playwright browser automation

IMPORTANT - Path Resolution: This skill can be installed in different locations (plugin system, manual installation, global, or project-specific). Before executing any commands, determine the skill directory based on where you loaded this SKILL.md file, and use that path in all commands below. Replace $SKILL_DIR with the actual discovered path.

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Install skill "playwright browser automation" with this command: npx skills add le-dat/claude-skill-engineer/le-dat-claude-skill-engineer-playwright-browser-automation

IMPORTANT - Path Resolution: This skill can be installed in different locations (plugin system, manual installation, global, or project-specific). Before executing any commands, determine the skill directory based on where you loaded this SKILL.md file, and use that path in all commands below. Replace $SKILL_DIR with the actual discovered path.

Common installation paths:

  • Plugin system: ~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/playwright-skill/skills/playwright-skill

  • Manual global: ~/.claude/skills/playwright-skill

  • Project-specific: <project>/.claude/skills/playwright-skill

Playwright Browser Automation

General-purpose browser automation skill. I'll write custom Playwright code for any automation task you request and execute it via the universal executor.

CRITICAL WORKFLOW - Follow these steps in order:

Auto-detect dev servers - For localhost testing, ALWAYS run server detection FIRST:

cd $SKILL_DIR && node -e "require('./lib/helpers').detectDevServers().then(servers => console.log(JSON.stringify(servers)))"

  • If 1 server found: Use it automatically, inform user

  • If multiple servers found: Ask user which one to test

  • If no servers found: Ask for URL or offer to help start dev server

Write scripts to /tmp - NEVER write test files to skill directory; always use /tmp/playwright-test-*.js

Use visible browser by default - Always use headless: false unless user specifically requests headless mode

Parameterize URLs - Always make URLs configurable via environment variable or constant at top of script

How It Works

  • You describe what you want to test/automate

  • I auto-detect running dev servers (or ask for URL if testing external site)

  • I write custom Playwright code in /tmp/playwright-test-*.js (won't clutter your project)

  • I execute it via: cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/playwright-test-*.js

  • Results displayed in real-time, browser window visible for debugging

  • Test files auto-cleaned from /tmp by your OS

Setup (First Time)

cd $SKILL_DIR npm run setup

This installs Playwright and Chromium browser. Only needed once.

Execution Pattern

Step 1: Detect dev servers (for localhost testing)

cd $SKILL_DIR && node -e "require('./lib/helpers').detectDevServers().then(s => console.log(JSON.stringify(s)))"

Step 2: Write test script to /tmp with URL parameter

// /tmp/playwright-test-page.js const { chromium } = require('playwright');

// Parameterized URL (detected or user-provided) const TARGET_URL = 'http://localhost:3001'; // <-- Auto-detected or from user

(async () => { const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: false }); const page = await browser.newPage();

await page.goto(TARGET_URL); console.log('Page loaded:', await page.title());

await page.screenshot({ path: '/tmp/screenshot.png', fullPage: true }); console.log('📸 Screenshot saved to /tmp/screenshot.png');

await browser.close(); })();

Step 3: Execute from skill directory

cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/playwright-test-page.js

Common Patterns

Test a Page (Multiple Viewports)

// /tmp/playwright-test-responsive.js const { chromium } = require('playwright');

const TARGET_URL = 'http://localhost:3001'; // Auto-detected

(async () => { const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: false, slowMo: 100 }); const page = await browser.newPage();

// Desktop test await page.setViewportSize({ width: 1920, height: 1080 }); await page.goto(TARGET_URL); console.log('Desktop - Title:', await page.title()); await page.screenshot({ path: '/tmp/desktop.png', fullPage: true });

// Mobile test await page.setViewportSize({ width: 375, height: 667 }); await page.screenshot({ path: '/tmp/mobile.png', fullPage: true });

await browser.close(); })();

