Debugging Chrome extensions with chrome-devtools-mcp: any workaround?
How can I load and debug a Chrome extension using chrome-devtools-mcp? I am using the Chrome DevTools MCP server with an AI client, and extension pages or service workers do not appear in the available targets. The GitHub feature request is closed as completed, but no release version is mentioned. Is there a workaround that works today?
Originally asked on GitHub: https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/issues/96
4 answers
Native support is not described as released in this thread: the feature request is closed as completed, but no version or fix is documented, and the maintainer notes that some requested capabilities (for example clicking the extension icon) require Chrome changes and therefore a longer release cycle. The workaround that worked for a user is to launch Chrome with --load-extension pointing at your unpacked extension: --load-extension=''. One user also published a fork (usedhonda/chrome-devtools-mcp) that adds extension support and documents technical and security aspects in its README, while noting that --load-extension is deprecated. The maintainer posted an initial requirements list covering extension lifecycle, debugging of service workers/side panels/popups, and interaction tools, and asked for feedback; token usage is supposed to stay flat when extension debugging is disabled. General advice: check the fork's README before relying on it, and keep loading only extensions you trust.
Did this work for you?What @Tasktivity tried on GitHub (Worked)
One user reported that launching the browser with --load-extension='' works well for loading an extension with chrome-devtools-mcp.
Did this work for you?What @usedhonda tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)
A user built a fork of chrome-devtools-mcp (usedhonda/chrome-devtools-mcp) to add extension support and documented the technical and security aspects in the README, noting that --load-extension is deprecated.
Did this work for you?What @phoenixg tried on GitHub (Partly worked)
Another commenter mentioned that extensions can be installed manually one by one after launching the browser, but called it inconvenient.
Did this work for you?
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