The world of AI is certainly interesting, to say the least. We started with simple chatbots where you asked a question and received a text response. Then AI labs started competing to see who could make their model the smartest, and somewhere in all the competition, the browser companies decided they wanted in too. While it started with browsers that had a couple of AI features built in here and there, it eventually led to companies developing full-fledged browsers that were built with AI at their core.
Perplexity launched the comet, OpenAI launched Atlas and even Norton (yes, the antivirus company) llaunched an AI browser called Neo. However, the first major player to bet on the concept was Opera, with its Neon agent browser. The reason I went a little deeper into the story was because it all ties back to what I said initially: the world of AI is certainly interesting. Now, instead of browser companies bringing AI to the browser, we’re seeing the opposite: AI coming to the browser. Similar to how Opera was the first to create an AI-based browserThey are also leading this change by releasing an MCP connector for their Neon browser.
But first, what is MCP?
As announced via a blog post on Opera Newsroom, the Oslo-based company has just announced MCP Connector for Opera Neon that allows third-party AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, n8n, Lovable, and even OpenClaw to connect directly to your Neon browser. Although it is currently only available for its Neon agent browser, the company mentioned that it will also bring a simplified version of the MCP connector to its other browsers in the future.
Now, before we delve into what the MCP connector really means to you, you need to understand what an MCP server actually is, if you don’t already know. MCP, or Model Context Protocol, is essentially a standard that allows AI tools to communicate with other applications and servers. It is an open standard that was first introduced in late 2024 by the company behind Claude, Anthropic. Basically, it gives tools a way to create custom integrations for each app or service they want to connect to. However, with an MCP server, any AI tool that supports the protocol can connect and interact with the service immediately.
That’s exactly what Opera has done with Neon. The MCP connector allows AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT to connect directly to your live Neon browser session and see what you’re working with, including open tabs, the contents of your screen, and even your logged sessions. These AI tools can then perform actions directly within the Neon browser, such as browsing pages, extracting information, filling out forms, capturing screenshots, opening new tabs, and performing searches.
Opera Neon debuted the concept of agent browsing, where the browser’s AI could perform tasks on your behalf. With MCP Connector, that’s no longer limited to Opera’s own AI, and any compatible third-party AI client that supports MCP can take advantage of those same capabilities.
The Opera Neon MCP connector is available starting today for all paying Neon subscribers. It will be interesting to see how this develops, especially since other browser companies are likely to follow suit!
