How do I install MCP Comet?

Copy the stdio config for Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or VS Code on this page. It uses the publisher's install, not a PlugMCP proxy.

Does MCP Comet need an API key?

No required environment variable is listed on this record.

What transport does MCP Comet use?

MCP Comet runs locally over stdio.

When was MCP Comet last checked?

Last checked 2026-10-28. MCP server for Perplexity Comet browser management via Chrome DevTools Protocol

MCP Comet MCP server

Why MCP Comet
Demo
Quick Start
Research Modes
Toolset at a Glance
Agent Workflows
CLI Power Ops
Architecture
Configuration
Compatibility
Contributing
License

Why MCP Comet

MCP Comet gives your agent more than a chat box. It gives your agent a complete research cockpit.

Run high-quality web research in Comet directly from MCP clients.
Switch between 7 purpose-built research modes instantly.
Pull sources, screenshots, conversations, tabs, and full page content.
Stay resilient with auto-connect, reconnect logic, and selector fallback strategies.

[!NOTE] If your workflow is "ask, verify, cite, and iterate", this is the server built for it.

Demo

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Node.js >= 18
Perplexity Comet installed

[!TIP] Run mcp-comet detect to verify your setup before configuring.

Install

Option 1: Global install (recommended)

npm install -g @onestepat4time/mcp-comet

Option 2: Run without install

npx -y @onestepat4time/mcp-comet

Option 3: Local development

git clone https://github.com/OneStepAt4time/mcp-comet.git
cd mcp-comet
npm ci
npm run build

Configure

Add MCP Comet to your MCP client config.

Claude Desktop (~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-comet": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "mcp-comet",
      "args": ["start"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor (~/.cursor/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-comet": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "mcp-comet",
      "args": ["start"]
    }
  }
}

First Query

Prompt your agent with something like:

Use Comet in deep-research mode to analyze the global battery supply chain in 2026. Return a structured summary with all cited sources.

Your agent can chain comet_mode, comet_ask, comet_wait, and comet_get_sources automatically.

Research Modes

Choose the mode that matches the job.

Mode	Description	Example
`standard`	Fast factual lookups	"What is the latest CPI reading for Canada?"
`deep-research`	Multi-source investigations	"Map the 2026 AI chip supply chain and major risks."
`model-council`	Multi-perspective reasoning	"Debate arguments for and against UBI with tradeoffs."
`create`	Drafting and ideation	"Draft a technical explainer on WebAssembly in edge runtimes."
`learn`	Guided teaching	"Teach me B-trees step by step with examples."
`review`	Critical analysis	"Review this API design for security and reliability gaps."
`computer`	Browser-interactive tasks	"Open arXiv and find the newest papers on retrieval augmentation."

CLI example:

mcp-comet call comet_mode '{"mode":"deep-research"}'
mcp-comet call comet_ask '{"prompt":"Analyze current fusion startups by funding and milestones"}'
mcp-comet call comet_wait
mcp-comet call comet_get_sources

Toolset at a Glance

Session

Tool	Description
`comet_connect`	Connects to Comet or launches it
`comet_poll`	Returns live status and partial progress
`comet_wait`	Waits for completion and returns the full response
`comet_stop`	Stops a running task

Query

Tool	What It Does
`comet_ask`	Sends a prompt to Comet
`comet_mode`	Gets or switches active research mode

Content

Tool	What It Does
`comet_screenshot`	Captures PNG/JPEG screenshots
`comet_get_sources`	Extracts references, including collapsed citations
`comet_get_page_content`	Extracts page title and readable text

Navigation

Tool	What It Does
`comet_list_tabs`	Lists tabs by category
`comet_switch_tab`	Jumps to a tab by id or title
`comet_list_conversations`	Lists sidebar conversations
`comet_open_conversation`	Opens a specific conversation

Full reference: docs/tools.md

Agent Workflows

Goal	Flow
Deep research with citations	`comet_connect` -> `comet_mode(deep-research)` -> `comet_ask` -> `comet_wait` -> `comet_get_sources`
Multi-perspective debate	`comet_mode(model-council)` -> `comet_ask` -> `comet_wait`
Visual evidence capture	`comet_screenshot` -> pass image into your vision-capable model
Resume old investigations	`comet_list_conversations` -> `comet_open_conversation` -> `comet_get_page_content`

