Playwright MCP README

Playwright MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides browser automation capabilities using Playwright. This server enables LLMs to interact with web pages through structured accessibility snapshots, bypassing the need for screenshots or visually-tuned models.

Key Features

Fast and lightweight. Uses Playwright's accessibility tree, not pixel-based input.
LLM-friendly. No vision models needed, operates purely on structured data.
Deterministic tool application. Avoids ambiguity common with screenshot-based approaches.

Requirements

Node.js 18 or newer
VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop, Goose or any other MCP client

Getting started

First, install the Playwright MCP server with your client.

Standard config works in most of the tools:

JSON Config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@playwright/mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Amp

Add via the Amp VS Code extension settings screen or by updating your settings.json file:

json

"amp.mcpServers": {
  "playwright": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": [
      "@playwright/mcp@latest"
    ]
  }
}

Amp CLI Setup:

Add via the amp mcp addcommand below

bash

amp mcp add playwright -- npx @playwright/mcp@latest

Claude Code

Use the Claude Code CLI to add the Playwright MCP server:

Terminal

claude mcp add playwright npx @playwright/mcp@latest

Claude Desktop

Follow the MCP install guide, use the standard config above.

Codex

Use the Codex CLI to add the Playwright MCP server:

bash

codex mcp add playwright npx "@playwright/mcp@latest"

Alternatively, create or edit the configuration file ~/.codex/config.toml and add:

toml

[mcp_servers.playwright]
command = "npx"
args = ["@playwright/mcp@latest"]

For more information, see the Codex MCP documentation.

Cursor

Click the button to install:

Or install manually:

Go to Cursor Settings -> MCP -> Add new MCP Server. Name to your liking, use command type with the command npx @playwright/mcp@latest. You can also verify config or add command like arguments via clicking Edit.

Factory

Use the Factory CLI to add the Playwright MCP server:

bash

droid mcp add playwright "npx @playwright/mcp@latest"

Alternatively, type /mcp within Factory droid to open an interactive UI for managing MCP servers.

For more information, see the Factory MCP documentation.

Gemini CLI

Follow the MCP install guide, use the standard config above.

Goose

Click the button to install:

Or install manually:

Go to Advanced settings -> Extensions -> Add custom extension. Name to your liking, use type STDIO, and set the command to npx @playwright/mcp. Click "Add Extension".

Kiro

Follow the MCP Servers documentation. For example in .kiro/settings/mcp.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@playwright/mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

LM Studio

Click the button to install:

Or install manually:

Go to Program in the right sidebar -> Install -> Edit mcp.json. Use the standard config above.

opencode

Follow the MCP Servers documentation. For example in ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json:

config.json

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "playwright": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": [
        "npx",
        "@playwright/mcp@latest"
      ],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

Qodo Gen

Open Qodo Gen chat panel in VSCode or IntelliJ → Connect more tools → + Add new MCP → Paste the standard config above.

Click Save.

VS Code

Click the button to install:

Or install manually:

Follow the MCP install guide, use the standard config above. You can also install the Playwright MCP server using the VS Code CLI:

bash

# For VS Code
code --add-mcp '{"name":"playwright","command":"npx","args":["@playwright/mcp@latest"]}'

After installation, the Playwright MCP server will be available for use with your GitHub Copilot agent in VS Code.

Warp

Go to Settings -> AI -> Manage MCP Servers -> + Add to add an MCP Server. Use the standard config above.

Alternatively, use the slash command /add-mcp in the Warp prompt and paste the standard config from above:

JSON Config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@playwright/mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Follow Windsurf MCP documentation. Use the standard config above.

Configuration

Playwright MCP server supports following arguments. They can be provided in the JSON configuration above, as a part of the "args" list:

