Safari Devtools Mcp

by HayoDev

445 downloads
Not rated
GitHub

About

Safari DevTools MCP — real browser debugging with network interception, DOM inspection, cookie/storage management, and CSS analysis for AI agents on macOS

Details

Author
HayoDev
Downloads
445
Categories
Other, Developer Tools, Automation, AI

- Browser debugging: capture console logs, network requests, and evaluate JavaScript
- Reliable automation using accessibility-tree snapshots with stable UIDs
- Native macOS tab management via AppleScript
- CSS computed style inspection and element-level screenshots
- Cookie and storage read/write/delete operations
- Session auto-recovery that detects dead SafariDriver sessions

Setting up with Highlight

This MCP is not yet compatible with Highlight’s one-click setup. However, you can still use it with Highlight by following these steps:

  1. Download and install Highlight from highlightai.com/download
  2. Navigate to the plugins tab and select "Add Custom Plugin"
  3. Configure the plugin with the settings below
    Plugin Name Safari Devtools Mcp
    Command (node, npx, python, etc.)

    Please refer to the README for specific instructions on how to obtain API keys or other required environment variables.

  4. Enable "Start Automatically" if you want the plugin to start when Highlight launches

From the repository

Add the standard MCP configuration to your client’s settings file (e.g., ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json) using npx -y safari-devtools-mcp@latest. Run any client with the required setup: macOS with Safari’s “Allow Remote Automation” enabled and SafariDriver authorized (sudo safaridriver --enable). Then prompt your agent with actions like navigating a URL, taking a snapshot, or listing console errors.

Claude Desktop / Cursor

Paste into your MCP client config file to install this server.

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "safari devtools mcp": {
            "safari-devtools": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "safari-devtools-mcp@latest"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

McpServers

{
    "safari-devtools": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": [
            "-y",
            "safari-devtools-mcp@latest"
        ]
    }
}

Safari DevTools MCP

npm version
npm downloads
license
node

safari-devtools-mcp lets your coding agent (such as Claude, Cursor, Copilot or Gemini) control and inspect a live Safari browser on macOS. It acts as a Model-Context-Protocol (MCP) server, giving your AI coding assistant access to Safari DevTools for debugging, automation, and testing.

Chrome developers get powerful AI debugging through chrome-devtools-mcp by Google. Safari developers should have something equivalent — this project brings that same experience to Safari, with matching tool names and parameter schemas so you can swap between browsers with minimal friction.

Changelog | Contributing

> Note: This server exposes browser content (page data, console logs, network traffic) to MCP clients. Avoid browsing sensitive websites or entering credentials while a session is active.

Why safari-devtools-mcp?

This project uses WebDriver for capabilities that scripting alone cannot provide:

- Network request/response body capture — intercepts fetch and XHR calls with full headers, payloads, and timing
- DOM snapshots via accessibility tree — stable element UIDs that survive page re-renders, not brittle CSS selectors
- CSS computed style inspection — read any computed property from any element
- Cookie and storage management — read, write, and delete cookies, localStorage, and sessionStorage
- Element-level screenshots — capture individual elements, not just the full viewport
- Session auto-recovery — detects dead SafariDriver sessions and reconnects transparently

Key features

- Browser debugging: Capture console logs, inspect network requests, and evaluate JavaScript — with stack traces and full request/response details.
- Reliable automation: Click, type, fill forms, drag and drop, and press keyboard shortcuts using accessibility-tree snapshots with stable UIDs.
- Native macOS integration: Tab management via AppleScript for listing, switching, and controlling Safari tabs across windows

Requirements

- macOS (Safari and SafariDriver are Apple-exclusive)
- Node.js 18+ (22+ recommended)
- Safari with remote automation enabled

Safari setup

1. Open Safari > Settings > Advanced > check "Show features for web developers"
2. Develop menu > check "Allow Remote Automation"
3. Authorize SafariDriver:

   sudo safaridriver --enable

Getting started

Standard MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "safari-devtools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "safari-devtools-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

<details>
<summary>Claude Code</summary>

claude mcp add safari-devtools -- npx -y safari-devtools-mcp@latest

Or add to your project's .mcp.json using the standard config above.

</details>

<details>
<summary>Claude Desktop</summary>

Add the standard config to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json.

</details>

<details>
<summary>Cursor</summary>

Add the standard config to your Cursor MCP settings.

</details>

<details>
<summary>VS Code</summary>

Add the standard config to .vscode/mcp.json.

</details>

<details>
<summary>Copilot CLI</summary>

copilot mcp add safari-devtools -- npx -y safari-devtools-mcp@latest

</details>

<details>
<summary>Gemini CLI</summary>

gemini mcp add safari-devtools -- npx -y safari-devtools-mcp@latest

Or add the standard config to your ~/.gemini/settings.json.

</details>

<details>
<summary>Gemini Code Assist</summary>

Add the standard config to your .gemini/settings.json in the project root.

</details>

<details>
<summary>JetBrains AI Assistant & Junie</summary>

Add the standard config to your .junie/mcp.json in the project root.

