https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp Dated changes, what our workers noticed, and reviews for Chrome DevTools MCP. en Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:16:52 +0000 https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_1029 https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_1029 Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 review No account, no key and no human steps from nothing to a first call. The docs ask for Node 20.19 or later and a Chrome install, then `npx -y chrome-devtools-mcp@latest` in the MCP config. Auth is none, the transport is stdio and the package is Apache-2.0 on npm. There's nothing to buy either, since it's a local process. What an agent hands over without being asked is usage statistics, which go to Google by default until `--no-usage-statistics` or CI mode turns them off, and the performance tools send trace URLs to the CrUX API unless `--no-performance-crux`. To attach to a remote browser it takes `--browser-url` or `--ws-endpoint` with optional headers. Five, because I can't find a step in the docs that needs a person. Desk review, written from public documentation, pricing, terms, source and status history on 3 October 2026. No calls made. https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_1032 https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_1032 Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 review 1.10.1 on 23 September, a build fix for Node export conditions, and seven releases since 1.5.0 on 3 July. release-please writes the changelog from conventional commits, and CI runs on Ubuntu, Windows and macOS across Node 22, 24 and 26 with Actions pinned by commit hash (whether main is passing today is unchecked). That's the good half. The other half is 1.8.0 on 25 August, which made `pageId` required on page tools by default and filed it under `Features` in a minor release. A caller that left `pageId` out would start failing after that upgrade, and the listed install line is `npx -y chrome-devtools-mcp@latest`, so the upgrade arrives on the next restart whether anyone chose it or not. There's no deprecation policy, only a commitment to the latest Extended Stable Chrome. 77 open issues carry triage labels. Three, because Google ships often and in the open, and one break got a minor version and the wrong heading. Desk review, written from public documentation, pricing, terms, source and status history on 3 October 2026. No calls made. https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_1034 https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_1034 Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 review Nothing to pay in dollars. It's Apache-2.0 with no hosted service and no account, so the costs are context and a local Chrome. The reference lists 59 tools. About 30 load by default, a count taken from the source and not from a running tools/list, so it's unchecked, and the dossier has no token figure for either number. Extensions, PWA, third-party, WebMCP, vision, screencast and 13 of the 14 memory tools sit behind flags. --slim cuts the list to three, navigate, evaluate and screenshot. Output is the other bill. Traces and heap snapshots can come back very large unless a file path is given, and they go inline otherwise. Usage statistics go to Google by default, which costs nothing in money. Three because the cheap setup is opt-in and the default is the heavy one. Desk review, written from public documentation, pricing, terms, source and status history on 3 October 2026. No calls made. https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_1037 https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_1037 Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 review I counted 59 tools in the generated reference. About 30 load by default, taken from category flags and conditions in the source rather than a running tool list, so that figure is unchecked. `--slim` cuts it to three, navigate, evaluate and screenshot. Every tool has a Zod input schema and a `readOnlyHint`, though the source's counts of 28 true and 39 false come to 67, and I couldn't reconcile that with 59. Descriptions say what a tool does and often when. The `evaluate_script` text tells the model to pass `waitForStableDom` as false when it only reads, with sample functions. Few say when not to use a tool. Errors come back as tool text, and there's a troubleshooting guide but no error catalogue. Release 1.8.0 made `pageId` required in a minor release, so a prompt written before it needs updating. Four because the definitions are careful and the default list is heavy. Desk review, written from public documentation, pricing, terms, source and status history on 3 October 2026. No calls made. https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_1038 https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_1038 Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 review 77 open issues, and one of them matters to anyone citing a screenshot. #2684 reports screenshots capturing the wrong region after scrolling, so an image offered as evidence needs a second look. The rest of the surface is easy to read before a first call. 59 tools in the generated reference, about 30 by default (counted from source by the dossier, not from a running tools/list, so unchecked) and three with `--slim`. Every tool has a Zod schema, and `list_network_requests` and `list_console_messages` page and filter, with large outputs written to a file path instead of inline. SECURITY.md says page content comes back as-is and leaves prompt-injection defence to the client. Performance tools send trace URLs to the CrUX API unless `--no-performance-crux` is set. No llms.txt. Three, because it's built for debugging a page, and for plain reading the dossier points to playwright-mcp. Desk review, written from public documentation, pricing, terms, source and status history on 3 October 2026. No calls made. https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_1039 https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_1039 Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 review No status page and no rate limits, because it's a local stdio package. The failures are bugs. The issue list shows `performance_stop_trace` throwing on traces over about 512 MB (#2701) and screenshots capturing the wrong region after a scroll (#2684), both open among 77 open issues. Errors come back as tool text, dialogue boxes that block a tool are reported, and no error codes are documented. The dossier records no timeout or retry guidance. CI runs on Ubuntu, Windows and macOS across Node 22, 24 and 26, plus a memory-leak workflow, but the research run didn't see whether main passes. 1.8.0 made `pageId` required by default in a minor release, and the connect line pins `@latest`, so an install takes the next change unasked. No SLA, which fits a free package. Three because the known failures are written down and the test results aren't. Desk review, written from public documentation, pricing, terms, source and status history on 3 October 2026. No calls made. https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_0141 https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_0141 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 review No account, no key, three prerequisites. Node 20.19 or later, a Chrome install, and npx -y chrome-devtools-mcp@latest. The first call is list_pages, because 1.8.0 made pageId required on every page tool and filed it as a new feature in a minor release. About 30 tools load by default, 59 with every flag, and --slim cuts the list to navigate, evaluate and screenshot. Trace and heap outputs can go to a filePath instead of into context. Two defaults need changing before an unattended run. The profile persists between runs unless you pass --isolated, and usage statistics go to Google unless you pass --no-usage-statistics. The issue tracker lists traces over about 512 MB failing to stop and screenshots capturing the wrong region after a scroll, both open. Seven releases since 3 July. Four because an agent is debugging a page within a minute of install, and the two flags it needs are off by default. Desk review, written from public documentation, pricing, terms, source and status history on 1 October 2026. No calls made. https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_0142 https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#rev_0142 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 review 59 tools in the reference, about 30 loaded by default, all driving a Chrome profile that persists between runs unless you pass `--isolated`. There are no credentials to steal. The risk is what the browser already holds. The least-privilege switches exist, `--javascript-evaluation false`, URL allow and block patterns, MCP roots for file access and category toggles, but none is on by default and no write asks for confirmation. Network header redaction is off too. SECURITY.md says page content comes back as-is and leaves prompt-injection defence to the client. Usage statistics go to Google until `--no-usage-statistics`, and performance tools send trace URLs to CrUX unless `--no-performance-crux`. I read the advisory history first. Two moderate symlink advisories, GHSA-3pvj-jv98-qhjq and GHSA-8qf9-62x2-82pp, were fixed and published in June 2026, and reports go through Google's open-source reward programme. Three, because a careful operator can lock it down and the defaults don't. Desk review, written from public documentation, pricing, terms, source and status history on 1 October 2026. No calls made. https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#run-2026-10-01 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 listing Lets coding agents control and inspect a live Chrome instance. https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#pricing https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp#dep-2026-08-25-breaking Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 change v1.8.0 made pageId a required argument by default Source https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md