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Browser Use can run as a local Model Context Protocol (MCP) server on your machine via stdio. This is the free, open-source option that gives you direct, low-level control over browser automation but requires your own LLM API keys.
Looking for a hosted solution? Use the Cloud MCP Server instead — no setup required, just an API key.

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Quick Start

uvx --from 'browser-use[cli]' browser-use --mcp
The server will start in stdio mode, ready to accept MCP connections.

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Client Setup

claude mcp add browser-use -- uvx --from 'browser-use[cli]' browser-use --mcp

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Environment Variables

  • OPENAI_API_KEY - Your OpenAI API key (required)
  • ANTHROPIC_API_KEY - Your Anthropic API key (alternative to OpenAI)
  • BROWSER_USE_HEADLESS - Set to false to show browser window
  • BROWSER_USE_DISABLE_SECURITY - Set to true to disable browser security features

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Available Tools

The local MCP server exposes these low-level browser automation tools for direct control:

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Autonomous Agent Tools

  • retry_with_browser_use_agent - Run a complete browser automation task with an AI agent (use as last resort when direct control fails)

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Direct Browser Control

  • browser_navigate - Navigate to a URL
  • browser_click - Click on an element by index
  • browser_type - Type text into an element
  • browser_get_state - Get current page state and interactive elements
  • browser_scroll - Scroll the page
  • browser_go_back - Go back in browser history

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Tab Management

  • browser_list_tabs - List all open browser tabs
  • browser_switch_tab - Switch to a specific tab
  • browser_close_tab - Close a tab

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Content Extraction

  • browser_extract_content - Extract structured content from the current page

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Session Management

  • browser_list_sessions - List all active browser sessions with details
  • browser_close_session - Close a specific browser session by ID
  • browser_close_all - Close all active browser sessions

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Example Usage

Once configured, you can ask your AI to perform browser automation tasks: 
"Please navigate to example.com and take a screenshot"

"Search for 'browser automation' on Google and summarize the first 3 results"

"Go to GitHub, find the browser-use repository, and tell me about the latest release"

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Programmatic Usage

You can also connect to the MCP server programmatically: 
import asyncio
from mcp import ClientSession, StdioServerParameters
from mcp.client.stdio import stdio_client

async def use_browser_mcp():
    # Connect to browser-use MCP server
    server_params = StdioServerParameters(
        command="uvx",
        args=["--from", "browser-use[cli]", "browser-use", "--mcp"]
    )

    async with stdio_client(server_params) as (read, write):
        async with ClientSession(read, write) as session:
            await session.initialize()

            # Navigate to a website
            result = await session.call_tool(
                "browser_navigate",
                arguments={"url": "https://example.com"}
            )
            print(result.content[0].text)

            # Get page state
            result = await session.call_tool(
                "browser_get_state",
                arguments={"include_screenshot": True}
            )
            print("Page state retrieved!")

asyncio.run(use_browser_mcp())

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Troubleshooting

“CLI addon is not installed” Error Make sure you are using --from 'browser-use[cli]' in your uvx command: 
uvx --from 'browser-use[cli]' browser-use --mcp
“spawn uvx ENOENT” Error (macOS/Linux) Claude Desktop cannot find uvx in its PATH. Use the full path in your config:
  • Run which uvx in terminal to find the location
  • Update your config to use the full path (e.g., /Users/your-username/.local/bin/uvx)
Browser doesn’t start
  • Check that you have Chrome/Chromium installed
  • Try setting BROWSER_USE_HEADLESS=false to see browser window
  • Ensure no other browser instances are using the same profile
API Key Issues
  • Verify your OPENAI_API_KEY is set correctly
  • Check API key permissions and billing status
  • Try using ANTHROPIC_API_KEY as an alternative
Connection Issues in Claude Desktop
  • Restart Claude Desktop after config changes
  • Check the config file syntax is valid JSON
  • Verify the file path is correct for your OS
  • Check logs at ~/Library/Logs/Claude/ (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\Logs\ (Windows)
Debug Mode Enable debug logging by setting: 
export BROWSER_USE_LOGGING_LEVEL=DEBUG
uvx --from 'browser-use[cli]' browser-use --mcp

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Security Considerations

  • The MCP server has access to your browser and file system
  • Only connect trusted MCP clients
  • Be cautious with sensitive websites and data
  • Consider running in a sandboxed environment for untrusted automation

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Next Steps