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WebMCP #670

@domfarolino

Description

@domfarolino

WebKittens

@mwyrzykowski @marcoscaceres

Title of the proposal

WebMCP

URL to the spec

https://webmachinelearning.github.io/webmcp/

URL to the spec's repository

https://github.com/webmachinelearning/webmcp

Issue Tracker URL

https://github.com/webmachinelearning/webmcp/issues

Explainer URL

https://github.com/webmachinelearning/webmcp/blob/main/README.md

TAG Design Review URL

No response

Mozilla standards-positions issue URL

mozilla/standards-positions#1412

WebKit Bugzilla URL

No response

Radar URL

No response

Description

Note that #649 exists, but it lacks context, and was not published by the authors/editors of this feature, so I'm publishing this request for a position in hopes of obsoleting that old one, and providing updated links and more details here. We did the same thing for the Mozilla position.


I just want to call out the fact that WebMCP is designed for two distinct use cases:

Built-in "native" browser agents actuating a site through WebMCP tools (things like Gemini in the sidebar in Chrome, ChatGPT Atlas, Co-pilot in Edge, you get it...)
In-page agents written in JavaScript—possibly in cross-origin iframes—actuating content in another origin via its explicitly-exposed tools.

WebMCP was conceived with only the first use case in mind, and we've been adapting to support (2), the agents-in-cross-origin-iframes case, due to developer demand. This demand came from wanting to democratize tools, so that they weren't only available to the "built-in" native agent running in your browser, but are available to in-page agent widgets that might want to use those same tools. This has led to things like webmachinelearning/webmcp#179, and webmachinelearning/webmcp#188, which are still under discussion. So we'd love your feedback!

Anyways, we'd love if you reviewed the proposal with both use cases in mind.

/cc @markafoltz, @bengreenstein, @khushalsagar, @bwalderman, @johannhof, @liady

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    concerns: API designThe API for this is error-prone, poorly named, or inconsistent with the platformconcerns: duplicationThis proposal duplicates functionality of an existing web platform featureconcerns: internationalizationThis proposal doesn't sufficiently account for different languages or localesconcerns: portabilityThis proposal may be impossible or difficult to implement on at least one important platformconcerns: privacyThis proposal may cause privacy risk if implementedconcerns: securityThis proposal may cause security risk if implementedconcerns: use casesThe use case for this proposal are not stated or are unclearconcerns: venueThis proposal is in the wrong standards/incubation venue, or it's not in a venue at allfrom: GoogleProposed, edited, or co-edited by Google.from: MicrosoftProposed, edited, or co-edited by Microsoft.topic: artificial intelligence (AI)Spec relates to artificial intelligence, machine learning, or related technologiestopic: formsSpec relates to forms, form controls, or form submissiontopic: meaningful user consentFeature likely requires meaningful user consent to allowtopic: web apisSpec relates to web APIs (entry points for script)venue: W3C Web Machine Learning CGWeb Machine Learning Community Group

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