🦁 Safari MCP

The only MCP server for Safari — native browser automation for AI agents.

80 tools · Zero dependencies · ~5ms per command · 60% less CPU than Chrome

Quick Start · All 80 Tools · Examples · Why Safari MCP? · Architecture · Changelog

If Safari MCP saves you from running Chrome, consider giving it a star! It helps others discover this project.

TL;DR: Use your real Safari with all your logins, cookies, and sessions. No headless browsers, no Chrome, no Puppeteer. Just pure AppleScript + JavaScript running natively on macOS — 60% less CPU/heat on Apple Silicon.

Highlights

• 80 tools — navigation, clicks, forms, screenshots, network, storage, accessibility, and more
• Zero heat — native WebKit on Apple Silicon, ~60% less CPU than Chrome
• Your real browser — keeps all logins, cookies, sessions (Gmail, GitHub, Ahrefs, etc.)
• Background operation — Safari stays in the background, no window stealing
• No dependencies — no Puppeteer, no Playwright, no WebDriver, no Chrome
• Persistent process — reuses a single osascript process (~5ms per command vs ~80ms)
• Framework-compatible — React, Vue, Angular, Svelte form filling via native setters

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• macOS (any version with Safari)
• Node.js 18+
• Safari → Settings → Advanced → Show features for web developers ✓
• Safari → Develop → Allow JavaScript from Apple Events ✓

Install

Option A — npm (recommended):

npm install -g safari-mcp

Option B — Homebrew:

brew install achiya-automation/tap/safari-mcp

Option C — from source:

git clone https://github.com/achiya-automation/safari-mcp.git
cd safari-mcp
npm install

Configure

Add to your MCP client config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "safari": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/safari-mcp/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "safari": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/safari-mcp/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "safari": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/safari-mcp/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "safari": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/safari-mcp/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Usage Workflow

The recommended pattern for AI agents using Safari MCP:

1. safari_snapshot        → Get page state (accessibility tree)
2. safari_click/fill/...  → Interact with elements by ref
3. safari_snapshot        → Verify the result

Element targeting — tools accept multiple targeting strategies:

Tip: Start with safari_snapshot to get element refs, then use refs for precise targeting. This is faster and more reliable than CSS selectors.

Tools (80)

Navigation (4)

Page Reading (3)

Click & Interaction (5)

Form Input (7)

Screenshots & PDF (3)

Scroll (3)

Tab Management (4)

Wait (2)

JavaScript (1)

Element Inspection (4)

Accessibility (1)

Drag & Drop (1)

File Operations (2)

Dialog & Window (2)

Device Emulation (2)

Cookies & Storage (10)

Clipboard (2)

Network (6)

Console (4)

Performance (2)

Data Extraction (4)

Advanced (5)

Automation (1)

Security

Safari MCP runs locally on your Mac with minimal attack surface:

Safari MCP vs Alternatives

Tip: Use Safari MCP for daily browsing tasks (95% of work) and Chrome DevTools MCP only for Lighthouse/Performance audits.

Safari MCP Servers Comparison

Architecture

Safari MCP uses a dual-engine architecture — the Extension is preferred for speed and advanced capabilities, with AppleScript as an always-available fallback:

Claude/Cursor/AI Agent
        ↓ MCP Protocol (stdio)
   Safari MCP Server (Node.js)
        ↓                    ↓
   Extension (HTTP)     AppleScript + Swift daemon
   (~5-20ms/cmd)        (~5ms/cmd, always available)
        ↓                    ↓
   Content Script       do JavaScript in tab N
        ↓                    ↓
   Page DOM ←←←←←←←←←← Page DOM

Key design decisions:

• Dual engine with automatic fallback — Extension is preferred; if not connected, AppleScript handles everything seamlessly
• Persistent Swift helper — one long-running process instead of spawning per command (16x faster)
• Tab-indexed operations — all JS runs on a specific tab by index, never steals visual focus
• JS-first approach — typing, clicking, file upload all use JavaScript events (no System Events keyboard conflicts)
• No activate — Safari is never brought to foreground

Safari Extension (Optional)

The Safari MCP Extension is optional but recommended. Without it, ~80% of functionality works via AppleScript alone. The extension adds capabilities that AppleScript cannot provide:

What the Extension Adds

When do you need the extension? If you're automating modern SPAs with closed shadow DOM (e.g., Reddit), sites with strict Content Security Policy, or framework-heavy editors (Draft.js, ProseMirror, Slate).

Installing the Extension

The extension requires a one-time build with Xcode (free, included with macOS):

Prerequisites: Xcode (install from App Store — free)

# 1. Build the extension app
cd safari-mcp
xcodebuild -project "xcode/Safari MCP/Safari MCP.xcodeproj" \
  -scheme "Safari MCP (macOS)" -configuration Release build

# 2. Find and open the built app
open ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Safari_MCP-*/Build/Products/Release/Safari\ MCP.app

Then in Safari:

1. Safari → Settings → Advanced → enable Show features for web developers
2. Safari → Develop → Allow Unsigned Extensions (required each Safari restart)
3. Safari → Settings → Extensions → enable Safari MCP Bridge

The extension connects automatically to the MCP server on port 9224.

Note: "Allow Unsigned Extensions" resets every time Safari restarts. You'll need to re-enable it in the Develop menu after each restart. The extension itself stays installed.

Toolbar icon status:

• ON — connected to MCP server
• OFF — manually disabled via popup
• (no badge) — server not running, will auto-reconnect

macOS Permissions

Safari MCP needs these one-time permissions:

Troubleshooting

Works With

Safari MCP works with any MCP-compatible client:

Contributing

PRs welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup instructions.

The codebase is two files:

• safari.js — Safari automation layer (AppleScript + JavaScript)
• index.js — MCP server with tool definitions

Sponsors

Safari MCP is free and open source. If it saves you time or CPU cycles, consider supporting its development:

Your support funds:

• 🧪 Testing across macOS versions and Safari releases
• 🛠️ New tools and features
• 📖 Documentation and examples

Become the first sponsor!

Community

Safari MCP is used by developers building AI agents on macOS. Share your use case in Discussions

Spread the Word

If you find Safari MCP useful, help others discover it:

• Star this repo
• Share on Twitter/X
• Share on LinkedIn
• Write about it on dev.to or your blog

Star History

If Safari MCP saved you from Chrome overhead, consider giving it a star!

License

MIT — use it however you want.