Code

> npx @playwright/mcp@latest --help
  --allowed-hosts <hosts...>            comma-separated list of hosts this
                                        server is allowed to serve from.
                                        Defaults to the host the server is bound
                                        to. Pass '*' to disable the host check.
  --block-service-workers               block service workers
  --browser <browser>                   browser or chrome channel to use,
                                        possible values: chrome, firefox,
                                        webkit, msedge.
  --caps <caps>                         comma-separated list of additional
                                        capabilities to enable, possible values:
                                        vision, pdf.
  --cdp-endpoint <endpoint>             CDP endpoint to connect to.
  --cdp-header <headers...>             CDP headers to send with the connect
                                        request, multiple can be specified.
  --config <path>                       path to the configuration file.
  --device <device>                     device to emulate, for example: "iPhone
                                        15"
  --executable-path <path>              path to the browser executable.
  --extension                           Connect to a running browser instance
                                        (Edge/Chrome only). Requires the
                                        "Playwright MCP Bridge" browser
                                        extension to be installed.
  --grant-permissions <permissions...>  List of permissions to grant to the
                                        browser context, for example
                                        "geolocation", "clipboard-read",
                                        "clipboard-write".
  --headless                            run browser in headless mode, headed by
                                        default
  --host <host>                         host to bind server to. Default is
                                        localhost. Use 0.0.0.0 to bind to all
                                        interfaces.
  --ignore-https-errors                 ignore https errors
  --init-page <path...>                 path to TypeScript file to evaluate on
                                        Playwright page object
  --init-script <path...>               path to JavaScript file to add as an
                                        initialization script. The script will
                                        be evaluated in every page before any of
                                        the page's scripts. Can be specified
                                        multiple times.
  --isolated                            keep the browser profile in memory, do
                                        not save it to disk.
  --image-responses <mode>              whether to send image responses to the
                                        client. Can be "allow" or "omit",
                                        Defaults to "allow".
  --no-sandbox                          disable the sandbox for all process
                                        types that are normally sandboxed.
  --output-dir <path>                   path to the directory for output files.
  --port <port>                         port to listen on for SSE transport.
  --proxy-bypass <bypass>               comma-separated domains to bypass proxy,
                                        for example
                                        ".com,chromium.org,.domain.com"
  --proxy-server <proxy>                specify proxy server, for example
                                        "http://myproxy:3128" or
                                        "socks5://myproxy:8080"
  --save-session                        Whether to save the Playwright MCP
                                        session into the output directory.
  --save-trace                          Whether to save the Playwright Trace of
                                        the session into the output directory.
  --save-video <size>                   Whether to save the video of the session
                                        into the output directory. For example
                                        "--save-video=800x600"
  --secrets <path>                      path to a file containing secrets in the
                                        dotenv format
  --shared-browser-context              reuse the same browser context between
                                        all connected HTTP clients.
  --storage-state <path>                path to the storage state file for
                                        isolated sessions.
  --test-id-attribute <attribute>       specify the attribute to use for test
                                        ids, defaults to "data-testid"
  --timeout-action <timeout>            specify action timeout in milliseconds,
                                        defaults to 5000ms
  --timeout-navigation <timeout>        specify navigation timeout in
                                        milliseconds, defaults to 60000ms
  --user-agent <ua string>              specify user agent string
  --user-data-dir <path>                path to the user data directory. If not
                                        specified, a temporary directory will be
                                        created.
  --viewport-size <size>                specify browser viewport size in pixels,
                                        for example "1280x720"

User profile

You can run Playwright MCP with persistent profile like a regular browser (default), in isolated contexts for testing sessions, or connect to your existing browser using the browser extension.

Persistent profile

All the logged in information will be stored in the persistent profile, you can delete it between sessions if you'd like to clear the offline state. Persistent profile is located at the following locations and you can override it with the --user-data-dir argument.

bash

# Windows
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\ms-playwright\mcp-{channel}-profile

# macOS
- ~/Library/Caches/ms-playwright/mcp-{channel}-profile

# Linux
- ~/.cache/ms-playwright/mcp-{channel}-profile

Isolated

In the isolated mode, each session is started in the isolated profile. Every time you ask MCP to close the browser, the session is closed and all the storage state for this session is lost. You can provide initial storage state to the browser via the config's contextOptions or via the --storage-state argument. Learn more about the storage state here.

JSON Config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@playwright/mcp@latest",
        "--isolated",
        "--storage-state={path/to/storage.json}"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Browser Extension

The Playwright MCP Chrome Extension allows you to connect to existing browser tabs and leverage your logged-in sessions and browser state. See extension/README.md for installation and setup instructions.

Initial state

There are multiple ways to provide the initial state to the browser context or a page.

