Browserbase MCP server

Last verified: 2026-09

Cloud browsers you do not run locally.

Community Browser & search Needs a secret Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code

What it does

Hosted Chromium in Browserbase's cloud. Six tools that match their hosted MCP: start a session, navigate, act, then end. The GitHub README marks the npm server archived — prefer their hosted MCP if the package goes stale.

It sits in Browser & search: Three different jobs get mixed up here.

Good for

Run a browser in Browserbase's cloud when you do not want Chromium on the laptop.
Start a session, navigate, extract, end — billed per session.
Share one cloud browser across machines without Docker.
Keep local Playwright for trusted sites and Browserbase for throwaway sessions.

Tools

start / end — Open or close a Browserbase session.
navigate — Go to a URL.
act / extract / observe — Click, pull text, or look at the page (same set as the hosted server).

Config (Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf)

Paste the JSON below. Same mcpServers shape. Replace placeholder paths and secrets. Windows paths look like C:\\Users\\you\\project, not /path/to. Host-side steps →

Claude Desktop

OS	Config file
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
Windows	`%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` (usually `C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\Claude\`)
Linux	`~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`

Cursor

Scope	macOS / Linux	Windows
This project	`.cursor/mcp.json` in the repo root
This user	`~/.cursor/mcp.json`	`%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json`

Windsurf

OS	Config file
macOS / Linux	`~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`
Windows	`%USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json`

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "browserbase": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@browserbasehq/mcp-server-browserbase"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BROWSERBASE_API_KEY": "...",
        "BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID": "..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf remote MCP: use serverUrl instead of url if the block below is HTTP.

One-liner: npx -y @browserbasehq/mcp-server-browserbase

Secrets it wants: BROWSERBASE_API_KEY, BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID

Source repo →

How to get started

Create a Browserbase project; copy BROWSERBASE_API_KEY and BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID.
Paste the JSON. Restart and ask it to start a session on a public URL.
End the session when you are done — idle browsers still bill.

Access risk

Cloud browser plus your API key. Pages you open and form data leave this machine.

When to skip it

Skip it if Playwright on localhost is enough. Archived npm package — check Browserbase docs for the current hosted URL.

Instead: Playwright, Puppeteer, Firecrawl.

Browser & searchPlaywrightMicrosoft's browser automation MCP for Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit. OfficialPuppeteerDrive a headless Chrome: click, type, screenshot. Browser & searchFirecrawlCrawl and scrape sites into clean markdown.

Vs alternatives

Server	Official?	Needs a secret?	Best for
Browserbase	No	Yes	Cloud browsers you do not run locally.
Playwright	No	No	Microsoft's browser automation MCP for Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit.
Puppeteer	Yes	No	Drive a headless Chrome: click, type, screenshot.
Firecrawl	No	Yes	Crawl and scrape sites into clean markdown.

More in Browser & search

OfficialBrave SearchWeb search via the Brave Search API. OfficialEverArtGenerate images through EverArt. OfficialFetchFetch a URL and turn the page into readable text. OfficialPuppeteerDrive a headless Chrome: click, type, screenshot.

All 11 in this category →

FAQ

Is the npm package still maintained?

The GitHub README marks it archived. Prefer Browserbase's hosted MCP if the package goes stale.

What do I pay for?

Cloud browser time. End the session. Idle browsers still bill.

Browserbase or Playwright?

Playwright if localhost is enough. Browserbase if you want the browser off your machine.

Which keys?

BROWSERBASE_API_KEY and BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID from the Browserbase dashboard.