Playwright
Bymicrosoft·21,407
Automate web browsers using accessibility trees for testing and data extraction.
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides browser automation capabilities usingPlaywright. This server enables LLMs to interact with web pages through structured accessibility snapshots, bypassing the need for screenshots or visually-tuned models.
- 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.
- Node.js 18 or newer
- VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop, Goose or any other MCP client
First, install the Playwright MCP server with your client.
Standard config works in most of the tools:
{"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:
"amp.mcpServers": {"playwright": {"command":"npx","args": ["@playwright/mcp@latest" ] }}
Amp CLI Setup:
Add via theamp mcp add
command below
amp mcp add playwright -- npx @playwright/mcp@latest
Claude Code
Use the Claude Code CLI to add the Playwright MCP server:
claude mcp add playwright npx @playwright/mcp@latest
Claude Desktop
Follow the MCP installguide, use the standard config above.
Codex
Create or edit the configuration file~/.codex/config.toml
and add:
[mcp_servers.playwright]command ="npx"args = ["@playwright/mcp@latest"]
For more information, see theCodex MCP documentation.
Cursor
Go toCursor Settings
->MCP
->Add new MCP Server
. Name to your liking, usecommand
type with the commandnpx @playwright/mcp@latest
. You can also verify config or add command like arguments via clickingEdit
.
Gemini CLI
Follow the MCP installguide, use the standard config above.
Goose
Go toAdvanced settings
->Extensions
->Add custom extension
. Name to your liking, use typeSTDIO
, and set thecommand
tonpx @playwright/mcp
. Click "Add Extension".
LM Studio
Go toProgram
in the right sidebar ->Install
->Edit mcp.json
. Use the standard config above.
opencode
Follow the MCP Serversdocumentation. For example in~/.config/opencode/opencode.json
:
{"$schema":"https://opencode.ai/config.json","mcp": {"playwright": {"type":"local","command": ["npx","@playwright/mcp@latest" ],"enabled":true } }}
Qodo Gen
OpenQodo Gen chat panel in VSCode or IntelliJ → Connect more tools → + Add new MCP → Paste the standard config above.
ClickSave
.
VS Code
Follow the MCP installguide, use the standard config above. You can also install the Playwright MCP server using the VS Code CLI:
# For VS Codecode --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 toSettings
->AI
->Manage MCP Servers
->+ Add
toadd 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:
{"mcpServers":{"playwright":{"command":"npx","args":["@playwright/mcp@latest"]}}}
Windsurf
Follow Windsurf MCPdocumentation. Use the standard config above.
Playwright MCP server supports following arguments. They can be provided in the JSON configuration above, as a part of the"args"
list:
> 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. --allowed-origins <origins> semicolon-separated list of origins to allow the browser to request. Default is to allow all. --blocked-origins <origins> semicolon-separated list of origins to block the browser from requesting. Blocklist is evaluated before allowlist. If used without the allowlist, requests not matching the blocklist are still allowed. --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-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. --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"
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.
# 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 stateto the browser via the config'scontextOptions
or via the--storage-state
argument. Learn more about the storagestatehere.
{"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. Seeextension/README.md for installation and setup instructions.
The Playwright MCP server can be configured using a JSON configuration file. You can specify the configuration fileusing the--config
command line option:
npx @playwright/mcp@latest --config path/to/config.json
Configuration file schema
{// Browser configurationbrowser?:{// 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 persistenceuserDataDir?: string;// Browser launch options (see Playwright docs)//@see https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browsertype#browser-type-launchlaunchOptions?:{channel?: string;// Browser channel (e.g. 'chrome')headless?: boolean;// Run in headless modeexecutablePath?: 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';}
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.
npx @playwright/mcp@latest --port 8931
And then in MCP client config, set theurl
to the HTTP endpoint:
{"mcpServers":{"playwright":{"url":"http://localhost:8931/mcp"}}}
Docker
NOTE: The Docker implementation only supports headless chromium at the moment.
{"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:
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 port8931 and can be reached by any MCP client.
You can build the Docker image yourself.
docker build -t mcr.microsoft.com/playwright/mcp .
Programmatic usage
importhttpfrom'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 transportconstconnection=awaitcreateConnection({browser:{launchOptions:{headless:true}}});consttransport=newSSEServerTransport('/messages',res);awaitconnection.connect(transport);// ...});
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 elementref
(string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshotdoubleClick
(boolean, optional): Whether to perform a double click instead of a single clickbutton
(string, optional): Button to click, defaults to leftmodifiers
(array, optional): Modifier keys to press
- Read-only:false
- browser_close
- Title: Close browser
- Description: Close the page
- Parameters: None
- Read-only:true
- 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 elementstartRef
(string): Exact source element reference from the page snapshotendElement
(string): Human-readable target element description used to obtain the permission to interact with the elementendRef
(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 providedelement
(string, optional): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the elementref
(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 elementref
(string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshot
- Read-only:true
- 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:true
- 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 asArrowLeft
ora
- Read-only:false
- browser_resize
- Title: Resize browser window
- Description: Resize the browser window
- Parameters:
width
(number): Width of the browser windowheight
(number): Height of the browser window
- Read-only:true
- 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 elementref
(string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshotvalues
(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 topage-{timestamp}.{png|jpeg}
if not specified.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 elementref
(string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshottext
(string): Text to type into the elementsubmit
(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 secondstext
(string, optional): The text to wait fortextGone
(string, optional): The text to wait for to disappear
- Read-only:true
Tab management
- browser_tabs
- Title: Manage tabs
- Description: List, create, close, or select a browser tab.
- Parameters:
action
(string): Operation to performindex
(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 elementx
(number): X coordinatey
(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 elementstartX
(number): Start X coordinatestartY
(number): Start Y coordinateendX
(number): End X coordinateendY
(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 elementx
(number): X coordinatey
(number): Y coordinate
- Read-only:true
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 topage-{timestamp}.pdf
if not specified.
- Read-only:true
Verify (opt-in via --caps=verify)
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
About
Playwright
Bymicrosoft·21,407
Automate web browsers using accessibility trees for testing and data extraction.