Add Browser MCP to Cursor

Q: How do I add an MCP server to Cursor?

Add a browser-mcp entry to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json in a project (project-only) — the block is at the top of this page. Or use the UI: Cursor Settings → Tools & MCP → New MCP Server. Reload the window or restart Cursor afterward so it picks up the new server.

Q: Should I use the global or project config?

Global (~/.cursor/mcp.json) if you want Browser MCP available in every Cursor project, which is what most people want. Project-scoped (.cursor/mcp.json inside one repo) if you only want it active there — useful if you're on a team and don't want it turning up in a shared repo's config for everyone else.

Q: How do I update it?

The MCP server updates itself — every run uses npx @agent360/browser-mcp, so there's nothing to pin or bump. The extension auto-updates only if you installed it from the Chrome Web Store; if you loaded it unpacked, re-run npx @agent360/browser-mcp install and click ↻ reload on chrome://extensions.

Give Cursor's agent control of your real, already-logged-in Chrome — about 60 seconds, four steps.

The whole thing, in four steps

1 — Install the Chrome extension. One click from the Chrome Web Store; Chrome keeps it updated. No store? The unpacked install is further down.

2 — Point Cursor at the MCP server. Cursor does not read other clients' configs, so add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json in one project. Required — the extension does nothing on its own:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browser-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@agent360/browser-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

3 — Reload the Cursor window. That is what starts the server. The extension icon turns green.

4 — Say this, to check it worked. Paste it to Cursor's agent:

Take a screenshot of my current Chrome tab.

You get an image back instead of "I don't have browser access". That's it — you're running. → What else to say

Everything below is the long version.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browser-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@agent360/browser-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Paste that into ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global — available in every project) or .cursor/mcp.json inside one project (that project only), reload Cursor, then load the Chrome extension once — done. 41 browser tools, your actual cookies and sessions, works on 2FA and CAPTCHA-gated sites where headless tools (Playwright, Puppeteer) get blocked. MIT-licensed, free, and 100% local — nothing leaves your machine.

If you want the full walkthrough, keep reading. If you just needed the config block, that's it above.

Step-by-step install (Cursor)

Step 1 — Run the installer (gets the Chrome extension onto disk)

npx @agent360/browser-mcp install

This copies the Chrome extension files to ~/.browser-mcp/extension/ — the terminal prints the path, copy it, you'll need it in Step 3. It also tries to register the server with Claude Code if you have it installed; harmless to leave in place if you don't use Claude Code — Cursor is configured separately in Step 2.

Step 2 — Point Cursor at the MCP server

Cursor doesn't read Claude Code's config, so it needs its own entry. Two ways to add it:

A — Edit the config file directly (most reliable):

Open (or create) one of these and add the mcpServers block from the top of this page:

~/.cursor/mcp.json — global, the server is available in every Cursor project
.cursor/mcp.json inside a specific project's folder — that project only

B — Use Cursor's UI: open Cursor Settings (gear icon, top right) → Tools & MCP → New MCP Server. The exact menu wording has moved before across Cursor releases; if you don't see it, editing the JSON file directly (Method A) always works. The UI method just opens the same mcp.json for you to fill in.

Step 3 — Load the extension in Chrome

Chrome doesn't let extensions install themselves from npm, so this one step is manual:

Open Chrome and go to chrome://extensions
Toggle Developer mode ON (top right)
Click Load unpacked (top left, next to "Pack extension")
Navigate to ~/.browser-mcp/extension/ and select it
Mac: in the file picker, press Cmd+Shift+G, paste ~/.browser-mcp/extension/, hit Enter
Windows: paste %USERPROFILE%\.browser-mcp\extension\ into the address bar
Linux: type ~/.browser-mcp/extension/ into the path field

Don't want Developer mode on? Use the Chrome Web Store install instead — see below.

Step 4 — Reload Cursor

Reload the window (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P → "Reload Window") or fully quit and reopen Cursor — it reads mcp.json on startup and launches the server process automatically. Open Cursor Settings → Tools & MCP and confirm browser-mcp shows as loaded with an active status dot.

Verify it's working

Paste this to Cursor's agent:

Take a screenshot of my current Chrome tab.

