
Chrome Cdp
- 1.9k installs
- 3.2k repo stars
- Updated June 28, 2026
- pasky/chrome-cdp-skill
chrome-cdp is an agent skill that Interact with local Chrome browser session (only on explicit user approval after being asked to inspect, debug, or inter.
About
Lightweight Chrome DevTools Protocol CLI Connects directly via WebSocket no Puppeteer works with 100 tabs instant connection Chrome or Chromium Brave Edge Vivaldi with remote debugging enabled open chrome inspect remote debugging and toggle the switch Node js 22 uses built in WebSocket If your browser s DevToolsActivePort is in a non standard location set CDP_PORT_FILE to its full path All commands use scripts cdp mjs The target is a unique targetId prefix from list copy the full prefix shown in the list output for example 6BE827FA The CLI rejects ambiguous prefixes bash scripts cdp mjs shot target file default screenshot target png in runtime dir Captures the viewport only Scroll first with eval if you need content below the fold Output includes the page s DPR and coordinate conversion hint see Coordinates below
- description: Interact with local Chrome browser session (only on explicit user approval after being asked to inspect, de
- Lightweight Chrome DevTools Protocol CLI. Connects directly via WebSocket — no Puppeteer, works with 100+ tabs, instant
- - Chrome (or Chromium, Brave, Edge, Vivaldi) with remote debugging enabled: open `chrome://inspect/#remote-debugging` an
- Follow chrome-cdp SKILL.md steps and documented constraints.
- Follow chrome-cdp SKILL.md steps and documented constraints.
Chrome Cdp by the numbers
- 1,942 all-time installs (skills.sh)
- +13 installs in the week ending Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
- Ranked #642 of 16,546 AI & Agent Building skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
- Security screen: MEDIUM risk (skills.sh audit)
- Data as of Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
chrome-cdp capabilities & compatibility
- Capabilities
- description: interact with local chrome browser · lightweight chrome devtools protocol cli. connec · chrome (or chromium, brave, edge, vivaldi) wit · follow chrome cdp skill.md steps and documented
- Use cases
- orchestration
What chrome-cdp says it does
description: Interact with local Chrome browser session (only on explicit user approval after being asked to inspect, debug, or interact with a page open in Chrome)
Lightweight Chrome DevTools Protocol CLI. Connects directly via WebSocket — no Puppeteer, works with 100+ tabs, instant connection.
- Chrome (or Chromium, Brave, Edge, Vivaldi) with remote debugging enabled: open `chrome://inspect/#remote-debugging` and toggle the switch
npx skills add https://github.com/pasky/chrome-cdp-skill --skill chrome-cdpAdd your badge
Show developers this skill is listed on Skillselion. Paste this into your README.
| Installs | 1.9k |
|---|---|
| repo stars | ★ 3.2k |
| Security audit | 2 / 3 scanners passed |
| Last updated | June 28, 2026 |
| Repository | pasky/chrome-cdp-skill ↗ |
When should an agent use chrome-cdp and what problem does it solve?
Interact with local Chrome browser session (only on explicit user approval after being asked to inspect, debug, or interact with a page open in Chrome)
Who is it for?
Developers invoking chrome-cdp as documented in the skill source.
Skip if: Skip when requirements fall outside chrome-cdp documented scope.
When should I use this skill?
Interact with local Chrome browser session (only on explicit user approval after being asked to inspect, debug, or interact with a page open in Chrome)
What you get
Outputs aligned with the chrome-cdp SKILL.md workflow and stated deliverables.
- Browser screenshots
- CDP command results
By the numbers
- Requires Node 22+ for built-in WebSocket support
- Per-tab daemons auto-exit after 20 minutes idle
- Default 15000ms command timeout and 30000ms navigation timeout
Files
Chrome CDP
Lightweight Chrome DevTools Protocol CLI. Connects directly via WebSocket — no Puppeteer, works with 100+ tabs, instant connection.
Prerequisites
- Chrome (or Chromium, Brave, Edge, Vivaldi) with remote debugging enabled: open
chrome://inspect/#remote-debuggingand toggle the switch - Node.js 22+ (uses built-in WebSocket)
- If your browser's
DevToolsActivePortis in a non-standard location, setCDP_PORT_FILEto its full path
Commands
All commands use scripts/cdp.mjs. The <target> is a unique targetId prefix from list; copy the full prefix shown in the list output (for example 6BE827FA). The CLI rejects ambiguous prefixes.
List open pages
scripts/cdp.mjs listTake a screenshot
scripts/cdp.mjs shot <target> [file] # default: screenshot-<target>.png in runtime dirCaptures the viewport only. Scroll first with eval if you need content below the fold. Output includes the page's DPR and coordinate conversion hint (see Coordinates below).
