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npx skills add secondsky/claude-skills --skill playwright

Documentation

SKILL.md

npx skills add ...

Documentation

SKILL.md

Browser automation and E2E testing with Playwright. Auto-detects dev servers, writes clean test scripts. Test pages, fill forms, take screenshots, check responsive design, validate UX, test login flows, check links, automate any browser task. Use for cross-browser testing, visual regression, API testing, component testing in TypeScript/JavaScript and Python projects.

npx skills add secondsky/claude-skills --skill playwright

Documentation

SKILL.mdView source

Playwright - Browser Automation & E2E Testing

Expert knowledge for browser automation and end-to-end testing with Playwright - a modern cross-browser testing framework.

IMPORTANT - Path Resolution: This skill can be installed in different locations. Before executing commands, determine the skill directory based on where you loaded this SKILL.md file, and use that path in all commands. Replace $SKILL_DIR with the actual discovered path.

Common installation paths:

Plugin system: ~/.claude/plugins/*/playwright/skills/playwright
Manual global: ~/.claude/skills/playwright
Project-specific: <project>/.claude/skills/playwright

CRITICAL WORKFLOW - Follow These Steps

When automating browser tasks:

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 constant at top of script
Execute via run.js - Always run: cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/playwright-test-*.js

Quick Start

First-Time Setup

# Navigate to skill directory
cd $SKILL_DIR
 
# Install using bun (preferred)
bun run setup
 
# Or using npm
npm run setup:npm

This installs Playwright and Chromium browser. Only needed once.

Installation (For E2E Testing Projects)

# Using Bun (preferred)
bun add -d @playwright/test
bunx playwright install
 
# Using npm
npm init playwright@latest

Configuration

// playwright.config.ts
import { defineConfig, devices } from '@playwright/test'
 
export default defineConfig({
  testDir: './tests',
  fullyParallel: true,
  reporter: 'html',
  use: {
    baseURL: 'http://localhost:3000',
    trace: 'on-first-retry',
    screenshot: 'only-on-failure',
  },
  projects: [
    { name: 'chromium', use: { ...devices['Desktop Chrome'] } },
    { name: 'firefox', use: { ...devices['Desktop Firefox'] } },
    { name: 'webkit', use: { ...devices['Desktop Safari'] } },
  ],
  webServer: {
    command: 'bun run dev',
    url: 'http://localhost:3000',
  },
})

Browser Automation Patterns

How It Works

You describe what you want to test/automate
I auto-detect running dev servers (or ask for URL)
I write custom Playwright code in /tmp/playwright-test-*.js
I execute it via: cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/playwright-test-*.js
Results displayed in real-time, browser window visible

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();
})();

Execute: cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/playwright-test-responsive.js

// /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"]');
 
  await page.waitForURL('**/dashboard');
  console.log('✅ Login successful, redirected to dashboard');
 
  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();
})();

E2E Testing Patterns

Running Tests

# Run all tests
bunx playwright test
 
# Headed mode (see browser)
bunx playwright test --headed
 
# Specific file
bunx playwright test tests/login.spec.ts
 
# Debug mode
bunx playwright test --debug
 
# UI mode (interactive)
bunx playwright test --ui
 
# Specific browser
bunx playwright test --project=chromium
 
# Generate report
bunx playwright show-report

Writing Tests

import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test'
 
test.describe('Login flow', () => {
  test('successful login', async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('/')
    await page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Login' }).click()
    await page.getByLabel('Email').fill('user@example.com')
    await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('password123')
    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' }).click()
 
    await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Dashboard' })).toBeVisible()
  })
 
  test('shows error for invalid credentials', async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('/login')
    await page.getByLabel('Email').fill('wrong@example.com')
    await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('wrongpassword')
    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' }).click()
 
    await expect(page.getByText('Invalid credentials')).toBeVisible()
  })
})

Selectors (Best Practices)

// ✅ Role-based (recommended)
await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Submit' })
await page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Home' })
 
// ✅ Text/Label
await page.getByText('Hello World')
await page.getByLabel('Email')
 
// ✅ Test ID (fallback)
await page.getByTestId('submit-button')
 
// ❌ Avoid CSS selectors (brittle)
await page.locator('.btn-primary')

Assertions

// Visibility
await expect(page.getByText('Success')).toBeVisible()
await expect(page.getByRole('button')).toBeEnabled()
 
// Text
await expect(page.getByRole('heading')).toHaveText('Welcome')
await expect(page.getByRole('alert')).toContainText('error')
 
// Attributes
await expect(page.getByRole('link')).toHaveAttribute('href', '/home')
 
