pilot — AI agents in your real Chrome

Install a Chrome extension. Your AI agent gets a tab in the browser you're already using.

Every other browser tool launches a new, anonymous browser. Your agent starts logged out, gets blocked by Cloudflare, can't reach anything behind auth.

Pilot is a Chrome extension + MCP server. It connects your AI agent to your real browser — same sessions, same cookies, same logins. Your agent sees what you see.

You: "Summarize my GitHub notifications"

→ New tab opens in YOUR Chrome
→ Already logged into GitHub
→ Agent reads, summarizes, done

No headless browser. No cookie hacking. No re-authentication. No bot detection.

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How it works

AI Agent → MCP Server → WebSocket → Chrome Extension → Tab in your browser
         (stdio)       (localhost)

1. Pilot runs as an MCP server — Claude Code, Cursor, or any MCP client connects via stdio
2. The Chrome extension connects via WebSocket on localhost
3. Your agent gets its own tab in your real Chrome — all your sessions intact
4. Multiple agents get separate tabs — color-grouped so you can tell them apart

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Quick Start

1. Add the MCP server

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

2. Install the Chrome extension

npx pilot-mcp --install-extension

Opens Chrome's extensions page. Click Load unpacked → select the path shown in terminal.

3. Use it

"Go to my GitHub notifications and summarize them"

A tab opens in your Chrome — already logged in as you.

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Lean snapshots

Other tools dump 50K+ chars per page into your context window. Pilot keeps things small:

Other tools:   navigate(58K) → navigate(58K) → answer        = 116K chars
Pilot:         navigate(2K)  → navigate(2K)  → snapshot(9K)  =  13K chars

snapshot_diff shows only what changed between actions — no redundant re-reads.

Less context = faster responses, cheaper API calls, fewer hallucinations.

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Pilot vs @playwright/mcp

	Pilot	@playwright/mcp
Browser	Your real Chrome (extension)	New Chromium instance
Auth state	Already logged in everywhere	Anonymous — manual setup
Bot detection	Real fingerprint — not blocked	Blocked by Cloudflare
Snapshot size	~2K navigate, ~9K full	~50-60K
Snapshot diff	pilot_snapshot_diff	❌
Cookie import	Chrome, Arc, Brave, Edge, Comet	Manual JSON
Iframes	✅	❌
Tool profiles	core (9) / standard (30) / full (61)	--caps groups
Transport	stdio	stdio, HTTP, SSE

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61 tools across 3 profiles

Most LLMs degrade past ~30 tools. Load only what you need:

Profile	Tools	What's included
core	9	navigate, snapshot, click, fill, type, press_key, wait, screenshot, snapshot_diff
standard	30	Core + tabs, scroll, hover, drag, iframes, forms, links, auth, block, find, element_state
full	61	Standard + network intercept, assertions, clipboard, geolocation, CDP, evaluate, PDF, responsive

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

Default: standard. Full tool reference →

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Headed fallback

When the extension isn't connected, Pilot opens a visible Chromium window automatically.

Import cookies from your real browser: pilot_import_cookies({ browser: "chrome", domains: [".github.com"] })

Supports Chrome, Arc, Brave, Edge, Comet via macOS Keychain / Linux libsecret. For CAPTCHAs: pilot_handoff → you intervene → pilot_resume.

Requires: npx playwright install chromium

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Requirements

• Node.js >= 18
• Chrome + Pilot extension (recommended)
• macOS or Linux
• Fallback only: npx playwright install chromium

Security

• Extension communicates on localhost only (127.0.0.1)
• Output path validation prevents writes outside PILOT_OUTPUT_DIR
• Path traversal protection on all file operations
• PILOT_PROFILE controls which tools are exposed (core / standard / full)

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Credits

Core architecture — ref-based element selection, snapshot diffing, annotated screenshots — ported from gstack by Garry Tan. Built on Playwright and the MCP SDK.

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If Pilot is useful, star the repo — it helps others find it.