Playwright MCP Skill
Browser automation powered by Playwright MCP server. Control Chrome, Firefox, or WebKit programmatically.
Installation
npm install -g @playwright/mcp
# Or
npx @playwright/mcp
Install browsers (first time):
npx playwright install chromium
Quick Start
Start MCP Server (STDIO mode)
npx @playwright/mcp
Start with Options
# Headless mode
npx @playwright/mcp --headless
# Specific browser
npx @playwright/mcp --browser firefox
# With viewport
npx @playwright/mcp --viewport-size 1280x720
# Ignore HTTPS errors
npx @playwright/mcp --ignore-https-errors
Common Use Cases
1. Navigate and Extract Data
# MCP tools available:
# - browser_navigate: Open URL
# - browser_click: Click element
# - browser_type: Type text
# - browser_select_option: Select dropdown
# - browser_get_text: Extract text content
# - browser_evaluate: Run JavaScript
# - browser_snapshot: Get page structure
# - browser_close: Close browser
2. Form Interaction
1. browser_navigate to form URL
2. browser_type into input fields
3. browser_click to submit
4. browser_get_text to verify result
3. Data Extraction
1. browser_navigate to page
2. browser_evaluate to run extraction script
3. Parse returned JSON data
MCP Tools Reference
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
browser_navigate | Navigate to URL |
browser_click | Click element by selector |
browser_type | Type text into input |
browser_select_option | Select dropdown option |
browser_get_text | Get text content |
browser_evaluate | Execute JavaScript |
browser_snapshot | Get accessible page snapshot |
browser_close | Close browser context |
browser_choose_file | Upload file |
browser_press | Press keyboard key |
Configuration Options
# Security
--allowed-hosts example.com,api.example.com
--blocked-origins malicious.com
--ignore-https-errors
# Browser settings
--browser chromium|firefox|webkit
--headless
--viewport-size 1920x1080
--user-agent "Custom Agent"
# Timeouts
--timeout-action 10000 # Action timeout (ms)
--timeout-navigation 30000 # Navigation timeout (ms)
# Output
--output-dir ./playwright-output
--save-trace
--save-video 1280x720
Examples
Login to Website
browser_navigate: { url: "https://example.com/login" }
browser_type: { selector: "#username", text: "user" }
browser_type: { selector: "#password", text: "pass" }
browser_click: { selector: "#submit" }
browser_get_text: { selector: ".welcome-message" }
Extract Table Data
browser_navigate: { url: "https://example.com/data" }
browser_evaluate: {
script: "() => { return Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('table tr')).map(r => r.textContent); }"
}
Screenshot
browser_navigate: { url: "https://example.com" }
browser_evaluate: { script: "() => { document.body.style.zoom = 1; return true; }" }
# Screenshot saved via --output-dir or returned in response
Security Notes
- By default restricts file system access to workspace root
- Host validation prevents navigation to untrusted domains
- Sandboxing enabled by default (use
--no-sandboxwith caution) - Service workers blocked by default
Troubleshooting
# Update browsers
npx playwright install chromium
# Debug mode
npx @playwright/mcp --headless=false --output-mode=stdout
# Check installation
playwright-mcp --version