Chrome Tabs

You can access and read content from your browser’s open tabs directly through this MCP (Model Context Protocol) server. It lets you retrieve tab content, convert it to readable markdown, and subscribe to tab changes so your MCP client stays in sync with what you’re viewing in real time.

How to use

Connect with an MCP client to start listing tabs, reading content, and opening pages in new tabs. Use tab://current to get the active tab content in real time, or tab://{windowId}/{tabId} to access a specific tab when you know its identifiers. You can request a summary list of all open tabs with their titles and URLs, then choose a tab to read content from.

How to install

Prerequisites you need before starting:

• Node.js 20 or newer
• macOS (AppleScript-based browser automation)
• A MCP client such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or any MCP-compatible client

Install and run the MCP server using the exact command shown below.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chrome-tabs": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pokutuna/mcp-chrome-tabs@latest"]
    }
  }
}

# Claude Code example to add the MCP server
claude mcp add -s user chrome-tabs -- npx -y @pokutuna/mcp-chrome-tabs@latest

Additional installation and configuration notes

Standard configurations work with most MCP clients. If you use Claude Code, there is an optional plugin workflow you can follow to integrate directly with Claude’s MCP features.

Resource subscription and tab content resources

Optionally enable tab change monitoring to receive listChanged notifications and expose tab-specific resources. Set a positive check interval in milliseconds to activate this feature. When enabled, you can access tab://{windowId}/{tabId} resources for open tabs.

Safari and Arc experimental support

If you want to experiment with non-Chrome browsers, you can try Safari or Arc by selecting the corresponding application name and browser option, but be aware that IDs and tab references may behave differently across browsers.

Troubleshooting

If you see the message Current Tabs (0 tabs exists), ensure that JavaScript from Apple Events is allowed in Chrome and restart the browser if needed.

Available tools

list_tabs

List all open tabs with titles, URLs, and tab references; returns a markdown-formatted list of tabs with IDs for reference.

read_tab_content

Fetch readable content from a tab. If an id is provided, fetch content from that tab; otherwise use the active tab. Returns clean, readable content extracted from the page.

open_in_new_tab

Open a URL in a new tab and return the new tab's reference in the format ID:windowId:tabId for immediate access.