Test Login Flow

// /tmp/playwright-test-login.js const { chromium } = require('playwright');

const TARGET_URL = 'http://localhost:3001'; // Auto-detected

(async () => { const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: false }); const page = await browser.newPage();

await page.goto(${TARGET_URL}/login);

await page.fill('input[name="email"]', 'test@example.com'); await page.fill('input[name="password"]', 'password123'); await page.click('button[type="submit"]');

// Wait for redirect await page.waitForURL('**/dashboard'); console.log('✅ Login successful, redirected to dashboard');

await browser.close(); })();

Fill and Submit Form

// /tmp/playwright-test-form.js const { chromium } = require('playwright');

const TARGET_URL = 'http://localhost:3001'; // Auto-detected

(async () => { const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: false, slowMo: 50 }); const page = await browser.newPage();

await page.goto(${TARGET_URL}/contact);

await page.fill('input[name="name"]', 'John Doe'); await page.fill('input[name="email"]', 'john@example.com'); await page.fill('textarea[name="message"]', 'Test message'); await page.click('button[type="submit"]');

// Verify submission await page.waitForSelector('.success-message'); console.log('✅ Form submitted successfully');

await browser.close(); })();

Check for Broken Links

const { chromium } = require('playwright');

(async () => { const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: false }); const page = await browser.newPage();

await page.goto('http://localhost:3000');

const links = await page.locator('a[href^="http"]').all(); const results = { working: 0, broken: [] };

for (const link of links) { const href = await link.getAttribute('href'); try { const response = await page.request.head(href); if (response.ok()) { results.working++; } else { results.broken.push({ url: href, status: response.status() }); } } catch (e) { results.broken.push({ url: href, error: e.message }); } }

console.log(✅ Working links: ${results.working}); console.log(❌ Broken links:, results.broken);

await browser.close(); })();

Take Screenshot with Error Handling

const { chromium } = require('playwright');

(async () => { const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: false }); const page = await browser.newPage();

try { await page.goto('http://localhost:3000', { waitUntil: 'networkidle', timeout: 10000 });

await page.screenshot({
  path: '/tmp/screenshot.png',
  fullPage: true
});

console.log('📸 Screenshot saved to /tmp/screenshot.png');

} catch (error) { console.error('❌ Error:', error.message); } finally { await browser.close(); } })();

Test Responsive Design

// /tmp/playwright-test-responsive-full.js const { chromium } = require('playwright');

const TARGET_URL = 'http://localhost:3001'; // Auto-detected

(async () => { const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: false }); const page = await browser.newPage();

const viewports = [ { name: 'Desktop', width: 1920, height: 1080 }, { name: 'Tablet', width: 768, height: 1024 }, { name: 'Mobile', width: 375, height: 667 } ];

for (const viewport of viewports) { console.log(Testing ${viewport.name} (${viewport.width}x${viewport.height}));

await page.setViewportSize({
  width: viewport.width,
  height: viewport.height
});

await page.goto(TARGET_URL);
await page.waitForTimeout(1000);

await page.screenshot({
  path: `/tmp/${viewport.name.toLowerCase()}.png`,
  fullPage: true
});

}

console.log('✅ All viewports tested'); await browser.close(); })();

Inline Execution (Simple Tasks)

For quick one-off tasks, you can execute code inline without creating files:

Take a quick screenshot

cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js " const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: false }); const page = await browser.newPage(); await page.goto('http://localhost:3001'); await page.screenshot({ path: '/tmp/quick-screenshot.png', fullPage: true }); console.log('Screenshot saved'); await browser.close(); "

When to use inline vs files:

  • Inline: Quick one-off tasks (screenshot, check if element exists, get page title)

  • Files: Complex tests, responsive design checks, anything user might want to re-run

Available Helpers

Optional utility functions in lib/helpers.js :

const helpers = require('./lib/helpers');

// Detect running dev servers (CRITICAL - use this first!) const servers = await helpers.detectDevServers(); console.log('Found servers:', servers);

// Safe click with retry await helpers.safeClick(page, 'button.submit', { retries: 3 });

// Safe type with clear await helpers.safeType(page, '#username', 'testuser');

// Take timestamped screenshot await helpers.takeScreenshot(page, 'test-result');

// Handle cookie banners await helpers.handleCookieBanner(page);

// Extract table data const data = await helpers.extractTableData(page, 'table.results');

See lib/helpers.js for full list.

