mcp-chrome-tabs

@pokutuna/mcp-chrome-tabs

Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides direct access to your browser's open tabs content. No additional fetching or authentication required - simply access what you're already viewing.

Key Features

• Direct browser tab access - No web scraping needed, reads content from already open tabs
• Content optimized for AI - Automatic content extraction and markdown conversion to reduce token usage
• Active tab shortcut - Instant access to currently focused tab without specifying IDs
• MCP listChanged notifications - Follows MCP protocol to notify tab changes (set --check-interval to enable)

Requirements

[!IMPORTANT]
macOS only - This MCP server uses AppleScript and only works on macOS.

• Node.js 20 or newer
• MCP Client such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or any MCP-compatible client
• macOS only (uses AppleScript for browser automation)

Getting Started

First, enable "Allow JavaScript from Apple Events" in Chrome:

• (en) View > Developer > Allow JavaScript from Apple Events
• (ja) 表示 > 開発 / 管理 > Apple Events からの JavaScript を許可

When you first use the MCP server, macOS will prompt you to grant AppleScript automation permission to your MCP client (e.g., Claude Desktop, Claude Code). Click OK to allow access to Chrome. If you accidentally dismissed the dialog, you can enable it in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation.

Standard config works in most MCP clients (e.g., .claude.json, .mcp.json):

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

Or for Claude Code:

claude mcp add -s user chrome-tabs -- npx -y @pokutuna/mcp-chrome-tabs@latest

Claude Code Plugin

You can also install this as a Claude Code plugin:

# Add the marketplace
/plugin marketplace add pokutuna/mcp-chrome-tabs

# Install the plugin
/plugin install mcp-chrome-tabs@mcp-chrome-tabs

Command Line Options

The server accepts optional command line arguments for configuration:

Content Extraction Options

• --max-content-chars - Maximum content characters per single read (default: 20000)
• --extraction-timeout - Timeout for content extraction worker in milliseconds (default: 20000)
• --exclude-hosts - Comma-separated list of domains to exclude from tab listing and content access

Resource Options

• --check-interval - Interval in milliseconds to check for tab changes and send listChanged notifications (default: 0 disabled, set to 3000 for 3 seconds)

Browser Options

• --application-name - Application name to control (default: "Google Chrome")
• --experimental-browser - Browser implementation to use: "chrome", "safari", or "arc" (default: "chrome")

Other Options

• --help - Show help message with all available options

Resource Subscription (Optional)

Setting --check-interval to a value greater than 0 enables resource subscription. When enabled, the server monitors tab list changes and sends MCP listChanged notifications to prompt clients to refresh their resource lists. This also makes tab://{windowId}/{tabId} resources available for all open tabs.

In 2025-10, few MCP clients support resource subscriptions. Resource subscription is disabled by default (--check-interval=0). Most users only need the tab://current resource, which is always available.

To enable resource subscription:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-tabs": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pokutuna/mcp-chrome-tabs@latest",
        "--check-interval=3000"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Other Browser Support (Experimental)

Safari

Note that Safari lacks unique tab IDs, making it sensitive to tab order changes during execution:

npx @pokutuna/mcp-chrome-tabs --application-name=Safari --experimental-browser=safari

Arc

npx @pokutuna/mcp-chrome-tabs --application-name=Arc --experimental-browser=arc

MCP Features

Tools

list_tabs

List all open tabs in the user's browser with their titles, URLs, and tab references.

• Returns: Markdown formatted list of tabs with tab IDs for reference

read_tab_content

Get readable content from a tab in the user's browser.

• id (optional): Tab reference from list_tabs output (e.g., ID:12345:67890)
• If id is omitted, uses the currently active tab
• Returns: Clean, readable content extracted using Mozilla Readability

open_in_new_tab

Open a URL in a new tab to present content or enable user interaction with webpages.