This guide will help you set up your environment and contribute effectively to the MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server.
Make sure you have the following installed:
- 🟢 Node.js (Recommended: LTS v22.15.0)
- 🤖 GitHub Copilot (for VS Code or Cursor)
- 🧠 Optionally, Claude desktop app for additional AI assistance
-
Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/browserstack/mcp-server.git cd mcp-server
-
Build the project:
npm run build
This compiles the TypeScript source code and generates
dist/index.js
. -
Configure MCP for your editor:
{
"servers": {
"browserstack": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["FULL PATH TO dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"BROWSERSTACK_USERNAME": "<your_username>",
"BROWSERSTACK_ACCESS_KEY": "<your_access_key>"
}
}
}
}
{
"mcpServers": {
"browserstack": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["FULL PATH TO dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"BROWSERSTACK_USERNAME": "<your_username>",
"BROWSERSTACK_ACCESS_KEY": "<your_access_key>"
}
}
}
}
When you open your .vscode/mcp.json
or .cursor/mcp.json
file,
you'll see a "play" icon (Start
Click it to instantly start your MCP server!
MCP Inspector is a lightweight tool for launching, testing, and validating MCP server implementations easily.
If you've configured .cursor/mcp.json
or .vscode/mcp.json
, you can start testing by running:
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector --config /PATH_TO_CONFIG/.cursor/mcp.json --server browserstack
This will spin up your MCP server and open the Inspector at:
http://127.0.0.1:6274
Inside the Inspector:
- View and manage your server connection (restart, disconnect, etc.)
- Validate your server credentials and environment variables
- Access available tools under the "Middle Tab", and run tests to see results in the Right Panel
- Review past interactions easily via the History Panel
Additionally, for every MCP server session, a log file is automatically generated at:
~/Library/Logs/Claude/
— you can check detailed logs there if needed.
🌀 Fork the repository to your GitHub account
🧩 Add tests to verify your contributions
🤖 Explore and interact with the server using Copilot, Cursor, or Claude
📬 Raise a pull request from your fork once you're ready!