Playwright MCP vs Shotanvil
A side-by-side look at the Playwright MCP and Shotanvil MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Playwright MCPBrowser Automation · Local subprocess (stdio)Official Microsoft Playwright MCP server, enabling LLMs to interact with web pages through structured accessibility snapshots89ExcellentAuth: no auth requiredVerdict: choose Playwright MCP for browser automation work as a local process; choose Shotanvil for browser automation over a hosted endpoint. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Playwright MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Browser Automation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
browser_close, browser_resize, browser_console_messages.
Choose Shotanvil when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Browser Automation domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
SHOTANVIL_API_KEY.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | Playwright MCP | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Browser Automation | Browser Automation |
| Quality signal | 89/100 · Excellent | 37/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Remote HTTP/SSE |
| Auth | No auth required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | SHOTANVIL_API_KEY |
| Verified owner | Verified | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 38,513 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 6 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 25 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Playwright MCP | View Shotanvil |
Tools & capabilities
Playwright MCP tools 25
browser_closeClose the pagebrowser_resizeResize the browser windowbrowser_console_messagesReturns all console messagesbrowser_handle_dialogHandle a dialogbrowser_emulate_mediaEmulate CSS media features for the page, for example switch between the light and dark color scheme. Omitted parameters are left unchanged; null clears an override.browser_evaluateEvaluate JavaScript expression on page or elementbrowser_file_uploadUpload one or multiple filesbrowser_dropDrop files or MIME-typed data onto an element, as if dragged from outside the page. At least one of "paths" or "data" must be provided.browser_findSearch the accessibility snapshot of the current page for text or a regular expression. Returns matching snapshot nodes with a few lines of surrounding context (like search snippets), each shown under its path from the root of the tree, which is cheaper than capturing the whole snapshot when you only need to locate an element and its ref.browser_fill_formFill multiple form fieldsbrowser_press_keyPress a key on the keyboardbrowser_typeType text into editable element- +13 more on the listing page
Shotanvil tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Playwright MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"microsoft-playwright-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@playwright/mcp@latest"
]
}
}
}
Shotanvil
{
"mcpServers": {
"shotanvil": {
"url": "https://api.shotanvil.com"
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Playwright MCP is categorized under Browser Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Shotanvil belongs to Browser Automation and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Pick Playwright MCP for browser automation work and Shotanvil for browser automation.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Playwright MCP is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Shotanvil has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add microsoft-playwright-mcp and shotanvil as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Playwright MCP has a quality signal of 89/100 (Excellent) with 6 views, 0 installs and 38,513 GitHub stars. Shotanvil has 37/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.