Fetch MCP

@jae-jae

About Fetch MCP

MCP server for fetch web page content using Playwright headless browser.

Config

Add this server to your MCP-compatible client using the configuration below.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fetch": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "fetcher-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Tools

Retrieve web page content from a specified URL

Retrieve web page content from multiple specified URLs

Install Playwright Chromium browser binary. Call this if you get an error about the browser not being installed.

Overview

What is Fetch MCP?

Fetch MCP is an MCP server that uses Playwright headless browser to fetch web page content. It handles dynamic JavaScript-rendered pages and intelligently extracts main content, supporting both HTML and Markdown output. Designed for developers integrating web content into MCP-compatible applications like Claude Desktop.

How to use Fetch MCP?

Run directly via npx -y fetcher-mcp after installing the Chromium browser with npx playwright install chromium. Configure the server in your MCP client (e.g., Claude Desktop) by adding its command to the claude_desktop_config.json. Optionally start with --transport=http for HTTP/SSE endpoints, or use Docker deployments.

Key features of Fetch MCP

JavaScript execution via Playwright for dynamic content
Intelligent main content extraction (Readability algorithm)
Supports both Markdown and HTML output formats
Parallel fetching of multiple URLs (fetch_urls tool)
Blocks unnecessary resources (images, styles, fonts, media)
Configurable parameters (timeout, extraction, output format)

Use cases of Fetch MCP

Fetching modern web applications that rely on JavaScript rendering
Batch collecting content from multiple URLs simultaneously
Handling sites with anti-crawler mechanisms (CAPTCHA, redirects)
Preserving original HTML structure when extraction is insufficient
Using debug mode to manually authenticate via cookies

FAQ from Fetch MCP

How is Fetch MCP different from traditional web scrapers?

It uses Playwright to execute JavaScript, enabling it to handle dynamic web content and modern single-page applications that traditional scrapers cannot.

What are the runtime requirements?

Requires Node.js and a Chromium browser installed via Playwright (npx playwright install chromium). Docker images are also available.

How do I get HTML instead of Markdown?

Set the returnHtml parameter to true in the fetch_url or fetch_urls call, or include a prompt like "Please return the content in HTML format."

How to handle anti-crawler verification pages?

Use the waitForNavigation parameter (or prompt "Please wait for the page to fully load") to allow time for CAPTCHAs or redirects to complete. Increase timeout if needed.

What transport protocols are supported?

Supports both Streamable HTTP (endpoint /mcp) and SSE (endpoint /sse) when started with --transport=http. Also supports standard MCP stdio transport.

Frequently asked questions

How is Fetch MCP different from traditional web scrapers?

It uses Playwright to execute JavaScript, enabling it to handle dynamic web content and modern single-page applications that traditional scrapers cannot.

What are the runtime requirements?

Requires Node.js and a Chromium browser installed via Playwright (`npx playwright install chromium`). Docker images are also available.

How do I get HTML instead of Markdown?

Set the `returnHtml` parameter to `true` in the `fetch_url` or `fetch_urls` call, or include a prompt like "Please return the content in HTML format."

How to handle anti-crawler verification pages?

Use the `waitForNavigation` parameter (or prompt "Please wait for the page to fully load") to allow time for CAPTCHAs or redirects to complete. Increase `timeout` if needed.

What transport protocols are supported?

Supports both Streamable HTTP (endpoint `/mcp`) and SSE (endpoint `/sse`) when started with `--transport=http`. Also supports standard MCP stdio transport.

Comments

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