Accessibility tree snapshot
scripts/cdp.mjs snap <target>Evaluate JavaScript
scripts/cdp.mjs eval <target> <expr>Watch out: avoid index-based selection (querySelectorAll(...)[i]) across multipleevalcalls when the DOM can change between them (e.g. after clicking Ignore, card indices shift). Collect all data in oneevalor use stable selectors.
Other commands
scripts/cdp.mjs html <target> [selector] # full page or element HTML
scripts/cdp.mjs nav <target> <url> # navigate and wait for load
scripts/cdp.mjs net <target> # resource timing entries
scripts/cdp.mjs click <target> <selector> # click element by CSS selector
scripts/cdp.mjs clickxy <target> <x> <y> # click at CSS pixel coords
scripts/cdp.mjs type <target> <text> # Input.insertText at current focus; works in cross-origin iframes unlike eval
scripts/cdp.mjs loadall <target> <selector> [ms] # click "load more" until gone (default 1500ms between clicks)
scripts/cdp.mjs evalraw <target> <method> [json] # raw CDP command passthrough
scripts/cdp.mjs open [url] # open new tab (each triggers Allow prompt)
scripts/cdp.mjs stop [target] # stop daemon(s)Coordinates
shot saves an image at native resolution: image pixels = CSS pixels × DPR. CDP Input events (clickxy etc.) take CSS pixels.
CSS px = screenshot image px / DPRshot prints the DPR for the current page. Typical Retina (DPR=2): divide screenshot coords by 2.
Tips
- Prefer
snap --compactoverhtmlfor page structure. - Use
type(not eval) to enter text in cross-origin iframes —click/clickxyto focus first, thentype. - Chrome shows an "Allow debugging" modal once per tab on first access. A background daemon keeps the session alive so subsequent commands need no further approval. Daemons auto-exit after 20 minutes of inactivity.
#!/usr/bin/env node
// cdp - lightweight Chrome DevTools Protocol CLI
// Uses raw CDP over WebSocket, no Puppeteer dependency.
// Requires Node 22+ (built-in WebSocket).
//
// Per-tab persistent daemon: page commands go through a daemon that holds
// the CDP session open. Chrome's "Allow debugging" modal fires once per
// daemon (= once per tab). Daemons auto-exit after 20min idle.
import { readFileSync, writeFileSync, unlinkSync, existsSync, mkdirSync } from 'fs';
import { homedir } from 'os';
import { resolve } from 'path';
import { spawn } from 'child_process';
import net from 'net';
const TIMEOUT = 15000;
const NAVIGATION_TIMEOUT = 30000;
const IDLE_TIMEOUT = 20 * 60 * 1000;
const DAEMON_CONNECT_RETRIES = 20;
const DAEMON_CONNECT_DELAY = 300;
const MIN_TARGET_PREFIX_LEN = 8;
const IS_WINDOWS = process.platform === 'win32';
if (!IS_WINDOWS) process.umask(0o077);
const RUNTIME_DIR = IS_WINDOWS
? resolve(process.env.LOCALAPPDATA || resolve(homedir(), 'AppData', 'Local'), 'cdp')
: process.env.XDG_RUNTIME_DIR
? resolve(process.env.XDG_RUNTIME_DIR, 'cdp')
: resolve(homedir(), '.cache', 'cdp');
try { mkdirSync(RUNTIME_DIR, { recursive: true, mode: 0o700 }); } catch {}
const PAGES_CACHE = resolve(RUNTIME_DIR, 'pages.json');
function sockPath(targetId) {
return IS_WINDOWS
? `\\\\.\\pipe\\cdp-${targetId}`
: resolve(RUNTIME_DIR, `cdp-${targetId}.sock`);
}
function getWsUrl() {
const home = homedir();
// macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/<name>/DevToolsActivePort
const macBrowsers = [
'Google/Chrome', 'Google/Chrome Beta', 'Google/Chrome for Testing',
'Chromium', 'BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser', 'Microsoft Edge',
];
// Linux: ~/.config/<name>/DevToolsActivePort
const linuxBrowsers = [
'google-chrome', 'google-chrome-beta', 'chromium',
'vivaldi', 'vivaldi-snapshot',
'BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser', 'microsoft-edge',
];
// Linux Flatpak: ~/.var/app/<app-id>/config/<name>/DevToolsActivePort
const flatpakBrowsers = [
['org.chromium.Chromium', 'chromium'],
['com.google.Chrome', 'google-chrome'],
['com.brave.Browser', 'BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser'],
['com.microsoft.Edge', 'microsoft-edge'],
['com.vivaldi.Vivaldi', 'vivaldi'],
];
const candidates = [
process.env.CDP_PORT_FILE,
...macBrowsers.flatMap(b => [
resolve(home, 'Library/Application Support', b, 'DevToolsActivePort'),
resolve(home, 'Library/Application Support', b, 'Default/DevToolsActivePort'),
