Chrome MCP vs Leapfrog
A side-by-side look at the Chrome MCP and Leapfrog MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Chrome MCP for browser automation work as a local process; choose Leapfrog for browser automation as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Chrome MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Browser Automation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
CHROME_MCP_TOKEN, CHROME_MCP_EXTENSION_DIR. - You want tools like
tabs_list, screenshot, get_text.
Choose Leapfrog when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Browser Automation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
session_create, session_create_batch, session_list.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Browser Automation | Browser Automation |
| Quality signal | 64/100 · Good | 57/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | CHROME_MCP_TOKENCHROME_MCP_EXTENSION_DIR | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 6 | 5 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 22 | 37 |
| Full listing | View Chrome MCP | View Leapfrog |
Tools & capabilities
Chrome MCP tools 22
tabs_listList open browser tabs.screenshotCapture a screenshot (page or element). Default is JPEG (quality 70) at CSS-pixel size, which is several times smaller than PNG and reads fine. Pass format:"png" for lossless, quality 1-100 for JPEG, scale 2 for device pixels on a Retina display or 0.5 to shrink.get_textGet visible text of the page or an element.get_htmlGet HTML of the page or an element. Output is capped (see maxBytes) and cut at a tag boundary; narrow it with `selector` rather than raising the cap when you can. Password field values are always blanked.snapshotAccessibility snapshot: interactive elements with refs to target by `ref` (more reliable than guessing CSS selectors). Pass diff:true to get only what changed since the last snapshot of this tab - far cheaper in a click/read loop. Password fields appear as secret:true with no value.page_watchSave a local page checkpoint and compare it later. Actions: create (name), compare (watchId), list, delete. Stores accessibility labels and state, never form values. Site allowlist still applies.get_cookiesCookies for the tab's URL (or url); values need --enable-cookie-values.storageRead/write localStorage (or sessionStorage). op: get|set|remove|clear.wait_forWait for a selector or text to appear/disappear.extract_linksExtract anchors from the page or a subtree. dedupe=true collapses links sharing an href (nav/footer noise); limit caps the count.read_as_markdownRead the page (or subtree) as readable markdown.frames_listList the tab's frames (the top document plus every iframe the extension can reach), with each frame's id and URL. Use it when a selector that should match does not: the element is probably in one of these frames, and you can then pass frameId (or allFrames:true) to act inside it.- +10 more on the listing page
Leapfrog tools 37
session_createCreate a new isolated browser session with its own cookies and state. Returns a short session ID (e.g. s_k3m7x1) to pass to all other tools. Each session is a separate BrowserContext — no cookie leakage between sessions. Pool limit: 15 concurrent sessions. Sessions auto-expire after 30 minutes of inactivity. Use keep-alive pattern (periodic navigate or snapshot) for long-running sessions.session_create_batchCreate multiple isolated browser sessions concurrently — 5-10x faster than sequential session_create calls. Optionally navigate each to a URL. Returns all session IDs. A single reflow positions all windows into a unified grid after all sessions are created.session_listList all active browser sessions with their URLs and idle times.session_destroyClose and clean up a browser session. Frees a pool slot.session_save_profileSave a session's cookies and auth state to disk. Use this after logging in to a site so future sessions can restore that login. Pass the returned profile path to session_create's profilePath to reuse it.session_list_profilesList all saved authentication profiles.navigateNavigate to a URL and return a compact accessibility snapshot with @eN refs. Refs like @e1, @e2 can be passed directly to the 'act' tool — no CSS selectors needed. Snapshots are ~200-500 tokens (vs 15,000 with Playwright MCP).snapshotRe-snapshot the current page for fresh @eN refs. Use after 'act' when you need to re-orient, or scope to a region with 'selector'. Use 'selector' to dramatically reduce tokens (e.g. 'form', '#results').diffCompare the current page state against the last snapshot for this session. Returns only what changed (additions, removals, changes) — massive token savings vs a full re-snapshot. Use after 'act' instead of 'snapshot' when you just need to see what changed. On first call (no previous snapshot), returns the full snapshot with a note. Use 'selector' to scope the diff to a page region.actPerform a browser interaction: click, fill, type, check, select, press key, scroll, hover, mousemove, drag, upload, resize, back, forward. Use @eN refs from navigate/snapshot as the target (e.g. '@e2'). CSS selectors also work. drag: requires target (source) and target2 (destination). upload: requires target (file input) and filePaths. resize: requires width and height (no target needed). holdDuration: for click, holds mouse down for N ms (long-press). Returns a fresh snapshot if the page navigated, or just the action result if it didn't.screenshotCapture a screenshot of the current page. Returns the image inline as base64. Optionally save to disk with savePath.extractExtract data from the page without a full snapshot. Types: text (visible text), html (markup), title, url, js (evaluate JavaScript). Use target with @eN or CSS selector for element-specific extraction.- +25 more on 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.
Chrome MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"chrome-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-browser-extension@latest"
],
"env": {
"CHROME_MCP_TOKEN": "YOUR_CHROME_MCP_TOKEN_HERE",
"CHROME_MCP_EXTENSION_DIR": "YOUR_CHROME_MCP_EXTENSION_DIR_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Leapfrog
{
"mcpServers": {
"leapfrog": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"leapfrog-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Chrome MCP is categorized under Browser Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Leapfrog belongs to Browser Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Chrome MCP for browser automation work and Leapfrog 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.
Chrome MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Leapfrog 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 chrome-mcp and leapfrog as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Chrome MCP has a quality signal of 64/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 6 GitHub stars. Leapfrog has 57/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 5 GitHub stars.