What is Browser Use Mcp Server

The browser-use-mcp-server is a server that allows users to browse the web directly from applications like Cursor. It utilizes Server-Sent Events (SSE) for real-time communication.

Use cases

Use cases for the browser-use-mcp-server include automating web browsing tasks, retrieving information from websites in real-time, and integrating web browsing capabilities into AI applications.

How to use

To use the browser-use-mcp-server, install the required dependencies using ‘uv’, set up your environment variables with your OpenAI API key and Chrome path, and run the server on port 8000. Integrate it with your client by adding the SSE URL to the appropriate configuration file.

Key features

Key features include SSE transport for real-time updates, the ability to initiate browser tasks with specific URLs and actions, and retrieval of results from asynchronous browser tasks. It supports various clients including cursor.ai and Claude.

Where to use

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browser-use-mcp-server

Prerequisites

• uv - Fast Python package manager
• Playwright - Browser automation
• mcp-proxy - Required for stdio mode

# Install prerequisites
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
uv tool install mcp-proxy
uv tool update-shell

Environment

Create a .env file:

OPENAI_API_KEY=your-api-key
CHROME_PATH=optional/path/to/chrome
PATIENT=false  # Set to true if API calls should wait for task completion

Installation

# Install dependencies
uv sync
uv pip install playwright
uv run playwright install --with-deps --no-shell chromium

Usage

SSE Mode

# Run directly from source
uv run server --port 8000

stdio Mode

# 1. Build and install globally
uv build
uv tool uninstall browser-use-mcp-server 2>/dev/null || true
uv tool install dist/browser_use_mcp_server-*.whl

# 2. Run with stdio transport
browser-use-mcp-server run server --port 8000 --stdio --proxy-port 9000

Client Configuration

SSE Mode Client Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browser-use-mcp-server": {
      "url": "http://localhost:8000/sse"
    }
  }
}

stdio Mode Client Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browser-server": {
      "command": "browser-use-mcp-server",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "server",
        "--port",
        "8000",
        "--stdio",
        "--proxy-port",
        "9000"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Config Locations

Client	Configuration Path
Cursor	./.cursor/mcp.json
Windsurf	~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
Claude (Mac)	~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Claude (Windows)	%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Features

• [x] Browser Automation: Control browsers through AI agents
• [x] Dual Transport: Support for both SSE and stdio protocols
• [x] VNC Streaming: Watch browser automation in real-time
• [x] Async Tasks: Execute browser operations asynchronously

Local Development

To develop and test the package locally:

1. Build a distributable wheel:

   # From the project root directory
   uv build
   

2. Install it as a global tool:

   uv tool uninstall browser-use-mcp-server 2>/dev/null || true
   uv tool install dist/browser_use_mcp_server-*.whl
   

3. Run from any directory:

   # Set your OpenAI API key for the current session
   export OPENAI_API_KEY=your-api-key-here
   
   # Or provide it inline for a one-time run
   OPENAI_API_KEY=your-api-key-here browser-use-mcp-server run server --port 8000 --stdio --proxy-port 9000
   

4. After making changes, rebuild and reinstall:

   uv build
   uv tool uninstall browser-use-mcp-server
   uv tool install dist/browser_use_mcp_server-*.whl
   

Docker

Using Docker provides a consistent and isolated environment for running the server.

# Build the Docker image
docker build -t browser-use-mcp-server .

# Run the container with the default VNC password ("browser-use")
# --rm ensures the container is automatically removed when it stops
# -p 8000:8000 maps the server port
# -p 5900:5900 maps the VNC port
docker run --rm -p8000:8000 -p5900:5900 browser-use-mcp-server

# Run with a custom VNC password read from a file
# Create a file (e.g., vnc_password.txt) containing only your desired password
echo "your-secure-password" > vnc_password.txt
# Mount the password file as a secret inside the container
docker run --rm -p8000:8000 -p5900:5900 \
  -v $(pwd)/vnc_password.txt:/run/secrets/vnc_password:ro \
  browser-use-mcp-server

Note: The :ro flag in the volume mount (-v) makes the password file read-only inside the container for added security.

VNC Viewer

# Browser-based viewer
git clone https://github.com/novnc/noVNC
cd noVNC
./utils/novnc_proxy --vnc localhost:5900

Default password: browser-use (unless overridden using the custom password method)

Example

Try asking your AI:

open https://news.ycombinator.com and return the top ranked article

Support

For issues or inquiries: cobrowser.xyz

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