Custom HTTP Headers

Configure custom headers for all HTTP requests via environment variables. Useful for:

  • Identifying automated traffic to your backend

  • Getting LLM-optimized responses (e.g., plain text errors instead of styled HTML)

  • Adding authentication tokens globally

Configuration

Single header (common case):

PW_HEADER_NAME=X-Automated-By PW_HEADER_VALUE=playwright-skill
cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/my-script.js

Multiple headers (JSON format):

PW_EXTRA_HEADERS='{"X-Automated-By":"playwright-skill","X-Debug":"true"}'
cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/my-script.js

How It Works

Headers are automatically applied when using helpers.createContext() :

const context = await helpers.createContext(browser); const page = await context.newPage(); // All requests from this page include your custom headers

For scripts using raw Playwright API, use the injected getContextOptionsWithHeaders() :

const context = await browser.newContext( getContextOptionsWithHeaders({ viewport: { width: 1920, height: 1080 } }) );

Advanced Usage

For comprehensive Playwright API documentation, see API_REFERENCE.md:

  • Selectors & Locators best practices

  • Network interception & API mocking

  • Authentication & session management

  • Visual regression testing

  • Mobile device emulation

  • Performance testing

  • Debugging techniques

  • CI/CD integration

Tips

  • CRITICAL: Detect servers FIRST - Always run detectDevServers() before writing test code for localhost testing

  • Custom headers - Use PW_HEADER_NAME /PW_HEADER_VALUE env vars to identify automated traffic to your backend

  • Use /tmp for test files - Write to /tmp/playwright-test-*.js , never to skill directory or user's project

  • Parameterize URLs - Put detected/provided URL in a TARGET_URL constant at the top of every script

  • DEFAULT: Visible browser - Always use headless: false unless user explicitly asks for headless mode

  • Headless mode - Only use headless: true when user specifically requests "headless" or "background" execution

  • Slow down: Use slowMo: 100 to make actions visible and easier to follow

  • Wait strategies: Use waitForURL , waitForSelector , waitForLoadState instead of fixed timeouts

  • Error handling: Always use try-catch for robust automation

  • Console output: Use console.log() to track progress and show what's happening

Troubleshooting

Playwright not installed:

cd $SKILL_DIR && npm run setup

Module not found: Ensure running from skill directory via run.js wrapper

Browser doesn't open: Check headless: false and ensure display available

Element not found: Add wait: await page.waitForSelector('.element', { timeout: 10000 })

Example Usage

User: "Test if the marketing page looks good"

Claude: I'll test the marketing page across multiple viewports. Let me first detect running servers... [Runs: detectDevServers()] [Output: Found server on port 3001] I found your dev server running on http://localhost:3001

[Writes custom automation script to /tmp/playwright-test-marketing.js with URL parameterized] [Runs: cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/playwright-test-marketing.js] [Shows results with screenshots from /tmp/]

User: "Check if login redirects correctly"

Claude: I'll test the login flow. First, let me check for running servers... [Runs: detectDevServers()] [Output: Found servers on ports 3000 and 3001] I found 2 dev servers. Which one should I test?

User: "Use 3001"

[Writes login automation to /tmp/playwright-test-login.js] [Runs: cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/playwright-test-login.js] [Reports: ✅ Login successful, redirected to /dashboard]

Notes

  • Each automation is custom-written for your specific request

  • Not limited to pre-built scripts - any browser task possible

  • Auto-detects running dev servers to eliminate hardcoded URLs

  • Test scripts written to /tmp for automatic cleanup (no clutter)

  • Code executes reliably with proper module resolution via run.js

  • Progressive disclosure - API_REFERENCE.md loaded only when advanced features needed

Source Transparency

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