Pilot MCP Server

Fast browser automation MCP server for LLMs — persistent Chromium, ref-based interaction, cookie migration

Local serverstdio

What is the Pilot MCP server?

Fast browser automation MCP server for LLMs — persistent Chromium, ref-based interaction, cookie migration. That is what the pilot mcp server brings to an AI assistant: the same capability, reachable through the Model Context Protocol rather than a separate app or dashboard.

The short version

Native mode avoids chrome.tabs.captureVisibleTab() entirely, so screenshots do not depend on Chrome being foregrounded, a tab being visibly active, or the extension service worker being fresh.

Getting it running

pilot-mcp on npm is all you need. Most clients run it directly, so configuration is a few lines and a restart.

The tools it exposes

The server publishes 4 tools. What each one is for:

  • Profile — Tools
  • core — 9
  • standard — 40
  • full — 69

What it needs from you

Configuration is passed through the environment: PILOT_PROFILE. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.

  • Node.js >= 18 - Playwright Chromium - macOS or Linux - Extension mode only: Chrome + Pilot extension If Chromium is missing:

Things to watch

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

How it compares

This sits in the browser automation group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Pilot's toolset — Profile, core, standard and 1 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by tacosyhorchata; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
ProfileTools
core9
standard40
full69

How to install the Pilot MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pilot": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "pilot-mcp"],
      "env": { "PILOT_PROFILE": "standard" }
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

  • Node.js >= 18 - Playwright Chromium - macOS or Linux - Extension mode only: Chrome + Pilot extension If Chromium is missing:
VariableDescriptionRequired
PILOT_PROFILEConfiguration value read at startup.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • Use Pilot to Profile.
  • Use Pilot to core.
  • Use Pilot to standard.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Pilot to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 4 tools (Profile, core, standard, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Pilot directly.