]),
...linuxBrowsers.flatMap(b => [
resolve(home, '.config', b, 'DevToolsActivePort'),
resolve(home, '.config', b, 'Default/DevToolsActivePort'),
]),
...flatpakBrowsers.flatMap(([appId, name]) => [
resolve(home, '.var/app', appId, 'config', name, 'DevToolsActivePort'),
resolve(home, '.var/app', appId, 'config', name, 'Default/DevToolsActivePort'),
]),
// Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%/<name>/User Data/DevToolsActivePort
...(IS_WINDOWS ? ['Google/Chrome', 'BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser', 'Microsoft/Edge'].flatMap(b => {
const base = process.env.LOCALAPPDATA || resolve(home, 'AppData/Local');
return [
resolve(base, b, 'User Data/DevToolsActivePort'),
resolve(base, b, 'User Data/Default/DevToolsActivePort'),
];
}) : []),
].filter(Boolean);
const portFile = candidates.find(p => existsSync(p));
if (!portFile) throw new Error('No DevToolsActivePort found. Enable remote debugging at chrome://inspect/#remote-debugging');
const lines = readFileSync(portFile, 'utf8').trim().split('\n');
if (lines.length < 2 || !lines[0] || !lines[1]) throw new Error(`Invalid DevToolsActivePort file: ${portFile}`);
const host = process.env.CDP_HOST || '127.0.0.1';
return `ws://${host}:${lines[0]}${lines[1]}`;
}
const sleep = (ms) => new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, ms));
function resolvePrefix(prefix, candidates, noun = 'target', missingHint = '') {
const upper = prefix.toUpperCase();
const matches = candidates.filter(candidate => candidate.toUpperCase().startsWith(upper));
if (matches.length === 0) {
const hint = missingHint ? ` ${missingHint}` : '';
throw new Error(`No ${noun} matching prefix "${prefix}".${hint}`);
}
if (matches.length > 1) {
throw new Error(`Ambiguous prefix "${prefix}" — matches ${matches.length} ${noun}s. Use more characters.`);
}
return matches[0];
}
function getDisplayPrefixLength(targetIds) {
if (targetIds.length === 0) return MIN_TARGET_PREFIX_LEN;
const maxLen = Math.max(...targetIds.map(id => id.length));
for (let len = MIN_TARGET_PREFIX_LEN; len <= maxLen; len++) {
const prefixes = new Set(targetIds.map(id => id.slice(0, len).toUpperCase()));
if (prefixes.size === targetIds.length) return len;
}
return maxLen;
}
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// CDP WebSocket client
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
class CDP {
#ws; #id = 0; #pending = new Map(); #eventHandlers = new Map(); #closeHandlers = [];
async connect(wsUrl) {
return new Promise((res, rej) => {
this.#ws = new WebSocket(wsUrl);
this.#ws.onopen = () => res();
this.#ws.onerror = (e) => rej(new Error('WebSocket error: ' + (e.message || e.type)));
this.#ws.onclose = () => this.#closeHandlers.forEach(h => h());
this.#ws.onmessage = (ev) => {
const msg = JSON.parse(ev.data);
if (msg.id && this.#pending.has(msg.id)) {
const { resolve, reject } = this.#pending.get(msg.id);
this.#pending.delete(msg.id);
if (msg.error) reject(new Error(msg.error.message));
else resolve(msg.result);
} else if (msg.method && this.#eventHandlers.has(msg.method)) {
for (const handler of [...this.#eventHandlers.get(msg.method)]) {
handler(msg.params || {}, msg);
}
}
};
});
}
send(method, params = {}, sessionId) {
const id = ++this.#id;
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
this.#pending.set(id, { resolve, reject });
const msg = { id, method, params };
if (sessionId) msg.sessionId = sessionId;
this.#ws.send(JSON.stringify(msg));
setTimeout(() => {
if (this.#pending.has(id)) {
this.#pending.delete(id);
reject(new Error(`Timeout: ${method}`));
}
}, TIMEOUT);
});
}
onEvent(method, handler) {
if (!this.#eventHandlers.has(method)) this.#eventHandlers.set(method, new Set());
const handlers = this.#eventHandlers.get(method);
handlers.add(handler);
return () => {
handlers.delete(handler);
if (handlers.size === 0) this.#eventHandlers.delete(method);
};
}
waitForEvent(method, timeout = TIMEOUT) {
let settled = false;
let off;
let timer;
const promise = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
off = this.onEvent(method, (params) => {
if (settled) return;
settled = true;
clearTimeout(timer);
off();
resolve(params);
});
timer = setTimeout(() => {
if (settled) return;
