What is Lighthouse Mcp

Lighthouse MCP is an MCP server that integrates with Google’s Lighthouse tool to measure various performance metrics for web pages, allowing AI assistants like Cursor, Cline, and GitHub Copilot to optimize these metrics.

Use cases

Use cases include running performance audits for websites, optimizing web applications for better user experience, and ensuring compliance with best practices in accessibility and SEO.

How to use

You can use Lighthouse MCP by running it directly with npx or installing it globally via npm. For local development, clone the repository, install dependencies, build the project, and start the server.

Key features

Key features include comprehensive Lighthouse audits on any URL, performance scores and metrics, device emulation (mobile/desktop), network throttling control, and the ability to select specific audit categories.

Where to use

Lighthouse MCP can be used in web development, performance optimization, and SEO analysis across various industries that require web page performance assessment.

Lighthouse MCP Server

An MCP server that wraps around Google’s Lighthouse tool to help measure various performance metrics for web pages.

Features

• Run comprehensive Lighthouse audits on any URL
• Get performance scores and metrics
• Configure device emulation (mobile/desktop)
• Control network throttling
• Select specific audit categories

Installation

Option 1: Using npx (Recommended)

You can run the tool directly using npx without installation:

npx lighthouse-mcp

Option 2: Global Installation

Install the package globally:

npm install -g lighthouse-mcp

Then run it:

lighthouse-mcp

Option 3: Local Development

1. Clone this repository
2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Build the project:

   npm run build
   

4. Run the server:

   npm start
   

MCP Configuration

When installed via npm (global or npx)

Add the following to your MCP settings configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lighthouse": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "lighthouse-mcp"
      ],
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

When using local development version

Add the following to your MCP settings configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lighthouse": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/lighthouse-mcp/build/index.js"
      ],
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Replace /absolute/path/to/lighthouse-mcp with the actual path to this project.

Available Tools

run_audit

Run a comprehensive Lighthouse audit on a URL.

Parameters:

• url (required): The URL to audit
• categories (optional): Array of categories to audit (defaults to all)
  • Options: “performance”, “accessibility”, “best-practices”, “seo”, “pwa”
• device (optional): Device to emulate (defaults to “mobile”)
  • Options: “mobile”, “desktop”
• throttling (optional): Whether to apply network throttling (defaults to true)

Example:

{
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "categories": [
    "performance",
    "accessibility"
  ],
  "device": "desktop",
  "throttling": false
}

get_performance_score

Get just the performance score for a URL.

Parameters:

• url (required): The URL to audit
• device (optional): Device to emulate (defaults to “mobile”)
  • Options: “mobile”, “desktop”

Example:

{
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "device": "mobile"
}

Example Usage

Once the MCP server is configured, you can use it with Claude:

What's the performance score for example.com?

Claude will use the get_performance_score tool to analyze the website and return the results.

Requirements

• Node.js 16+
• Chrome/Chromium browser (for Lighthouse)

Endorsements