For the storage state, you can either:

Start with a user data directory using the --user-data-dir argument. This will persist all browser data between the sessions.
Start with a storage state file using the --storage-state argument. This will load cookies and local storage from the file into an isolated browser context.

For the page state, you can use:

--init-page to point to a TypeScript file that will be evaluated on the Playwright page object. This allows you to run arbitrary code to set up the page.

server.ts

// init-page.ts
export default async ({ page }) => {
  await page.context().grantPermissions(['geolocation']);
  await page.context().setGeolocation({ latitude: 37.7749, longitude: -122.4194 });
  await page.setViewportSize({ width: 1280, height: 720 });
};

--init-script to point to a JavaScript file that will be added as an initialization script. The script will be evaluated in every page before any of the page's scripts. This is useful for overriding browser APIs or setting up the environment.

// init-script.js
window.isPlaywrightMCP = true;

Configuration file

The Playwright MCP server can be configured using a JSON configuration file. You can specify the configuration file using the --config command line option:

Terminal

npx @playwright/mcp@latest --config path/to/config.json

Configuration file schema

JSON Config

{
  // Browser configuration
  browser?: {
    // Browser type to use (chromium, firefox, or webkit)
    browserName?: 'chromium' | 'firefox' | 'webkit';

    // Keep the browser profile in memory, do not save it to disk.
    isolated?: boolean;

    // Path to user data directory for browser profile persistence
    userDataDir?: string;

    // Browser launch options (see Playwright docs)
    // @see https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browsertype#browser-type-launch
    launchOptions?: {
      channel?: string;        // Browser channel (e.g. 'chrome')
      headless?: boolean;      // Run in headless mode
      executablePath?: string; // Path to browser executable
      // ... other Playwright launch options
    };

    // Browser context options
    // @see https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browser#browser-new-context
    contextOptions?: {
      viewport?: { width: number, height: number };
      // ... other Playwright context options
    };

    // CDP endpoint for connecting to existing browser
    cdpEndpoint?: string;

    // Remote Playwright server endpoint
    remoteEndpoint?: string;
  },

  // Server configuration
  server?: {
    port?: number;  // Port to listen on
    host?: string;  // Host to bind to (default: localhost)
  },

  // List of additional capabilities
  capabilities?: Array<
    'tabs' |    // Tab management
    'install' | // Browser installation
    'pdf' |     // PDF generation
    'vision' |  // Coordinate-based interactions
  >;

  // Directory for output files
  outputDir?: string;

  // Network configuration
  network?: {
    // List of origins to allow the browser to request. Default is to allow all. Origins matching both `allowedOrigins` and `blockedOrigins` will be blocked.
    allowedOrigins?: string[];

    // List of origins to block the browser to request. Origins matching both `allowedOrigins` and `blockedOrigins` will be blocked.
    blockedOrigins?: string[];
  };
 
  /**
   * Whether to send image responses to the client. Can be "allow" or "omit". 
   * Defaults to "allow".
   */
  imageResponses?: 'allow' | 'omit';
}

Standalone MCP server

When running headed browser on system w/o display or from worker processes of the IDEs, run the MCP server from environment with the DISPLAY and pass the --port flag to enable HTTP transport.

Terminal

npx @playwright/mcp@latest --port 8931

And then in MCP client config, set the url to the HTTP endpoint:

JSON Config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "url": "http://localhost:8931/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Docker

NOTE: The Docker implementation only supports headless chromium at the moment.

JSON Config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "--init", "--pull=always", "mcr.microsoft.com/playwright/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Or If you prefer to run the container as a long-lived service instead of letting the MCP client spawn it, use:

Terminal

docker run -d -i --rm --init --pull=always \
  --entrypoint node \
  --name playwright \
  -p 8931:8931 \
  mcr.microsoft.com/playwright/mcp \
  cli.js --headless --browser chromium --no-sandbox --port 8931

The server will listen on host port 8931 and can be reached by any MCP client.

You can build the Docker image yourself.

Terminal

docker build -t mcr.microsoft.com/playwright/mcp .

Programmatic usage

server.ts

import http from 'http';

import { createConnection } from '@playwright/mcp';
import { SSEServerTransport } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/sse.js';

http.createServer(async (req, res) => {
  // ...

