chore: allow to switch between browser connection methods (#815)

src/browserContextFactory.ts

@@ -40,17 +40,21 @@ export function contextFactory(config: FullConfig): BrowserContextFactory {
 export type ClientInfo = { name?: string, version?: string, rootPath?: string };
 
 export interface BrowserContextFactory {
+  readonly name: string;
+  readonly description: string;
   createContext(clientInfo: ClientInfo, abortSignal: AbortSignal): Promise<{ browserContext: playwright.BrowserContext, close: () => Promise<void> }>;
 }
 
 class BaseContextFactory implements BrowserContextFactory {
+  readonly name: string;
+  readonly description: string;
   readonly config: FullConfig;
   protected _browserPromise: Promise<playwright.Browser> | undefined;
   protected _tracesDir: string | undefined;
-  readonly name: string;
 
-  constructor(name: string, config: FullConfig) {
+  constructor(name: string, description: string, config: FullConfig) {
     this.name = name;
+    this.description = description;
     this.config = config;
   }
 
@@ -101,7 +105,7 @@ class BaseContextFactory implements BrowserContextFactory {
 
 class IsolatedContextFactory extends BaseContextFactory {
   constructor(config: FullConfig) {
-    super('isolated', config);
+    super('isolated', 'Create a new isolated browser context', config);
   }
 
   protected override async _doObtainBrowser(): Promise<playwright.Browser> {
@@ -126,7 +130,7 @@ class IsolatedContextFactory extends BaseContextFactory {
 
 class CdpContextFactory extends BaseContextFactory {
   constructor(config: FullConfig) {
-    super('cdp', config);
+    super('cdp', 'Connect to a browser over CDP', config);
   }
 
   protected override async _doObtainBrowser(): Promise<playwright.Browser> {
@@ -140,7 +144,7 @@ class CdpContextFactory extends BaseContextFactory {
 
 class RemoteContextFactory extends BaseContextFactory {
   constructor(config: FullConfig) {
-    super('remote', config);
+    super('remote', 'Connect to a browser using a remote endpoint', config);
   }
 
   protected override async _doObtainBrowser(): Promise<playwright.Browser> {
@@ -158,6 +162,9 @@ class RemoteContextFactory extends BaseContextFactory {
 
 class PersistentContextFactory implements BrowserContextFactory {
   readonly config: FullConfig;
+  readonly name = 'persistent';
+  readonly description = 'Create a new persistent browser context';
+
   private _userDataDirs = new Set<string>();
 
   constructor(config: FullConfig) {

src/browserServerBackend.ts

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
  */
 
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
+import { z } from 'zod';
 import { FullConfig } from './config.js';
 import { Context } from './context.js';
 import { logUnhandledError } from './log.js';
@@ -22,11 +23,16 @@ import { Response } from './response.js';
 import { SessionLog } from './sessionLog.js';
 import { filteredTools } from './tools.js';
 import { packageJSON } from './package.js';
+import { defineTool  } from './tools/tool.js';
 
+import type { Tool } from './tools/tool.js';
 import type { BrowserContextFactory } from './browserContextFactory.js';
 import type * as mcpServer from './mcp/server.js';
 import type { ServerBackend } from './mcp/server.js';
-import type { Tool } from './tools/tool.js';
+
+type NonEmptyArray<T> = [T, ...T[]];
+
+export type FactoryList = NonEmptyArray<BrowserContextFactory>;
 
 export class BrowserServerBackend implements ServerBackend {
   name = 'Playwright';
@@ -38,10 +44,12 @@ export class BrowserServerBackend implements ServerBackend {
   private _config: FullConfig;
   private _browserContextFactory: BrowserContextFactory;
 
-  constructor(config: FullConfig, browserContextFactory: BrowserContextFactory) {
+  constructor(config: FullConfig, factories: FactoryList) {
     this._config = config;
-    this._browserContextFactory = browserContextFactory;
+    this._browserContextFactory = factories[0];
     this._tools = filteredTools(config);
+    if (factories.length > 1)
+      this._tools.push(this._defineContextSwitchTool(factories));
   }
 
   async initialize(server: mcpServer.Server): Promise<void> {
@@ -87,4 +95,46 @@ export class BrowserServerBackend implements ServerBackend {
   serverClosed() {
     void this._context!.dispose().catch(logUnhandledError);
   }
+
+  private _defineContextSwitchTool(factories: FactoryList): Tool<any> {
+    const self = this;
+    return defineTool({
+      capability: 'core',
+
+      schema: {
+        name: 'browser_connect',
+        title: 'Connect to a browser context',
+        description: [
+          'Connect to a browser using one of the available methods:',
+          ...factories.map(factory => `- "${factory.name}": ${factory.description}`),
+        ].join('\n'),
+        inputSchema: z.object({
+          method: z.enum(factories.map(factory => factory.name) as [string, ...string[]]).default(factories[0].name).describe('The method to use to connect to the browser'),
+        }),
+        type: 'readOnly',
+      },
+
+      async handle(context, params, response) {
+        const factory = factories.find(factory => factory.name === params.method);
+        if (!factory) {
+          response.addError('Unknown connection method: ' + params.method);
+          return;
+        }
+        await self._setContextFactory(factory);
+        response.addResult('Successfully changed connection method.');
+      }
+    });
+  }
+
+  private async _setContextFactory(newFactory: BrowserContextFactory) {
+    if (this._context) {
+      const options = {
+        ...this._context.options,
+        browserContextFactory: newFactory,
+      };
+      await this._context.dispose();
+      this._context = new Context(options);
+    }
+    this._browserContextFactory = newFactory;
+  }
 }

