[BUG] Claude in Chrome MCP bridge disconnects after heavy browser automation in Cowork mode — cannot reconnect without computer restart

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

When using Cowork mode (Claude Desktop) with Claude in Chrome, the MCP bridge disconnects after a series of rapid browser automation calls (clicks, form inputs, page reads, screenshots). Once disconnected, no amount of retrying from the Cowork side can re-establish the connection. The tabs_context_mcp and switch_browser MCP tools both return "Browser extension is not connected" indefinitely.

Impact:

Breaks the entire browser automation workflow mid-task
Forces user to restart Chrome, losing context and disrupting other work
Erodes trust in the tool for multi-step browser tasks

What Should Happen?

The MCP bridge should be resilient to rapid tool calls (rate limiting or queuing, not crashing)
If the bridge does disconnect, switch_browser or tabs_context_mcp should be able to re-establish it without requiring a Chrome restart
At minimum, reloading the extension from chrome://extensions should restore the connection

Suggested fixes:

Add automatic reconnection logic to the MCP bridge (heartbeat + reconnect on failure)
Make switch_browser actually capable of forcing a reconnection
Add a "reconnect" button in the Chrome extension UI that re-establishes the MCP bridge without needing a full restart

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Open Cowork mode in Claude Desktop
Connect to Claude in Chrome extension (verify connection works with tabs_context_mcp)
Perform a series of 15-20+ rapid browser automation calls (navigate, find elements, form_input, read_page, javascript_tool, computer clicks) in quick succession
Extension disconnects mid-session
Attempt to reconnect using tabs_context_mcp(createIfEmpty: true) — fails
Attempt to reconnect using switch_browser — fails
User toggles extension off/on in Chrome settings — still fails
User reloads extension from chrome://extensions — still fails
Only full Chrome restart restores the connection

Actual behavior:

MCP bridge drops permanently after heavy automation
No reconnection method works from the Cowork/Claude Desktop side
Extension appears "connected" in Chrome settings but MCP bridge is dead
Only a full Chrome restart fixes the issue — which disrupts all other browser work

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Claude 1.1.2321 (495628) 2026-02-06T22:01:17.000Z

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

Claude Desktop (Cowork mode)
Claude in Chrome extension (latest version as of Feb 2026)
macOS
Chrome (latest stable)