Playwright MCP Server for .NET

A lightweight Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for browser automation using Microsoft Playwright, built with .NET 8 C#. This server allows AI agents to interact with web browsers locally without requiring npm, Docker, or other external dependencies.

Features

• Pure .NET 8 Implementation: No npm or Docker required
• Full Playwright Browser Support: Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit
• Dual Mode Operation: Run as MCP server (stdin/stdout) or HTTP REST API server
• Comprehensive Browser Tools: 21 browser automation tools for complete web interaction
• Command Line Configuration: Easy startup with command-line arguments
• Agent-Friendly HTTP API: Simple REST endpoints for easy integration with AI agents

Requirements

• .NET 8.0 SDK or Runtime
• One of the supported browsers (can be installed via the browser_install tool)

Installation

Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/kolatts/playwright-dockerless-mcp.git
cd playwright-dockerless-mcp

# Build the project
dotnet build

# Run the server
dotnet run

Install Browsers

Before using the browser tools, you need to install the browser binaries. You can do this by:

1. Using the browser_install tool via MCP or HTTP API
2. Or running the Playwright CLI:

   pwsh bin/Debug/net8.0/playwright.ps1 install
   

Usage

Command Line Options

PlaywrightMcpServer [options]

Options:
  --browser, -b <type>   Browser type: chromium, firefox, webkit (default: chromium)
  --headed               Run browser in headed mode (default: headless)
  --http                 Run as HTTP server instead of MCP stdin/stdout mode
  --port, -p <port>      HTTP server port (default: 5000, only used with --http)
  --help, -h             Show this help message
  --version, -v          Show version information

Running Modes

MCP Mode (Default)

The default mode communicates via stdin/stdout using the MCP protocol, suitable for integration with MCP-compatible clients.

# Run in MCP mode
dotnet run

# With specific browser
dotnet run -- --browser firefox

HTTP Server Mode

The HTTP server mode provides a REST API that can be easily called by AI agents or any HTTP client.

# Start HTTP server on default port 5000
dotnet run -- --http

# Start on custom port with headed browser
dotnet run -- --http --port 8080 --headed

MCP Client Configuration

Add the server to your MCP client configuration. For example, in Claude Desktop's claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "dotnet",
      "args": ["run", "--project", "/path/to/playwright-dockerless-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Or if you've published the executable:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "/path/to/PlaywrightMcpServer",
      "args": ["--browser", "chromium"]
    }
  }
}

HTTP API Reference

When running in HTTP mode (--http), the following endpoints are available:

Health Check

GET /health

Returns server health status.

Response:

{
  "status": "healthy",
  "version": "1.0.0"
}

List Tools

GET /tools

Returns all available browser automation tools with their schemas.

Response:

{
  "tools": [
    {
      "name": "browser_navigate",
      "description": "Navigate to a URL",
      "inputSchema": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "url": { "type": "string", "description": "The URL to navigate to" }
        },
        "required": ["url"]
      }
    },
    ...
  ]
}

Execute Tool

POST /tools/{toolName}
Content-Type: application/json

Execute a specific tool with the provided arguments.

Example - Navigate to URL:

curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/tools/browser_navigate \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"url": "https://example.com"}'

**Respo

... View full README on GitHub