src/context.ts

@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ export class Context {
   readonly tools: Tool[];
   readonly config: FullConfig;
   readonly sessionLog: SessionLog | undefined;
+  readonly options: ContextOptions;
   private _browserContextPromise: Promise<{ browserContext: playwright.BrowserContext, close: () => Promise<void> }> | undefined;
   private _browserContextFactory: BrowserContextFactory;
   private _tabs: Tab[] = [];
@@ -56,6 +57,7 @@ export class Context {
     this.tools = options.tools;
     this.config = options.config;
     this.sessionLog = options.sessionLog;
+    this.options = options;
     this._browserContextFactory = options.browserContextFactory;
     this._clientInfo = options.clientInfo;
     testDebug('create context');

src/extension/extensionContextFactory.ts

@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ import type { BrowserContextFactory, ClientInfo } from '../browserContextFactory
 const debugLogger = debug('pw:mcp:relay');
 
 export class ExtensionContextFactory implements BrowserContextFactory {
+  name = 'extension';
+  description = 'Connect to a browser using the Playwright MCP extension';
+
   private _browserChannel: string;
   private _relayPromise: Promise<CDPRelayServer> | undefined;
   private _browserPromise: Promise<playwright.Browser> | undefined;

src/extension/main.ts

@@ -22,6 +22,10 @@ import type { FullConfig } from '../config.js';
 
 export async function runWithExtension(config: FullConfig) {
   const contextFactory = new ExtensionContextFactory(config.browser.launchOptions.channel || 'chrome');
-  const serverBackendFactory = () => new BrowserServerBackend(config, contextFactory);
+  const serverBackendFactory = () => new BrowserServerBackend(config, [contextFactory]);
   await mcpTransport.start(serverBackendFactory, config.server);
 }
+
+export function createExtensionContextFactory(config: FullConfig) {
+  return new ExtensionContextFactory(config.browser.launchOptions.channel || 'chrome');
+}

src/index.ts

@@ -27,10 +27,13 @@ import type { Server } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/index.js';
 export async function createConnection(userConfig: Config = {}, contextGetter?: () => Promise<BrowserContext>): Promise<Server> {
   const config = await resolveConfig(userConfig);
   const factory = contextGetter ? new SimpleBrowserContextFactory(contextGetter) : contextFactory(config);
-  return mcpServer.createServer(new BrowserServerBackend(config, factory), false);
+  return mcpServer.createServer(new BrowserServerBackend(config, [factory]), false);
 }
 
 class SimpleBrowserContextFactory implements BrowserContextFactory {
+  name = 'custom';
+  description = 'Connect to a browser using a custom context getter';
+
   private readonly _contextGetter: () => Promise<BrowserContext>;
 
   constructor(contextGetter: () => Promise<BrowserContext>) {

src/loopTools/context.ts

@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ export class Context {
   static async create(config: FullConfig) {
     const client = new Client({ name: 'Playwright Proxy', version: '1.0.0' });
     const browserContextFactory = contextFactory(config);
-    const server = mcpServer.createServer(new BrowserServerBackend(config, browserContextFactory), false);
+    const server = mcpServer.createServer(new BrowserServerBackend(config, [browserContextFactory]), false);
     await client.connect(new InProcessTransport(server));
     await client.ping();
     return new Context(config, client);

src/program.ts

@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ import { startTraceViewerServer } from 'playwright-core/lib/server';
 import * as mcpTransport from './mcp/transport.js';
 import { commaSeparatedList, resolveCLIConfig, semicolonSeparatedList } from './config.js';
 import { packageJSON } from './package.js';
-import { runWithExtension } from './extension/main.js';
-import { BrowserServerBackend } from './browserServerBackend.js';
+import { createExtensionContextFactory, runWithExtension } from './extension/main.js';
+import { BrowserServerBackend, FactoryList } from './browserServerBackend.js';
 import { Context } from './context.js';
 import { contextFactory } from './browserContextFactory.js';
 import { runLoopTools } from './loopTools/main.js';
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ program
     .option('--user-data-dir <path>', 'path to the user data directory. If not specified, a temporary directory will be created.')
     .option('--viewport-size <size>', 'specify browser viewport size in pixels, for example "1280, 720"')
     .addOption(new Option('--extension', 'Connect to a running browser instance (Edge/Chrome only). Requires the "Playwright MCP Bridge" browser extension to be installed.').hideHelp())
+    .addOption(new Option('--connect-tool', 'Allow to switch between different browser connection methods.').hideHelp())
     .addOption(new Option('--loop-tools', 'Run loop tools').hideHelp())
     .addOption(new Option('--vision', 'Legacy option, use --caps=vision instead').hideHelp())
     .action(async options => {
@@ -78,7 +79,10 @@ program
       }
 
       const browserContextFactory = contextFactory(config);
-      const serverBackendFactory = () => new BrowserServerBackend(config, browserContextFactory);
+      const factories: FactoryList = [browserContextFactory];
+      if (options.connectTool)
+        factories.push(createExtensionContextFactory(config));
+      const serverBackendFactory = () => new BrowserServerBackend(config, factories);
       await mcpTransport.start(serverBackendFactory, config.server);
 
       if (config.saveTrace) {