Chrome Devtools

Chrome DevTools MCP Skill

Complete Chrome browser automation and debugging using the Chrome DevTools Protocol. This skill provides access to all Chrome DevTools capabilities for web development, testing, and debugging tasks.

Capabilities

1. Navigate & Automate - Control browser navigation, tabs, and page interactions
2. Interact with Pages - Click, type, drag, fill forms, upload files
3. Debug & Inspect - View console logs, network requests, execute scripts
4. Performance Analysis - Record traces and get performance insights
5. Emulation - Test different devices, network conditions, viewports
6. Visual Testing - Take screenshots and DOM snapshots

Quick Reference

For detailed instructions on each operation, see:

• NAVIGATION.md - Page navigation, tabs, waiting
• INTERACTION.md - Clicking, typing, forms, uploads
• DEBUGGING.md - Console logs, network requests, script execution
• PERFORMANCE.md - Performance tracing and analysis
• EMULATION.md - Device and network emulation
• VISUAL.md - Screenshots and DOM snapshots

Common Workflows

Web Testing Workflow

1. Navigate to page with navigate_page
2. Interact with elements using click, fill, press_key
3. Verify results with take_screenshot or list_console_messages
4. Check network activity with list_network_requests

Performance Analysis Workflow

1. Start trace with performance_start_trace
2. Navigate or interact with page
3. Stop trace with performance_stop_trace
4. Get insights with performance_analyze_insight

Debugging Workflow

1. Navigate to problematic page
2. Check console with list_console_messages
3. Inspect network with list_network_requests
4. Execute diagnostic scripts with evaluate_script
5. Take screenshots for visual confirmation

Form Testing Workflow

1. Navigate to form page
2. Fill individual fields with fill or use fill_form for bulk entry
3. Upload files if needed with upload_file
4. Submit and verify with screenshots/console

Tool Categories Overview

Input Automation (8 tools)

• click - Click on elements
• drag - Drag and drop operations
• fill - Enter text in fields
• fill_form - Fill multiple form fields
• handle_dialog - Manage alerts/dialogs
• hover - Hover over elements
• press_key - Keyboard input
• upload_file - File upload handling

Navigation (6 tools)

• navigate_page - Go to URLs
• new_page - Create new tabs
• close_page - Close tabs
• list_pages - View open tabs
• select_page - Switch tabs
• wait_for - Wait for conditions

Emulation (2 tools)

• emulate - Device/condition simulation
• resize_page - Viewport sizing

Performance (3 tools)

• performance_start_trace - Begin recording
• performance_stop_trace - End recording
• performance_analyze_insight - Get recommendations

Network (2 tools)

• list_network_requests - View all requests
• get_network_request - Get request details

Debugging (5 tools)

• evaluate_script - Run JavaScript
• take_screenshot - Capture visuals
• take_snapshot - Capture DOM
• list_console_messages - View console
• get_console_message - Get specific message

Critical Instructions

REQUIRED: Before using ANY Chrome DevTools tools, you MUST load the relevant reference file(s) using the Read tool. These references contain essential operational instructions that are NOT included in this overview.

When the user asks to work with Chrome DevTools:

1. Identify the operation they want to perform (navigate, debug, test, analyze)
2. MANDATORY: Load the relevant reference file(s) using the Read tool BEFORE executing any tools:
   • Navigation tasks → Read references/NAVIGATION.md FIRST
   • Interaction tasks → Read references/INTERACTION.md FIRST
   • Debugging tasks → Read references/DEBUGGING.md FIRST
   • Performance tasks → Read references/PERFORMANCE.md FIRST
   • Emulation tasks → Read references/EMULATION.md FIRST
   • Visual testing tasks → Read references/VISUAL.md FIRST
3. Execute the appropriate MCP tool commands following the patterns from the loaded reference
4. Report results clearly with screenshots or data as appropriate
5. Chain operations when needed (e.g., navigate → interact → verify)

DO NOT attempt to use Chrome DevTools tools without first loading and reading the relevant reference documentation.

Best Practices

• Always wait appropriately - Use wait_for to ensure page readiness
• Handle errors gracefully - Check console messages and network errors
• Take screenshots - Visual confirmation is valuable for debugging
• Chain operations logically - Navigate before interacting, start trace before actions
• Clean up - Close pages when done to free resources
• Use selectors carefully - Ensure element selectors are specific and reliable

Examples

Take a screenshot of a website

User: "Take a screenshot of example.com"
Me: Uses navigate_page → wait_for → take_screenshot

Test form submission

User: "Fill out the login form on staging.example.com"
Me: Uses navigate_page → fill_form → click → list_console_messages

Analyze page performance

User: "Check the performance of our homepage"
Me: Uses performance_start_trace → navigate_page → performance_stop_trace → performance_analyze_insight

Debug network issues

User: "Why is the API call failing on /dashboard?"
Me: Uses navigate_page → list_network_requests → get_network_request (for failed request)

Test mobile viewport

User: "How does the site look on iPhone 13?"
Me: Uses emulate (iPhone 13) → navigate_page → take_screenshot

Configuration

The Chrome DevTools MCP server should be configured in Claude Code's MCP settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-devtools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["chrome-devtools-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Optional configuration flags:

• --headless false - Show browser window
• --categoryEmulation - Enable emulation tools
• --categoryPerformance - Enable performance tools
• --categoryNetwork - Enable network tools