settled = true;
off();
reject(new Error(`Timeout waiting for event: ${method}`));
}, timeout);
});
return {
promise,
cancel() {
if (settled) return;
settled = true;
clearTimeout(timer);
off?.();
},
};
}
onClose(handler) { this.#closeHandlers.push(handler); }
close() { this.#ws.close(); }
}
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Command implementations — return strings, take (cdp, sessionId)
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
async function getPages(cdp) {
const { targetInfos } = await cdp.send('Target.getTargets');
return targetInfos.filter(t => t.type === 'page' && !t.url.startsWith('chrome://'));
}
function formatPageList(pages) {
const prefixLen = getDisplayPrefixLength(pages.map(p => p.targetId));
return pages.map(p => {
const id = p.targetId.slice(0, prefixLen).padEnd(prefixLen);
const title = p.title.substring(0, 54).padEnd(54);
return `${id} ${title} ${p.url}`;
}).join('\n');
}
function shouldShowAxNode(node, compact = false) {
const role = node.role?.value || '';
const name = node.name?.value ?? '';
const value = node.value?.value;
if (compact && role === 'InlineTextBox') return false;
return role !== 'none' && role !== 'generic' && !(name === '' && (value === '' || value == null));
}
function formatAxNode(node, depth) {
const role = node.role?.value || '';
const name = node.name?.value ?? '';
const value = node.value?.value;
const indent = ' '.repeat(Math.min(depth, 10));
let line = `${indent}[${role}]`;
if (name !== '') line += ` ${name}`;
if (!(value === '' || value == null)) line += ` = ${JSON.stringify(value)}`;
return line;
}
function orderedAxChildren(node, nodesById, childrenByParent) {
const children = [];
const seen = new Set();
for (const childId of node.childIds || []) {
const child = nodesById.get(childId);
if (child && !seen.has(child.nodeId)) {
seen.add(child.nodeId);
children.push(child);
}
}
for (const child of childrenByParent.get(node.nodeId) || []) {
if (!seen.has(child.nodeId)) {
seen.add(child.nodeId);
children.push(child);
}
}
return children;
}
async function snapshotStr(cdp, sid, compact = false) {
const { nodes } = await cdp.send('Accessibility.getFullAXTree', {}, sid);
const nodesById = new Map(nodes.map(node => [node.nodeId, node]));
const childrenByParent = new Map();
for (const node of nodes) {
if (!node.parentId) continue;
if (!childrenByParent.has(node.parentId)) childrenByParent.set(node.parentId, []);
childrenByParent.get(node.parentId).push(node);
}
const lines = [];
const visited = new Set();
function visit(node, depth) {
if (!node || visited.has(node.nodeId)) return;
visited.add(node.nodeId);
if (shouldShowAxNode(node, compact)) lines.push(formatAxNode(node, depth));
for (const child of orderedAxChildren(node, nodesById, childrenByParent)) {
visit(child, depth + 1);
}
}
const roots = nodes.filter(node => !node.parentId || !nodesById.has(node.parentId));
for (const root of roots) visit(root, 0);
for (const node of nodes) visit(node, 0);
return lines.join('\n');
}
async function evalStr(cdp, sid, expression) {
await cdp.send('Runtime.enable', {}, sid);
const result = await cdp.send('Runtime.evaluate', {
expression, returnByValue: true, awaitPromise: true,
}, sid);
if (result.exceptionDetails) {
throw new Error(result.exceptionDetails.text || result.exceptionDetails.exception?.description);
}
const val = result.result.value;
return typeof val === 'object' ? JSON.stringify(val, null, 2) : String(val ?? '');
}
async function shotStr(cdp, sid, filePath, targetId) {
// Get device scale factor so we can report coordinate mapping
let dpr = 1;
try {
const metrics = await cdp.send('Page.getLayoutMetrics', {}, sid);
dpr = metrics.visualViewport?.clientWidth
? metrics.cssVisualViewport?.clientWidth
? Math.round((metrics.visualViewport.clientWidth / metrics.cssVisualViewport.clientWidth) * 100) / 100
: 1
: 1;
// Simpler: deviceScaleFactor is on the root Page metrics
const { deviceScaleFactor } = await cdp.send('Emulation.getDeviceMetricsOverride', {}, sid).catch(() => ({}));
if (deviceScaleFactor) dpr = deviceScaleFactor;
} catch {}
// Fallback: try to get DPR from JS
if (dpr === 1) {
try {
const raw = await evalStr(cdp, sid, 'window.devicePixelRatio');
const parsed = parseFloat(raw);
