Playwright Trace Decoder MCP vs Firefox Devtools MCP
A side-by-side look at the Playwright Trace Decoder MCP and Firefox Devtools MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Playwright Trace Decoder MCP for browser automation work over a hosted endpoint; choose Firefox Devtools MCP 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 Playwright Trace Decoder MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Browser Automation domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
Choose Firefox Devtools MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Browser Automation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
list_pages, new_page, navigate_page.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Browser Automation | Browser Automation |
| Quality signal | 39/100 · Fair | 72/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Remote HTTP/SSE | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | No auth required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 1 | 516 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 7 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | 34 |
| Full listing | View Playwright Trace Decoder MCP | View Firefox Devtools MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Playwright Trace Decoder MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Firefox Devtools MCP tools 34
list_pagesList open tabs (index, title, URL). Selected tab is marked.new_pageOpen new tab at URL. Returns tab index.navigate_pageNavigate selected tab to URL.select_pageSelect active tab by index, URL, or title. Index takes precedence.close_pageClose tab by index.get_page_textGet the visible text of the page (document.body.innerText). Caps at maxLength (default 20000 chars); saveTo saves the full text to a file.take_snapshotCapture DOM snapshot with stable UIDs. A UID stays valid across snapshots until its element is removed or the page navigates. Output caps at maxLines (default 100); scope with selector or dump the full tree with saveTo.resolve_uid_to_selectorResolve UID to CSS selector. Fails if the element is gone.clear_snapshotClear snapshot UIDs. Usually not needed.click_by_uidClick element by UID. Set dblClick for double-click.hover_by_uidHover over element by UID.fill_by_uidFill text input/textarea by UID.- +22 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.
Playwright Trace Decoder MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"playwright-trace-decoder-mcp": {
"url": "https://api.example.com/cart/items"
}
}
}
Firefox Devtools MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"freema-firefox-devtools-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@mozilla/firefox-devtools-mcp@latest"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Playwright Trace Decoder MCP is categorized under Browser Automation and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Firefox Devtools MCP belongs to Browser Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Playwright Trace Decoder MCP for browser automation work and Firefox Devtools MCP 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.
Playwright Trace Decoder MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Firefox Devtools MCP is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. 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 playwright-trace-decoder-mcp and freema-firefox-devtools-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Playwright Trace Decoder MCP has a quality signal of 39/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars. Firefox Devtools MCP has 72/100 (Great) with 7 views, 0 installs and 516 GitHub stars.
