Chrome DevTools MCP Installation Summary

Installation Status: ✅ COMPLETED

Date: 2026-03-25

Overview

Successfully installed and tested Chrome DevTools MCP Server v0.20.3 for end-to-end testing capabilities.

Installation Process

1. Proxy Setup (Clash)

Status: ✅ Used for GitHub repository download
Command: Started Clash proxy at http://127.0.0.1:7890
Config: ~/.config/clash/config.yml
Post-download: Proxy disabled as requested

2. Repository Download

Method: Downloaded tarball via fetch tool (git clone failed due to SSL issues)
URL: https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/archive/refs/heads/main.tar.gz
Size: 2.05 MB
Location: /tmp/chrome-devtools-mcp/

3. Node.js Installation

Challenge: System Node.js v18.19.1 was too old (requirement: v20.19.0+)

Solution: Downloaded Node.js v22.12.0 binary - Download: https://nodejs.org/dist/v22.12.0/node-v22.12.0-linux-x64.tar.gz - Size: 53.96 MB - Location: /tmp/node-v22.12.0-linux-x64/ - Verified: node --version returns v22.12.0

4. Dependencies Installation

npm install  # Production + dev dependencies

Results: - Added 635 packages - Time: 39 seconds - Warnings: 2 vulnerabilities (1 moderate, 1 high) - Status: ✅ Success

5. Build Process

npm run build

Results: - Compiled TypeScript to JavaScript - Ran post-build scripts - Created build directory at /tmp/chrome-devtools-mcp/build/ - Status: ✅ Success

6. Chrome Browser

Challenge: Chrome not installed on system

Solution: Used Puppeteer's bundled Chromium - Location: /home/ai/.cache/puppeteer/chrome/linux-146.0.7680.76/chrome-linux64/chrome - Version: 146.0.7680.76 - Status: ✅ Available

Installation Artifacts

Files Created

Wrapper Script: /tmp/run-chrome-devtools-mcp.sh
Convenient launcher for MCP server
Sets up PATH and NODE_PATH
Executable permissions set
Installation Directory: /tmp/chrome-devtools-mcp/
Source code and build artifacts
build/src/ - Compiled JavaScript
node_modules/ - 635 packages
Node.js Runtime: /tmp/node-v22.12.0-linux-x64/
Complete Node.js v22.12.0 runtime
Binary and libraries
Test Logs: /tmp/mcp-test.log
Server startup logs
Telemetry events

Verification Tests

Test 1: Version Check ✅

/tmp/run-chrome-devtools-mcp.sh --version

Output: 0.20.3

Test 2: Help Command ✅

/tmp/run-chrome-devtools-mcp.sh --help

Result: Successfully displayed all CLI options

Test 3: Server Startup ✅

/tmp/run-chrome-devtools-mcp.sh \
  --executablePath "/home/ai/.cache/puppeteer/chrome/linux-146.0.7680.76/chrome-linux64/chrome" \
  --headless \
  --isolated \
  --logFile /tmp/mcp-test.log

Results: - Server started: Chrome DevTools MCP Server v0.20.3 - Connected to Chrome: ✅ - Watchdog started: ✅ - Telemetry initialized: ✅

Usage Examples

Basic Usage

# Run MCP server with headless Chrome
/tmp/run-chrome-devtools-mcp.sh --headless --isolated

# Connect to existing Chrome instance
/tmp/run-chrome-devtools-mcp.sh --browserUrl http://127.0.0.1:9222

# Slim mode (3 basic tools only)
/tmp/run-chrome-devtools-mcp.sh --headless --slim

MCP Client Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-devtools": {
      "command": "/tmp/run-chrome-devtools-mcp.sh",
      "args": ["--headless", "--isolated"]
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

The MCP server exposes the following tool categories: - Navigation: Go to URLs, navigate history - Network: Monitor network requests - Console: Check console messages - Screenshots: Capture page screenshots - Performance: Record performance traces - Emulation: Device emulation, geolocation - Debugging: Set breakpoints, inspect elements

Configuration Options

Option	Default	Description
`--headless`	false	Run Chrome without UI
`--isolated`	false	Create temporary user-data-dir
`--slim`	false	Expose only 3 basic tools
`--channel`	stable	Chrome channel (stable, beta, dev, canary)
`--viewport`	-	Viewport size (e.g., 1280x720)
`--logFile`	-	Path to debug log file
`--no-usage-statistics`	false	Opt-out of telemetry

Technical Details

System Requirements Met

Node.js: ✅ v22.12.0 (required: v20.19.0+)
Chrome: ✅ Chromium 146.0.7680.76 via Puppeteer
npm: ✅ v10.9.0
Disk Space: ~600 MB used

Package Information

Name: chrome-devtools-mcp
Version: 0.20.3
Repository: ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp
License: Apache-2.0

Dependencies (Key Packages)

puppeteer: 24.39.1
@modelcontextprotocol/sdk: 1.27.1
chrome-devtools-frontend: 1.0.1599001
lighthouse: 13.0.3
typescript: ^5.9.2

Troubleshooting

Issue: Node.js version too old

Solution: Use the downloaded Node.js v22:

export PATH="/tmp/node-v22.12.0-linux-x64/bin:$PATH"

Issue: Chrome not found

Solution: Use Puppeteer's bundled Chromium:

--executablePath "/home/ai/.cache/puppeteer/chrome/linux-146.0.7680.76/chrome-linux64/chrome"

Issue: Server exits immediately

Cause: MCP servers require stdio communication

Solution: Use MCP client to start the server (don't use & to background)

Next Steps for Integration

Test with MCP Client
Install Claude Desktop, Cursor, or other MCP-compatible client
Configure client to use the wrapper script
Test basic navigation and screenshot tools
End-to-End Testing
Navigate to test websites
Capture screenshots
Monitor network requests
Test console message capture
Performance Testing
Record performance traces
Analyze Lighthouse scores
Check CrUX field data (optional)
Production Deployment
Move installation to permanent location (e.g., /opt/chrome-devtools-mcp)
Create systemd service for persistent server
Configure logging and monitoring

Success Metrics

Metric	Target	Achieved
Installation	Complete	✅
Build	No errors	✅
Version Check	Works	✅
Help Command	Displays	✅
Server Start	Starts	✅
Chrome Connect	Success	✅
Log Output	Captured	✅

Cleanup (Optional)

To reclaim disk space if needed:

# Remove Node.js v22 download
rm -rf /tmp/node-v22.12.0-linux-x64*

# Remove build cache
rm -rf /tmp/chrome-devtools-mcp/build

# Keep source for reference
# /tmp/chrome-devtools-mcp/ (can be archived)

Conclusion

✅ Chrome DevTools MCP Server v0.20.3 successfully installed and verified

The system is now ready for end-to-end testing with browser automation, debugging, and performance analysis capabilities using the Model Context Protocol.

Installation Location: /tmp/chrome-devtools-mcp/ Wrapper Script: /tmp/run-chrome-devtools-mcp.sh Node.js Runtime: /tmp/node-v22.12.0-linux-x64/ Chrome Browser: /home/ai/.cache/puppeteer/chrome/linux-146.0.7680.76/chrome-linux64/chrome