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Show HN: Browser MCP – Automate your browser using Cursor, Claude, VS Code

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Re: Show HN: Browser MCP – Automate your browser using Cursor, Claude, VS Code

#171

Post by oulipo »

mattfrommars wrote: post #128
oulipo wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's just a way to provide a "library of methods" / API that the LLM models can "call", so basically giving them method names, their parameters, the type of the output, and what they are for, and then the LLM model will ask the MCP server to call the functions, check the result, call the next function if needed, etc Right now if you go to ChatGPT you can't really tell it "open Google maps with my account, search for…

Isn't the idea of AI agent talking to each by telling LLM model to reply say in, JSON and with some parameter value map to, say function in Python code? That in retrospect, given context {prompt} to LLM will be able to call said function code? Is this what 'calling' is?

Yes exactly. MCP just formalize this a bit better

Re: Show HN: Browser MCP – Automate your browser using Cursor, Claude, VS Code

#172

Post by oulipo »

dimitri-vs wrote: post #120
oulipo wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's just a way to provide a "library of methods" / API that the LLM models can "call", so basically giving them method names, their parameters, the type of the output, and what they are for, and then the LLM model will ask the MCP server to call the functions, check the result, call the next function if needed, etc Right now if you go to ChatGPT you can't really tell it "open Google maps with my account, search for…

You actually can, its called Operator and its a complete waste of time, just like 99% of agents/MCPs.

Operator is basically MCP...

Re: Show HN: Browser MCP – Automate your browser using Cursor, Claude, VS Code

#173

Post by rmac »

[!warning!]

1) this projects' chrome extension sends detailed telemetry to posthog and amplitude:

- https://storage.googleapis.com/cobrowser-images/telemetry.pn...

- https://storage.googleapis.com/cobrowser-images/pings.png

2) this project includes source for the local mcp server, but not for its chrome extension, which is likely bundling https://github.com/ruifigueira/playwright-crx without attribution

super suss

Re: Show HN: Browser MCP – Automate your browser using Cursor, Claude, VS Code

#174

Post by TeMPOraL »

verve_rat wrote: post #137
sitkack wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Must suck for people with assistive software. I get blocked on CF for now damn reason.

Yeah, I do wonder if there are any ADA implications with that?

I really really hope there are. Not just because of people who need these provisions, but also for everyone else, as accessibility is the last line of defense for preserving end-user interoperability.

Screen readers need to see a de-bullshittified, machine-readable version of the site + this is required by law sometimes, and generally considered a nice thing to enable -> the site becomes not just screen-reader friendly, but end user automation-friendly in general.

(I don't know how long this will hold, though. LLMs are already capable of becoming a screen reader without any special provisions - they can make sense of the UI the same way a sighted person can. I wouldn't trust them much now, but they'll only get better.)

Re: Show HN: Browser MCP – Automate your browser using Cursor, Claude, VS Code

#175

Post by TeMPOraL »

jastuk wrote: post #95
StevenNunez wrote: post #94

I feel like I slept for a day and now MCPs are everywhere... I don't know what MCPs are and at this point I'm too afraid to ask.

And the worst part is that it opens a pandora's box of potential exploits; https://elenacross7.medium.com/%EF%B8%8F-the-s-in-mcp-stands...

That's not fault of MCP though, that's the fault of vendors peddling their MCPs while clinging to the SaaS model.

Yes, MCP is a way to streamline giving LLMs ability to run arbitrary code on your machine, however indirectly. It's meant to be used on "your side of the airlock", where you trust the things that run. Obviously it's too powerful for it to be used with third-party tools you neither trust nor control; it's not that different than downloading random binaries from the Internet.

I suppose it's good to spell out the risks, but it doesn't make sense blaming MCP itself, because those risks are fundamental aspects of the features it provides.

Re: Show HN: Browser MCP – Automate your browser using Cursor, Claude, VS Code

#176

Post by mrweasel »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #170
mrweasel wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's also the whole issue of captchas being in place because people cannot be trusted to behave appropriately with automation tools. "Avoids bot detection and CAPTCHAs" - Sure asshole, but understand that's only in place because of people like you. If you truly need access to something, ask for an API, may you need to pay for it, maybe you don't. May you get it, maybe the site owner tells you to go pound sand and…

Actually, the CAPTCHAs are in place mostly because of assholes like you abusing other assholes like you [0]. Most of the automated misbehavior is businesses doing it to other businesses - in many cases, it's direct competition, or a third party the competition outsources it to. Hell, your business is probably doing it to them too (ask the marketing agency you're outsourcing to). > If you truly need access to somethin…

It seems that we have very different types of businesses in mind. I really didn't consider tracking users and displaying ads, but I also don't think this is where these types of tools would be used. Well, they might, but that's as part of some content farm, undesirable bots and downright scams, so nothing of value is really lost if this didn't exist.

If you have a sales funnel, as in you take orders and ship something to a customer, consumer or business, I almost guarantee you that you can request an API, if the company you want to purchase from is large enough. They'll probably give you the API access for free, or as part of a signup fee and give you access to discounts. Sometimes that API might be an email, or a monthly Excel dump, but it's an API.

