Browser MCP
Dev tools
browser automation
SHOW HN2025
How HN took it
15 positive, 40 neutral or asking, 5 mixed, 27 critical, out of 87 comments about the project. Thread score -0.08.
Idea: 5 for, 11 againstPrivacy: 1 for, 9 againstExecution: 6 for, 3 againstPerformance: 0 for, 4 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Useful for automating authenticated sessions
From 2 comments
I like this. It would be interesting to use it for when I need to use authenticated browser sessions.
picardo on HNthank you for this. Using my own browser helps me automate tasks on sites I 'd typically get detected using automation. Works like a charm! Hope you continue to work on the repo.
plessas on HN
Objections
Telemetry sent to analytics services by the extension
From 1 comment
[!warning!] 1) this projects' chrome extension sends detailed telemetry to posthog and amplitude: - https://storage.googleapis.com/cobrowser-images/telemetry.png -…
rmac on HN
Only partial source released; extension source not public
From 2 comments
[!warning!] 1) this projects' chrome extension sends detailed telemetry to posthog and amplitude: - https://storage.googleapis.com/cobrowser-images/telemetry.png -…
rmac on HNCan you add a license to your code along with open sourcing the chrome extension?
washedDeveloper on HN
Windows startup errors and unreliable clicks in Claude Desktop
From 3 comments
Doesn't work on Windows: 2025-04-07T18:43:26.537Z [browsermcp] [info] Initializing server... 2025-04-07T18:43:26.603Z [browsermcp] [info] Server started and connected…
cadence- on HNCrazy, in looking up some info on the web and creating a Spreadsheet on Google Sheets to insert the results, it worked almost perfectly the first time and completely failed…
thenaturalist on HNI just run into a bunch of errors on my Windows machine + Chrome when connected over remote-ssh. Extension installed, tab enabled, npx updated/installed, etc. 2025-04-07…
icelancer on HN
Triggers CAPTCHAs and bot blocks, contrary to website claim
From 1 comment
So the website claims: "Avoids bot detection and CAPTCHAs by using your real browser fingerprint." Yeah, not really. I've used a similar system a few weeks back (one I wrote…
bhouston on HN
Requests
Add a license and open source the Chrome extension
From 1 comment
Can you add a license to your code along with open sourcing the chrome extension?
washedDeveloper on HN
Firefox support
From 1 comment
Any plans to make a Firefox version?
Fernicia on HN
Use accessibility tree instead of screenshots
From 1 comment
Would be nice if it could use the Accessibility Tree from chrome dev tools to navigate the page instead of relying on screenshots…
Gehinnn on HN
Pause automation when a captcha appears
From 1 comment
Well done, just tested on Claude Desktop and it worked smoothly and a lot less clunky than playwright. This is the right direction to go in. I don't know if you've done it…
neilellis on HN
Questions
How does it compare to Playwright MCP?
From 2 comments
How does it compare to playwright mcp?
mrwww on HNOr just use Playwright MCP: https://github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp
webprofusion on HN
Does the DOM get sent to the AI model, affecting privacy?
From 1 comment
> Private > Since automation happens locally, your browser activity stays on your device and isn't sent to remote servers. I think this is bullshit. Isn't the dom or whatever…
johnpaulkiser on HN
Alternatives named
Playwright MCP
From 3 comments
I mean no disrespect, but this looks like an outdated clone of https://github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp https://github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp/blob/main/src/tools/tool.ts…
pavelfeldman on HNOr just use Playwright MCP: https://github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp
webprofusion on HNWhy use this over Puppeteer or Playwright extensions?
buttofthejoke on HN
Puppeteer MCP
From 2 comments
The Puppeteer MCP server doesn't work well because it requires CSS selectors to interact with elements. It makes up CSS selectors rather than reading the page and generating…
namuorg on HNworks better than puppet mcp for me but having issues with keyboard events and actions on some websites.
graiz on HN
browser-use and similar GPT browser agents
From 1 comment
What I don't like about LLMs is that people keep re-inventing the wheel over and over. For example, we've been able to control browsers using GPT for about 2 years now: -…
behnamoh on HN