# Chrome Devtools

> Trigger: chrome-devtools, browser automation, headless browser, web scraping, inspect element, chrome debugger, inspect page, network request, console logs. Scope: Interact with and automate headless Chrome via Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP) for testing, debugging, and scraping. Boundary: Do not use for macOS native desktop GUI automation (use peekaboo instead).

- Skill: `coreyone/chrome-devtools` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add coreyone/chrome-devtools`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/coreyone/chrome-devtools/raw
- Safety review: PASS (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: coreyone (https://skillmd.com/u/coreyone)
- Updated: 2026-08-19
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/coreyone/chrome-devtools

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## Core Concepts

**Browser lifecycle**: Browser starts automatically on first tool call using a persistent Chrome profile. Configure via CLI args in the MCP server configuration: `npx chrome-devtools-mcp@latest --help`.

**Page selection**: Tools operate on the currently selected page. Use `list_pages` to see available pages, then `select_page` to switch context.

**Element interaction**: Use `take_snapshot` to get page structure with element `uid`s. Each element has a unique `uid` for interaction. If an element isn't found, take a fresh snapshot - the element may have been removed or the page changed.

## Workflow Patterns

### Before interacting with a page

1. Navigate: `navigate_page` or `new_page`
2. Wait: `wait_for` to ensure content is loaded if you know what you look for.
3. Snapshot: `take_snapshot` to understand page structure
4. Interact: Use element `uid`s from snapshot for `click`, `fill`, etc.

### Efficient data retrieval

- Use `filePath` parameter for large outputs (screenshots, snapshots, traces)
- Use pagination (`pageIdx`, `pageSize`) and filtering (`types`) to minimize data
- Set `includeSnapshot: false` on input actions unless you need updated page state

### Tool selection

- **Automation/interaction**: `take_snapshot` (text-based, faster, better for automation)
- **Visual inspection**: `take_screenshot` (when user needs to see visual state)
- **Additional details**: `evaluate_script` for data not in accessibility tree

### Parallel execution

You can send multiple tool calls in parallel, but maintain correct order: navigate → wait → snapshot → interact.

## Troubleshooting

If `chrome-devtools-mcp` is insufficient, guide users to use Chrome DevTools UI:

- https://developer.chrome.com/docs/devtools
- https://developer.chrome.com/docs/devtools/ai-assistance

If there are errors launching `chrome-devtools-mcp` or Chrome, refer to https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/blob/main/docs/troubleshooting.md.