Getting Started with InSite

Set up and start using the browser automation platform.

Quick Setup

1

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed:

  • Node.js (v18 or higher)
  • npm or yarn
  • Git (for cloning the repository)
2

Installation

Quick Start with npx (recommended):

npx insite-mcp

This will automatically install and start the MCP server.

Global Installation (alternative):

npm install -g insite-mcp

Development Installation:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-org/insite.git
cd insite

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Install Playwright browsers
npx playwright install
3

Start Using

With npx (no additional steps needed):

The server starts automatically when using npx insite-mcp.

With global installation:

insite-mcp

Development build:

# Build the project
npm run build

# Start the MCP server
node dist/server.js

The server will start and listen for MCP protocol connections.

4

Verify Installation

Test the installation with the test suite:

# One-command setup with full installation and testing
npm run install:full

# Or run specific test suites
npm run test:quick         # Quick validation tests
npm run test:advanced     # Extended feature validation
npm test                   # Complete test suite

Test results should show success across unit, integration, and end-to-end test categories.

Configuration

MCP Configuration

Configure InSite as an MCP server in your client application. Here's an example configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "insite": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["insite-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Alternative configurations:

Global installation:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "insite": {
      "command": "insite-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Development/local build:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "insite": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["./dist/server.js"],
      "cwd": "/path/to/insite",
      "env": {
        "NODE_ENV": "production"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

Configure InSite behavior with environment variables:

INSITE_HEADLESS

Run browsers in headless mode (default: true)

INSITE_HEADLESS=false
INSITE_BROWSER_ENGINE

Default browser engine (chromium, firefox, webkit)

INSITE_BROWSER_ENGINE=chromium
INSITE_VIEWPORT_WIDTH

Default viewport width (default: 1280)

INSITE_VIEWPORT_WIDTH=1920
INSITE_VIEWPORT_HEIGHT

Default viewport height (default: 720)

INSITE_VIEWPORT_HEIGHT=1080
INSITE_TIMEOUT

Default operation timeout in milliseconds (default: 30000)

INSITE_TIMEOUT=60000

First Steps

Basic Usage Example

Here's a simple example to get you started with basic page automation:

{
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "load_page",
    "arguments": {
      "url": "https://example.com",
      "waitUntil": "domcontentloaded"
    }
  }
}

Multi-Step Workflow

Chain multiple tools together for complex automation workflows:

// 1. Load page
{
  "name": "load_page",
  "arguments": {
    "url": "https://example.com/login",
    "waitUntil": "networkidle"
  }
}

// 2. Fill login form
{
  "name": "type_text",
  "arguments": {
    "selector": "#username",
    "text": "your-username"
  }
}

{
  "name": "type_text",
  "arguments": {
    "selector": "#password",
    "text": "your-password"
  }
}

// 3. Submit form
{
  "name": "click_element",
  "arguments": {
    "selector": "#login-button"
  }
}

// 4. Wait for navigation
{
  "name": "wait_for_navigation",
  "arguments": {
    "timeout": 10000
  }
}

// 5. Take screenshot
{
  "name": "screenshot",
  "arguments": {
    "fullPage": true
  }
}

Additional Features

Use performance monitoring and visual testing features:

// Start performance monitoring
{
  "name": "performance_monitoring",
  "arguments": {
    "action": "start_monitoring",
    "metrics": ["pageLoadTime", "firstContentfulPaint", "largestContentfulPaint"]
  }
}

// Enable debug mode
{
  "name": "debug_mode",
  "arguments": {
    "action": "enable",
    "features": ["console", "network", "performance"]
  }
}

// Run visual regression test
{
  "name": "visual_regression_testing",
  "arguments": {
    "action": "run_tests",
    "config": {
      "threshold": 0.1,
      "engines": ["chromium", "firefox"]
    }
  }
}

Next Steps

Explore the API

Learn about all available tools and their parameters

API Reference

See Examples

Check out practical examples and common automation patterns

View Examples

Testing Integration

Integrate with Playwright Test, Jest, Mocha, and other testing frameworks

Testing Guide