Tap — Local-First Browser MCP

Tracking since Apr 11, 2026.

Changelog

• May 20, 2026
  description

  # Tap — Browser Automation Runtime
  
  Tap compiles natural language instructions into deterministic JavaScript programs. The AI runs once to generate the program; after that it replays instantly at zero cost.
  
  ## What You Can Do
  
  - **Extract data** from any website — scrape pages, pull structured content, monitor for changes.
  - **Automate workflows** — post to social media, fill forms, chain multi-step browser tasks like Unix pipes.
  - **Run anywhere** — as a Chrome extension (with your real login sessions), headless via Playwright, or on macOS desktop apps.
  - **Connect to AI agents** — MCP-native, works with Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or any MCP-compatible tool.
  
  ## Key Features
  
  - **Compile Once, Run Forever** — AI generates a .tap.js program once; replay is instant and free.
  - **140+ Pre-built Automations** — Community-contributed programs covering 68+ websites.
  - **3 Runtimes** — Chrome extension, Playwright (headless/server), macOS (desktop apps).
  - **Local-only** — Your data, sessions, and credentials never leave your machine.
  - **Self-healing** — Built-in diagnostics and AI-powered repair for broken automations.
  
  ## Getting Started
  
  ```bash
  # Quick start
  npx -y @taprun/cli --version
  
  # Or install permanently (macOS/Linux)
  curl -fsSL https://taprun.dev/install.sh | sh
  ```
  
  Install the Chrome Extension to automate sites that require login. Download from releases, unzip, then load unpacked in chrome://extensions/.

  # Tap — Browser Automation MCP for Your Real Browser
  
  Tap is a local-first MCP browser-automation runtime. Claude Code, Cursor, Continue, Windsurf, or any MCP-compatible AI agent can drive your real Chrome with your own logged-in sessions — no cloud credentials, no per-step LLM cost, no vendor lock-in.
  
  AI participates at compile time only: saved plans replay deterministically at zero LLM token cost.
  
  ## Why Tap (vs. Stagehand / Browserbase / Playwright-MCP / BrowserMCP)
  
  Every cloud-first browser-automation MCP forces a tradeoff: ship your credentials to someone else's server, OR re-run an LLM on every step ($$$). Tap takes neither:
  
  - Runs in YOUR browser — your existing Chrome session with all your cookies, 2FA state, single-sign-on tokens. Credentials never cross a trust boundary; the extension only relays plan steps to the local Tap binary on your machine.
  - Zero-token replay — the AI agent compiles a plan ONCE into an inspectable JSON artifact. Every subsequent run is pure data + dispatch. No vision loop, no accessibility-tree re-parse, no per-execution tokenbill.
  - Plans are diff-able JSON — version-controllable, testable, shareable. Not opaque generated code, not LLM scratch-state.
  
  ## Features
  
  - MCP-native — drop-in for any MCP-compatible host (Claude Code, Cursor, Continue, Windsurf, Cline). 4 meta verbs: capture / verify / mark / run.
  - Authenticated by default — reuses your live Chrome cookies via Chrome Native Messaging. Same trust model as a browser bookmarklet; no localhost ports, no OS service.
  - Compile-time AI, runtime zero AI — the AI generates the plan once; runtime is deterministic. Predictable cost, predictable behavior, reproducible failures.
  - Composite plans — one plan can call other plans (op:tap composition). `tap verify` recursively checks composite plans against live substrates without side-effects.

• May 20, 2026
  short_description

  AI browser automation runtime. Programs beat prompts — deterministic replay at zero AI cost.

  Browser automation MCP — runs in your own browser with your logged-in sessions. Local-first alternative to Stagehand / Browserbase.

• May 20, 2026
  name

  Tap

  Tap — Local-First Browser MCP

• May 14, 2026
  permissions

  alarms, debugger, activeTab, tabs, scripting, cookies, storage

  nativeMessaging, debugger, activeTab, tabs, scripting, cookies, storage

• Apr 21, 2026
  description

  AI browser automation runtime. Programs beat prompts.

  # Tap — Browser Automation Runtime
  
  Tap compiles natural language instructions into deterministic JavaScript programs. The AI runs once to generate the program; after that it replays instantly at zero cost.
  
  ## What You Can Do
  
  - **Extract data** from any website — scrape pages, pull structured content, monitor for changes.
  - **Automate workflows** — post to social media, fill forms, chain multi-step browser tasks like Unix pipes.
  - **Run anywhere** — as a Chrome extension (with your real login sessions), headless via Playwright, or on macOS desktop apps.
  - **Connect to AI agents** — MCP-native, works with Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or any MCP-compatible tool.
  
  ## Key Features
  
  - **Compile Once, Run Forever** — AI generates a .tap.js program once; replay is instant and free.
  - **140+ Pre-built Automations** — Community-contributed programs covering 68+ websites.
  - **3 Runtimes** — Chrome extension, Playwright (headless/server), macOS (desktop apps).
  - **Local-only** — Your data, sessions, and credentials never leave your machine.
  - **Self-healing** — Built-in diagnostics and AI-powered repair for broken automations.
  
  ## Getting Started
  
  ```bash
  # Quick start
  npx -y @taprun/cli --version
  
  # Or install permanently (macOS/Linux)
  curl -fsSL https://taprun.dev/install.sh | sh
  ```
  
  Install the Chrome Extension to automate sites that require login. Download from releases, unzip, then load unpacked in chrome://extensions/.

Permissions & access

Permissions

nativeMessagingdebuggeractiveTabtabsscriptingcookiesstorage

Host access

<all_urls>

Screenshots