Charlotte vs Shotanvil
A side-by-side look at the Charlotte and Shotanvil MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Charlotte for browser automation work as a local process; choose Shotanvil for browser automation over a hosted endpoint. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Charlotte when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Browser Automation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
charlotte_navigate, charlotte_back, charlotte_forward.
Choose Shotanvil when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Browser Automation domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
SHOTANVIL_API_KEY.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Browser Automation | Browser Automation |
| Quality signal | 68/100 · Great | 37/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Remote HTTP/SSE |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | SHOTANVIL_API_KEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 183 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 23 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Charlotte | View Shotanvil |
Tools & capabilities
Charlotte tools 23
charlotte_navigateLoad a URL in the active page. Returns page representation after navigation. Default minimal detail includes landmarks, headings, and interactive element counts — use charlotte_find to locate specific elements, or pass detail: 'summary' to get the full element list.charlotte_backNavigate back in browser history. Returns page representation after navigation.charlotte_forwardNavigate forward in browser history. Returns page representation after navigation.charlotte_reloadReload the current page. Returns page representation after reload.charlotte_observeGet current page state without performing any action. Use detail levels to control verbosity: "minimal" for landmarks, headings, and interactive element counts by landmark (use charlotte_find to get specific elements with actionable IDs, or observe({ detail: "summary" }) to see all elements), "summary" (default) for content summaries and full element list, "full" for all text content. Use view: "tree" for a compact structural outline (cheapest orientation tool), or view: "tree-labeled" to include labels on interactive elements (still much cheaper than minimal JSON, and shows which button/link/input is which).charlotte_findSearch for elements matching criteria. Filters interactive elements by text, role, type, or spatial proximity. Use the selector parameter to find DOM elements by CSS selector — this reaches elements not in the accessibility tree (custom widgets, non-semantic divs). Selector results return Charlotte element IDs usable with click, hover, drag, etc.charlotte_screenshotCapture a visual screenshot. Fallback for when structured representation isn't sufficient (complex visualizations, canvas elements, images). Use save: true to persist as a file artifact that can be referenced later.charlotte_screenshotsList all saved screenshot artifacts. Returns metadata for each saved screenshot including ID, filename, page URL, and timestamp.charlotte_screenshot_getRetrieve a previously saved screenshot artifact by its ID. Returns the image data and metadata.charlotte_screenshot_deleteDelete a saved screenshot artifact by its ID. Removes the file from disk.charlotte_diffCompare current page state to a previous snapshot. Returns structural diff showing added, removed, moved, and changed elements.charlotte_clickClick an interactive element on the page. Returns full page representation after the click.- +11 more on the listing page
Shotanvil tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Charlotte
{
"mcpServers": {
"charlotte": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"@ticktockbent/charlotte"
]
}
}
}
Shotanvil
{
"mcpServers": {
"shotanvil": {
"url": "https://api.shotanvil.com"
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Charlotte is categorized under Browser Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Shotanvil belongs to Browser Automation and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Pick Charlotte for browser automation work and Shotanvil for browser automation.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Charlotte has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Shotanvil has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add charlotte and shotanvil as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Charlotte has a quality signal of 68/100 (Great) with 2 views, 0 installs and 183 GitHub stars. Shotanvil has 37/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.
