Public Browser MCP server
io.github.Silbercue/public-browser·v3.0.0·18 starsChrome over CDP for AI agents. Blind benchmark vs agent-browser: -33% tokens, -33% cost, -32% time
18 stars248 downloads/wk
Reviews
Write oneNobody has reviewed Public Browser yet.
If you have run it, two minutes of your experience saves the next person an afternoon.
Public Browser tools
No tool declarations could be read from the package source. They show once the server is installed.
Public scan report
scanner v0.1.10 · 2026-10-03 · same rubric, same numbers if you re-run it
- Code scan198 source files scanned25/25
- –Live reliabilityno gateway calls yet and no remote to proben/a
- –Tool poisoningtools not inspected (local package is not executed); not countedn/a
- Auth qualitylocal package, no credentials required12/15
- Maintenancelast push 9 days ago15/15
- Maintainer identityregistry namespace matches repository owner; GitHub account older than a year8/10
How Public Browser compares
Against every graded Scraping and browsing MCP server, from our own scans and uptime checks. Updated after each scan run.
- Safety score
- 92/100
- higher than 85% of 866 Scraping and browsing servers
- GitHub stars
- 18
- more than 85% of 583 Scraping and browsing servers
- Downloads a week
- 248
- more than 73% of 309 Scraping and browsing servers with a package
Release history: 2 versions in the registry since 2026-09-14, latest 2026-09-24, typically one every 10 days.
Install Public Browser in Claude Code, Cursor or VS Code
Runs npx -y public-browser on your machine. Read the scan report first; the gateway never runs local packages.
claude mcp add public-browser -- npx -y public-browser
What the publisher says
From the Public Browser repository's README, as published. We do not edit it. Read it on GitHub
Public Browser
Lets Claude Code and Cursor drive Chrome — with your real, logged-in profile. On the same 30-test benchmark page it used 30% fewer tokens, 25% less money, 41% fewer tool calls and 40% less time than Playwright MCP at the same pass rate — two runs each, 2026-09-03, driver Claude Opus 5, raw data in the repo (Benchmarks, including where it loses). Its own tool definitions are 34% smaller since v2.10.4 (7,607 → 4,990 tokens, reproduce with node scripts/token-count.mjs). Direct CDP, a11y-tree refs, multi-tab ready — 2,360 TypeScript tests, 237 Python tests.
Built for Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible client — and, without an LLM in the loop, for decision models like Jev.
Looking for an alternative to Playwright MCP, Browser MCP, or claude-in-chrome? Public Browser talks to Chrome directly via the DevTools Protocol — no Playwright dependency, no Chrome extension bridge, no single-tab limit. One command to install, zero config. See benchmark comparison below.
Why Public Browser?
Every Chrome MCP server has the same problem: bulky responses, too few reliable refs. Screenshots return 10-30x more context payload than text trees. Selector-based refs break the second the DOM rerenders. Extension bridges (Browser MCP) get stuck on the connected tab. Playwright wrappers spin up a new browser instance for every session.
Public Browser fixes this. It talks directly to Chrome via CDP (same protocol Playwright and Puppeteer use internally), returns an accessibility-tree-based reference map, and caches it across calls so click(ref: 'e5') and type(ref: 'e7', ...) survive scrolls and DOM updates.
Benchmark rows below are April 2026, 35-test suite, Opus 4.6 unless a cell also gives a September value. Cells marked Sep come from the blind September 2026 re-run (35-test page, 30 scored, driver claude-opus-5, two runs per required server; one browser-use run) — run files public-browser-run1/2.json, playwright-mcp-run5/6.json, chrome-devtools-mcp-run3/4.json, browser-use-run6.json in test-hardest/results/. Cross-suite comparison is not valid; see Benchmarks.
Shortened. The full README is on GitHub.
Nothing above is checked by us. What we check is on the safety report.
Public Browser: common questions
- Is Public Browser MCP server safe?
- Yes, by our scan: it is graded A (92/100). Read the Public Browser safety report
- How do I install Public Browser?
- It runs on your machine. Copy the Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code or Claude Desktop config from the install section.
- Does Public Browser need an API key?
- Not as far as the registry entry and our scan can tell: no credentials are declared or required.
- Is Public Browser maintained?
- The last commit was 40 days ago (2026-09-24). The latest release is v3.0.0.
- What can I use instead of Public Browser?
- Servers from other publishers that do the same job: Browser Gateway MCP server, Tap MCP server and Cdpilot MCP server. Compare all Public Browser alternatives.
- How does Public Browser compare with other Scraping and browsing MCP servers?
- safety score 92/100 (higher than 85% of 866 Scraping and browsing servers); github stars 18 (more than 85% of 583 Scraping and browsing servers); downloads a week 248 (more than 73% of 309 Scraping and browsing servers with a package). Full comparison.
Alternatives to Public Browser
Same job from other publishers: the closest match first, then the best rated.
- Browser GatewayAI browser tools with Chrome CDP. Navigate, screenshot, interact. Multi-provider failover.not reviewedGrowingB
TapBrowser MCP for logged-in tasks. Uses your Chrome — credentials stay local. Zero-token replay.not reviewedGrowingB- CdpilotZero-dependency browser automation over raw CDP — no Puppeteer, Playwright, or Selenium.not reviewedGrowingB
- Agent BrowserSelf-hosted Chrome for AI agents, with a live noVNC view a human can take over.not reviewedGrowingB
Agentic BrowserGive any AI agent your real Chrome: text perception, visible cursor, ~4x fewer tokens.not reviewedGrowingB
