OpenTabs
The facts below are what the maker publishes about OpenTabs, checked and dated. Our editors have not written about it yet.
The facts
Each one read from OpenTabs's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- AI clients
- The site names Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and OpenCode, and says OpenTabs works with any MCP client supporting Streamable HTTP.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Audit log
- The server keeps a tool invocation audit log, with the documentation describing a 500-entry in-memory history and a persistent local log file.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Connection modes
- The MCP server documentation describes Full MCP, Gateway MCP, CLI mode, and auto-start via stdio.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Extension installation
- Users must manually load the Chrome extension in Developer mode because the maker says Chrome does not permit distributing this localhost-server extension through the Chrome Web Store.checked 11 Oct 2026
- How it works
- An MCP server routes tool calls to the matching browser tab, where a Chrome extension runs them on the web app.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The documentation describes paths for people using existing plugins, building plugins, and contributing to the platform.checked 5 Oct 2026
- License and support
- OpenTabs is open source under the MIT license, and the maker links to a community Discord for support and discussion.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Local operation
- The MCP server runs locally and bridges AI clients with the browser extension; the maker says there is no cloud, relay, or account requirement.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Permissions
- Tools are disabled until enabled, and permissions can be set to Off, Ask for confirmation, or Auto per plugin or tool.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Plugin development
- Users can scaffold their own plugins, build them, and register them locally; the maker also says plugins can be published to npm.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Plugin limitation
- The site notes that OpenTabs requires a plugin for each site and that a site’s internal APIs can change.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Plugin review
- The maker says users can have AI review plugin adapter source code before enabling it, and permissions reset when a plugin is updated.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Plugins
- The site advertises 100+ plugins and about 2,000 tools, including integrations for Slack, Discord, GitHub, Jira, Notion, Figma, AWS, and Stripe.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- OpenTabs exposes web apps’ internal APIs as MCP tools that AI agents can use through the user’s logged-in browser session.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Security defaults
- Plugin tools are disabled by default, and the site says users can have an AI review plugin source before enabling it; plugin updates reset permissions.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Setup limitation
- The installation guide instructs users to manually load the Chrome extension in Developer mode using “Load unpacked.”checked 5 Oct 2026
- Setup requirements
- The installation guide requires Node.js 22 or later and Google Chrome or a Chromium-based browser.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Support
- The quick start directs users who remain stuck to open an issue.checked 5 Oct 2026
- System requirements
- The installation guide requires Node.js 22 or later and Google Chrome or a Chromium-based browser.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Telemetry
- Anonymous telemetry is enabled by default; the documentation says it excludes plugin names and tool calls and can be disabled through the CLI, environment variables, or config.checked 11 Oct 2026
- What it does
- OpenTabs exposes web apps’ internal APIs as MCP tools that AI agents can call through the user’s authenticated browser session.checked 11 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Browser tools
- Built-in browser tools can work with any tab, and the maker lists screenshots, clicking, typing, and network capture among their capabilities.checked 11 Oct 2026
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