by microsoft
Provides fast, lightweight browser automation using Playwright's accessibility tree, enabling LLMs to interact with web pages through structured snapshots instead of screenshots.
Playwright MCP offers a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that leverages Playwright to expose a page's accessibility tree and control the browser. It lets language models perform deterministic actions—clicking, typing, navigation, etc.—using structured element references, eliminating the need for visual models.
{
"mcpServers": {
"playwright": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["@playwright/mcp@latest"]
}
}
}
npx @playwright/mcp@latest (optionally add arguments such as --headless, --browser chrome).browser_snapshot, browser_click, browser_type, etc., and receive structured responses.browser_pdf_save.--user-data-dir.vision capability (--caps vision) and use the browser_mouse_*_xy tools.--allowed-origins and --blocked-origins arguments.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.
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"
]
}
}
}
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 the amp mcp addcommand below
amp mcp add playwright -- npx @playwright/mcp@latest
Use the Claude Code CLI to add the Playwright MCP server:
claude mcp add playwright npx @playwright/mcp@latest
Follow the MCP install guide, use the standard config above.
Use the Codex CLI to add the Playwright MCP server:
codex mcp add playwright npx "@playwright/mcp@latest"
Alternatively, create or edit the configuration file ~/.codex/config.toml and add:
[mcp_servers.playwright]
command = "npx"
args = ["@playwright/mcp@latest"]
For more information, see the Codex MCP documentation.
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.
Use the Factory CLI to add the Playwright MCP server:
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.
Follow the MCP install guide, use the standard config above.
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".
Follow the MCP Servers documentation. For example in .kiro/settings/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"playwright": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"@playwright/mcp@latest"
]
}
}
}
Go to Program in the right sidebar -> Install -> Edit mcp.json. Use the standard config above.
Follow the MCP Servers documentation. For example in ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json:
{
"$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
"mcp": {
"playwright": {
"type": "local",
"command": [
"npx",
"@playwright/mcp@latest"
],
"enabled": true
}
}
}
Open Qodo Gen chat panel in VSCode or IntelliJ → Connect more tools → + Add new MCP → Paste the standard config above.
Click Save.
Follow the MCP install guide, use the standard config above. You can also install the Playwright MCP server using the VS Code CLI:
# 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.
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:
{
"mcpServers": {
"playwright": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"@playwright/mcp@latest"
]
}
}
}
Follow Windsurf MCP documentation. 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 TRUSTED
origins to allow the browser to request.
Default is to allow all.
Important: *does not* serve as a
security boundary and *does not* affect
redirects.
--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.
Important: *does not* serve as a
security boundary and *does not* affect
redirects.
--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"
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 state
to the browser via the config's contextOptions or via the --storage-state argument. Learn more about the storage
state here.
{
"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.
There are multiple ways to provide the initial state to the browser context or a page.
For the storage state, you can either:
--user-data-dir argument. This will persist all browser data between the sessions.--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.// 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;
The Playwright MCP server can be configured using a JSON configuration file. You can specify the configuration file
using the --config command line option:
npx @playwright/mcp@latest --config path/to/config.json
{
/**
* The browser to use.
*/
browser?: {
/**
* The type of browser to use.
*/
browserName?: 'chromium' | 'firefox' | 'webkit';
/**
* Keep the browser profile in memory, do not save it to disk.
*/
isolated?: boolean;
/**
* Path to a user data directory for browser profile persistence.
* Temporary directory is created by default.
*/
userDataDir?: string;
/**
* Launch options passed to
* @see https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browsertype#browser-type-launch-persistent-context
*
* This is useful for settings options like `channel`, `headless`, `executablePath`, etc.
*/
launchOptions?: playwright.LaunchOptions;
/**
* Context options for the browser context.
*
* This is useful for settings options like `viewport`.
*/
contextOptions?: playwright.BrowserContextOptions;
/**
* Chrome DevTools Protocol endpoint to connect to an existing browser instance in case of Chromium family browsers.
*/
cdpEndpoint?: string;
/**
* CDP headers to send with the connect request.
*/
cdpHeaders?: Record<string, string>;
/**
* Remote endpoint to connect to an existing Playwright server.
