Browser MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides browser automation capabilities using Anchor Browser's remote browser service with Playwright. This server enables LLMs to interact with web pages through Anchor's cloud-based browsers with built-in proxies, stealth features, and advanced capabilities.
Key Features
- Remote Browser Execution: Uses Anchor Browser's cloud infrastructure instead of local browsers
- Built-in Proxies: Automatic residential proxy rotation and geo-targeting
- Stealth & Anti-Detection: Advanced browser fingerprinting and anti-bot detection
- Fast and lightweight: Uses Playwright's accessibility tree, not pixel-based input
- LLM-friendly: No vision models needed, operates purely on structured data
- Deterministic tool application: Avoids ambiguity common with screenshot-based approaches
Requirements
- Node.js 18 or newer
- Anchor Browser API Key (Get one here)
- VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop, Goose or any other MCP client
Getting Started
1. Clone and Build
Since this is a custom Browser MCP server, you need to build it locally:
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/anchorbrowser/anchor-mcp.git
cd anchor-mcp
# Install dependencies and build
npm install
npm run build
2. Get Your Anchor API Key
- Sign up at anchorbrowser.io
- Get your API key from the dashboard
- Copy your API key (starts with
sk-)
3. Configure MCP Client
Cursor
Add to your ~/.cursor/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"anchor-browser": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"/path/to/anchor-mcp/cli.js"
],
"env": {
"ANCHOR_API_KEY": "sk-your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}
VS Code
Add to your MCP configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"anchor-browser": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"/path/to/anchor-mcp/cli.js"
],
"env": {
"ANCHOR_API_KEY": "sk-your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}
Claude Desktop
Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"anchor-browser": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"/path/to/anchor-mcp/cli.js"
],
"env": {
"ANCHOR_API_KEY": "sk-your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}
4. Restart Your MCP Client
After updating the configuration, restart your MCP client (Cursor, VS Code, etc.) to load the new server.
Configuration Options
The Browser MCP server supports only essential configuration options:
node cli.js --help
Available Options:
--host <host>- Host to bind server to (default: localhost, use 0.0.0.0 for all interfaces)--port <port>- Port to listen on for HTTP transport (Docker/server mode)
Example with Options:
{
"mcpServers": {
"anchor-browser": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"/path/to/anchor-mcp/cli.js",
],
"env": {
"ANCHOR_API_KEY": "sk-your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}
HTTP Server Mode (Docker):
For Docker or headless server environments:
# Run as HTTP server
ANCHOR_API_KEY="sk-your-key" node cli.js --port 8931 --host 0.0.0.0
Then configure your MCP client to use the HTTP endpoint:
{
"mcpServers": {
"anchor-browser": {
"url": "http://localhost:8931/mcp"
}
}
}
Why So Few Options?
Since Anchor Browser handles all the complex browser management remotely, most traditional browser options are unnecessary:
- No browser selection - Anchor uses optimized remote browsers
- No proxy configuration - Anchor provides built-in proxy rotation
- No browser profile management - Handled by Anchor's infrastructure
- No network filtering - Use Anchor's dashboard for advanced controls
- No viewport/device options - Configure these through Anchor Browser API
This keeps the MCP server simple and focused on what matters: connecting to Anchor's remote browser service.
How It Works
- Browser Session Creation: When you use browser tools, the MCP server calls Anchor's API to create a remote browser session
- Remote Connection: Connects to the remote browser via WebSocket using Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP)
- Tool Execution: All browser automation happens in Anchor's cloud infrastructure
- Proxy & Stealth: Automatic residential proxy rotation and advanced anti-detection features
- Session Management: Each session is isolated and can be viewed live via Anchor's dashboard
Benefits Over Local Browsers
🌐 Global Proxy Network
- Automatic residential proxy rotation
- Geo-targeting for different regions
- No proxy configuration needed
🛡️ Advanced Stealth
- Browser fingerprinting protection
- Anti-bot detection bypass
- Real browser environments
☁️ Cloud Infrastructure
- No local browser dependencies
- Consistent browser versions
- Scalable execution
📊 Monitoring & Debugging
- Live view of browser sessions
- Session recordings and traces
- Network request logging
Available Tools
The Browser MCP server provides all standard browser automation tools:
Core Automation
anchor_navigate- Navigate to URLsanchor_click- Click elementsbrowser_type- Type text into inputsbrowser_snapshot- Get page accessibility treebrowser_take_screenshot- Take screenshotsbrowser_evaluate- Execute JavaScriptbrowser_wait_for- Wait for conditions
Tab Management
browser_tab_new- Open new tabsbrowser_tab_list- List open tabsbrowser_tab_select- Switch between tabsbrowser_tab_close- Close tabs
Advanced Features
browser_file_upload- Upload filesbrowser_handle_dialog- Handle alerts/confirmsbrowser_network_requests- View network trafficbrowser_pdf_save- Generate PDFs (with--caps=pdf)
Troubleshooting
Invalid API Key
Error: Missing ANCHOR_API_KEY environment variable
Solution: Make sure your API key is correctly set in the MCP configuration.
Build Errors
npm run build
Solution: Make sure you have Node.js 18+ and run npm install first.
Connection Issues
Check the MCP logs for Anchor API responses and WebSocket connection status.
Session Limits
Each Anchor API key has session limits. Check your dashboard at anchorbrowser.io for usage.
Development
To modify or extend the Browser MCP server:
# Make changes to TypeScript files in src/
# Then rebuild
npm run build
# Test your changes
node cli.js --help
The server will automatically use Anchor's remote browsers for all operations, providing the benefits of cloud-based browser automation with advanced proxy and stealth capabilities.
License
This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.
Support
- Anchor Browser: anchorbrowser.io
- Documentation: Anchor Browser Docs
- MCP Protocol: Model Context Protocol