Playwright CLI
A token-efficient CLI for browser automation. Use Bash tool to run these commands.
Installation
npm install -g @playwright/cli@latest
Core Workflow
1. Open a page
playwright-cli open https://example.com
2. Capture snapshot (accessibility tree with element refs)
playwright-cli snapshot
3. Interact using refs from snapshot
playwright-cli click e15 playwright-cli fill e20 "hello@example.com"
4. Re-snapshot to verify state
playwright-cli snapshot
Command Reference
Navigation & Core
Command Description
playwright-cli open <url>
Open URL in browser
playwright-cli open <url> --headed
Open in visible browser
playwright-cli close
Close browser
playwright-cli snapshot
Capture accessibility tree with element refs
playwright-cli screenshot [ref]
Take screenshot (viewport or element)
playwright-cli screenshot --full-page
Full-page screenshot
playwright-cli pdf
Save page as PDF
Interactions
Command Description
playwright-cli click <ref>
Click element
playwright-cli fill <ref> "<text>"
Fill input field
playwright-cli type "<text>"
Type text sequentially
playwright-cli hover <ref>
Hover over element
playwright-cli select <ref> "<value>"
Select dropdown option
playwright-cli check <ref>
Check checkbox
playwright-cli uncheck <ref>
Uncheck checkbox
playwright-cli upload <ref> <file>
Upload file
playwright-cli drag <startRef> <endRef>
Drag and drop
Keyboard & Mouse
Command Description
playwright-cli press <key>
Press key (e.g., Enter , ArrowDown )
playwright-cli keydown <key>
Key down
playwright-cli keyup <key>
Key up
playwright-cli mousemove <x> <y>
Move mouse
playwright-cli mousedown
Mouse button down
playwright-cli mouseup
Mouse button up
Navigation
Command Description
playwright-cli go-back
Go back
playwright-cli go-forward
Go forward
playwright-cli reload
Reload page
Tabs
Command Description
playwright-cli tab-list
List tabs
playwright-cli tab-new [url]
Open new tab
playwright-cli tab-close [index]
Close tab
playwright-cli tab-select <index>
Switch to tab
DevTools
Command Description
playwright-cli console
View console messages
playwright-cli network
View network requests
playwright-cli eval "<js>"
Execute JavaScript
playwright-cli run-code "<js>"
Run Playwright code
Dialogs
Command Description
playwright-cli dialog-accept
Accept dialog
playwright-cli dialog-dismiss
Dismiss dialog
Tracing & Video
Command Description
playwright-cli tracing-start
Start trace recording
playwright-cli tracing-stop
Stop trace recording
playwright-cli video-start
Start video recording
playwright-cli video-stop
Stop video recording
Sessions
Command Description
playwright-cli open <url> --session=<name>
Use named session
playwright-cli session-list
List sessions
playwright-cli session-stop <name>
Stop session
playwright-cli session-delete <name>
Delete session
Snapshot Output
When you run playwright-cli snapshot , you get an accessibility tree:
- button "Create Strategy" [ref: e12]
- textbox "Search" [ref: e13]
- grid [ref: e14]
- button "Filters" [ref: e15]
Use the ref values (e.g., e12 ) to interact with elements.
Configuration
Create playwright-cli.json for custom settings:
{ "browser": "chromium", "headless": false, "timeout": 30000 }