If you get an image back instead of "I don't have browser access", both halves are talking to each other. That is the whole test.

Now what — things to actually say

Nothing happens until you ask, and the hardest part of a new tool is knowing what to ask for. Start with these:

Open my Gmail tab and tell me who sent my last 3 emails.

The one that shows the difference — it works because it is your browser, already signed in. A headless tool hits a login wall here.

Go to my analytics dashboard, pull this month's numbers, and put them in a table.

Any dashboard you are already logged into. No API key, no export, no integration to build first.

Fill in this signup form with my details. Stop and ask me before anything sensitive.

You stay in the loop — the agent hands control back for passwords, payment details, or anything it should not decide alone.

Log me in here. If it emails a code, read it from my Gmail tab and continue.

The move no API can make: it reads the one-time code out of your own inbox and finishes the sign-in.

Walk through my app's signup flow as a real user and tell me where it breaks.

End-to-end QA of your own product, in the same browser your users have.

The pattern: anything you would do yourself in a browser, on a site you are already signed into. It is strongest where there is no API — internal dashboards, admin panels, portals, LinkedIn. More examples.

Alternative installs

No npm? Manual zip download

Download the extension zip from the latest GitHub release
Unzip it anywhere (e.g. ~/Downloads/browser-mcp-extension/)
Follow Step 3 above, but select the unzipped folder instead of ~/.browser-mcp/extension/
Add the mcpServers block from the top of this page to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (or .cursor/mcp.json for one project) by hand

No Developer mode — Chrome Web Store

Install from the Chrome Web Store →

No Developer mode toggle needed, and Chrome updates the extension automatically in the background. Then add the same mcpServers block to Cursor's config as in Step 2 — the Chrome Web Store install only replaces Step 3, not Step 2.

Works with any MCP client

Browser MCP is a standard stdio MCP server — it doesn't know or care which client is driving it. The same npx @agent360/browser-mcp command works for Cursor, Claude Code, VS Code's agent mode, Windsurf, or any other MCP-compatible client; only the config file it goes into changes. See the Claude Code install if you also use that.

What your agent can do

The 2FA killer move

This is the reason people install Browser MCP: Cursor's agent hits a login wall, needs a verification code, and — because it's driving your actual logged-in Chrome rather than a fresh headless session — it can switch to your own Gmail tab, read the code, and finish the sign-in itself. No API can do that; there's no "read my 2FA code" endpoint to call. It works because Browser MCP isn't simulating a browser, it's operating yours: your cookies, your sessions, your already-passed 2FA challenges.

The same real-session advantage is why it works on 2FA- and CAPTCHA-gated sites that block Playwright and Puppeteer — it is not a fresh anonymous session, it is yours. (We do not build detection-evasion; see when-not-to-use.)

40 tools

Category	Tools
Navigation & content	`browser_navigate`, `browser_get_page_content`, `browser_screenshot`, `browser_execute_script`
Interaction	`browser_click`, `browser_fill`, `browser_press_key`, `browser_scroll`, `browser_wait`, `browser_hover`, `browser_select_option`, `browser_set_combobox`, `browser_set_date`, `browser_dismiss_overlays`, `browser_handle_dialog`
Tabs & frames	`browser_list_tabs`, `browser_switch_tab`, `browser_close_tab`, `browser_get_new_tab`, `browser_list_frames`, `browser_select_frame`
Data & network	`browser_get_cookies`, `browser_set_cookies`, `browser_get_local_storage`, `browser_set_local_storage`, `browser_fetch`, `browser_wait_for_network`, `browser_extract_token`, `browser_console_logs`, `browser_upload_file`, `browser_drop_file`
CAPTCHA assistance	`browser_solve_captcha` - detects reCAPTCHA v2/v3, hCaptcha, Turnstile and FunCaptcha, attempts the checkbox, then hands the challenge to you if it cannot. No third-party solving service
Human-in-the-loop	`browser_ask_user` — overlay dialog for 2FA, CAPTCHA, or credential input, right inside the page
Meta	`browser_about` — session/extension info

browser_extract_token ships with zero-config shortcuts for 9 common services (Stripe, HubSpot, Slack, Shopify, Mailchimp, Pipedrive, Calendly, Google, LinkedIn) — but it isn't limited to them. For any other provider, the agent falls back to browser_navigate + browser_get_page_content to find and extract the token itself.

