Claude Code Browser Automation: Control Chrome with AI

Problem: Manually testing web applications, scraping data, and automating repetitive browser tasks wastes hours of development time. Browser automation through MCP servers solves this.

Quick Win: Configure the Puppeteer MCP server and automate your first browser task in minutes. Add this to your Claude Code settings file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "puppeteer": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-puppeteer"]
    }
  }
}

Now tell Claude: "Open a browser, navigate to example.com, and take a screenshot" - it handles the rest automatically.

Why Browser Automation with Claude Code?

Traditional browser automation requires writing complex scripts, handling selectors, and managing browser states. Claude Code with browser MCP servers turns natural language into browser actions.

Instead of writing 50 lines of Puppeteer code, you simply describe what you want: "Fill out this contact form with test data and submit it."

Setting Up Browser Automation

Puppeteer MCP Server Configuration

Add the Puppeteer MCP server to your MCP configuration file (~/.claude.json for CLI or claude_desktop_config.json for Desktop):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "puppeteer": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-puppeteer"]
    }
  }
}

After saving, restart Claude Code to load the new MCP server. Test by asking Claude to launch a browser and navigate to any website.

Alternative: Playwright MCP Setup

For more advanced browser testing with multi-browser support, configure the Playwright MCP server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@executeautomation/playwright-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Playwright provides cross-browser testing capabilities and is often preferred for comprehensive test automation.

Common Browser Automation Tasks

Web Scraping Made Simple

Ask Claude to scrape data with natural language:

"Open example.com, find all product listings, and extract the titles and prices into a CSV file"

Claude Code handles opening the browser, finding elements, extracting structured data, and formatting the output.

Form Testing Automation

"Open my local development site at localhost:3000, fill out the signup form with test data, submit it, and verify the success message appears"

This replaces manual testing with a single request that navigates to your site, generates realistic test data, fills all form fields, and validates success states.

Visual Regression Testing

"Take screenshots of my homepage at different screen sizes (mobile, tablet, desktop) and save them to ./screenshots/"

Advanced Browser Automation Patterns

Multi-Step User Journeys

Claude Code excels at complex workflows:

"Simulate a complete e-commerce purchase flow: browse products, add to cart, go through checkout with test details, and verify the order confirmation page"

Authentication Flows

"Log into my staging environment, navigate to the admin dashboard, and verify all navigation links work correctly"

Performance Monitoring

"Open my app, measure page load times for the dashboard, and report any pages that take longer than 3 seconds to load"

Troubleshooting Browser Automation

Browser launch fails: Ensure Chrome or Chromium is installed on your system. On Linux:

sudo apt-get install -y chromium-browser

Elements not found: Ask Claude to wait for dynamic content: "Wait for the login button to be visible before clicking it."

Timeouts: For slow-loading pages, specify longer waits: "Navigate to the page and wait up to 30 seconds for it to fully load."

Integration with Development Workflow

Browser automation integrates naturally with your development process:

• Testing: Automate regression tests during builds
• Debugging: Capture visual proof of bugs
• Monitoring: Check production sites continuously
• Development: Test features across browsers instantly

Next Steps

Master browser automation by exploring these areas:

• Learn about MCP server configuration for customizing browser settings
• Set up custom integration patterns for your specific testing needs
• Explore popular MCP servers for additional automation capabilities

Start with simple tasks like taking screenshots, then progress to complex user journey testing as you get comfortable with natural language browser control.