if (parsed > 0) dpr = parsed;
} catch {}
}
const { data } = await cdp.send('Page.captureScreenshot', { format: 'png' }, sid);
const out = filePath || resolve(RUNTIME_DIR, `screenshot-${(targetId || 'unknown').slice(0, 8)}.png`);
writeFileSync(out, Buffer.from(data, 'base64'));
const lines = [out];
lines.push(`Screenshot saved. Device pixel ratio (DPR): ${dpr}`);
lines.push(`Coordinate mapping:`);
lines.push(` Screenshot pixels → CSS pixels (for CDP Input events): divide by ${dpr}`);
lines.push(` e.g. screenshot point (${Math.round(100 * dpr)}, ${Math.round(200 * dpr)}) → CSS (100, 200) → use clickxy <target> 100 200`);
if (dpr !== 1) {
lines.push(` On this ${dpr}x display: CSS px = screenshot px / ${dpr} ≈ screenshot px × ${Math.round(100/dpr)/100}`);
}
return lines.join('\n');
}
async function htmlStr(cdp, sid, selector) {
const expr = selector
? `document.querySelector(${JSON.stringify(selector)})?.outerHTML || 'Element not found'`
: `document.documentElement.outerHTML`;
return evalStr(cdp, sid, expr);
}
async function waitForDocumentReady(cdp, sid, timeoutMs = NAVIGATION_TIMEOUT) {
const deadline = Date.now() + timeoutMs;
let lastState = '';
let lastError;
while (Date.now() < deadline) {
try {
const state = await evalStr(cdp, sid, 'document.readyState');
lastState = state;
if (state === 'complete') return;
} catch (e) {
lastError = e;
}
await sleep(200);
}
if (lastState) {
throw new Error(`Timed out waiting for navigation to finish (last readyState: ${lastState})`);
}
if (lastError) {
throw new Error(`Timed out waiting for navigation to finish (${lastError.message})`);
}
throw new Error('Timed out waiting for navigation to finish');
}
async function navStr(cdp, sid, url) {
try {
const parsed = new URL(url);
if (parsed.protocol !== 'http:' && parsed.protocol !== 'https:')
throw new Error(`Only http/https URLs allowed, got: ${url}`);
} catch (e) {
if (e.message.startsWith('Only')) throw e;
throw new Error(`Invalid URL: ${url}`);
}
await cdp.send('Page.enable', {}, sid);
const loadEvent = cdp.waitForEvent('Page.loadEventFired', NAVIGATION_TIMEOUT);
const result = await cdp.send('Page.navigate', { url }, sid);
if (result.errorText) {
loadEvent.cancel();
throw new Error(result.errorText);
}
if (result.loaderId) {
await loadEvent.promise;
} else {
loadEvent.cancel();
}
await waitForDocumentReady(cdp, sid, 5000);
return `Navigated to ${url}`;
}
async function netStr(cdp, sid) {
const raw = await evalStr(cdp, sid, `JSON.stringify(performance.getEntriesByType('resource').map(e => ({
name: e.name.substring(0, 120), type: e.initiatorType,
duration: Math.round(e.duration), size: e.transferSize
})))`);
return JSON.parse(raw).map(e =>
`${String(e.duration).padStart(5)}ms ${String(e.size || '?').padStart(8)}B ${e.type.padEnd(8)} ${e.name}`
).join('\n');
}
// Click element by CSS selector
async function clickStr(cdp, sid, selector) {
if (!selector) throw new Error('CSS selector required');
const expr = `
(function() {
const el = document.querySelector(${JSON.stringify(selector)});
if (!el) return { ok: false, error: 'Element not found: ' + ${JSON.stringify(selector)} };
el.scrollIntoView({ block: 'center' });
el.click();
return { ok: true, tag: el.tagName, text: el.textContent.trim().substring(0, 80) };
})()
`;
const result = await evalStr(cdp, sid, expr);
const r = JSON.parse(result);
if (!r.ok) throw new Error(r.error);
return `Clicked <${r.tag}> "${r.text}"`;
}
// Click at CSS pixel coordinates using Input.dispatchMouseEvent
async function clickXyStr(cdp, sid, x, y) {
const cx = parseFloat(x);
const cy = parseFloat(y);
if (isNaN(cx) || isNaN(cy)) throw new Error('x and y must be numbers (CSS pixels)');
const base = { x: cx, y: cy, button: 'left', clickCount: 1, modifiers: 0 };
await cdp.send('Input.dispatchMouseEvent', { ...base, type: 'mouseMoved' }, sid);
await cdp.send('Input.dispatchMouseEvent', { ...base, type: 'mousePressed' }, sid);
await sleep(50);
await cdp.send('Input.dispatchMouseEvent', { ...base, type: 'mouseReleased' }, sid);
return `Clicked at CSS (${cx}, ${cy})`;
}
// Type text using Input.insertText (works in cross-origin iframes, unlike eval)
async function typeStr(cdp, sid, text) {
if (text == null || text === '') throw new Error('text required');
