How do I install the Chrome Browser skill?

Run npx skillmds add majiayu000/chrome-browser in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Chrome Browser safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: makes network calls. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Chrome Browser?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Chrome Browser free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free. This skill is licensed under MIT.

Who published Chrome Browser?

majiayu000 (@majiayu000) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Chrome Browser by majiayu000 — Agent Skill

Name: Chrome Browser
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: majiayu000

Chrome Browser

Use when setting up a dedicated Chrome browser for Playwright MCP with session persistence, or when encountering Cloudflare challenges during browser automation. Covers CDP setup, launchd auto-start, and persistent login sessions.

majiayu000 e312a1f 2 files · 3.7 KB Updated Sep 9, 2026 567 repo stars

File contents

Dedicated Chrome Browser

A dedicated headed Chrome instance with CDP for Playwright MCP. Persistent profile (cookies/logins survive restarts), launchd-managed, multi-session safe.

Why

Chrome's single-instance lock prevents CDP when the default profile is in use — dedicated user-data-dir required
Headed so the user can log into sites manually; Playwright shares the session
launchd auto-starts on login, restarts on crash

Architecture

Chrome (dedicated CDP instance, port 9222)
  └── ~/.cache/chrome-cdp-profile (persistent, isolated from daily Chrome)
      ├── Claude session 1 → Playwright MCP → CDP
      ├── Claude session 2 → Playwright MCP → CDP
      └── User can log into sites manually (headed)

Quick Reference

# Check CDP
curl -s http://127.0.0.1:9222/json/version

# Configure Playwright MCP (user-scope, one-time)
claude mcp add -s user playwright -- npx @playwright/mcp --cdp-endpoint http://127.0.0.1:9222

# Manual launch (if not using launchd)
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/launch-chrome-cdp.sh

Key Decisions

Decision	Rationale
Isolated profile (`~/.cache/chrome-cdp-profile`)	Avoids single-instance lock, doesn't interfere with daily browsing
Direct binary launch	`open -a` unreliably passes `--args`; binary + `disown` is reliable
Headed (not headless)	User can log into sites manually, cookies persist for automation
launchd KeepAlive on crash only	Restart on crash, but intentional quit stays quit
User-scope MCP (`-s user`)	Available across all projects

Troubleshooting

Cloudflare challenges: If a site shows a Cloudflare challenge/waiting page, just wait — the browser MCP can usually handle it. We are very rarely actually blocked.
CDP not responding: Run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/launch-chrome-cdp.sh to start or check status.
Profile conflicts: If Chrome complains about profile lock, check for zombie Chrome processes: ps aux | grep chrome-cdp-profile

Setup

See INSTALL.md for the full setup checklist, including the launch script and launchd plist.

Self-Improvement

If you encounter a setup step that fails, a Chrome/Playwright behavior change, or missing guidance in this skill, don't just work around it — fix the skill:

Create a PR from a fresh worktree of https://github.com/eins78/skills on a new branch, fixing the issue directly
Or file an issue on https://github.com/eins78/skills with: what failed, the actual behavior, and the suggested fix

Never silently work around a skill gap. The fix benefits all future sessions.

---name: chrome-browserdescription: Use when setting up a dedicated Chrome browser for Playwright MCP with session persistence, or when encountering Cloudflare challenges during browser automation. Covers CDP setup, launchd auto-start, and persistent login sessions.license: MIT--- # Dedicated Chrome Browser A dedicated headed Chrome instance with CDP for Playwright MCP. Persistent profile (cookies/logins survive restarts), launchd-managed, multi-session safe. ## Why - Chrome's single-instance lock prevents CDP when the default profile is in use — **dedicated user-data-dir required** - Headed so the user can log into sites manually; Playwright shares the session - launchd auto-starts on login, restarts on crash ## Architecture ``` Chrome (dedicated CDP instance, port 9222) └── ~/.cache/chrome-cdp-profile (persistent, isolated from daily Chrome) ├── Claude session 1 → Playwright MCP → CDP ├── Claude session 2 → Playwright MCP → CDP └── User can log into sites manually (headed) ``` ## Quick Reference ```bash # Check CDP curl -s http://127.0.0.1:9222/json/version # Configure Playwright MCP (user-scope, one-time) claude mcp add -s user playwright -- npx @playwright/mcp --cdp-endpoint http://127.0.0.1:9222 # Manual launch (if not using launchd) ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/launch-chrome-cdp.sh ``` ## Key Decisions | Decision | Rationale | |----------|-----------| | Isolated profile (`~/.cache/chrome-cdp-profile`) | Avoids single-instance lock, doesn't interfere with daily browsing | | Direct binary launch | `open -a` unreliably passes `--args`; binary + `disown` is reliable | | Headed (not headless) | User can log into sites manually, cookies persist for automation | | launchd KeepAlive on crash only | Restart on crash, but intentional quit stays quit | | User-scope MCP (`-s user`) | Available across all projects | ## Troubleshooting - **Cloudflare challenges:** If a site shows a Cloudflare challenge/waiting page, just wait — the browser MCP can usually handle it. We are very rarely actually blocked. - **CDP not responding:** Run `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/launch-chrome-cdp.sh` to start or check status. - **Profile conflicts:** If Chrome complains about profile lock, check for zombie Chrome processes: `ps aux | grep chrome-cdp-profile` ## Setup See [INSTALL.md](INSTALL.md) for the full setup checklist, including the launch script and launchd plist. ## Self-Improvement If you encounter a setup step that fails, a Chrome/Playwright behavior change, or missing guidance in this skill, don't just work around it — fix the skill: 1. **Create a PR** from a fresh worktree of `https://github.com/eins78/skills` on a new branch, fixing the issue directly 2. **Or file an issue** on `https://github.com/eins78/skills` with: what failed, the actual behavior, and the suggested fix Never silently work around a skill gap. The fix benefits all future sessions.

Frequently asked questions