*/
remoteEndpoint?: string;
/**
* Paths to TypeScript files to add as initialization scripts for Playwright page.
*/
initPage?: string[];
/**
* Paths to JavaScript files to add as initialization scripts.
* The scripts will be evaluated in every page before any of the page's scripts.
*/
initScript?: string[];
},
server?: {
/**
* The port to listen on for SSE or MCP transport.
*/
port?: number;
/**
* The host to bind the server to. Default is localhost. Use 0.0.0.0 to bind to all interfaces.
*/
host?: string;
/**
* The hosts this server is allowed to serve from. Defaults to the host server is bound to.
* This is not for CORS, but rather for the DNS rebinding protection.
*/
allowedHosts?: string[];
},
/**
* List of enabled tool capabilities. Possible values:
* - 'core': Core browser automation features.
* - 'pdf': PDF generation and manipulation.
* - 'vision': Coordinate-based interactions.
*/
capabilities?: ToolCapability[];
/**
* Whether to save the Playwright session into the output directory.
*/
saveSession?: boolean;
/**
* Whether to save the Playwright trace of the session into the output directory.
*/
saveTrace?: boolean;
/**
* If specified, saves the Playwright video of the session into the output directory.
*/
saveVideo?: {
width: number;
height: number;
};
/**
* Reuse the same browser context between all connected HTTP clients.
*/
sharedBrowserContext?: boolean;
/**
* Secrets are used to prevent LLM from getting sensitive data while
* automating scenarios such as authentication.
* Prefer the browser.contextOptions.storageState over secrets file as a more secure alternative.
*/
secrets?: Record<string, string>;
/**
* The directory to save output files.
*/
outputDir?: string;
/**
* Specify the attribute to use for test ids, defaults to "data-testid".
*/
testIdAttribute?: string;
timeouts?: {
/*
* Configures default action timeout: https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-set-default-timeout. Defaults to 5000ms.
*/
action?: number;
/*
* Configures default navigation timeout: https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-set-default-navigation-timeout. Defaults to 60000ms.
*/
navigation?: number;
};
/**
* Whether to send image responses to the client. Can be "allow", "omit", or "auto". Defaults to "auto", which sends images if the client can display them.
*/
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 the url to the HTTP endpoint:
{
"mcpServers": {
"playwright": {
"url": "http://localhost:8931/mcp"
}
}
}
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 port 8931 and can be reached by any MCP client.
You can build the Docker image yourself.
docker build -t mcr.microsoft.com/playwright/mcp .
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);
// ...
});
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 pressonlyErrors (boolean, optional): Only return error messagesstartElement (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 snapshotfunction (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 snapshotpaths (array, optional): The absolute paths to the files to upload. Can be single file or multiple files. If omitted, file chooser is cancelled.fields (array): Fields to fill inaccept (boolean): Whether to accept the dialog.promptText (string, optional): The text of the prompt in case of a prompt dialog.element (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the elementref (string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshoturl (string): The URL to navigate tokey (string): Name of the key to press or a character to generate, such as ArrowLeft or awidth (number): Width of the browser windowheight (number): Height of the browser windowcode (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();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.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.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.time (number, optional): The time to wait in secondstext (string, optional): The text to wait fortextGone (string, optional): The text to wait for to disappearaction (string): Operation to performindex (number, optional): Tab index, used for close/select. If omitted for close, current tab is closed.element (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the elementx (number): X coordinatey (number): Y coordinateelement (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 coordinateelement (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the elementx (number): X coordinatey (number): Y coordinatefilename (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.element (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the elementref (string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshotrole (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}"element (string): Human-readable list descriptionref (string): Exact target element reference that points to the listitems (array): Items to verifytext (string): TEXT to verify. Can be found in the snapshot like this: - role "Accessible Name": {TEXT} or like this: - text: {TEXT}type (string): Type of the elementelement (string): Human-readable element descriptionref (string): Exact target element reference that points to the elementvalue (string): Value to verify. For checkbox, use "true" or "false".Please log in to share your review and rating for this MCP.
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{
"mcpServers": {
"playwright": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"@playwright/mcp@latest"
]
}
}
}claude mcp add playwright npx @playwright/mcp@latest