await cdp.send('Input.insertText', { text }, sid);
return `Typed ${text.length} characters`;
}
// Load-more: repeatedly click a button/selector until it disappears
async function loadAllStr(cdp, sid, selector, intervalMs = 1500) {
if (!selector) throw new Error('CSS selector required');
let clicks = 0;
const deadline = Date.now() + 5 * 60 * 1000; // 5-minute hard cap
while (Date.now() < deadline) {
const exists = await evalStr(cdp, sid,
`!!document.querySelector(${JSON.stringify(selector)})`
);
if (exists !== 'true') break;
const clickExpr = `
(function() {
const el = document.querySelector(${JSON.stringify(selector)});
if (!el) return false;
el.scrollIntoView({ block: 'center' });
el.click();
return true;
})()
`;
const clicked = await evalStr(cdp, sid, clickExpr);
if (clicked !== 'true') break;
clicks++;
await sleep(intervalMs);
}
return `Clicked "${selector}" ${clicks} time(s) until it disappeared`;
}
// Send a raw CDP command and return the result as JSON
async function evalRawStr(cdp, sid, method, paramsJson) {
if (!method) throw new Error('CDP method required (e.g. "DOM.getDocument")');
let params = {};
if (paramsJson) {
try { params = JSON.parse(paramsJson); }
catch { throw new Error(`Invalid JSON params: ${paramsJson}`); }
}
const result = await cdp.send(method, params, sid);
return JSON.stringify(result, null, 2);
}
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Per-tab daemon
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
async function runDaemon(targetId) {
const sp = sockPath(targetId);
const cdp = new CDP();
try {
await cdp.connect(getWsUrl());
} catch (e) {
process.stderr.write(`Daemon: cannot connect to Chrome: ${e.message}\n`);
process.exit(1);
}
let sessionId;
try {
const res = await cdp.send('Target.attachToTarget', { targetId, flatten: true });
sessionId = res.sessionId;
} catch (e) {
process.stderr.write(`Daemon: attach failed: ${e.message}\n`);
cdp.close();
process.exit(1);
}
// Shutdown helpers
let alive = true;
function shutdown() {
if (!alive) return;
alive = false;
server.close();
if (!IS_WINDOWS) try { unlinkSync(sp); } catch {}
cdp.close();
process.exit(0);
}
// Exit if target goes away or Chrome disconnects
cdp.onEvent('Target.targetDestroyed', (params) => {
if (params.targetId === targetId) shutdown();
});
cdp.onEvent('Target.detachedFromTarget', (params) => {
if (params.sessionId === sessionId) shutdown();
});
cdp.onClose(() => shutdown());
process.on('SIGTERM', shutdown);
process.on('SIGINT', shutdown);
// Idle timer
let idleTimer = setTimeout(shutdown, IDLE_TIMEOUT);
function resetIdle() {
clearTimeout(idleTimer);
idleTimer = setTimeout(shutdown, IDLE_TIMEOUT);
}
// Handle a command
async function handleCommand({ cmd, args }) {
resetIdle();
try {
let result;
switch (cmd) {
case 'list': {
const pages = await getPages(cdp);
result = formatPageList(pages);
break;
}
case 'list_raw': {
const pages = await getPages(cdp);
result = JSON.stringify(pages);
break;
}
case 'snap': case 'snapshot': result = await snapshotStr(cdp, sessionId, true); break;
case 'eval': result = await evalStr(cdp, sessionId, args[0]); break;
case 'shot': case 'screenshot': result = await shotStr(cdp, sessionId, args[0], targetId); break;
case 'html': result = await htmlStr(cdp, sessionId, args[0]); break;
case 'nav': case 'navigate': result = await navStr(cdp, sessionId, args[0]); break;
case 'net': case 'network': result = await netStr(cdp, sessionId); break;
case 'click': result = await clickStr(cdp, sessionId, args[0]); break;
case 'clickxy': result = await clickXyStr(cdp, sessionId, args[0], args[1]); break;
case 'type': result = await typeStr(cdp, sessionId, args[0]); break;
case 'loadall': result = await loadAllStr(cdp, sessionId, args[0], args[1] ? parseInt(args[1]) : 1500); break;
case 'evalraw': result = await evalRawStr(cdp, sessionId, args[0], args[1]); break;
case 'stop': return { ok: true, result: '', stopAfter: true };
default: return { ok: false, error: `Unknown command: ${cmd}` };
}
return { ok: true, result: result ?? '' };
} catch (e) {
return { ok: false, error: e.message };
}
}
// Unix socket server — NDJSON protocol
// Wire format: each message is one JSON object followed by \n (newline-delimited JSON).