  // Creates a headless Playwright MCP server with SSE transport
  const connection = await createConnection({ browser: { launchOptions: { headless: true } } });
  const transport = new SSEServerTransport('/messages', res);
  await connection.connect(transport);

  // ...
});

Tools

Core automation

browser_click
- Title: Click
- Description: Perform click on a web page
- Parameters:
  - element (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the element
  - ref (string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshot
  - doubleClick (boolean, optional): Whether to perform a double click instead of a single click
  - button (string, optional): Button to click, defaults to left
  - modifiers (array, optional): Modifier keys to press
- Read-only: false

browser_close
- Title: Close browser
- Description: Close the page
- Parameters: None
- Read-only: false

browser_console_messages
- Title: Get console messages
- Description: Returns all console messages
- Parameters:
  - onlyErrors (boolean, optional): Only return error messages
- Read-only: true

browser_drag
- Title: Drag mouse
- Description: Perform drag and drop between two elements
- Parameters:
  - startElement (string): Human-readable source element description used to obtain the permission to interact with the element
  - startRef (string): Exact source element reference from the page snapshot
  - endElement (string): Human-readable target element description used to obtain the permission to interact with the element
  - endRef (string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshot
- Read-only: false

browser_evaluate
- Title: Evaluate JavaScript
- Description: Evaluate JavaScript expression on page or element
- Parameters:
  - function (string): () => { /* code / } or (element) => { / code */ } when element is provided
  - element (string, optional): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the element
  - ref (string, optional): Exact target element reference from the page snapshot
- Read-only: false

browser_file_upload
- Title: Upload files
- Description: Upload one or multiple files
- Parameters:
  - paths (array, optional): The absolute paths to the files to upload. Can be single file or multiple files. If omitted, file chooser is cancelled.
- Read-only: false

browser_fill_form
- Title: Fill form
- Description: Fill multiple form fields
- Parameters:
  - fields (array): Fields to fill in
- Read-only: false

browser_handle_dialog
- Title: Handle a dialog
- Description: Handle a dialog
- Parameters:
  - accept (boolean): Whether to accept the dialog.
  - promptText (string, optional): The text of the prompt in case of a prompt dialog.
- Read-only: false

browser_hover
- Title: Hover mouse
- Description: Hover over element on page
- Parameters:
  - element (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the element
  - ref (string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshot
- Read-only: false

browser_navigate
- Title: Navigate to a URL
- Description: Navigate to a URL
- Parameters:
  - url (string): The URL to navigate to
- Read-only: false

browser_navigate_back
- Title: Go back
- Description: Go back to the previous page
- Parameters: None
- Read-only: false

browser_network_requests
- Title: List network requests
- Description: Returns all network requests since loading the page
- Parameters: None
- Read-only: true

browser_press_key
- Title: Press a key
- Description: Press a key on the keyboard
- Parameters:
  - key (string): Name of the key to press or a character to generate, such as ArrowLeft or a
- Read-only: false

browser_resize
- Title: Resize browser window
- Description: Resize the browser window
- Parameters:
  - width (number): Width of the browser window
  - height (number): Height of the browser window
- Read-only: false

browser_run_code
- Title: Run Playwright code
- Description: Run Playwright code snippet
- Parameters:
  - code (string): Playwright code snippet to run. The snippet should access the page object to interact with the page. Can make multiple statements. For example: await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Submit' }).click();
- Read-only: false

browser_select_option
- Title: Select option
- Description: Select an option in a dropdown
- Parameters:
  - element (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the element
  - ref (string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshot
  - values (array): Array of values to select in the dropdown. This can be a single value or multiple values.
- Read-only: false

browser_snapshot
- Title: Page snapshot
- Description: Capture accessibility snapshot of the current page, this is better than screenshot
- Parameters: None
- Read-only: true

browser_take_screenshot
- Title: Take a screenshot
- Description: Take a screenshot of the current page. You can't perform actions based on the screenshot, use browser_snapshot for actions.
- Parameters:
  - type (string, optional): Image format for the screenshot. Default is png.
  - filename (string, optional): File name to save the screenshot to. Defaults to page-{timestamp}.{png|jpeg} if not specified. Prefer relative file names to stay within the output directory.
  - element (string, optional): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to screenshot the element. If not provided, the screenshot will be taken of viewport. If element is provided, ref must be provided too.
  - ref (string, optional): Exact target element reference from the page snapshot. If not provided, the screenshot will be taken of viewport. If ref is provided, element must be provided too.
  - fullPage (boolean, optional): When true, takes a screenshot of the full scrollable page, instead of the currently visible viewport. Cannot be used with element screenshots.
- Read-only: true

