Pinchtab

PinchTab - General Web BrowserAutomation

When to Use PinchTab

Use PinchTab for:

• Googling things and browsing search results
• Reading blogs, articles, and general web content
• Surfing websites that don't have dedicated MCP servers
• Extracting text content from web pages
• Taking website screenshots
• Debugging or testing websites
• General internet browsing

Do NOT use PinchTab for:

• LinkedIn → Use linkedin-mcp instead (search_people, get_person_profile, get_company_profile, etc.)
• Reddit → Use reddit-mcp instead (reddit_search, reddit_get_subreddit_posts, etc.)

Rule: Before using PinchTab for a specific website, check if a dedicated MCP server exists for that platform. Use the specialized tool when available.

Quick Start

1. Navigate: pinchtab_navigate({ url: "https://example.com" })
2. Snapshot: pinchtab_snapshot() - Get page structure
3. Interact: pinchtab_click({ selector: "e5" }), pinchtab_type({ selector: "e10", text: "search query" })
4. Extract: pinchtab_get_text() or pinchtab_screenshot()

Common Workflows

Googling Something

1. Navigate to Google: pinchtab_navigate({ url: "https://google.com" })
2. Wait for load: pinchtab_wait_for_load({ load: "networkidle" })
3. Type query: pinchtab_type({ selector: "input[name='q']", text: "your search" })
4. Submit: pinchtab_press({ key: "Enter" })
5. Wait for results: pinchtab_wait_for_load({ load: "networkidle" })
6. Get results: pinchtab_snapshot() or pinchtab_get_text()

Reading a Blog/Article

1. Navigate: pinchtab_navigate({ url: "https://blog.example.com/article" })
2. Wait for load: pinchtab_wait_for_load({ load: "networkidle" })
3. Extract text: pinchtab_get_text()
4. Or screenshot: pinchtab_screenshot()

Extracting Page Content

pinchtab_get_text() - Clean text extraction
pinchtab_snapshot() - Accessibility tree (shows interactive elements)
pinchtab_screenshot() - Visual capture

Interacting with Forms

1. Find element: pinchtab_find({ query: "email" }) or pinchtab_snapshot()
2. Type input: pinchtab_type({ selector: "input#email", text: "value" })
3. Click submit: pinchtab_click({ selector: "button[type='submit']" })
4. Wait for response: pinchtab_wait_for_load({ load: "networkidle" })

Key Tools

Selector Formats

PinchTab supports multiple selector types:

• Element refs: "e5" - From snapshot output (recommended)
• CSS selectors: "input#email", "button.submit"
• Textfind: { text: "Submit" } - Find by visible text

Tip: Use pinchtab_snapshot() first to see element refs (e1, e2, e3...), then click/type using those refs for reliability.

Best Practices

1. Wait after navigation: Always wait_for_load({ load: "networkidle" }) after navigating
2. Use snapshots: pinchtab_snapshot() gives you the page structure with stable element refs
3. Retry logic: If an action fails, take a new snapshot (page may have changed)
4. Clean up: Use pinchtab_close_tab() when done with a page

Decision Tree

User wants to...
│
├─ Google something─────────────────→ PinchTabnavigate → type → search
│
├─ Read a blog/article ─────────────→ PinchTab navigate → get_text
│
├─ Browse general websites ─────────→ PinchTab navigate → snapshot → interact
│
├─ Work with LinkedIn───────────────→ linkedin-mcp (NOT PinchTab!)
│
├─ Work with Reddit ────────────────→ reddit-mcp (NOT PinchTab!)
│
└─ Screenshot/debug a site ─────────→ PinchTab navigate → screenshot

MCP Server Priority

Always check for dedicated MCP servers first:

Before using PinchTab for a specific platform, call mcp action=list to see available servers and their tools. If a dedicated server exists for your target website, use it instead of PinchTab.