# Chrome DevTools MCP vs Skyvern

> Chrome DevTools MCP scores 77 (BB) on agent readiness against Skyvern's 63.1 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do browser automation. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-skyvern
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-skyvern.md (~2,450 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-skyvern.min.md (~780 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-skyvern.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-08

Chrome DevTools MCP scores 77 (BB) on agent readiness against Skyvern's 63.1 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do browser automation.

- Chrome DevTools MCP: grade BB, 77/100, rank #22 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp.json
- Skyvern: grade B, 63.1/100, rank #288 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/skyvern.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/skyvern.json

## Which one, for what

### Chrome DevTools MCP (BB)

Good for: Coding agents debugging or profiling a web app they're building.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 83 against 57
- Agent ergonomics, 83 against 76
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 32
- Maintenance & community, 93 against 85
- Transparency & trust, 81 against 72

Also in its favour:
- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
- No key needed to call it

Watch for: Usage statistics go to Google by default until you pass `--no-usage-statistics`

### Skyvern (B)

Good for: Agents that must finish a multi-step job on sites with logins, 2FA and forms, where stored credentials, saved workflows and cached scripts matter more than raw browser time.

Also in its favour:
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install
- Free to start without a card

Watch for: Every API key and OAuth token has full organisation authority. The docs state there are no read-only, per-endpoint or per-resource keys


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Chrome DevTools MCP | Skyvern | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 83 | 57 | Chrome DevTools MCP +26 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 87 | 88 | Skyvern +1 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 83 | 76 | Chrome DevTools MCP +7 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 63 | 59 | Chrome DevTools MCP +4 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 32 | Chrome DevTools MCP +28 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 93 | 85 | Chrome DevTools MCP +8 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 81 | 72 | Chrome DevTools MCP +9 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -1 | -3 | |
| **Total** | | **77 · BB** | **63.1 · B** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Chrome DevTools MCP | Skyvern |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | MCP server | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Google (Chrome DevTools team) | Ikonomos Inc. (Skyvern) |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://api.skyvern.com/v1` |
| Transports | stdio | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio |
| Auth | None | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Free | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 for the open-source server, SDKs and MCP server. Skyvern Cloud is a proprietary service under Skyvern's terms, and its anti-bot measures aren't in the repository |
| Tools exposed | 59 | 114 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| MCP registry | `io.github.ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp` | `io.github.Skyvern-AI/skyvern` |
| Last release | 2026-09-23 | 2026-10-01 |
| Terms last updated | no document linked | 2026-02-27 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-10-01 | 2026-10-01 |
| Customer content may train models | yes | yes, with an opt-out |
| Terms restrict automated access |  | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking |  | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice |  | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  | yes |
| Popularity | 49k stars, 1.5M npm/wk | 23k stars, 3.2k npm/wk, 1.6k PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (8) | none |

## Verdicts

**Chrome DevTools MCP.** Performance traces, network inspection, heap snapshots and Lighthouse audits in one server. Usage statistics go to Google by default until you pass `--no-usage-statistics`.

**Skyvern.** The hosted MCP server annotates every tool as read-only or destructive and can advertise a 29 or 32-tool subset in place of 114, and the API has a written six-month deprecation policy. Every key and OAuth token carries full organisation authority, with no read-only or scoped credential, and no request rate limits are documented.

## Before you call either

### Chrome DevTools MCP

1. Pass `pageId` on every page tool. Call `list_pages` first to get it
2. Start with `--slim` for plain browsing, or turn off categories you don't need
3. Run with `--isolated` for untrusted sites. The default profile persists between runs
4. Use `filePath` on large outputs such as traces and snapshots to keep them out of context
5. Add `--no-usage-statistics` if the operator hasn't agreed to Google telemetry

### Skyvern

1. Connect to https://api.skyvern.com/mcp/x/lean or /x/operate, or send `X-Skyvern-Scope`, so the client loads 32 or 29 tools. The scope filters the list and does not limit permissions
2. Use a separate Skyvern organisation for each blast radius. Any key or OAuth token can read and write stored credentials and delete workflows
3. Never pass passwords to `skyvern_act` or `skyvern_type`. Store them as credentials and call `skyvern_login`
4. Set `max_steps` on tasks, or `x-max-steps-override` on agent runs, to cap credits. A run that reaches the cap ends as `timed_out`
5. On 503 from POST /v1/run/agents, wait `Retry-After` seconds. No run was created, so resubmitting is safe

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Chrome DevTools MCP or Skyvern?

Chrome DevTools MCP scores 77 (BB) on agent readiness against Skyvern's 63.1 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.

### Do Chrome DevTools MCP and Skyvern need an API key?

Chrome DevTools MCP needs no key. Skyvern takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call Chrome DevTools MCP and Skyvern without installing anything?

Chrome DevTools MCP runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. Skyvern has a hosted endpoint at https://api.skyvern.com/v1.

### Are Chrome DevTools MCP and Skyvern open source?

Yes. Chrome DevTools MCP is open source (Apache-2.0). Skyvern is open source (AGPL-3.0 for the open-source server, SDKs and MCP server. Skyvern Cloud is a proprietary service under Skyvern's terms, and its anti-bot measures aren't in the repository).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-skyvern.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-skyvern.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "chrome-devtools-mcp", "b": "skyvern"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare chrome-devtools-mcp skyvern`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/skyvern.json

## Other comparisons with Chrome DevTools MCP or Skyvern

- [Airtop vs Chrome DevTools MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/airtop-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.md)
- [Airtop vs Skyvern](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/airtop-vs-skyvern.md)
- [Anchor Browser vs Chrome DevTools MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anchor-browser-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.md)
- [Anchor Browser vs Skyvern](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anchor-browser-vs-skyvern.md)
- [Browser Use vs Chrome DevTools MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browser-use-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.md)
- [Browser Use vs Skyvern](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browser-use-vs-skyvern.md)
- [Browserbase vs Chrome DevTools MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserbase-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.md)
- [Browserless vs Chrome DevTools MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserless-vs-chrome-devtools-mcp.md)
- [Browserless vs Skyvern](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserless-vs-skyvern.md)
- [Chrome DevTools MCP vs Hyperbrowser](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-hyperbrowser.md)
- [Chrome DevTools MCP vs Notte](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-notte.md)
- [Chrome DevTools MCP vs Playwright MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-playwright-mcp.md)
- [Chrome DevTools MCP vs Puppeteer (archived MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-puppeteer-reference-server-archived.md)
- [Chrome DevTools MCP vs Steel](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chrome-devtools-mcp-vs-steel.md)
- [Hyperbrowser vs Skyvern](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hyperbrowser-vs-skyvern.md)
- [Notte vs Skyvern](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/notte-vs-skyvern.md)
- [Playwright MCP vs Skyvern](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/playwright-mcp-vs-skyvern.md)
- [Puppeteer (archived MCP reference server) vs Skyvern](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/puppeteer-reference-server-archived-vs-skyvern.md)
- [Skyvern vs Steel](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/skyvern-vs-steel.md)
- [Browserbase vs Skyvern](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/browserbase-vs-skyvern.md)