browser_type
- Title: Type text
- Description: Type text into editable element
- Parameters:
  - element (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the element
  - ref (string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshot
  - text (string): Text to type into the element
  - submit (boolean, optional): Whether to submit entered text (press Enter after)
  - slowly (boolean, optional): Whether to type one character at a time. Useful for triggering key handlers in the page. By default entire text is filled in at once.
- Read-only: false

browser_wait_for
- Title: Wait for
- Description: Wait for text to appear or disappear or a specified time to pass
- Parameters:
  - time (number, optional): The time to wait in seconds
  - text (string, optional): The text to wait for
  - textGone (string, optional): The text to wait for to disappear
- Read-only: false

Tab management

browser_tabs
- Title: Manage tabs
- Description: List, create, close, or select a browser tab.
- Parameters:
  - action (string): Operation to perform
  - index (number, optional): Tab index, used for close/select. If omitted for close, current tab is closed.
- Read-only: false

Browser installation

browser_install
- Title: Install the browser specified in the config
- Description: Install the browser specified in the config. Call this if you get an error about the browser not being installed.
- Parameters: None
- Read-only: false

Coordinate-based (opt-in via --caps=vision)

browser_mouse_click_xy
- Title: Click
- Description: Click left mouse button at a given position
- Parameters:
  - element (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the element
  - x (number): X coordinate
  - y (number): Y coordinate
- Read-only: false

browser_mouse_drag_xy
- Title: Drag mouse
- Description: Drag left mouse button to a given position
- Parameters:
  - element (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the element
  - startX (number): Start X coordinate
  - startY (number): Start Y coordinate
  - endX (number): End X coordinate
  - endY (number): End Y coordinate
- Read-only: false

browser_mouse_move_xy
- Title: Move mouse
- Description: Move mouse to a given position
- Parameters:
  - element (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the element
  - x (number): X coordinate
  - y (number): Y coordinate
- Read-only: false

PDF generation (opt-in via --caps=pdf)

browser_pdf_save
- Title: Save as PDF
- Description: Save page as PDF
- Parameters:
  - filename (string, optional): File name to save the pdf to. Defaults to page-{timestamp}.pdf if not specified. Prefer relative file names to stay within the output directory.
- Read-only: true

Test assertions (opt-in via --caps=testing)

browser_generate_locator
- Title: Create locator for element
- Description: Generate locator for the given element to use in tests
- Parameters:
  - element (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the element
  - ref (string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshot
- Read-only: true

browser_verify_element_visible
- Title: Verify element visible
- Description: Verify element is visible on the page
- Parameters:
  - role (string): ROLE of the element. Can be found in the snapshot like this: - {ROLE} "Accessible Name":
  - accessibleName (string): ACCESSIBLE_NAME of the element. Can be found in the snapshot like this: - role "{ACCESSIBLE_NAME}"
- Read-only: false

browser_verify_list_visible
- Title: Verify list visible
- Description: Verify list is visible on the page
- Parameters:
  - element (string): Human-readable list description
  - ref (string): Exact target element reference that points to the list
  - items (array): Items to verify
- Read-only: false

browser_verify_text_visible
- Title: Verify text visible
- Description: Verify text is visible on the page. Prefer browser_verify_element_visible if possible.
- Parameters:
  - text (string): TEXT to verify. Can be found in the snapshot like this: - role "Accessible Name": {TEXT} or like this: - text: {TEXT}
- Read-only: false

browser_verify_value
- Title: Verify value
- Description: Verify element value
- Parameters:
  - type (string): Type of the element
  - element (string): Human-readable element description
  - ref (string): Exact target element reference that points to the element
  - value (string): Value to verify. For checkbox, use "true" or "false".
- Read-only: false

Tracing (opt-in via --caps=tracing)

browser_start_tracing
- Title: Start tracing
- Description: Start trace recording
- Parameters: None
- Read-only: true

browser_stop_tracing
- Title: Stop tracing
- Description: Stop trace recording
- Parameters: None
- Read-only: true