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MCP server · Browser

Dev Browser Go

by · github.com/joshp123/dev-browser-go

Token-light browser automation via Playwright. CLI + MCP server.

Unclaimed AGPL-3.0 last commit 8 months ago browser
InstallView source
56Fair

Scored 19 hours ago · breakdown

About Dev Browser Go

Dev Browser Go is an MCP server published by joshp123 in the Browser category: token-light browser automation via Playwright. CLI + MCP server.

The repository has 2 stars and 2 forks, with the last commit 8 months ago. Six months or more without a commit doesn't mean the server is broken, but check the open issues before depending on it in production.

Install

From source
git clone https://github.com/joshp123/dev-browser-go

This server has no ConduID identity, so agent calls to it are not receipted. Pin the version you install and review the source before granting it credentials.

Tools (8)

actionsbatch tool calls from JSON

Parameters not published.

boundsget element bounds (selector/ARIA)

Parameters not published.

consoleread page console logs (default levels: info,warning,error; repeatable `--level`)

Parameters not published.

list-pagesshow open pages

Parameters not published.

save-htmlsave page HTML

Parameters not published.

screenshotsave screenshot

Parameters not published.

snapshotaccessibility tree with refs

Parameters not published.

waitwait for page state

Parameters not published.

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Security checks

Static checks derived from the repository 19 hours ago. Heuristics on the source, not an audit.

  • ✓README presentThe repository ships documentation.
  • ✓License declaredUsable under a stated license.
  • ✓Tests presentA test suite exists in the repository.
  • ✓Dependencies pinnedA lockfile pins dependency versions.
  • ✓No dynamic code executionSource scan found no eval, dynamic Function, or shell execution.
  • !Scoped permissionsDoesn't declare a permission scope. Assume it can do anything its process can.

Releases

v0.2.0v0.2.0 · 12 Jan 2026Highlights Element-level bounds and screenshots with selector/ARIA targeting, padding, nth, and clear errors Ultrawide headless default (7680x2160) plus --window-size/--window-scale flags for consistent viewports Fix aria-name handling to…

README

dev-browser-go

Token-light browser automation via Playwright-Go. CLI-first design for LLM agent workflows.

Uses ref-based interaction: get a compact accessibility snapshot, then click/fill by ref ID. Keeps context small. Single Go binary with embedded daemon.

Acknowledgments

Inspired by SawyerHood/dev-browser. ARIA snapshot extraction is vendored from that project. Thanks to Sawyer Hood for the original work and ref-based model.

Thanks to Daniel van Dorp (@djvdorp) for early contributions (pip packaging, console logs) and legacy MCP cleanup work.

Comparison

Feature SawyerHood/dev-browser dev-browser-go
Language TypeScript Go
Runtime Bun + browser extension Playwright-Go
Interface Browser extension skill CLI + daemon
Install .plugin Go binary / Nix
Best for Desktop skill users CLI/LLM agents, Nix users
Snapshot engine ARIA (JS) Same (vendored)

Why CLI (no MCP)

  • Lower latency: direct subprocess, no JSON-RPC framing
  • Easier debugging: run commands yourself, see stdout/stderr
  • Simpler integration: any agent that can shell out works
  • Persistent sessions: daemon keeps browser alive between calls

Install

Playwright browsers are required. The Nix package wraps PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH to the packaged Chromium; dev shell includes the driver/browsers. Outside Nix, Playwright-Go will download on first run.

Nix (flake)

nix run github:joshp123/dev-browser-go#dev-browser-go -- goto https://example.com
nix profile install github:joshp123/dev-browser-go#dev-browser-go

Go build

go build ./cmd/dev-browser-go
./dev-browser-go goto https://example.com
./dev-browser-go snapshot

CLI Usage

dev-browser-go --help              # Full usage
dev-browser-go --version           # Version

dev-browser-go goto https://example.com
dev-browser-go snapshot            # Get refs (e1, e2, ...)
dev-browser-go click-ref e3        # Click ref
dev-browser-go fill-ref e5 "text"  # Fill input
dev-browser-go screenshot          # Capture
dev-browser-go press Enter         # Keyboard

The daemon starts automatically on first command and keeps the browser session alive.

