mcp-browser-tools-setup

A setup and troubleshooting rule for connecting browser-debugging tools to an agent through an MCP server, a program that exposes tools to the agent.

In plain words
What is it for?
Use it when configuring or debugging browser-based UI inspection and testing through Browser Tools MCP.
Why use it?
It checks the required Node.js version, local server, and Chrome extension so browser tools do not fail silently.

Cursor rule for Cursor

Install

Getting it into your agent

One page per mod, every tool's command on it. A separate URL per tool would split the same page into five that compete with each other.

agentmods
npx agentmods add rules/rm2thaddeus/pixel_detective/mcp-browser-tools-setup
Clone the repo
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rm2thaddeus/Pixel_Detective

Made for: Cursor.

Per session 8 Only the description is in the session, so the agent can decide to use it. The body loads when it is invoked.
When invoked 1,460 The whole file, excluding the scripts and references it only reads on demand.
Security scan A 1 finding. Scan, not verified.
Origin original No closer match found in the catalogue.
Token cost

What it costs to keep this loaded

Counted locally with the o200k_base tokenizer, which is exact for GPT models; Claude uses its own tokenizer and its counts differ. Treat this as one consistent yardstick across the catalogue rather than a bill. Prices are per million input tokens.

ModelPer sessionOnce invoked
Fable 5 $0.00008 $0.01460
Opus 5 $0.00004 $0.00730
Sonnet 5 $0.00002 $0.00292
Haiku 4.5 $0.00001 $0.00146

Measured 2d ago against content hash 9b97df5c9aca, method: parsed. Prices are Anthropic first-party input rates as of 2026-08-30, from the pricing page.

Security

Grade A, and why

mcp-browser-tools-setup scanned grade A with 1 finding against 26 rules in 11 categories — prompt injection, anti-refusal, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, supply chain, agent snooping, system-prompt leakage, SSRF and excessive agency — measured 2d ago.

A static scan of the body, not an audit. Every finding is printed with the line that produced it so you can judge whether it matters here. A mod is markdown that instructs an agent; that is exactly why what it instructs is worth reading.

Makes network callslowCapability

Not a fault in itself. Listed so you know the mod talks to something, and to what.

curl http://localhost:3025/health
.cursor/rules/mcp-browser-tools-setup.mdc · 196 lines

How it starts

The opening of the file, as written. The whole thing — 196 lines — stays where its author put it; the contents beside it link to each section on GitHub.

MCP Browser Tools Setup & Troubleshooting Protocol

🚨 CRITICAL: Browser Tools MCP Requires 3-Component Setup

Sprint 10 revealed that Browser Tools MCP is COMPLEX and fails silently without proper setup. ALWAYS verify all components.

✅ MANDATORY 3-COMPONENT VERIFICATION:

1. Node.js Version Check (CRITICAL)
# ✅ MUST be Node.js v18+ (requires native fetch API)
node --version  # Must show v18.0.0 or higher

# ❌ If version is <18:
nvm install 20
nvm use 20
nvm alias default 20
2. Browser Tools Server (Port 3025)
# ✅ Start the middleware server
npx @agentdeskai/browser-tools-server@latest

# ✅ Verify server is running
netstat -an | findstr 3025  # Windows
lsof -i :3025              # Mac/Linux

# ✅ Should see output like:
# TCP    0.0.0.0:3025    0.0.0.0:0    LISTENING
3. Chrome Extension Installation
# ✅ Clone and install extension
git clone https://github.com/AgentDeskAI/browser-tools-mcp.git
cd browser-tools-mcp

Chrome Extension Steps:

  1. Open Chrome → chrome://extensions/
  2. Enable "Developer mode" (top right toggle)
  3. Click "Load unpacked"
  4. Select folder: browser-tools-mcp/chrome-extension
  5. Verify "BrowserToolsMCP" appears in extensions list

🔍 VERIFICATION PROTOCOL:

Test MCP Connection
# ✅ Test 1: Basic MCP connectivity
mcp_browser-tools_wipeLogs
# Expected: "All logs cleared successfully"

# ✅ Test 2: Server communication
mcp_browser-tools_getConsoleLogs
# Expected: [] (empty array) or actual logs

# ✅ Test 3: Full functionality (requires extension)
mcp_browser-tools_takeScreenshot
# Expected: Screenshot data or specific error message
Extension Connection Check
  1. Open any webpage (e.g., https://example.com)
  2. Open Chrome DevTools (F12)
  3. Look for "BrowserTools" tab in DevTools
  4. Verify connection status shows "Connected"

❌ COMMON ERROR PATTERNS & FIXES:

Error: "Failed to discover browser connector server"
# ✅ FIX: Start Browser Tools Server
npx @agentdeskai/browser-tools-server@latest

# ✅ Verify server is accessible
curl http://localhost:3025/health

Read the full file on GitHub · 196 lines

Changes

What this file has done since we first saw it

Hashed on every crawl. A supply-chain change to an agent config is a question of when, not whether, so the history is kept rather than the latest state alone.

  1. 2d ago First seen · 196 lines · 8 tokens per session scan A 9b97df5c9aca

Subscribe to this mod's changes

mcp-browser-tools-setup is a cursor rule published in the GitHub repository rm2thaddeus/Pixel_Detective (21 stars, last pushed 7mo ago), licensed MIT. It adds 8 tokens to every session and 1,460 once invoked, about $0.0000 per session on Opus 5. A static security scan graded it A with 1 finding (makes network calls). No closer match exists in the catalogue, so it is treated as the original; first seen 2026-08-30.