Full source: github.com/Agent360dk/browser-mcp.

Why this over Playwright MCP

	Browser MCP	Playwright MCP
Browser	Your real Chrome	Headless (fresh session)
Logins/cookies	Already authenticated	Must log in every time
2FA / CAPTCHA-gated sites	Works — it's your session	Frequently blocked
Human-in-the-loop	`browser_ask_user`	None
Multi-session	20 concurrent sessions, color-coded tab groups	Single session
Install	Config block above	`npx @playwright/mcp`

Running more than one Cursor conversation at once

Each conversation gets its own MCP server on its own port (9876–9895), and the extension keeps every session's tabs in a separate color-coded Chrome tab group — one conversation can't see or click another's tabs. Idle sessions auto-exit after 4 hours without commands.

FAQ

How do I add an MCP server to Cursor? Add a browser-mcp entry to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json in a project (project-only) — the block is at the top of this page. Or use the UI: Cursor Settings → Tools & MCP → New MCP Server. Reload the window or restart Cursor afterward so it picks up the new server.

What is Browser MCP? An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that gives Cursor — or any MCP client, including Claude Code and VS Code agent mode — control of your actual, already-logged-in Chrome: your cookies, your sessions, your 2FA. 40 tools, MIT-licensed, 100% local.

Is it free? Yes. MIT license, no account, no paid tier.

Does it only work with Cursor, or also Claude Code / VS Code? Any MCP-compatible client. It's the exact same server and the exact same config block — {"mcpServers": {"browser-mcp": {"command": "npx", "args": ["@agent360/browser-mcp@latest"]}}} — only the file you paste it into changes per client.

Should I use the global or project config? Global (~/.cursor/mcp.json) if you want Browser MCP available in every Cursor project, which is what most people want. Project-scoped (.cursor/mcp.json inside one repo) if you only want it active there — useful if you're on a team and don't want it turning up in a shared repo's config for everyone else.

Why do I have to load the extension manually instead of it just installing? Chrome blocks extensions from self-installing from npm or any script — that's a Chrome security boundary, not a Browser MCP limitation. Loading unpacked once, or installing from the Chrome Web Store, are the only two ways in.

Does my browsing data leave my machine? No. The MCP server runs locally over stdio, talks to the extension over a local WebSocket, and the extension talks to Chrome through Chrome's own APIs. Nothing is sent to a remote server.

How do I update it? The MCP server updates itself — every run uses npx @agent360/browser-mcp, so there's nothing to pin or bump. The extension auto-updates only if you installed it from the Chrome Web Store; if you loaded it unpacked, re-run npx @agent360/browser-mcp install and click ↻ reload on chrome://extensions.

Chrome extension says "not connected" — what do I check? First: did you register the MCP server, not just install the extension? If you got the extension from the Chrome Web Store and never added browser-mcp to your mcp.json, that is the whole problem — the extension has nothing to connect to. Add the config block from Step 2 above and restart Cursor. If the server is configured, confirm the extension is loaded under chrome://extensions, click the extension icon → "Reconnect," and give it 2–3 seconds — it scans ports 9876–9895 for the running server. Still stuck: troubleshooting.

I already run several other MCP servers in Cursor — will Browser MCP's 40 tools be a problem? Cursor limits how many tools can be active across all your MCP servers combined, so if you're already close to that ceiling, disable tools you don't need from Settings → Tools & MCP (you can toggle individual tools per server, not just whole servers).

Is this the same as browsermcp.io? No — different project, same underlying idea (MCP + your real Chrome), separate codebase. If you found this page searching generically for "browser mcp," make sure you're grabbing the one you meant: this one is @agent360/browser-mcp on npm, github.com/Agent360dk/browser-mcp on GitHub.

Can I run it across multiple Cursor windows/conversations at once? Yes — up to 20 concurrent sessions, each on its own port with its own color-coded Chrome tab group, so sessions can't see or control each other's tabs.