Browser CLI

Chrome DevTools Skill

This skill enables browser automation and debugging using Chrome DevTools Protocol via MCP.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Chrome must be running with remote debugging enabled:

# macOS
/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir=/tmp/chrome-profile-stable

# Linux
/usr/bin/google-chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir=/tmp/chrome-profile-stable

# Windows
chrome.exe --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir=%TEMP%\chrome-profile-stable

Installation

cd ./cli
npm install
npm link

Key Concepts

Page IDs

Commands that accept URLs and navigate to them will return a page ID (page number). This ID can be used with page management commands like select-page and close-page. Page IDs are simple numbers (1, 2, 3...) assigned by Chrome.

Example:

cdp-cli navigate https://example.com
# Output: Page ID: 1

cdp-cli screenshot output.png https://github.com
# Output: Page ID: 2

# Use these IDs to manage pages
cdp-cli select-page 1
cdp-cli close-page 2

Persistent Browser Session

All commands work with the same Chrome instance. The browser stays open between commands, allowing you to:

• Navigate once, then take multiple screenshots/snapshots
• Build up page state across multiple commands
• Inspect and interact with the current page without re-navigating

Element UIDs

Interaction commands (click, hover, fill) require element UIDs from snapshots, not CSS selectors. This ensures reliable element targeting through Chrome's accessibility tree.

Available Commands

Navigation & Page Management

Navigate to URL

cdp-cli navigate <url>

Navigate to any URL in Chrome. Returns the page ID (page number) of the navigated page.

Example:

cdp-cli navigate https://example.com
# Output includes: Page ID: 1

List Open Pages

cdp-cli pages
# or
cdp-cli list-pages

List all open browser tabs/pages with their IDs and URLs. Returns page numbers (1, 2, 3...) that can be used with other page management commands.

Create New Page

cdp-cli new-page <url>

Open a new browser tab and navigate to URL.

Example:

cdp-cli new-page https://github.com

Select Page

cdp-cli select-page <pageId>

Switch to a specific page using its ID from pages command.

Close Page

cdp-cli close-page <pageId>

Close a specific page using its ID.

Debugging & Inspection

Take Screenshot

cdp-cli screenshot <output.png> [url]

Capture a screenshot. Output filename is required. If URL is provided, navigates first and returns the page ID. Otherwise, captures current page.

Examples:

# Screenshot current page (no navigation)
cdp-cli navigate https://example.com
cdp-cli screenshot current-page.png

# Navigate and screenshot (returns page ID)
cdp-cli screenshot homepage.png https://example.com
# Output: Page ID: 1

Note: Screenshots are saved relative to your current directory. The full path is displayed after saving.

DOM Snapshot

cdp-cli snapshot [url]

Capture accessibility tree snapshot with element UIDs. If URL is provided, navigates first and returns the page ID. Otherwise, captures current page.

Example:

# Navigate and snapshot (returns page ID)
cdp-cli snapshot https://example.com
# Output: Page ID: 1

# Snapshot current page
cdp-cli navigate https://example.com
cdp-cli snapshot

Output shows elements with UIDs:

uid: "123" role: "button" name: "Submit"
uid: "456" role: "textbox" name: "Email"
uid: "789" role: "link" name: "More information"

Use these UIDs for interaction commands (click, hover, fill).

Console Logs

cdp-cli console [url]

Capture and display console messages (logs, warnings, errors). If URL is provided, navigates first. Otherwise, captures from current page.

Examples:

# Console logs from current page
cdp-cli navigate https://myapp.com
cdp-cli console

# Navigate and get console logs
cdp-cli console https://myapp.com

Execute JavaScript

cdp-cli evaluate <function> [url]

Execute JavaScript function. Function is required. If URL is provided, navigates first and returns the page ID. Otherwise, executes on current page.

Examples:

# Execute on current page
cdp-cli navigate https://example.com
cdp-cli evaluate "() => document.title"

# Navigate and execute (returns page ID)
cdp-cli evaluate "() => document.title" https://example.com
# Output: Page ID: 1

# Count links on current page
cdp-cli evaluate "() => document.querySelectorAll('a').length"

# Get computed style
cdp-cli evaluate "() => getComputedStyle(document.body).backgroundColor"

Performance & Auditing

Performance Analysis

cdp-cli performance <url>

Analyze page performance with Chrome DevTools traces. Provides metrics like LCP, FID, CLS.

Example:

cdp-cli performance https://developers.chrome.com

Lighthouse Audit

cdp-cli lighthouse <url>

Run comprehensive Lighthouse audit covering performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO. Returns the page ID after navigation.

Example:

cdp-cli lighthouse https://example.com
# Output: Page ID: 1

Note: Lighthouse audits take 30-60 seconds to complete.

