generated: '2026-09-07'
method: searched
source: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/webkit/about-webdriver-for-safari
specification: API Commons CLI
specificationVersion: '0.1'
provider: Apple Safari
providerId: apple-safari
description: >-
  Apple ships two first-party command-line tools for the Safari developer surface. Both
  are bundled rather than installed from a package manager: `safaridriver` comes with
  the operating system and with Safari Technology Preview, and
  `safari-web-extension-converter` comes with Xcode and is invoked through `xcrun`.
cli_count: 2
clis:
  - name: safaridriver
    binary: /usr/bin/safaridriver
    official: true
    install:
      - method: bundled
        detail: Installed with macOS. Safari Technology Preview ships its own copy at "/Applications/Safari Technology Preview.app/Contents/MacOS/safaridriver".
    docs: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/webkit/about-webdriver-for-safari
    description: >-
      Safari's W3C WebDriver implementation. It hosts a local web server that accepts
      REST-style HTTP automation commands, so any WebDriver-compatible client library
      (Selenium in Python, Java, PHP, JavaScript and others) can drive Safari without
      browser-specific code. Since Safari 27 beta / Safari Technology Preview 247 the
      same binary also serves the Safari MCP server when run with --mcp.
    surface:
      - group: automation
        detail: >-
          Runs a local W3C WebDriver REST endpoint. Test execution is confined to
          isolated automation windows (recognisable by their orange Smart Search field)
          that start from a clean slate and cannot reach browsing history or AutoFill.
          Only one Safari instance and one WebDriver session can be active at a time.
      - group: mcp
        detail: '`safaridriver --mcp` starts the Safari MCP server over stdio. See mcp/apple-safari-mcp.yml.'
    capabilities:
      - name: 'safari:automaticInspection'
        description: Preloads Web Inspector and the JavaScript debugger in the background; a `debugger;` statement in the page pauses execution and brings up the Debugger tab.
      - name: 'safari:automaticProfiling'
        description: Preloads Web Inspector and starts a timeline recording in the background.
    prerequisites:
      - 'Safari > Settings > Advanced > Show features for web developers'
      - 'Safari > Settings > Developer > Allow remote automation and external agents'
    note: >-
      Documented flags beyond --mcp were not transcribed verbatim from the man page and
      are therefore not listed here; only what Apple's published documentation states is
      recorded.
  - name: safari-web-extension-converter
    binary: xcrun safari-web-extension-converter
    official: true
    install:
      - method: bundled
        detail: Ships with Xcode; invoked through xcrun.
    docs: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/safariservices/converting-a-web-extension-for-safari
    description: >-
      Converts an existing Chrome or Firefox web extension into a Safari web extension
      Xcode project, so a cross-browser extension can be packaged and distributed
      through App Store Connect.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com
    url: https://apievangelist.com