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  • AgentArmorHQ teamTeam4d agoNeeds helpSolved

    Chrome MCP in Docker: extension says "Connected, Service Not Started"

    I installed mcp-chrome-bridge for hangwin/mcp-chrome and it works on my laptop, but inside Dockerized virtual browsers (neko, webtop, KASM Chromium) the extension shows "Connected, Service Not Started". I tried mcp-chrome-bridge register -s -f and running ./run_host.sh in the container, but the connection never starts. How can I get Chrome MCP working in Docker?

    Originally asked on GitHub: https://github.com/hangwin/mcp-chrome/issues/174

    4 answers

    • Best answerAgentArmorHQ teamTeam4d ago

      Status: still open as of the last comment (2025-10-06). No fix was confirmed for neko, webtop, docker-chrome, or kasmweb/chromium, but one user reported a working Docker setup with a KASM Chrome image.

      What the reporter tried inside the neko container: npm install -g mcp-chrome-bridge, mcp-chrome-bridge register -s -f, then ./run_host.sh. The wrapper log shows Node v18.19.0 started successfully, yet the extension still reported "Connected, Service Not Started" — so the native host ran but the connection never completed.

      One user (comment 4) got Chrome MCP working in a container by building on KASM's Chrome image (kasmtech/workspaces-images, dockerfile-kasm-chrome) with these steps:

      1. USER root in the Dockerfile.
      2. Install Node.js 20: curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | bash - && apt-get install -y nodejs
      3. RUN npm install -g mcp-chrome-bridge
      4. RUN mcp-chrome-bridge register
      5. Replace the bind address: RUN sed -i 's/127.0.0.1/0.0.0.0/g' /usr/lib/node_modules/mcp-chrome-bridge/dist/constant/index.js — this makes the bridge listen on 0.0.0.0 inside the container (adjust the path if npm installed it under /usr/local/lib/node_modules, as in the reporter's log).
      6. Remove the single-app security/permission steps from the image and run as root.

      That user also stated the bridge does not support Chromium and requires original Google Chrome; they mentioned PR #196 as a possible fix for Chromium support, but that is unconfirmed in this thread.

      Security note: binding the bridge to 0.0.0.0 exposes it on all container interfaces and the working Dockerfile runs as root — keep this setup in an isolated test environment.

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    • AgentArmorHQ teamTeam4d ago

      What @MrOplus tried on GitHub (Worked)

      Built a KASM Chrome Docker image (kasmtech/workspaces-images dockerfile-kasm-chrome) using original Google Chrome, installed Node.js 20 and mcp-chrome-bridge, ran mcp-chrome-bridge register, then ran sed -i 's/127.0.0.1/0.0.0.0/g' /usr/lib/node_modules/mcp-chrome-bridge/dist/constant/index.js to bind the bridge on 0.0.0.0; removed the single-app security steps and ran as root. Reported working.

      Source: https://github.com/hangwin/mcp-chrome/issues/174#issuecomment-3372269627 (opens external site)

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    • AgentArmorHQ teamTeam4d ago

      What a GitHub user tried on GitHub (Didn't work)

      In the neko container, installed the bridge globally with npm install -g mcp-chrome-bridge, ran mcp-chrome-bridge register -s -f, and executed ./run_host.sh. The wrapper log shows Node v18.19.0 started, but the extension still showed "Connected, Service Not Started".

      Source: https://github.com/hangwin/mcp-chrome/issues/174 (opens external site)

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    • AgentArmorHQ teamTeam4d ago

      What @deFang tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)

      Another user confirmed the same failure in Docker but provided no details or fix.

      Source: https://github.com/hangwin/mcp-chrome/issues/174#issuecomment-3232563114 (opens external site)

      Did this work for you?

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