Network Monitoring

cdp-cli network [url]

Capture network requests. If URL is provided, navigates first. Otherwise, captures from current page.

Examples:

# Network requests from current page
cdp-cli navigate https://example.com
cdp-cli network

# Navigate and capture network
cdp-cli network https://example.com

Element Interaction

Important: Interaction commands require element UIDs from the snapshot command, not CSS selectors.

Workflow for Interaction

1. First, get element UIDs:

cdp-cli snapshot https://example.com

2. Find the element you want to interact with in the output (look for uid: "xxx")

3. Use that UID in interaction commands:

Click Element

cdp-cli click <url> <uid>

Click an element and returns the page ID after navigation.

Example:

# Get UIDs first
cdp-cli snapshot https://example.com
# Output: uid: "123" role: "link" name: "More information"

# Click that element (returns page ID)
cdp-cli click https://example.com "123"
# Output: Page ID: 1

Hover Element

cdp-cli hover <url> <uid>

Hover over an element to trigger tooltips, dropdowns, etc. Returns the page ID after navigation.

Example:

cdp-cli hover https://example.com "456"
# Output: Page ID: 1

Fill Input

cdp-cli fill <url> <uid> <value>

Fill an input field, textarea, or select element. Returns the page ID after navigation.

Example:

# Get input field UID from snapshot
cdp-cli snapshot https://www.google.com
# Output: uid: "789" role: "textbox" name: "Search"

# Fill the input (returns page ID)
cdp-cli fill https://www.google.com "789" "test query"
# Output: Page ID: 1

Device Emulation

Emulate Device

cdp-cli emulate <url> "<device>"

Emulate mobile devices or tablets with proper viewport and user agent.

Supported Devices:

• iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14
• iPad Pro, iPad Mini
• Pixel 5, Pixel 7
• Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22
• And many more...

Examples:

cdp-cli emulate https://example.com "iPhone 12"
cdp-cli emulate https://example.com "iPad Pro"
cdp-cli emulate https://example.com "Pixel 5"

Common Use Cases

1. E2E Testing Workflow

# Navigate to login page
cdp-cli navigate https://myapp.com/login

# Get element UIDs
cdp-cli snapshot

# Fill login form (using UIDs from snapshot)
cdp-cli fill https://myapp.com/login "email-uid" "user@example.com"
cdp-cli fill https://myapp.com/login "password-uid" "password123"

# Click submit button
cdp-cli click https://myapp.com/login "submit-uid"

# Verify success
cdp-cli console https://myapp.com/dashboard

2. Performance Monitoring

# Analyze performance
cdp-cli performance https://myapp.com

# Run full Lighthouse audit
cdp-cli lighthouse https://myapp.com

# Check network requests
cdp-cli network https://myapp.com

3. Visual Regression Testing

# Capture baseline
cdp-cli screenshot baseline.png https://myapp.com/dashboard

# Make changes...

# Capture new version
cdp-cli screenshot current.png https://myapp.com/dashboard

# Compare images externally

4. Mobile Responsiveness Testing

# Test on iPhone
cdp-cli emulate https://myapp.com "iPhone 12"
cdp-cli screenshot mobile-iphone.png

# Test on iPad
cdp-cli emulate https://myapp.com "iPad Pro"
cdp-cli screenshot mobile-ipad.png

# Test on Android
cdp-cli emulate https://myapp.com "Pixel 5"
cdp-cli screenshot mobile-android.png

5. Debugging JavaScript Errors

# Check console for errors
cdp-cli console https://myapp.com

# Execute debug script
cdp-cli evaluate https://myapp.com "() => { console.log('Debug info:', window.myApp); return window.myApp; }"

# Take DOM snapshot to inspect structure
cdp-cli snapshot https://myapp.com

6. Multi-Page Workflows

# Open multiple pages
cdp-cli new-page https://example.com
cdp-cli new-page https://github.com
cdp-cli new-page https://stackoverflow.com

# List all pages
cdp-cli pages

# Switch between pages (use IDs from pages output)
cdp-cli select-page <page-id-1>
cdp-cli screenshot page1.png

cdp-cli select-page <page-id-2>
cdp-cli screenshot page2.png

7. Form Automation

# Navigate to form
cdp-cli navigate https://forms.example.com

# Get form element UIDs
cdp-cli snapshot

# Fill all fields
cdp-cli fill https://forms.example.com "name-uid" "John Doe"
cdp-cli fill https://forms.example.com "email-uid" "john@example.com"
cdp-cli fill https://forms.example.com "message-uid" "Hello World"

# Submit form
cdp-cli click https://forms.example.com "submit-uid"

# Verify submission
cdp-cli console https://forms.example.com/success

8. Persistent Session Workflow

# Navigate once
cdp-cli navigate https://example.com

# Take multiple actions without re-navigating
cdp-cli snapshot                    # Get current page structure
cdp-cli screenshot page1.png        # Screenshot current state
cdp-cli console                     # Check console logs
cdp-cli network                     # Check network requests
cdp-cli evaluate "() => document.title"  # Run JavaScript

# Navigate to another page
cdp-cli navigate https://example.com/about

# Continue working with new page
cdp-cli snapshot
cdp-cli screenshot page2.png
cdp-cli evaluate "() => document.querySelectorAll('h1').length"

How It Works

The CLI connects to the chrome-devtools-mcp server, which provides access to Chrome DevTools Protocol through a standardized MCP interface. This allows programmatic control of Chrome for testing, debugging, and automation.

