What is Robotframework Mcp

robotframework-mcp is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation designed for Robot Framework’s SeleniumLibrary, enabling browser automation through standardized MCP clients such as Claude Desktop and Goose.

Use cases

Use cases include automated testing of web applications, integration with CI/CD tools for automated deployment testing, and enabling browser-based interactions in desktop applications.

How to use

To use robotframework-mcp, install it via npm or manually clone the repository and install dependencies. Start the MCP server from the command line using ‘robotframework-mcp’, specifying options like port and auto-port features as needed.

Key features

Key features include starting browser sessions with Chrome and Firefox, navigating to URLs, finding elements with various locator strategies, element interactions (click, type, hover, drag and drop), keyboard input handling, screenshot capabilities, file uploads, and support for headless mode.

Where to use

robotframework-mcp can be used in web automation testing, continuous integration pipelines, and any application requiring browser automation through a standardized protocol.

Robot Framework MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation for Robot Framework’s SeleniumLibrary, enabling browser automation through standardized MCP clients like Claude Desktop, Goose, and others.

Features

• Start browser sessions with Chrome and Firefox (with customizable options)
• Navigate to URLs
• Find elements using various locator strategies
• Element interactions (click, type, hover, drag and drop)
• Keyboard input handling
• Screenshot capabilities
• File uploads
• Support for headless mode

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or later)
• Robot Framework
• Robot Framework SeleniumLibrary
• Selenium WebDriver

Installation

Install from npm

npm install -g robotframework-mcp

Or, install manually

1. Clone this repository
2. Navigate to the project directory
3. Install dependencies:

npm install

Usage

Command Line

Start the MCP server from the command line:

robotframework-mcp

Options:

• --port, -p <number>: Port to listen on (default: 3000)
• --auto-port, -a: Automatically find an available port if the specified one is busy
• --help, -h: Display help message
• --version, -v: Display version information

Troubleshooting Port Conflicts

If you see an error like EADDRINUSE: address already in use, it means the default port (3000) is already being used by another application. You can:

1. Specify a different port:

   robotframework-mcp --port 3001
   

2. Use the auto-port feature to automatically find an available port:

   robotframework-mcp --auto-port
   

Programmatic Usage

You can also use the package programmatically in your own Node.js projects:

const { startServer } = require('robotframework-mcp');

// Start the MCP server on port 3000
startServer(3000);

// Now you can use MCP clients to interact with Robot Framework

For handling port conflicts programmatically, you can implement your own port detection logic or catch the error and retry with a different port:

const { startServer } = require('robotframework-mcp');

function startServerWithRetry(port, maxRetries = 5) {
  try {
    startServer(port);
    console.log(`Server started on port ${port}`);
  } catch (error) {
    if (error.code === 'EADDRINUSE' && maxRetries > 0) {
      console.log(`Port ${port} in use, trying ${port + 1}...`);
      startServerWithRetry(port + 1, maxRetries - 1);
    } else {
      throw error;
    }
  }
}

startServerWithRetry(3000);

Use with MCP clients

Configure your MCP client to use this server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "robotframework": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "robotframework-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Tools

The following MCP tools are supported:

Browser Tools

• start_browser: Launches a browser session
• navigate: Navigates to a URL
• close_session: Closes the browser session
• take_screenshot: Captures a screenshot

Element Tools

• find_element: Locates an element on the page
• click_element: Clicks an element
• send_keys: Types text into an input element
• get_element_text: Gets the text content of an element
• hover: Moves the mouse over an element
• drag_and_drop: Drags an element to another element
• double_click: Performs a double-click on an element
• right_click: Performs a right-click on an element
• upload_file: Uploads a file using a file input element

Keyboard Tools

• press_key: Simulates pressing a keyboard key

Architecture

This MCP server acts as a bridge between MCP clients and Robot Framework:

1. The MCP client sends a tool request to the server
2. The server translates the MCP tool request into Robot Framework commands
3. The server generates a temporary Robot Framework script
4. Robot Framework executes the script
5. The server processes the result and returns it to the MCP client

Extending

To add new tools:

1. Create a new function in the appropriate tool file
2. Add the function to the exports in the tool file
3. Add the tool to the tools map in src/lib/tools/index.js

License

MIT