CLI Power Ops

Install globally:

npm install -g @onestepat4time/mcp-comet

Use directly:

# connectivity and diagnostics
mcp-comet detect
mcp-comet call comet_connect

# ask + wait pattern
mcp-comet call comet_ask '{"prompt":"What are the top AI safety papers this week?"}'
mcp-comet call comet_wait

# source extraction
mcp-comet call comet_get_sources

No install option:

npx -y @onestepat4time/mcp-comet

Architecture

MCP Tools
   -> UI Automation
      -> CDP Transport
         -> Perplexity Comet

Ordered selector strategies tolerate Comet UI changes.
Automatic version detection selects the correct selector set.
Auto-reconnect includes health checks with retry backoff.
Source extraction uses a second pass to expand collapsed citations.

Deep dive: docs/architecture.md

Configuration Essentials

Most teams only tune these three:

Variable	Default	Change It When
`COMET_RESPONSE_TIMEOUT`	`180000`	`comet_wait` calls are timing out
`COMET_PATH`	auto-detect	Comet is in a non-standard install path
`COMET_LOG_LEVEL`	`info`	You need debug logs

Config file (mcp-comet.config.json) example:

{
  "responseTimeout": 300000,
  "logLevel": "debug"
}

More options and full env var reference: docs/configuration.md

Compatibility

Chrome Version	Selector Set	Status
145	v145	Supported

Unknown versions fall back to the latest known selector set.

Details and upgrade flow: docs/comet-compatibility.md

Contributing

PRs welcome. For non-trivial changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you'd like to change.

npm run lint && npm test

Full guide: docs/contributing.md

License

MIT

Why MCP Comet
Demo
Quick Start
Research Modes
Toolset at a Glance
Agent Workflows
CLI Power Ops
Architecture
Configuration
Compatibility
Contributing
License

Why MCP Comet

MCP Comet gives your agent more than a chat box. It gives your agent a complete research cockpit.

Run high-quality web research in Comet directly from MCP clients.
Switch between 7 purpose-built research modes instantly.
Pull sources, screenshots, conversations, tabs, and full page content.
Stay resilient with auto-connect, reconnect logic, and selector fallback strategies.

[!NOTE] If your workflow is "ask, verify, cite, and iterate", this is the server built for it.

Demo

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Node.js >= 18
Perplexity Comet installed

[!TIP] Run mcp-comet detect to verify your setup before configuring.

Install

Option 1: Global install (recommended)

npm install -g @onestepat4time/mcp-comet

Option 2: Run without install

npx -y @onestepat4time/mcp-comet

Option 3: Local development

git clone https://github.com/OneStepAt4time/mcp-comet.git
cd mcp-comet
npm ci
npm run build

Configure

Add MCP Comet to your MCP client config.

Claude Desktop (~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-comet": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "mcp-comet",
      "args": ["start"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor (~/.cursor/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-comet": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "mcp-comet",
      "args": ["start"]
    }
  }
}

First Query

Prompt your agent with something like:

Use Comet in deep-research mode to analyze the global battery supply chain in 2026. Return a structured summary with all cited sources.

Your agent can chain comet_mode, comet_ask, comet_wait, and comet_get_sources automatically.

Research Modes

Choose the mode that matches the job.

Mode	Description	Example
`standard`	Fast factual lookups	"What is the latest CPI reading for Canada?"
`deep-research`	Multi-source investigations	"Map the 2026 AI chip supply chain and major risks."
`model-council`	Multi-perspective reasoning	"Debate arguments for and against UBI with tradeoffs."
`create`	Drafting and ideation	"Draft a technical explainer on WebAssembly in edge runtimes."
`learn`	Guided teaching	"Teach me B-trees step by step with examples."
`review`	Critical analysis	"Review this API design for security and reliability gaps."
`computer`	Browser-interactive tasks	"Open arXiv and find the newest papers on retrieval augmentation."