Architecture:

CLI (MCP Client) → MCP Server (chrome-devtools-mcp) → Chrome (port 9222)

Key Features:

• Persistent browser session across commands
• Element interaction via accessibility tree UIDs
• Full Chrome DevTools Protocol access
• Automatic error handling and validation

Tips & Best Practices

Element Interaction

• Always run snapshot first to get current element UIDs
• UIDs are unique per page load - get fresh UIDs after navigation
• Use descriptive element roles/names from snapshot to identify correct UIDs
• Wait for dynamic content to load before taking snapshots

Persistent Sessions

• Chrome stays open between commands - no need to re-navigate
• Take advantage of this for multi-step workflows
• Use snapshot without URL to inspect current page
• Use screenshot without URL to capture current page

Performance Testing

• Run performance tests multiple times for consistent results
• Clear cache between tests for accurate measurements
• Use headless mode for CI/CD environments
• Compare results against baseline metrics

Screenshots

• Screenshots are saved relative to current directory
• Full path is displayed after saving
• Use consistent viewport sizes for comparison
• Consider using device emulation for mobile screenshots
• Can screenshot current page without re-navigating

Network Debugging

• Network logs capture all requests since page load
• Check for failed requests (4xx, 5xx status codes)
• Monitor request sizes for performance optimization
• Use network logs to debug API issues

Console Logs

• Console logs include errors, warnings, and info messages
• Source-mapped stack traces are included when available
• Check console logs to debug JavaScript errors
• Logs are captured from page load until command execution

Lighthouse Audits

• Audits take 30-60 seconds to complete
• Run in headless mode for consistent results
• Focus on actionable recommendations
• Track scores over time to measure improvements

Troubleshooting

Chrome Not Connected

# Verify Chrome is running with remote debugging
curl http://127.0.0.1:9222/json/version

# If not, start Chrome with the correct flags
/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir=/tmp/chrome-profile-stable

Error Message:

✗ Error: Chrome is not running with remote debugging enabled.

Solution: Start Chrome with the command shown above before running any CLI commands.

Element Not Found

# Get fresh snapshot to see current elements
cdp-cli snapshot

# Verify the UID exists in the snapshot output
# UIDs change after navigation - always get fresh UIDs

Screenshot Not Saved

• Check the full path displayed in the output
• Ensure you have write permissions in the current directory
• Verify the file extension is .png, .jpg, or .webp

Command Hangs

• Ensure Chrome is running and accessible
• Check that the MCP server can connect to Chrome
• Try closing and restarting Chrome

Invalid Function Error

# Ensure evaluate uses function declaration syntax
# ✅ Correct: "() => document.title"
# ❌ Wrong: "document.title"

# ✅ Correct: "() => { return window.location.href; }"
# ❌ Wrong: "window.location.href"

Advanced Usage

Scripting with CDP CLI

#!/bin/bash

# Automated testing script
URL="https://myapp.com"

echo "Running automated tests..."

# Navigate once
cdp-cli navigate $URL

# Run multiple tests on same page
cdp-cli performance $URL > performance-report.txt
cdp-cli lighthouse $URL > lighthouse-report.txt
cdp-cli screenshot screenshot-$(date +%Y%m%d).png
cdp-cli console $URL | grep -i error > errors.txt

echo "Tests complete!"

CI/CD Integration

# GitHub Actions example
- name: Run CDP CLI Tests
  run: |
    # Start Chrome in headless mode
    google-chrome --headless --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir=/tmp/chrome &
    
    # Wait for Chrome to start
    sleep 2
    
    # Run tests
    cdp-cli performance https://myapp.com
    cdp-cli lighthouse https://myapp.com
    cdp-cli screenshot screenshot.png https://myapp.com

Related Tools

• chrome-devtools-mcp: The MCP server providing CDP access
• Puppeteer: Alternative Node.js library for Chrome automation
• Playwright: Cross-browser automation framework
• Selenium: Traditional browser automation tool

Resources

• Chrome DevTools Protocol Documentation
• chrome-devtools-mcp GitHub
• Model Context Protocol
• Lighthouse Documentation

Source: finas/browser-cli — distributed by TomeVault.