// URL/Title
await expect(page).toHaveURL('/dashboard')
await expect(page).toHaveTitle('Dashboard')
 
// Count
await expect(page.getByRole('listitem')).toHaveCount(5)

Actions

// Clicking
await page.getByRole('button').click()
await page.getByText('File').dblclick()
 
// Typing
await page.getByLabel('Email').fill('user@example.com')
await page.getByLabel('Search').press('Enter')
 
// Selecting
await page.getByLabel('Country').selectOption('us')
 
// File Upload
await page.getByLabel('Upload').setInputFiles('path/to/file.pdf')

Network Mocking

test('mocks API response', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.route('**/api/users', async route => {
    await route.fulfill({
      status: 200,
      contentType: 'application/json',
      body: JSON.stringify([{ id: 1, name: 'Test User' }]),
    })
  })
 
  await page.goto('/users')
  await expect(page.getByText('Test User')).toBeVisible()
})

Visual Testing

test('captures screenshot', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/')
  await page.screenshot({ path: 'screenshot.png', fullPage: true })
  await expect(page).toHaveScreenshot('homepage.png')
})

Authentication State

// Save state after login
setup('authenticate', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/login')
  await page.getByLabel('Email').fill('user@example.com')
  await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('password123')
  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' }).click()
  await page.context().storageState({ path: 'auth.json' })
})
 
// Reuse in config
use: { storageState: 'auth.json' }

Page Object Model

// pages/LoginPage.ts
import { Page, Locator } from '@playwright/test'
 
export class LoginPage {
  readonly emailInput: Locator
  readonly passwordInput: Locator
  readonly submitButton: Locator
 
  constructor(page: Page) {
    this.emailInput = page.getByLabel('Email')
    this.passwordInput = page.getByLabel('Password')
    this.submitButton = page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' })
  }
 
  async login(email: string, password: string) {
    await this.emailInput.fill(email)
    await this.passwordInput.fill(password)
    await this.submitButton.click()
  }
}
 
// Usage
const loginPage = new LoginPage(page)
await loginPage.login('user@example.com', 'password123')

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');
 
// Create context with custom headers
const context = await helpers.createContext(browser);

Custom HTTP Headers

Configure custom headers for all HTTP requests via environment variables:

# 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

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

Inline Execution (Simple Tasks)

For quick one-off tasks:

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: Quick one-off tasks (screenshot, element check)
Files: Complex tests, reusable automation

Best Practices

CRITICAL: Detect servers FIRST - Always run detectDevServers() before writing test code
Use /tmp for test files - Write to /tmp/playwright-test-*.js, never to skill directory
Parameterize URLs - Put detected/provided URL in TARGET_URL constant
DEFAULT: Visible browser - Always use headless: false unless explicitly requested
Prefer role-based selectors - More stable than CSS selectors
Trust auto-waiting - No manual sleeps needed
Each test gets fresh context - Automatic isolation
Run tests in parallel - Default behavior
Mock external dependencies - Use page.route()
Use trace viewer - Time-travel debugging

Tips

Slow down: Use slowMo: 100 to make actions visible
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

Troubleshooting

Playwright not installed:

cd $SKILL_DIR && bun 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 })

Secure Installation

When installing Playwright and browser binaries, follow supply chain security best practices:

Block post-install scripts — npm config set ignore-scripts true (then manually run npx playwright install to download browsers)
Cooldown period — Wait 7 days for new package versions to be vetted by the community
Audit before installing — Run socket package score npm <pkg> or use socket npm install <pkg> to check packages

Load the dependency-upgrade skill for full security configuration including Socket CLI integration, cooldown setup, lockfile validation, and CI enforcement.

When to Load References

Load references/API_REFERENCE.md when you need:

Advanced selector patterns and locator strategies
Network interception and request/response mocking
Authentication patterns and session management
Visual regression testing setup
Mobile device emulation configurations
Performance testing and metrics
Debugging techniques (trace viewer, inspector)
CI/CD pipeline integration
Accessibility testing with axe-core
Data-driven and parameterized testing
Page Object Model advanced patterns
Parallel execution strategies

npx skills add secondsky/claude-skills --skill playwright

Documentation

SKILL.md

npx skills add secondsky/claude-skills --skill playwright

Documentation

SKILL.mdView source

Playwright - Browser Automation & E2E Testing

Expert knowledge for browser automation and end-to-end testing with Playwright - a modern cross-browser testing framework.

