[FEATURE] Embedded browser tools should resolve .local mDNS hostnames and inherit host OS network stack

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

Claude Code's embedded browser tools (Claude Preview) or even using something like the Playwright MCP cannot resolve .local mDNS hostnames (e.g. myapp.local) because they run in a sandboxed context that doesn't have access to the host machine's DNS resolver or mDNS stack.

This makes the built in browser tools impractical for local development workflows that use tools like WordPress Studio, Laravel Valet, Herd, or any setup that relies on .local virtual hosts.

Proposed Solution

Launch the embedded Chromium with the host's DNS resolver available, or at minimum provide a config option to pass custom DNS or a --host-resolver-rules flag so .local domains can be mapped manually.

Alternative Solutions

Claude itself did try to build a proxy to get around this limitation, but it's very slow and pretty much unusable without more troubleshooting.

Priority

High - Significant impact on productivity

Feature Category

Other

Use Case Example

Using WordPress Studio, this runs WordPress locally for me and gives you the .local domain and cert trusted by my machine. This would happen with any other project where the server or stack is powered up already and locally accessible.

Additional Context

Related Issues

• #47195 — Preview blocks *.localhost subdomains (similar sandboxing problem)
• #48757 — Preview doesn't trust locally-installed mkcert certs (same root cause)