</details>

<details>
<summary>Raycast</summary>

Open "Install MCP Server" in Raycast and fill in:

- Command: npx
- Arguments: -y safari-devtools-mcp@latest

Or copy the standard config JSON above before opening the command — Raycast will auto-fill the form.

</details>

<details>
<summary>Visual Studio</summary>

Add the standard config to your .vs/mcp.json in the solution root.

</details>

<details>
<summary>Warp</summary>

Add the standard config to your Warp MCP settings file at ~/.warp/mcp.json.

</details>

<details>
<summary>From source</summary>

git clone https://github.com/HayoDev/safari-devtools-mcp.git
cd safari-devtools-mcp
npm install && npm run build

Then point your MCP client to the built entry point:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "safari-devtools": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/safari-devtools-mcp/build/src/bin/safari-devtools-mcp.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

</details>

Your first prompt

> Navigate to https://example.com, take a snapshot, and list any console errors.

Tools (41)

Debugging

| Tool | Description |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| list_console_messages | List console messages with filtering by level (log, warn, error) |
| get_console_message | Get a detailed message including stack trace and arguments |
| clear_console | Clear all captured console messages |
| list_network_requests | Monitor network requests — Fetch, XHR, and resource loads |
| get_network_request | Get full request/response details with headers and body |
| clear_network | Clear all captured network requests |
| evaluate_script | Execute JavaScript in the browser context and return results |
| take_screenshot | Capture a PNG screenshot of the page or a specific element |
| take_snapshot | Accessibility-tree snapshot of the DOM with stable UIDs for element targeting |

Page content

| Tool | Description |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| get_page_content | Get the page title, URL, and visible text content |
| get_html_source | Get the full HTML source of the page |
| extract_links | Extract all links with their text, href, and rel attributes |
| extract_meta | Extract meta tags (og:, twitter:, description, etc.) |

Navigation

| Tool | Description |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| list_pages | List all open Safari tabs across windows |
| select_page | Switch to a specific tab |
| new_page | Open a new tab and navigate to a URL |
| close_page | Close a tab |
| navigate_page | Navigate to a URL, go back, forward, or reload |
| wait_for | Wait for specific text to appear on the page |
| resize_page | Resize the browser window |
| handle_dialog | Accept or dismiss browser dialogs (alert, confirm, prompt) |

Scroll

| Tool | Description |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| scroll | Scroll the page in any direction by a given amount |
| scroll_to_element | Scroll an element into view by its UID |

CSS inspection

| Tool | Description |
| -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| get_computed_style | Get computed CSS styles for any element by UID |

Cookies & storage

| Tool | Description |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| get_cookies | Get browser cookies, optionally filtered by name or domain |
| set_cookie | Set a cookie with name, value, and optional attributes |
| delete_cookie | Delete a cookie by name, or delete all cookies |
| get_storage | Read from localStorage or sessionStorage |
| set_storage | Write a key-value pair to localStorage or sessionStorage |
| delete_storage | Delete a key or clear all entries from localStorage/sessionStorage |

Input automation

| Tool | Description |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| click | Click an element by UID from a snapshot |
| click_at | Click at specific x/y coordinates |
| right_click | Right-click (context menu) on an element |
| select_option | Select an option from a dropdown by value or label |
| hover | Hover over an element |
| fill | Type into an input field or select from a dropdown |
| fill_form | Fill multiple form fields at once |
| type_text | Type text into the currently focused element |
| drag | Drag and drop between elements or coordinates |
| press_key | Press a key or combination (e.g., Meta+A, Enter) |
| upload_file | Upload a file through a file input |

Architecture

MCP Client (Claude, Cursor, etc.)
    | stdio (MCP protocol)
    v
Safari DevTools MCP Server
    |
    v
+-------------------------------+
|  SafariDriver                 |
|  +-- Selenium WebDriver       | <-- Browser automation
|  +-- JS Injection             | <-- Console/Network capture
|  +-- AppleScript (osascript)  | <-- Native tab management
+-------------------------------+
    |
    v
Safari Browser

Known limitations

- Single session: Safari only allows one WebDriver session at a time. Running multiple instances is not supported.
- macOS only: Safari and SafariDriver are Apple-exclusive — this server does not work on Linux or Windows.
- No headless mode: Safari does not support headless operation. A visible browser window is required.
- Console pre-injection gap: Console messages logged before the capture script is injected are not captured.
- Network pre-injection gap: Network requests made before injection are backfilled via the Performance API with limited detail (timing and size, but no headers or status codes).
- PNG only: Safari WebDriver only supports PNG screenshots — no JPEG or WebP. Full-page capture is not available.
- AppleScript permissions: Tab management features require macOS Accessibility permissions for osascript.

Credits

- chrome-devtools-mcp by Google/ChromeDevTools — the inspiration and interface standard this project mirrors. Tool names and schemas are intentionally compatible so you can switch between Chrome and Safari seamlessly.
- safari-mcp-server — prior art for Safari MCP integration that we studied during development.

License

MIT

No reviews yet — be the first

Sign in to leave a review

Use Google, GitHub, or an email account so ratings stay tied to real people.

Email sign in

No reviews posted yet.