webear
   
Give your AI real senses — hear, see, and feel any web app.
An MCP server + browser SDK that gives AI coding assistants direct sensory access to a live web application. Audio, visuals, performance, network, security, and console — captured from the browser, analyzed in real time, delivered via MCP.
"The beat sounds muddy" → your AI captures 3 seconds, measures the spectral centroid at 580 Hz with 45% energy below 250 Hz, and tells you exactly why.
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What It Does
| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | capture_audio | Record a short clip (500ms–30s) of what your web app is outputting right now | | analyze_audio | Signal analysis: RMS, peak dB, clipping, spectral centroid, frequency bands, BPM, timing jitter | | describe_audio | Plain-English AI description — "the kick is boomy with heavy sub buildup around 80 Hz" | | diff_audio | Compare two captures and flag what changed — loudness, tone, timing, clipping |
How It Works
Browser (Web Audio API)
↓ MediaRecorder taps the AudioContext output node
↓ Uploads WebM blob via HTTP POST
Express Middleware (your dev server)
↓ Stores captures in memory, dispatches commands via SSE
MCP Server (stdio — runs inside your IDE)
↓ Retrieves captures, sends to CodedSwitch analysis API
AI Coding Assistant
→ "Your bass band is 42% of the mix (high), spectral centroid
is 580 Hz (muddy), and timing jitter is 23ms — the scheduler
is drifting under load."
The key difference from every other audio MCP: this taps the Web Audio graph directly, bypassing room acoustics, microphone hardware, and the need to export files.
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Quick Start
1. Install
npm install webear
2. Add the Express middleware to your dev server
import express from 'express'
import { webearMiddleware } from 'webear/middleware'
const app = express()
app.use(express.json())
// Mount the audio debug bridge (automatically disabled in production)
app.use('/api/webear', webearMiddleware())
app.listen(5000)
3. Add the client snippet to your web app
Option A — auto-detect everything (Tone.js or raw Web Audio) ``js import WebEar from 'webear/client' WebEar.init() ``
Option B — explicit AudioContext ```js const ctx = new AudioContext() const masterGain = ctx.createGain() masterGain.connect(ctx.destination)
WebEar.init({ audioContext: ctx, outputNode: masterGain }) ```
Option C — Tone.js project ``js import * as Tone from 'tone' WebEar.init({ toneJs: true }) ``
Option D — Three.js WebGL Game ``js import * as THREE from 'three' const listener = new THREE.AudioListener() camera.add(listener) WebEar.init({ tapNode: listener.getInput() }) ``
Option E — plain script tag ``html <script src="node_modules/webear/client-snippet.js"></script> <script>WebEar.init()</script> ``
4. Configure your IDE
Claude Code (.mcp.json in project root): ``json { "mcpServers": { "webear": { "command": "npx", "args": ["webear"], "env": { "WEBEAR_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:5000", "CODEDSWITCH_API_KEY": "your-key-here" } } } } ``
Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json): ``json { "mcpServers": { "webear": { "command": "npx", "args": ["webear"], "env": { "WEBEAR_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:5000", "CODEDSWITCH_API_KEY": "your-key-here" } } } } ``
Windsurf (mcp_config.json): ``json { "webear": { "command": "npx", "args": ["webear"], "disabled": false, "env": { "WEBEAR_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:5000", "CODEDSWITCH_API_KEY": "your-key-here" } } } ``
5. Get an API key
- Create a free account at codedswitch.com.
- Go to codedswitch.com/developer (also in the account menu as Developer API).
- Click Generate API Key — that value is your
CODEDSWITCH_API_KEY. Keys start withwbr_.
Free tier: 50 analyses/day. No credit card required.
6. Start your dev server, open your app, play audio, then ask your AI:
"Capture 3 seconds and tell me why the bass sounds muddy."
"Compare the audio before and after my last commit."
"Is there any clipping in the high-frequency range?"
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Example Output
analyze_audio
── Audio Analysis Report ──────────────────────────────
Duration: 3.02s
── Loudness ─────────────────────────────────────────
RMS: -12.4 dBFS
Peak: -1.2 dBFS
Dynamic range: 11.2 dB
Crest factor: 3.63
Clipping: none
── Tone ──────────────────────────────────────────────
Spectral centroid: 2847 Hz
DC offset: 0.00012 (ok)
── Frequency Bands ───────────────────────────────────
Sub (20-80 Hz): 8.2%
Bass (80-250 Hz): 22.1%
Mid (250-2k Hz): 38.4%
Hi-mid (2-6k Hz): 21.8%
High (6k+ Hz): 9.5%
── Rhythm ────────────────────────────────────────────
Estimated BPM: 92
Onset count: 12
Timing jitter: 4.2 ms std dev
── Summary ───────────────────────────────────────────
Loudness: -12.4 dBFS RMS, peak -1.2 dBFS. Tone: balanced (centroid 2847 Hz).
Band mix — sub: 8% | bass: 22% | mid: 38% | hi-mid: 22% | high: 10%.
Rhythm: estimated 92 BPM, 12 onsets detected. Timing: very tight (< 5 ms jitter).
diff_audio
── Audio Diff: a1b2c3d4… → e5f6g7h8… ──
── Loudness ──────────────────────────────────────────
RMS: -14.2 dBFS → -12.4 dBFS (+1.8 dBFS)
⚠ Peak: -3.1 dBFS → -0.2 dBFS (+2.9 dBFS)
⚠ CLIPPING INTRODUCED — gain staging regression
── Tone ──────────────────────────────────────────────
⚠ Spectral centroid: 2847.0 Hz → 1920.0 Hz (-927.0 Hz)
── Interpretation ────────────────────────────────────
A gain bug was introduced that causes clipping.
