouse_audit --mode "navigation" # Run Lighthouse audit for navigation
chrome-devtools lighthouse_audit --mode "snapshot" --device "mobile" # Run Lighthouse audit for a snapshot on mobile
chrome-devtools lighthouse_audit --outputDirPath ./out # Run Lighthouse audit and save reports
chrome-devtools list_console_messages # List all console messages
chrome-devtools list_console_messages --pageSize 20 --pageIdx 1 # List console messages with pagination
chrome-devtools list_console_messages --types error --types info # Filter console messages by type
chrome-devtools list_console_messages --includePreservedMessages true # Include preserved messages
chrome-devtools take_screenshot # Take a screenshot of the page viewport
chrome-devtools take_screenshot --fullPage true --format "jpeg" --quality 80 # Take a full page screenshot as JPEG with quality
chrome-devtools take_screenshot --uid "id" --filePath "s.png" # Take a screenshot of an element
chrome-devtools take_snapshot # Take a text snapshot of the page from the a11y tree
chrome-devtools take_snapshot --verbose true --filePath "s.txt" # Take a verbose snapshot and save to file

Extensions

chrome-devtools list_extensions # Lists all the Chrome extensions installed in the browser
chrome-devtools install_extension "/path/to/extension" # Installs a Chrome extension from the given path
chrome-devtools uninstall_extension "extension_id" # Uninstalls a Chrome extension by its ID
chrome-devtools reload_extension "extension_id" # Reloads an unpacked Chrome extension by its ID
chrome-devtools trigger_extension_action "extension_id" # Triggers the default action of an extension by its ID

Experimental Features

Experimental tools are disabled by default. Enable them with the corresponding flag during start.

chrome-devtools click_at 100 200 # Clicks at the provided coordinates (requires --experimentalVision=true)
chrome-devtools screencast_start # Starts a screencast recording (requires --experimentalScreencast=true and ffmpeg)
chrome-devtools screencast_stop # Stops the active screencast
chrome-devtools list_webmcp_tools # List all WebMCP tools (requires --categoryExperimentalWebmcp=true)

Service Management

chrome-devtools start   # Start or restart chrome-devtools-mcp
chrome-devtools status  # Checks if chrome-devtools-mcp is running
chrome-devtools stop    # Stop chrome-devtools-mcp if any