[FEATURE] Chrome profile selection and incognito mode support for Claude in Chrome
Preflight Checklist
- [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
- [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)
Problem Statement
Problem Statement
When using Claude Code's "Claude in Chrome" integration, there is currently no way to:
- Select which Chrome profile to use - Claude in Chrome connects to whatever profile Chrome determines is "default," which may not be the desired profile for the task
- Use incognito mode - For privacy-sensitive automation tasks or testing with a clean session state, there's no option to launch or connect to an incognito window
This limitation affects users who:
- Maintain separate Chrome profiles for work/personal use
- Need to automate tasks in a specific authenticated context
- Want to test or automate without polluting their browsing history or cookies
- Need reproducible, clean-session automation
Proposed Solution
Proposed Solution
Add configuration options for Claude in Chrome to specify:
1. Profile Selection
Via config:
claude config set chrome.profile "Work"
Or via environment variable:
CLAUDE_CHROME_PROFILE="Work"
Or via /chrome command with arguments:
/chrome # Uses default profile (current behavior)
/chrome Work # Launches/connects to "Work" profile
/chrome --incognito # Launches in incognito mode
/chrome Work --incognito # Launches "Work" profile in incognito
2. Incognito Mode Support
Via config:
claude config set chrome.incognito true
Or via flag:
claude --chrome --incognito
Alternative Solutions
Alternatives Considered
Chrome DevTools MCP with --user-data-dir: This works for custom profiles but requires manual Chrome launching and doesn't integrate with the native Claude in Chrome extension experience
Manually switching Chrome profiles before connecting: Unreliable and adds friction, especially in automated workflows
Priority
Critical - Blocking my work
Feature Category
CLI commands and flags
Use Case Example
Use Case Example
Scenario: Working with multiple projects requiring different Chrome contexts
- I'm working on a React app (authenticated as myself) with a Node.js backend that requires a separate admin account for testing
- Currently, I must manually switch Chrome profiles between different automation tasks, or maintain separate Chrome instances
- With this feature, I could:
- Set up a "Work" profile for work-related automation
- Set up a "Testing" profile for admin account access
- Use incognito mode for ephemeral testing sessions
- Switch between them via
/chrome Work,/chrome Testing, or/chrome --incognito
- This would save me time because:
- No manual profile switching between automation tasks
- Clean state isolation prevents cookie/cache contamination between different automation contexts
- Can test error recovery with incognito mode without affecting logged-in session
- Reproducible automation runs with guaranteed clean session state when needed
Additional Context
Additional Context
Related Issues:
- #14536 - Browser selection (Chrome vs Brave vs other Chromium browsers)
- #14368 - Auto-launch Chrome (mentions profile selection as potential feature)
Technical Notes:
The Claude in Chrome integration's key advantage is access to the user's logged-in session and extensions. Profile selection would extend this advantage by letting users choose which logged-in context to use, while incognito support would provide a clean-slate option when needed.
Implementation Considerations:
- Chrome's remote debugging protocol (CDP) supports profile/incognito detection
- Profile names can be queried from Chrome's user data directory
- Incognito windows have distinct session isolation in CDP
This issue has 3 comments on GitHub. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