Tonal character changed noticeably — EQ or filter behaviour may have shifted.
---
Configuration
Environment Variables
| Variable | Default | Description | |----------|---------|-------------| | WEBEAR_BASE_URL | http://localhost:4000 | URL of your dev server (where middleware is mounted) | | CODEDSWITCH_API_KEY | — | API key from codedswitch.com — required for analyze_audio and describe_audio | | MCP_API_URL | https://www.codedswitch.com | Override the analysis API base (advanced / self-hosted) |
Middleware Options
webearMiddleware({
maxCaptures: 50, // Max captures in memory (default: 50)
maxAgeMins: 10, // Auto-evict after N minutes (default: 10)
maxUploadBytes: 50e6, // Max upload size (default: 50MB)
devOnly: true, // Disable in production (default: true)
})
Client Options
WebEar.init({
audioContext: myCtx, // Your AudioContext instance
outputNode: myGainNode, // The node to tap (defaults to destination)
toneJs: true, // Auto-detect Tone.js context
bridgeBase: '/api/webear', // Override API path
devOnly: true, // Only init outside of production (default: true)
})
---
Requirements
- Node.js >= 18
- A browser that supports
MediaRecorder(Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari 14+) - A
CODEDSWITCH_API_KEYfor analysis (free at codedswitch.com)
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Who Is This For?
- Web Audio / Tone.js developers — debug beats, synths, effects, and mixing without leaving your IDE
- Game audio developers — verify sound effects, spatial audio, and mixing in real-time
- Music app builders — catch regressions between code changes with
diff_audio - Podcast / streaming apps — validate audio quality, levels, and encoding
- Anyone whose app makes sound — if it has a Web Audio graph, your AI can now hear it
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Why Not Just Use the Microphone?
Microphone MCPs capture room sound — your fan noise, chair creaks, and room reverb are all in the recording. webear taps the Web Audio API before it hits the DAC, giving you a clean digital signal with no room artifacts.
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Web Perception — Full Sensor Suite
WebEar started as audio-only. Web Perception expands it to 6 senses:
| Sensor | What it perceives | |---|---| | WebEar | Audio — mix quality, rhythm, instruments, clipping | | WebEye | Visual — canvas, UI layout, animations, screenshots | | WebSense | Performance — frame rate, memory, audio latency | | WebNerve | Network — API latencies, connection quality, storage | | WebShield | Security — cookies, storage exposure, CSP, framing | | WebLog | Console — logs, warnings, errors, uncaught exceptions |
Install the full browser SDK
import { WebPerception } from 'webear/perception'
WebPerception.init({
apiKey: 'wbr_YOUR_API_KEY',
relayUrl: 'https://www.codedswitch.com',
sensors: ['ear', 'eye', 'sense', 'nerve', 'shield', 'log'],
})
Or use a single sensor:
import { WebEar } from 'webear/perception'
WebEar.init({
apiKey: 'wbr_YOUR_API_KEY',
ear: { audioContext: myCtx, audioNode: masterGain },
})
Connect via MCP (hosted relay — no local server required)
{
"mcpServers": {
"webear": {
"url": "https://www.codedswitch.com/api/webear/mcp/sse",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer wbr_YOUR_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}
Available MCP Tools
| Sensor | Tool | Credits | Description | |---|---|---|---| | Ear | capture_audio | Free | Record live tab audio | | Ear | analyze_audio | 1 | BPM, loudness, frequency bands, clipping, dynamic range | | Ear | describe_audio | 2 | AI plain-English description — instruments, genre, mood, mix notes | | Ear | diff_audio | 1 | Compare two captures — loudness, tone, timing deltas | | Ear | groove_score | 2 | Grid alignment, swing factor, consistency (0–100%) | | Ear | capture_and_analyze | 1 | Capture + analysis in one call | | Ear | mix_coach | 3 | Structured mixing feedback | | Eye | capture_video | Free | Record canvas/video from the tab | | Eye | describe_video | 2 | AI visual description — layout, colors, bugs | | Eye | diff_visuals | 2 | Compare two visual captures | | Sense | capture_telemetry | Free | FPS, memory, layout shifts, audio latency | | Sense | analyze_telemetry | 1 | Frame drops, memory pressure, audio underruns | | Nerve | capture_nerve | Free | API timings, connection quality, storage size | | Nerve | analyze_nerve | 1 | Slow APIs, connection quality, storage bloat | | Shield | capture_shield | Free | Cookies, CSP, storage exposure, framing | | Shield | analyze_shield | 1 | CORS issues, non-HttpOnly cookies, missing CSP | | Log | capture_logs | Free | Console output + uncaught exceptions | | Log | analyze_logs | 1 | Error patterns, stack traces, repeated warnings |
Get an API Key
- Create a free account at codedswitch.com.
- Open codedswitch.com/developer — also linked as Developer API in the account menu.
- Click Generate API Key and copy it. Keys start with
wbr_.
Free tier: 50 analyses/day, no credit card required.
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Changelog
2.0.1
- Fixed the getting-started path for API keys. The previous instruction
("Settings → WebEar") was wrong — there is no WebEar section under Settings. Keys live at codedswitch.com/developer (linked as Developer API in the account menu). Both the Quick Start and the Web Perception sections now point to the correct place.
- The SDK's "missing API key" console error now links straight to the key page.
Contributing
See CONTRIBUTING.md.
License
MIT — see LICENSE
Author
Built by @asume21 — CodedSwitch












