cloakbrowser-mcp

cloakbrowser-mcp is a Model Context Protocol browser automation server that runs upstream @playwright/mcp with the CloakBrowser Chromium binary. It gives MCP clients Playwright-compatible browser tools while keeping the upstream tool contracts unchanged.

Documentation: swimmwatch.github.io/cloakbrowser-mcp

Use it when you need:

• Playwright MCP browser automation backed by CloakBrowser;
• unchanged upstream browser tools plus two local introspection tools;
• npm or Docker installation over stdio or Streamable HTTP;
• persistent browser profiles, validated context options, and Chrome extension loading;
• GeoIP-aware proxy matching for regional QA;
• humanized mouse, keyboard, and scroll behavior for interaction-sensitive flows.

Cross-platform checks cover npm on Linux x64/arm64, macOS arm64/x64, and Windows x64 across Node.js 22-26. Docker images are built and smoke-tested for linux/amd64 and linux/arm64.

Add To MCP Clients

Codex CLI

codex mcp add cloakbrowser -- npx -y cloakbrowser-mcp@latest

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport stdio cloakbrowser -- npx -y cloakbrowser-mcp@latest

GitHub Copilot In VS Code

{
  "servers": {
    "cloakbrowser": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "cloakbrowser-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, Windsurf, Warp, And Other mcpServers Clients

Add this server entry to the client's MCP JSON config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cloakbrowser": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "cloakbrowser-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Docker-backed stdio

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cloakbrowser": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "--init",
        "-i",
        "-v",
        "/tmp/cloakbrowser-artifacts:/data",
        "swimmwatch/cloakbrowser-mcp:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Already-running Streamable HTTP server

npx -y cloakbrowser-mcp@latest --transport streamable-http --http-port 3000
codex mcp add cloakbrowser --url http://127.0.0.1:3000/mcp
claude mcp add --transport http cloakbrowser http://127.0.0.1:3000/mcp

Prompt For A Code Assistant

Paste this into Codex, Claude Code, Copilot, Cursor, Cline, Windsurf, or a similar coding assistant that can edit MCP config:

Install the CloakBrowser MCP server for this workspace. Name it "cloakbrowser".
Prefer stdio with command "npx" and args ["-y", "cloakbrowser-mcp@latest"].
If this client uses VS Code mcp.json, add it under "servers" with type "stdio".
If this client uses Claude/Cursor/Cline/Windsurf/Warp-style config, add it under
"mcpServers" with the same command and args. Do not add secrets.

More examples are in Getting Started.

Version Compatibility

See Version Compatibility for the maintained compatibility table.

Tools

The upstream Playwright MCP tool list is authoritative. This project does not reimplement or re-document upstream browser schemas in source code.

Local tools:

• cloakbrowser_binary_info returns CloakBrowser package, platform, cache, and resolved binary data.
• cloakbrowser_bridge_info returns bridge metadata, upstream package/version, and local tool names.

Development

npm install
npm run build
npm test
npm run docker:build
npm run docker:smoke
npm run server:validate
npm run bridge:compare -- cloakbrowser-mcp:dev --report bridge-parity-report.json

Documentation starts at docs/getting-started.md. Contributor material is grouped under docs/contributor-guide.md.

Install With npm

npx -y cloakbrowser-mcp@latest

Requires Node.js 22.12 or newer. Run diagnostics before wiring a client:

npx -y cloakbrowser-mcp@latest doctor

For Streamable HTTP instead of stdio:

npx -y cloakbrowser-mcp@latest --transport streamable-http --http-port 3000

See the generated CLI Reference for all flags.

Install With Docker

docker run --rm --init -i \
  -v "$PWD/artifacts:/data" \
  swimmwatch/cloakbrowser-mcp:latest

For Streamable HTTP:

docker run --rm --init -p 127.0.0.1:3000:3000 \
  -v "$PWD/artifacts:/data" \
  swimmwatch/cloakbrowser-mcp:latest \
  --transport streamable-http --http-host 0.0.0.0 --http-port 3000

The Docker image writes artifacts to /data and is published for linux/amd64 and linux/arm64. The same tags are also available from ghcr.io/swimmwatch/cloakbrowser-mcp. See Docker for persistent profiles, extension mounts, HTTPS, and smoke-test examples.

Configuration

Use upstream PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_* variables for browser, artifacts, timeouts, network, and tool capability settings. Cloak-specific bridge toggles use CLOAK_PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_*.

The common variable table now lives in Configuration. That page also covers persistent profiles, validated context options, Chrome extensions, Streamable HTTP metadata, and HTTPS/auth options. See GeoIP Proxy Matching for regional proxy behavior and Humanized Input Behavior for interaction realism.