Common installation paths:

Plugin system: ~/.claude/plugins/*/playwright/skills/playwright
Manual global: ~/.claude/skills/playwright
Project-specific: <project>/.claude/skills/playwright

CRITICAL WORKFLOW - Follow These Steps

When automating browser tasks:

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 constant at top of script
Execute via run.js - Always run: cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/playwright-test-*.js

Quick Start

First-Time Setup

# Navigate to skill directory
cd $SKILL_DIR
 
# Install using bun (preferred)
bun run setup
 
# Or using npm
npm run setup:npm

This installs Playwright and Chromium browser. Only needed once.

Installation (For E2E Testing Projects)

# Using Bun (preferred)
bun add -d @playwright/test
bunx playwright install
 
# Using npm
npm init playwright@latest

Configuration

// playwright.config.ts
import { defineConfig, devices } from '@playwright/test'
 
export default defineConfig({
  testDir: './tests',
  fullyParallel: true,
  reporter: 'html',
  use: {
    baseURL: 'http://localhost:3000',
    trace: 'on-first-retry',
    screenshot: 'only-on-failure',
  },
  projects: [
    { name: 'chromium', use: { ...devices['Desktop Chrome'] } },
    { name: 'firefox', use: { ...devices['Desktop Firefox'] } },
    { name: 'webkit', use: { ...devices['Desktop Safari'] } },
  ],
  webServer: {
    command: 'bun run dev',
    url: 'http://localhost:3000',
  },
})

Browser Automation Patterns

How It Works

You describe what you want to test/automate
I auto-detect running dev servers (or ask for URL)
I write custom Playwright code in /tmp/playwright-test-*.js
I execute it via: cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/playwright-test-*.js
Results displayed in real-time, browser window visible

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();
})();

Execute: cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/playwright-test-responsive.js

// /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"]');
 
  await page.waitForURL('**/dashboard');
  console.log('✅ Login successful, redirected to dashboard');
 
  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();
})();

E2E Testing Patterns

Running Tests

# Run all tests
bunx playwright test
 
# Headed mode (see browser)
bunx playwright test --headed
 
# Specific file
bunx playwright test tests/login.spec.ts
 
# Debug mode
bunx playwright test --debug
 
# UI mode (interactive)
bunx playwright test --ui
 
# Specific browser
bunx playwright test --project=chromium
 
# Generate report
bunx playwright show-report

Writing Tests

import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test'
 
test.describe('Login flow', () => {
  test('successful login', async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('/')
    await page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Login' }).click()
    await page.getByLabel('Email').fill('user@example.com')
    await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('password123')
    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' }).click()
 
    await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Dashboard' })).toBeVisible()
  })
 
  test('shows error for invalid credentials', async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('/login')
    await page.getByLabel('Email').fill('wrong@example.com')
    await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('wrongpassword')
    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' }).click()
 
    await expect(page.getByText('Invalid credentials')).toBeVisible()
  })
})

Selectors (Best Practices)

// ✅ Role-based (recommended)
await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Submit' })
await page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Home' })
 
// ✅ Text/Label
await page.getByText('Hello World')
await page.getByLabel('Email')
 
// ✅ Test ID (fallback)
await page.getByTestId('submit-button')
 
// ❌ Avoid CSS selectors (brittle)
await page.locator('.btn-primary')

Assertions

// Visibility
await expect(page.getByText('Success')).toBeVisible()
await expect(page.getByRole('button')).toBeEnabled()
 
// Text
await expect(page.getByRole('heading')).toHaveText('Welcome')
await expect(page.getByRole('alert')).toContainText('error')
 
// Attributes
await expect(page.getByRole('link')).toHaveAttribute('href', '/home')
 
// URL/Title
await expect(page).toHaveURL('/dashboard')
await expect(page).toHaveTitle('Dashboard')
 
// Count
await expect(page.getByRole('listitem')).toHaveCount(5)

Actions

// Clicking
await page.getByRole('button').click()
await page.getByText('File').dblclick()
 
// Typing
await page.getByLabel('Email').fill('user@example.com')
await page.getByLabel('Search').press('Enter')
 
// Selecting
await page.getByLabel('Country').selectOption('us')
 
// File Upload
await page.getByLabel('Upload').setInputFiles('path/to/file.pdf')

Network Mocking

test('mocks API response', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.route('**/api/users', async route => {
    await route.fulfill({
      status: 200,
      contentType: 'application/json',
      body: JSON.stringify([{ id: 1, name: 'Test User' }]),
    })
  })
 
  await page.goto('/users')
  await expect(page.getByText('Test User')).toBeVisible()
})

