Claude-skill-registry claude-chrome-debugging

Diagnoses and fixes Claude in Chrome extension issues including zombie MCP processes, action failures, and extension conflicts

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/majiayu000/claude-skill-registry

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/majiayu000/claude-skill-registry "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/data/claude-chrome-debugging" ~/.claude/skills/majiayu000-claude-skill-registry-claude-chrome-debugging && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: skills/data/claude-chrome-debugging/SKILL.md

Claude Chrome Debugging

Troubleshoot Claude in Chrome browser automation issues.

Symptoms & Causes

Symptom Likely Cause

navigate

form_input

work but

click

screenshot

javascript_exec

fail with "Cannot access a chrome-extension:// URL"

CDP debugger conflict (other extensions) or zombie MCP processes

Extension completely unresponsive MCP server not running or Chrome extension disabled

Actions work intermittently Multiple MCP processes competing

Diagnostic Steps

1. Check for Zombie MCP Processes

ps aux | grep -i "claude-in-chrome-mcp" | grep -v grep

Expected: 1-2 processes (one per active Claude Code session)

Problem: Multiple processes, especially with old timestamps (days ago)

2. Check Active Claude Code Sessions

Count your actual terminal sessions running Claude Code. Compare to MCP process count.

3. Verify Chrome Extension Status

In Chrome:

chrome://extensions/

→ Find "Claude in Chrome" → Ensure enabled

4. Check for Conflicting Extensions

Chrome only allows one extension to attach the CDP debugger per tab (root cause analysis). Extensions that conflict:

Extension Type	Examples
DevTools	React DevTools, Vue DevTools, Redux DevTools
Automation	Selenium IDE, Puppeteer Recorder
Page tools	Screenshot tools, page inspectors
Security	Some password managers (ref)

Any extension using

chrome.debugger

API will conflict.

Fixes

Fix CDP Conflicts (Most Common)

Disable conflicting extensions (confirmed by multiple users):

Go to
```
chrome://extensions/
```
Disable DevTools extensions (React, Vue, Redux)
Disable any automation/screenshot extensions
Refresh the tab and retry

macOS: Enable JavaScript from Apple Events (mixed results):

Chrome → View → Developer → Allow JavaScript from Apple Events
Refresh/re-navigate tabs (old tabs don't pick up the change)

Close other Chromium browsers (ref):

Other Chromium-based browsers (Arc, Brave, Dia) can interfere. Close them when using Claude in Chrome.

Quick Fix: /chrome Command

Run

/chrome

in your Claude Code session. Options include:

Reconnect extension - Re-establish connection without killing processes
Enabled by default - Check/change whether Chrome starts with every session

If "Enabled by default" is Yes and you run multiple CC sessions, disable it. Use

--chrome

flag only when needed.

Kill Zombie MCP Processes

# View processes first
ps aux | grep "claude-in-chrome-mcp" | grep -v grep

# Kill all MCP processes (will auto-restart for active sessions)
pkill -f "claude-in-chrome-mcp"

After killing, wait a few seconds. Active Claude Code sessions will reconnect automatically.

Full Reset (if above doesn't work)

Kill all MCP processes:
```
pkill -f "claude-in-chrome-mcp"
```
Quit Chrome completely
Restart Chrome
Restart Claude Code session

Extension Reinstall (last resort)

```
chrome://extensions/
```
→ Remove "Claude in Chrome"
Reinstall from Chrome Web Store
Restart Claude Code

Prevention

Multi-Session Conflicts

Each Claude Code session spawns its own

claude-in-chrome-mcp

process. Multiple sessions = multiple processes competing for the single Chrome extension connection.

Best practice: Only enable Chrome in sessions that need browser automation.

Session flags:

# Start with Chrome (for browser QA sessions)
claude --chrome

# Resume existing session with Chrome
claude --resume <session-id> --chrome

Check your default: Run

/chrome

→ if "Enabled by default" is Yes, set to No. Then use

--chrome

flag only when needed.

Zombie Processes

Zombie processes occur when Claude Code sessions exit uncleanly (force quit, terminal crash, system sleep). Diagnose and fix when symptoms appear using steps above.

Notes

The "chrome-extension:// URL of different extension" error is misleading - you're on localhost, but stale MCP processes confuse the extension about which server to use
```
form_input
```
uses different code path than
```
click
```
/
```
screenshot
```
which is why some actions work while others fail

References

GitHub Issue #16239 - Comprehensive discussion of CDP conflicts and workarounds