Global Flags

--profile <name>    Browser profile (default: "default", env DEV_BROWSER_PROFILE)
--headless          Run headless (default)
--headed            Disable headless
--window-size WxH   Viewport size (default 7680x2160 ultrawide)
--window-scale S    Viewport scale preset (1, 0.75, 0.5)
--output <format>   Output format: summary|json|path (default: summary)
--out <path>        Write output to file (with --output=path)

Environment Variables

Variable Description
DEV_BROWSER_PROFILE Browser profile name
HEADLESS Override headless default (1/true/yes to enable, 0/false to disable)
DEV_BROWSER_ALLOW_UNSAFE_PATHS Allow artifact writes outside cache dir

Commands

Command Description
goto <url> Navigate to URL
snapshot Accessibility tree with refs
click-ref <ref> Click element by ref
fill-ref <ref> "text" Fill input by ref
press <key> Keyboard input
screenshot Save screenshot (full-page or element crop with padding; crops clamp to 2000x2000)
bounds Get element bounding box (selector/ARIA)
console Read page console logs (default levels: info,warning,error)
save-html Save page HTML
wait Wait for page state
list-pages Show open pages
close-page <name> Close named page
call <tool> Generic tool call with JSON args
actions Batch tool calls from JSON
status Daemon status
start Start daemon
stop Stop daemon

Run dev-browser-go <command> --help for command-specific options.

Integration with AI Agents

Add to your project's agent docs (or use SKILL.md directly):

## Browser Automation

Use `dev-browser-go` CLI for browser tasks. Keeps context small via ref-based interaction.

Workflow:
1. `dev-browser-go goto <url>` - navigate
2. `dev-browser-go snapshot` - get interactive elements as refs (e1, e2, etc.)
3. `dev-browser-go click-ref <ref>` or `dev-browser-go fill-ref <ref> "text"` - interact
4. `dev-browser-go screenshot` - capture state if needed

Element-level capture:

dev-browser-go bounds ".vault-panel" --nth 1
dev-browser-go screenshot --selector ".vault-panel" --padding-px 10

For detailed workflow examples, see SKILL.md.

Integration with Codex

Codex can use the CLI directly via its shell access. Example prompt:

Use dev-browser-go to navigate to example.com and find all links on the page.

Available commands:
- dev-browser-go goto <url>
- dev-browser-go snapshot [--no-interactive-only] [--no-include-headings]
- dev-browser-go click-ref <ref>
- dev-browser-go fill-ref <ref> "text"
- dev-browser-go screenshot
- dev-browser-go press <key>
- dev-browser-go console [--since <id>] [--limit <n>] [--level <lvl> ...]

Tools

  • goto <url> - navigate
  • snapshot - accessibility tree with refs
  • click-ref <ref> - click element
  • fill-ref <ref> "text" - fill input
  • press <key> - keyboard input
  • screenshot - save screenshot
  • bounds - get element bounds (selector/ARIA)
  • console - read page console logs (default levels: info,warning,error; repeatable --level)
  • save-html - save page HTML
  • wait - wait for page state
  • list-pages - show open pages
  • close-page <name> - close named page
  • call <tool> - generic tool call with JSON args
  • actions - batch tool calls from JSON
  • status / start / stop - daemon management

Versioning & Releases

  • Simple SemVer tags (v0.y.z for fast moves; bump to v1.0.0 once stable).
  • GitHub Release on each tag with the single Go binary (dev-browser-go) and checksums.
  • Nix flake outputs follow the tag; no extra artifacts.

License

AGPL-3.0-or-later. See LICENSE.

Vendored code from SawyerHood/dev-browser is MIT licensed. See THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.

README fetched from the repository 19 hours ago. The original is authoritative.

Questions

About Dev Browser Go

How do I install Dev Browser Go?

No package has been published for this server, so install it from source: clone the repository and follow its README.

Is Dev Browser Go safe to use with an AI agent?

Its trust score is 56 out of 100 (fair). It passes 5 of the 6 static security checks run so far; the failures are listed above. It has no ConduID identity yet, so agent calls to it are not receipted.

Is Dev Browser Go still maintained?

The last commit was 8 months ago. That's long enough that you should check whether the maintainer is responding to issues before depending on it.