How to Start the xiaohongshu-mcp Server with Command-Line Arguments

Run the ./xiaohongshu-mcp binary with the -headless, -bin, and -port flags to control browser visibility, executable path, and HTTP server address.

The xpzouying/xiaohongshu-mcp repository provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for automating Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) interactions. When you start the xiaohongshu-mcp server with command-line arguments, you can customize browser automation settings and network bindings without modifying the source code.

Available Command-Line Flags

The entry point in main.go defines three primary flags that configure the server's behavior:

Flag	Type	Default	Description
-headless	bool	true	Run Chromium in headless mode. Set to false to see the browser UI.
-bin	string	""	Absolute path to a custom Chrome/Chromium binary.
-port	string	:18060	TCP address for the HTTP server (e.g., :8080 or 127.0.0.1:9090).

Starting with Default Configuration

To launch the server with default settings—headless browser, automatic binary detection, and port :18060—run the compiled binary:

./xiaohongshu-mcp

The server initializes the global configuration via configs.InitHeadless(true) and configs.SetBinPath("") in configs/browser.go, then starts the HTTP listener via appServer.Start(":18060") defined in app_server.go.

Running with a Visible Browser Window

For debugging or initial authentication flows, disable headless mode to watch the browser interactions:

./xiaohongshu-mcp -headless=false

This invokes configs.InitHeadless(false), which stores the flag in the global state accessed by the browser wrapper when creating new Rod sessions.

Specifying a Custom Chrome Binary

If your Chrome installation is in a non-standard location, use the -bin flag or the ROD_BROWSER_BIN environment variable:

# Using the flag

./xiaohongshu-mcp -bin=/usr/local/bin/chrome -port=:8080

# Using environment variable fallback

export ROD_BROWSER_BIN=/opt/google/chrome/chrome
./xiaohongshu-mcp

The main.go logic checks the -bin value first; if empty, it falls back to ROD_BROWSER_BIN before allowing Rod to auto-detect the browser.

Changing the HTTP Server Port

To bind the MCP server to a different interface or port, modify the -port argument:

./xiaohongshu-mcp -port=127.0.0.1:9090

This value is passed directly to appServer.Start(port) in app_server.go, which configures the underlying HTTP server listener.

Implementation Details

The command-line parsing logic resides in main.go, where the flag package parses user input. The parsed values propagate through the codebase as follows:

• Headless mode: Stored via configs.InitHeadless() in configs/browser.go, affecting how the Rod browser driver initializes sessions.
• Binary path: Set via configs.SetBinPath() in the same file, used when constructing the browser launcher.
• Port binding: Passed to appServer.Start() in app_server.go, which manages the HTTP server lifecycle and graceful shutdown on SIGINT/SIGTERM.

Summary

• Use ./xiaohongshu-mcp with -headless=false to debug browser automation visually.
• Specify custom Chrome binaries via -bin=/path/to/chrome or the ROD_BROWSER_BIN environment variable.
• Change the listening address with -port=:PORT (default is :18060).
• Configuration flows from main.go flag parsing to configs/browser.go for browser settings and app_server.go for HTTP server startup.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the default port for xiaohongshu-mcp?

The default TCP address is :18060, binding to all interfaces on port 18060. You can override this with the -port flag (e.g., -port=127.0.0.1:8080).

How do I run xiaohongshu-mcp without headless mode?

Pass -headless=false when starting the binary: ./xiaohongshu-mcp -headless=false. This launches a visible Chrome window, which is useful for debugging authentication flows or scraping issues.

Can I use an environment variable instead of the -bin flag?

Yes. If the -bin flag is omitted, the server checks the ROD_BROWSER_BIN environment variable. If set, that path is used as the Chrome/Chromium binary location.

Where does the server handle command-line argument parsing?

Flag parsing occurs in main.go at the repository root. The parsed values are then propagated to configs/browser.go for browser configuration and app_server.go for HTTP server initialization.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}