Chrome extension MCP becomes unresponsive after prolonged use, requires multiple reconnects

Description

The Chrome extension MCP (claude-in-chrome) becomes unresponsive after prolonged use or many tool calls within a session. Once it enters this state, reconnecting via /chrome is unreliable — Chrome launches and immediately closes, or the extension reports as connected in the MCP server status but tabs_context_mcp returns "No Chrome extension connected" or "Browser extension is not connected."

Steps to Reproduce

1. Start a Claude Code session with the Chrome extension MCP configured
2. Use browser automation tools (tabs_context_mcp, navigate, javascript_tool, etc.) extensively over the course of a session (20+ tool calls)
3. At some point, tool calls begin returning "Browser extension is not connected" errors
4. Running /chrome to reconnect shows the MCP as enabled/connected, but tool calls still fail
5. Chrome may launch and immediately close on reconnect attempts
6. Eventually after multiple /chrome reconnects and/or restarting the Claude Code session, the connection re-establishes

Expected Behavior

The Chrome extension should maintain a stable connection throughout a session, or reconnect reliably when /chrome is run.

Actual Behavior

• Extension becomes unresponsive after extended use
• /chrome reports successful reconnection but tools still fail
• Chrome launches then immediately closes on some reconnect attempts
• Requires multiple reconnect attempts and sometimes a full session restart to recover

Environment

• OS: Ubuntu Linux 6.17.0-14-generic
• Claude Code: Latest
• Chrome: Latest stable

Workaround

Falling back to Playwright MCP works but loses the key benefit of Chrome extension — persistent sessions with existing logins and cookies.