ChatMCP

Pull context from your AI browser tabs directly into Claude Code (and other AI coding tools) via MCP.

How it works

Claude Code / Copilot CLI / Codex CLI   ← stdio (spawns server as subprocess)
                    OR
Cursor / Antigravity / Copilot (VS Code) ← HTTP  http://127.0.0.1:27183/mcp
                    ↕
             Node MCP Server  ←── WebSocket on localhost:27182
                    ↕
    Chrome Extension (background service worker)
                    ↕
    AI Chat Tabs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Perplexity)

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Quick start (no technical experience needed)

You need two things: a Chrome extension and a small server program. Here's exactly what to do.

Step 1 — Install Node.js (if you don't have it)

1. Go to nodejs.org and download the LTS version
2. Run the installer — click Next through everything, keep all defaults
3. When it's done, open Terminal (Mac) or Command Prompt (Windows) and type:

   node --version
   

   You should see something like v20.x.x. If so, you're good.

Step 2 — Install Claude Code (if you don't have it)

In Terminal / Command Prompt:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Then run claude and follow the login prompt.

Step 3 — Add the MCP server to Claude Code

Copy and paste this one line into your terminal:

claude mcp add chatmcp -- npx -y chatmcp-server

That's it. Claude Code will automatically start the server whenever you use it.

Step 4 — Install the Chrome extension

1. Download or clone this repository — click the green Code button on GitHub, then Download ZIP, and unzip it somewhere on your computer
2. Open Chrome and go to chrome://extensions in the address bar
3. In the top-right corner, turn on Developer mode
4. Click Load unpacked
5. Select the chrome-extension folder from what you just unzipped
6. You should see the ChatMCP extension appear with an OFF badge

Step 5 — Connect

1. Start Claude Code by typing claude in your terminal
2. The extension badge should turn ON (green) within a few seconds
3. Open any AI chat tab (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) in Chrome
4. In Claude Code, ask: "pull context from my browser tabs"

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Setup (for developers)

Two modes: Tools that can spawn subprocesses use stdio (simpler — no background process needed). Tools that connect to a running server use HTTP mode — start the server once and leave it running.

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Claude Code

claude mcp add chatmcp -- npx -y chatmcp-server

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VS Code + GitHub Copilot

Copilot in VS Code (1.99+) spawns the server for you — no background process needed.

Workspace — create .vscode/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "servers": {
    "chatmcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "chatmcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Global (all projects) — open VS Code, run MCP: Open User Configuration from the Command Palette, and add:

{
  "servers": {
    "chatmcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "chatmcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Then open Copilot Chat, switch to Agent mode, and the chatmcp tools appear automatically. (MCP tools are invisible in Ask / Edit mode.)

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GitHub Copilot CLI

Config lives at ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json (created automatically on first use). Add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chatmcp": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "chatmcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Or use the interactive command inside the CLI:

/mcp add

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OpenAI Codex CLI

Config lives at ~/.codex/config.toml. Add a section:

[mcp_servers.chatmcp]
command = "npx"
args    = ["-y", "chatmcp-server"]

Or scope it to a project by placing the same block in .codex/config.toml inside your repo.

You can also use the CLI helper:

codex mcp add

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Cursor

Project-level — create .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chatmcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "chatmcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Global — add the same block to ~/.cursor/mcp.json.

Verify in Cursor Settings → Tools & MCP — you should see chatmcp with a green status indicator.

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Google Antigravity

Open an Agent session, click ⋯ → MCP Servers → Manage MCP Servers → View raw config, and add to mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chatmcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "chatmcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Save the file — Antigravity picks up the new server immediately.

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Any other tool (HTTP mode)

If your tool connects to MCP servers over HTTP/SSE rather than spawning subprocesses (OpenCode, Windsurf, custom agents, etc.), start the server in HTTP mode first:

npx -y chatmcp-server --http

The server runs persistently on http://127.0.0.1:27183/mcp and accepts multiple simultaneous clients. Point your tool at that URL. Keep the terminal open (or add it to your system startup / launchd / systemd).

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Build from source

git clone https://github.com/indiantinker/chatMCP.git
cd chatMCP/mcp-server
npm install && npm run build

# stdio (Claude Code, Copilot, Codex, Cursor, Antigravity)
node /path/to/chatMCP/mcp-server/dist/index.js

# HTTP (OpenCode, Windsurf, or any HTTP MCP client)
node /path/to/chatMCP/mcp-server/dist/index.js --http

For Claude Code with a local build:

claude mcp add chatmcp -- node /path/to/chatMCP/mcp-server/dist/index.js

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Usage in Claude Code

# See what AI chats are open
list_ai_tabs

# Pull the full conversation (auto-selects active AI tab)
get_chat_context

# Pull from a specific tab
get_chat_context tabId=12345

# Get a summary instead of the full transcript
get_chat_context summaryOnly=true

# Read any tab (docs, GitHub issues, articles)
get_page_content

# Check extension status
extension_status

Or just ask naturally:

"Pull context from my ChatGPT tab and continue building on that idea."

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Supported platforms

Platform	URL
ChatGPT	chat.openai.com / chatgpt.com
Claude	claude.ai
Gemini	gemini.google.com
Grok	grok.com
DeepSeek	chat.deepseek.com
Mistral	chat.mistral.ai
Perplexity	perplexity.ai

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Privacy

All data stays on your machine. The MCP server and Chrome extension communicate over localhost only — nothing is sent to any external server. Chat content is passed directly to your local Claude Code session.

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Notes

• The MCP server starts automatically when Claude Code launches if registered (stdio mode).
• In HTTP mode, start the server manually and keep it running.
• The extension auto-reconnects every 3 seconds if the server restarts.
• Chat extraction uses DOM scraping — may need updates when AI platforms change their markup.

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License

MIT — see LICENSE.

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If this saves you time, buy me a coffee. ☕