When we're talking site that purely survive on tracking users and reselling their data, then yes, they aren't going to give you API access. Some sites, like Reddit does offer it I think, but the price is going to be insane, reflecting their unwillingness to interact with users in this way.

> Not "you" 'mrweasel personally

Understood, but thank you :-)

Re: Show HN: Browser MCP – Automate your browser using Cursor, Claude, VS Code

#177

Post by animuchan »

magicalhippo wrote: post #148
dalemhurley wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I am using keyboard navigation, shortcuts and autofills, I seem to get mistaken for a bot a lot. These Captchas are really bad at detecting bots and really good at falsely labelling humans as bots.

They're detecting patterns predominantly bots use. The fact that some humans also use them doesn't change that. Back when I was playing Call of Duty 4, I got routinely accused of cheating because some people didn't think it was possible to click the mouse button as fast as I did. To them it looked like I had some auto-trigger bot or Xbox controller. I did in fact just have a good mouse and a quick finger.

What's different is the badness of the outcome: if children mislabel you as a cheater in CoD, you may get kicked from the server.

If CloudFlare mislabels you as a bot, however, you may be unable to access medical services, or your bank account, or unable to check in for a flight, stuff like that. Actual important things.

So yes, I think it's not unreasonable to expect more from CF. The fact that some humans are routinely mischaracterized as bots should be a blocker level issue.

Re: Show HN: Browser MCP – Automate your browser using Cursor, Claude, VS Code

#178

Post by kmacdough »

SkyBelow wrote: post #83
bhouston wrote: post #44

So the website claims: "Avoids bot detection and CAPTCHAs by using your real browser fingerprint." Yeah, not really. I've used a similar system a few weeks back (one I wrote myself), having AI control my browser using my logged in session, and I started to get Captcha's during my human sessions in the browser and eventually I got blocked from a bunch of websites. Now that I've stopped using my browser session in that…

What do you think they might be looking for that could be detected pretty quickly? I'm wondering if it is something like they can track mouse movement and calculate when a mouse is moving too cleanly, so adding some more human like noise to the mouse movement can better bypass the system. Others have mentioned doing too many actions too fast, but what about potential timing between actions. Even if every click isn't…

> I'm wondering if it is something like they can track mouse movement

Yes, this is a big signal they use.

> adding some more human like noise to the mouse

Yes, this is a standard avoidance strategy. Easier said than done. For every new noise generation method, they work on detection. They also detect more global usage patterns and other signals, so you'd need to immitate the entire workflow of being human. At least within the noise of their current models.

Re: Show HN: Browser MCP – Automate your browser using Cursor, Claude, VS Code

#179

Post by magicalhippo »

animuchan wrote: post #177
magicalhippo wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're detecting patterns predominantly bots use. The fact that some humans also use them doesn't change that. Back when I was playing Call of Duty 4, I got routinely accused of cheating because some people didn't think it was possible to click the mouse button as fast as I did. To them it looked like I had some auto-trigger bot or Xbox controller. I did in fact just have a good mouse and a quick finger.

What's different is the badness of the outcome: if children mislabel you as a cheater in CoD, you may get kicked from the server. If CloudFlare mislabels you as a bot, however, you may be unable to access medical services, or your bank account, or unable to check in for a flight, stuff like that. Actual important things. So yes, I think it's not unreasonable to expect more from CF. The fact that some humans are routi…

Does it suck? Yes, absolutely. Should CF continuously work to reduce false positives? Yes, absolutely.

I've never failed the CF bot test so don't know how that feels. Though I have managed to get to level 8 or 9 on Google's ReCaptcha in recent times, and actually given up a couple of times.

Though my point was just it's gonna boil down to a duck test, so if you walk like a duck and quack like a duck, CF might just think you're a duck.

Re: Show HN: Browser MCP – Automate your browser using Cursor, Claude, VS Code

#180

Post by makingstuffs »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #167
makingstuffs wrote: post #160

I don't see how an MCP can be useful for browsing the net and doing things like shopping as has been suggested. Large companies such as CloudFlare have spent millions on, and made a business from, bot detection and blocking. Do we suppose they will just create a backdoor to allow _some_ bots in? If they do that how long will it be before other bots impersonate them? It seems like a bit of a fad from my small mind. Su…

> Suppose it does become a thing, what then? We end up with an internet which is heavily optimised for bots (arguably it already is to an extent) and unusable for humans? As opposed to the Web we now have, which is heavily optimized for... wasting human life . What you're asking for, what "large companies such as CloudFlare have spent millions on", is verifying that on the other end of the connection is a web browser…

Sorry it wasn't entirely clear that I was by no means saying the web in its current form is anything close to what it could/should be. My main point was that, by making backdoors for MCPs there will be a new possible entry point for bad actors by exploiting said backdoor.

As for the optimisation to _waste human life_ I do agree but the reality is that the sites which waste the majority of human life/time are the ones which would not be automated by the MCP and would, ultimately, see more 'real' usage by virtue of the fact that your average human will have more time to mindlessly scroll their favourite echo-chamber.

Then we have the whole other debate of whether we really believe that the VC funders whom are largely responsible for the current state of the web will continue pumping money into something which would hurt their bottom line from another angle?

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