CLI example:

mcp-comet call comet_mode '{"mode":"deep-research"}'
mcp-comet call comet_ask '{"prompt":"Analyze current fusion startups by funding and milestones"}'
mcp-comet call comet_wait
mcp-comet call comet_get_sources

Toolset at a Glance

Session

Tool	Description
`comet_connect`	Connects to Comet or launches it
`comet_poll`	Returns live status and partial progress
`comet_wait`	Waits for completion and returns the full response
`comet_stop`	Stops a running task

Query

Tool	What It Does
`comet_ask`	Sends a prompt to Comet
`comet_mode`	Gets or switches active research mode

Content

Tool	What It Does
`comet_screenshot`	Captures PNG/JPEG screenshots
`comet_get_sources`	Extracts references, including collapsed citations
`comet_get_page_content`	Extracts page title and readable text

Navigation

Tool	What It Does
`comet_list_tabs`	Lists tabs by category
`comet_switch_tab`	Jumps to a tab by id or title
`comet_list_conversations`	Lists sidebar conversations
`comet_open_conversation`	Opens a specific conversation

Full reference: docs/tools.md

Agent Workflows

Goal	Flow
Deep research with citations	`comet_connect` -> `comet_mode(deep-research)` -> `comet_ask` -> `comet_wait` -> `comet_get_sources`
Multi-perspective debate	`comet_mode(model-council)` -> `comet_ask` -> `comet_wait`
Visual evidence capture	`comet_screenshot` -> pass image into your vision-capable model
Resume old investigations	`comet_list_conversations` -> `comet_open_conversation` -> `comet_get_page_content`

CLI Power Ops

Install globally:

npm install -g @onestepat4time/mcp-comet

Use directly:

# connectivity and diagnostics
mcp-comet detect
mcp-comet call comet_connect

# ask + wait pattern
mcp-comet call comet_ask '{"prompt":"What are the top AI safety papers this week?"}'
mcp-comet call comet_wait

# source extraction
mcp-comet call comet_get_sources

No install option:

npx -y @onestepat4time/mcp-comet

Architecture

MCP Tools
   -> UI Automation
      -> CDP Transport
         -> Perplexity Comet

Ordered selector strategies tolerate Comet UI changes.
Automatic version detection selects the correct selector set.
Auto-reconnect includes health checks with retry backoff.
Source extraction uses a second pass to expand collapsed citations.

Deep dive: docs/architecture.md

Configuration Essentials

Most teams only tune these three:

Variable	Default	Change It When
`COMET_RESPONSE_TIMEOUT`	`180000`	`comet_wait` calls are timing out
`COMET_PATH`	auto-detect	Comet is in a non-standard install path
`COMET_LOG_LEVEL`	`info`	You need debug logs

Config file (mcp-comet.config.json) example:

{
  "responseTimeout": 300000,
  "logLevel": "debug"
}

More options and full env var reference: docs/configuration.md

Compatibility

Chrome Version	Selector Set	Status
145	v145	Supported

Unknown versions fall back to the latest known selector set.

Details and upgrade flow: docs/comet-compatibility.md

Contributing

PRs welcome. For non-trivial changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you'd like to change.

npm run lint && npm test

Full guide: docs/contributing.md

License

MIT

Add this server

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Server facts

Tools

Questions

How do I install MCP Comet?

Does MCP Comet need an API key?

What transport does MCP Comet use?

When was MCP Comet last checked?

Documentation

Table of Contents

Why MCP Comet

Demo

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Install

Configure

First Query

Research Modes

Toolset at a Glance

Session

Query

Content

Navigation

Agent Workflows

CLI Power Ops

Architecture

Configuration Essentials

Compatibility

Contributing

License

Add this server

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Server facts

Tools

Questions

How do I install MCP Comet?

Does MCP Comet need an API key?

What transport does MCP Comet use?

When was MCP Comet last checked?

Documentation

Table of Contents

Why MCP Comet

Demo

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Install

Configure

First Query

Research Modes

Toolset at a Glance

Session

Query

Content

Navigation

Agent Workflows

CLI Power Ops

Architecture

Configuration Essentials

Compatibility

Contributing

License