// Request: { "id": <number>, "cmd": "<command>", "args": ["arg1", "arg2", ...] }
// Response: { "id": <number>, "ok": <boolean>, "result": "<string>" }
// or { "id": <number>, "ok": false, "error": "<message>" }
const server = net.createServer((conn) => {
let buf = '';
conn.on('data', (chunk) => {
buf += chunk.toString();
const lines = buf.split('\n');
buf = lines.pop(); // keep incomplete last line
for (const line of lines) {
if (!line.trim()) continue;
let req;
try {
req = JSON.parse(line);
} catch {
conn.write(JSON.stringify({ ok: false, error: 'Invalid JSON request', id: null }) + '\n');
continue;
}
handleCommand(req).then((res) => {
const payload = JSON.stringify({ ...res, id: req.id }) + '\n';
if (res.stopAfter) conn.end(payload, shutdown);
else conn.write(payload);
});
}
});
});
server.on('error', (e) => {
process.stderr.write(`Daemon server listen failed: ${e.message}\n`);
process.exit(1);
});
if (!IS_WINDOWS) try { unlinkSync(sp); } catch {}
server.listen(sp);
}
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// CLI ↔ daemon communication
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
function connectToSocket(sp) {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
const conn = net.connect(sp);
conn.on('connect', () => resolve(conn));
conn.on('error', reject);
});
}
async function getOrStartTabDaemon(targetId) {
const sp = sockPath(targetId);
// Try existing daemon
try { return await connectToSocket(sp); } catch {}
// Clean stale socket
if (!IS_WINDOWS) try { unlinkSync(sp); } catch {}
// Spawn daemon
const child = spawn(process.execPath, [process.argv[1], '_daemon', targetId], {
detached: true,
stdio: 'ignore',
});
child.unref();
// Wait for socket (includes time for user to click Allow)
for (let i = 0; i < DAEMON_CONNECT_RETRIES; i++) {
await sleep(DAEMON_CONNECT_DELAY);
try { return await connectToSocket(sp); } catch {}
}
throw new Error('Daemon failed to start — did you click Allow in Chrome?');
}
function sendCommand(conn, req) {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
let buf = '';
let settled = false;
const cleanup = () => {
conn.off('data', onData);
conn.off('error', onError);
conn.off('end', onEnd);
conn.off('close', onClose);
};
const onData = (chunk) => {
buf += chunk.toString();
const idx = buf.indexOf('\n');
if (idx === -1) return;
settled = true;
cleanup();
resolve(JSON.parse(buf.slice(0, idx)));
conn.end();
};
const onError = (error) => {
if (settled) return;
settled = true;
cleanup();
reject(error);
};
const onEnd = () => {
if (settled) return;
settled = true;
cleanup();
reject(new Error('Connection closed before response'));
};
const onClose = () => {
if (settled) return;
settled = true;
cleanup();
reject(new Error('Connection closed before response'));
};
conn.on('data', onData);
conn.on('error', onError);
conn.on('end', onEnd);
conn.on('close', onClose);
req.id = 1;
conn.write(JSON.stringify(req) + '\n');
});
}
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Stop daemons
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
async function stopDaemons(targetPrefix) {
if (!existsSync(PAGES_CACHE)) return;
const pages = JSON.parse(readFileSync(PAGES_CACHE, 'utf8'));
const targets = targetPrefix
? [resolvePrefix(targetPrefix, pages.map(p => p.targetId), 'target')]
: pages.map(p => p.targetId);
for (const targetId of targets) {
const sp = sockPath(targetId);
try {
const conn = await connectToSocket(sp);
await sendCommand(conn, { cmd: 'stop' });
} catch {
if (!IS_WINDOWS) try { unlinkSync(sp); } catch {}
}
}
}
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Main
// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
const USAGE = `cdp - lightweight Chrome DevTools Protocol CLI (no Puppeteer)
Usage: cdp <command> [args]
list List open pages (shows unique target prefixes)
snap <target> Accessibility tree snapshot
eval <target> <expr> Evaluate JS expression
shot <target> [file] Screenshot (default: screenshot-<target>.png in runtime dir); prints coordinate mapping
html <target> [selector] Get HTML (full page or CSS selector)
nav <target> <url> Navigate to URL and wait for load completion
net <target> Network performance entries
click <target> <selector> Click an element by CSS selector
clickxy <target> <x> <y> Click at CSS pixel coordinates (see coordinate note below)
type <target> <text> Type text at current focus via Input.insertText
Works in cross-origin iframes unlike eval-based approaches
loadall <target> <selector> [ms] Repeatedly click a "load more" button until it disappears
Optional interval in ms between clicks (default 1500)
evalraw <target> <method> [json] Send a raw CDP command; returns JSON result
e.g. evalraw <t> "DOM.getDocument" '{}'
open [url] Open a new tab (default: about:blank)
Note: each new tab triggers a fresh "Allow debugging?" prompt
stop [target] Stop daemon(s)
<target> is a unique targetId prefix from "cdp list". If a prefix is ambiguous,
use more characters.
COORDINATE SYSTEM
shot captures the viewport at the device's native resolution.
The screenshot image size = CSS pixels × DPR (device pixel ratio).
For CDP Input events (clickxy, etc.) you need CSS pixels, not image pixels.
CSS pixels = screenshot image pixels / DPR
shot prints the DPR and an example conversion for the current page.
Typical Retina (DPR=2): CSS px ≈ screenshot px × 0.5
If your viewer rescales the image further, account for that scaling too.
EVAL SAFETY NOTE
Avoid index-based DOM selection (querySelectorAll(...)[i]) across multiple
eval calls when the list can change between calls (e.g. after clicking
"Ignore" buttons on a feed — indices shift). Prefer stable selectors or
collect all data in a single eval.
DAEMON IPC (for advanced use / scripting)
Each tab runs a persistent daemon at Unix socket in the runtime dir (see below).
