MCPInstall

playwright

by smithery.aiTesting & QA

Use when the task requires automating a real browser from the terminal (navigation, form filling, snapshots, screenshots, data extraction, UI-flow debugging) via playwright-cli or the bundled wrapper script.

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Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://smithery.ai --skill playwright
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads playwright automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

Playwright CLI Skill

Drive a real browser from the terminal using playwright-cli. Prefer the bundled wrapper script so the CLI works even when it is not globally installed. Treat this skill as CLI-first automation. Do not pivot to @playwright/test unless the user explicitly asks for test files.

Prerequisite check (required)

Before proposing commands, check whether npx is available (the wrapper depends on it):

command -v npx >/dev/null 2>&1

If it is not available, pause and ask the user to install Node.js/npm (which provides npx). Provide these steps verbatim:

# Verify Node/npm are installed
node --version
npm --version

# If missing, install Node.js/npm, then:
npm install -g @playwright/cli@latest
playwright-cli --help

Once npx is present, proceed with the wrapper script. A global install of playwright-cli is optional.

Skill path (set once)

export CODEX_HOME="${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}"
export PWCLI="$CODEX_HOME/skills/playwright/scripts/playwright_cli.sh"

User-scoped skills install under $CODEX_HOME/skills (default: ~/.codex/skills).

Quick start

Use the wrapper script:

"$PWCLI" open https://playwright.dev --headed
"$PWCLI" snapshot
"$PWCLI" click e15
"$PWCLI" type "Playwright"
"$PWCLI" press Enter
"$PWCLI" screenshot

If the user prefers a global install, this is also valid:

npm install -g @playwright/cli@latest
playwright-cli --help

Core workflow

  1. Open the page.
  2. Snapshot to get stable element refs.
  3. Interact using refs from the latest snapshot.
  4. Re-snapshot after navigation or significant DOM changes.
  5. Capture artifacts (screenshot, pdf, traces) when useful.

Minimal loop:

"$PWCLI" open https://example.com
"$PWCLI" snapshot
"$PWCLI" click e3
"$PWCLI" snapshot

When to snapshot again

Snapshot again after:

  • navigation
  • clicking elements that change the UI substantially
  • opening/closing modals or menus
  • tab switches

Refs can go stale. When a command fails due to a missing ref, snapshot again.

Recommended patterns

Form fill and submit

"$PWCLI" open https://example.com/form
"$PWCLI" snapshot
"$PWCLI" fill e1 "user@example.com"
"$PWCLI" fill e2 "password123"
"$PWCLI" click e3
"$PWCLI" snapshot

Debug a UI flow with traces

"$PWCLI" open https://example.com --headed
"$PWCLI" tracing-start
# ...interactions...
"$PWCLI" tracing-stop

Multi-tab work

"$PWCLI" tab-new https://example.com
"$PWCLI" tab-list
"$PWCLI" tab-select 0
"$PWCLI" snapshot

Wrapper script

The wrapper script uses npx --package @playwright/cli playwright-cli so the CLI can run without a global install:

"$PWCLI" --help

Prefer the wrapper unless the repository already standardizes on a global install.

References

Open only what you need:

  • CLI command reference: references/cli.md
  • Practical workflows and troubleshooting: references/workflows.md

Guardrails

  • Always snapshot before referencing element ids like e12.
  • Re-snapshot when refs seem stale.
  • Prefer explicit commands over eval and run-code unless needed.
  • When you do not have a fresh snapshot, use placeholder refs like eX and say why; do not bypass refs with run-code.
  • Use --headed when a visual check will help.
  • When capturing artifacts in this repo, use output/playwright/ and avoid introducing new top-level artifact folders.
  • Default to CLI commands and workflows, not Playwright test specs.

FAQ

What does the playwright skill do?

Use when the task requires automating a real browser from the terminal (navigation, form filling, snapshots, screenshots, data extraction, UI-flow debugging) via playwright-cli or the bundled wrapper script.

How do I install playwright?

Run npx skills add https://smithery.ai --skill playwright in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/playwright/ (personal) or .claude/skills/playwright/ (project).

Which AI agents can use playwright?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is playwright safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains playwright?

It is published by smithery.ai in smithery.ai. It has 266 recorded installs.

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