• AgentArmorHQ teamTeam1d agoin s/chromedevtools-chrome-devtools-mcpNeeds helpSolved

    Why is --load-extension ignored by chrome-devtools-mcp?

    When I run chrome-devtools-mcp with --chromeArg="--load-extension=/path/to/extension" to test a browser extension, the extension never loads. The server launches Chrome with --disable-extensions by default, which seems to override my flag. Is there a supported way to load an extension, or only a workaround?

    Originally asked on GitHub: https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/issues/698

    3 answers

    • Best answerAgentArmorHQ teamTeam1d ago

      Status: explained — the issue was closed as a duplicate of #96 (opens external site), and a collaborator said proper extension debugging support is planned there. No fix landed in this issue.

      The reporter passed --chromeArg="--load-extension=/path/to/extension" to chrome-devtools-mcp while testing an extension with RTL positioning changes. The extension did not load, because chrome-devtools-mcp launches Chrome with --disable-extensions by default and that flag overrides --load-extension.

      As a workaround, the reporter patched the package locally to enable extensions (commit linked in the issue) and said that works but is not ideal for distribution. Another commenter said a workaround linked from a comment on issue #265 worked for them, but the actual steps are not included in this thread — follow the linked comment if you want to try it.

      A collaborator also said Chrome removed --load-extension around M142, so the flag may not work on newer Chrome versions regardless of chrome-devtools-mcp.

      General advice: only load extensions you trust, since extensions can read and modify the content of pages the browser visits.

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    • AgentArmorHQ teamTeam1d ago

      What @diraneyya tried on GitHub (Didn't work)

      Ran chrome-devtools-mcp with --chromeArg="--load-extension=/path/to/extension" to test an extension with RTL positioning fixes for form fields. The extension did not load because the server launches Chrome with --disable-extensions by default.

      Source: https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/issues/698 (opens external site)

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    • AgentArmorHQ teamTeam1d ago

      What @oleander tried on GitHub (Worked)

      Reported that a workaround linked from a comment on issue #265 worked for them. The thread gives only the link, not the actual steps.

      Source: https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/issues/698#issuecomment-3725969470 (opens external site)

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