Protocol: newline-delimited JSON (one JSON object per line, UTF-8).
Request: {"id":<number>, "cmd":"<command>", "args":["arg1","arg2",...]}
Response: {"id":<number>, "ok":true, "result":"<string>"}
or {"id":<number>, "ok":false, "error":"<message>"}
Commands mirror the CLI: snap, eval, shot, html, nav, net, click, clickxy,
type, loadall, evalraw, stop. Use evalraw to send arbitrary CDP methods.
The socket disappears after 20 min of inactivity or when the tab closes.
`;
const NEEDS_TARGET = new Set([
'snap','snapshot','eval','shot','screenshot','html','nav','navigate',
'net','network','click','clickxy','type','loadall','evalraw',
]);
async function main() {
const [cmd, ...args] = process.argv.slice(2);
// Daemon mode (internal)
if (cmd === '_daemon') { await runDaemon(args[0]); return; }
if (!cmd || cmd === 'help' || cmd === '--help' || cmd === '-h') {
console.log(USAGE); process.exit(0);
}
if (cmd === 'list' || cmd === 'ls') {
const cdp = new CDP();
await cdp.connect(getWsUrl());
const pages = await getPages(cdp);
cdp.close();
writeFileSync(PAGES_CACHE, JSON.stringify(pages), { mode: 0o600 });
console.log(formatPageList(pages));
setTimeout(() => process.exit(0), 100);
return;
}
// Open new tab
if (cmd === 'open') {
const url = args[0] || 'about:blank';
const cdp = new CDP();
await cdp.connect(getWsUrl());
const { targetId } = await cdp.send('Target.createTarget', { url });
// Refresh cache; new tab may not appear in getTargets immediately, so add it manually
const pages = await getPages(cdp);
if (!pages.some(p => p.targetId === targetId)) {
pages.push({ targetId, title: url, url });
}
cdp.close();
writeFileSync(PAGES_CACHE, JSON.stringify(pages), { mode: 0o600 });
console.log(`Opened new tab: ${targetId.slice(0, 8)} ${url}`);
console.log('Note: this tab will need "Allow debugging?" approval on first access.');
return;
}
// Stop
if (cmd === 'stop') {
await stopDaemons(args[0]);
return;
}
// Page commands — need target prefix
if (!NEEDS_TARGET.has(cmd)) {
console.error(`Unknown command: ${cmd}\n`);
console.log(USAGE);
process.exit(1);
}
const targetPrefix = args[0];
if (!targetPrefix) {
console.error('Error: target ID required. Run "cdp list" first.');
process.exit(1);
}
// Resolve prefix → full targetId from pages cache
if (!existsSync(PAGES_CACHE)) {
console.error('No page list cached. Run "cdp list" first.');
process.exit(1);
}
const pages = JSON.parse(readFileSync(PAGES_CACHE, 'utf8'));
const targetId = resolvePrefix(targetPrefix, pages.map(p => p.targetId), 'target', 'Run "cdp list".');
const conn = await getOrStartTabDaemon(targetId);
const cmdArgs = args.slice(1);
if (cmd === 'eval') {
const expr = cmdArgs.join(' ');
if (!expr) { console.error('Error: expression required'); process.exit(1); }
cmdArgs[0] = expr;
} else if (cmd === 'type') {
// Join all remaining args as text (allows spaces)
const text = cmdArgs.join(' ');
if (!text) { console.error('Error: text required'); process.exit(1); }
cmdArgs[0] = text;
} else if (cmd === 'evalraw') {
// args: [method, ...jsonParts] — join json parts in case of spaces
if (!cmdArgs[0]) { console.error('Error: CDP method required'); process.exit(1); }
if (cmdArgs.length > 2) cmdArgs[1] = cmdArgs.slice(1).join(' ');
}
if ((cmd === 'nav' || cmd === 'navigate') && !cmdArgs[0]) {
console.error('Error: URL required');
process.exit(1);
}
const response = await sendCommand(conn, { cmd, args: cmdArgs });
if (response.ok) {
if (response.result) console.log(response.result);
} else {
console.error('Error:', response.error);
process.exitCode = 1;
}
}
main().catch(e => { console.error(e.message); process.exit(1); });
Related skills
Forks & variants (1)
Chrome Cdp has 1 known copy in the catalog totaling 223 installs. They canonicalize to this original listing.
- hanyu0001 - 223 installs
How it compares
Pick chrome-cdp for minimal CDP shell control in agents; choose Playwright or Puppeteer when you need cross-browser test suites and rich selector APIs.
FAQ
What is chrome-cdp?
Interact with local Chrome browser session (only on explicit user approval after being asked to inspect, debug, or interact with a page open in Chrome)
When should I use chrome-cdp?
Interact with local Chrome browser session (only on explicit user approval after being asked to inspect, debug, or interact with a page open in Chrome)
Is chrome-cdp safe to install?
Review the Security Audits panel on this page before production use.