Visual Testing

test('captures screenshot', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/')
  await page.screenshot({ path: 'screenshot.png', fullPage: true })
  await expect(page).toHaveScreenshot('homepage.png')
})

Authentication State

// Save state after login
setup('authenticate', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/login')
  await page.getByLabel('Email').fill('user@example.com')
  await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('password123')
  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' }).click()
  await page.context().storageState({ path: 'auth.json' })
})
 
// Reuse in config
use: { storageState: 'auth.json' }

Page Object Model

// pages/LoginPage.ts
import { Page, Locator } from '@playwright/test'
 
export class LoginPage {
  readonly emailInput: Locator
  readonly passwordInput: Locator
  readonly submitButton: Locator
 
  constructor(page: Page) {
    this.emailInput = page.getByLabel('Email')
    this.passwordInput = page.getByLabel('Password')
    this.submitButton = page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' })
  }
 
  async login(email: string, password: string) {
    await this.emailInput.fill(email)
    await this.passwordInput.fill(password)
    await this.submitButton.click()
  }
}
 
// Usage
const loginPage = new LoginPage(page)
await loginPage.login('user@example.com', 'password123')

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');
 
// Create context with custom headers
const context = await helpers.createContext(browser);

Custom HTTP Headers

Configure custom headers for all HTTP requests via environment variables:

# 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

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

Inline Execution (Simple Tasks)

For quick one-off tasks:

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: Quick one-off tasks (screenshot, element check)
Files: Complex tests, reusable automation

Best Practices

CRITICAL: Detect servers FIRST - Always run detectDevServers() before writing test code
Use /tmp for test files - Write to /tmp/playwright-test-*.js, never to skill directory
Parameterize URLs - Put detected/provided URL in TARGET_URL constant
DEFAULT: Visible browser - Always use headless: false unless explicitly requested
Prefer role-based selectors - More stable than CSS selectors
Trust auto-waiting - No manual sleeps needed
Each test gets fresh context - Automatic isolation
Run tests in parallel - Default behavior
Mock external dependencies - Use page.route()
Use trace viewer - Time-travel debugging

Tips

Slow down: Use slowMo: 100 to make actions visible
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

Troubleshooting

Playwright not installed:

cd $SKILL_DIR && bun 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 })

Secure Installation

When installing Playwright and browser binaries, follow supply chain security best practices:

Block post-install scripts — npm config set ignore-scripts true (then manually run npx playwright install to download browsers)
Cooldown period — Wait 7 days for new package versions to be vetted by the community
Audit before installing — Run socket package score npm <pkg> or use socket npm install <pkg> to check packages

Load the dependency-upgrade skill for full security configuration including Socket CLI integration, cooldown setup, lockfile validation, and CI enforcement.

When to Load References

Load references/API_REFERENCE.md when you need:

Advanced selector patterns and locator strategies
Network interception and request/response mocking
Authentication patterns and session management
Visual regression testing setup
Mobile device emulation configurations
Performance testing and metrics
Debugging techniques (trace viewer, inspector)
CI/CD pipeline integration
Accessibility testing with axe-core
Data-driven and parameterized testing
Page Object Model advanced patterns
Parallel execution strategies

playwright

Documentation

Documentation

playwright

Documentation

Playwright - Browser Automation & E2E Testing

CRITICAL WORKFLOW - Follow These Steps

Quick Start

First-Time Setup

Installation (For E2E Testing Projects)

Configuration

Browser Automation Patterns

How It Works

Test a Page (Multiple Viewports)

Test Login Flow

Check for Broken Links

E2E Testing Patterns

Running Tests

Writing Tests

Selectors (Best Practices)

Assertions

Actions

Network Mocking

Visual Testing

Authentication State

Page Object Model

Available Helpers

Custom HTTP Headers

Inline Execution (Simple Tasks)

Best Practices

Tips

Troubleshooting

Secure Installation

See Also

When to Load References

Documentation

Documentation

Playwright - Browser Automation & E2E Testing

CRITICAL WORKFLOW - Follow These Steps

Quick Start

First-Time Setup

Installation (For E2E Testing Projects)

Configuration

Browser Automation Patterns

How It Works

Test a Page (Multiple Viewports)

Test Login Flow

Check for Broken Links

E2E Testing Patterns

Running Tests

Writing Tests

Selectors (Best Practices)

Assertions

Actions

Network Mocking

Visual Testing

Authentication State

Page Object Model

Available Helpers

Custom HTTP Headers

Inline Execution (Simple Tasks)

Best Practices

Tips

Troubleshooting

Secure Installation

See Also

When to Load References