Playwright MCP

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.

Key Features

• Fast and lightweight. Uses Playwright's accessibility tree, not pixel-based input.
• LLM-friendly. No vision models needed, operates purely on structured data.
• Deterministic tool application. Avoids ambiguity common with screenshot-based approaches.

Requirements

• Node.js 18 or newer
• VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop, Goose or any other MCP client

Getting started

First, install the Playwright MCP server with your client.

Standard config works in most of the tools:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@wordbricks/playwright-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Use the Claude Code CLI to add the Playwright MCP server:

claude mcp add playwright npx @wordbricks/playwright-mcp@latest

Follow the MCP install guide, use the standard config above.

Click the button to install:

Or install manually:

Go to Cursor Settings -> MCP -> Add new MCP Server. Name to your liking, use command type with the command npx @wordbricks/playwright-mcp. You can also verify config or add command like arguments via clicking Edit.

Follow the MCP install guide, use the standard config above.

Click the button to install:

Or install manually:

Go to Advanced settings -> Extensions -> Add custom extension. Name to your liking, use type STDIO, and set the command to npx @wordbricks/playwright-mcp. Click "Add Extension".

Click the button to install:

Or install manually:

Go to Program in the right sidebar -> Install -> Edit mcp.json. Use the standard config above.

Open Qodo Gen chat panel in VSCode or IntelliJ → Connect more tools → + Add new MCP → Paste the standard config above.

Click Save.

Click the button to install:

Or install manually:

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":["@wordbricks/playwright-mcp@latest"]}'

After installation, the Playwright MCP server will be available for use with your GitHub Copilot agent in VS Code.

Follow Windsurf MCP documentation. Use the standard config above.

Configuration

Playwright MCP server supports following arguments. They can be provided in the JSON configuration above, as a part of the "args" list:

> npx @wordbricks/playwright-mcp@latest --help
  --allowed-origins <origins>   semicolon-separated list of origins to allow the
                                browser to request. Default is to allow all.
  --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.
  --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.
  --config <path>               path to the configuration file.
  --device <device>             device to emulate, for example: "iPhone 15"
  --executable-path <path>      path to the browser executable.
  --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-script <path>          path to a JavaScript file to inject into all
                                pages using addInitScript.
  --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.
  --storage-state <path>        path to the storage state file for isolated
                                sessions.
  --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 "1280, 720"
  --window-position <x,y>       specify Chrome window position in pixels, for
                                example "100,200"
  --window-size <width,height>  specify Chrome window size in pixels, for
                                example "1280,720"
  --app <url>                   launch browser in app mode with the specified
                                URL

User profile

You can run Playwright MCP with persistent profile like a regular browser (default), or in the isolated contexts for the testing sessions.

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": [
        "@wordbricks/playwright-mcp@latest",
        "--isolated",
        "--storage-state={path/to/storage.json}"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Configuration file

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 @wordbricks/playwright-mcp@latest --config path/to/config.json

{
  // Browser configuration
  browser?: {
    // Browser type to use (chromium, firefox, or webkit)
    browserName?: 'chromium' | 'firefox' | 'webkit';

    // Keep the browser profile in memory, do not save it to disk.
    isolated?: boolean;

    // Path to user data directory for browser profile persistence
    userDataDir?: string;

    // Browser launch options (see Playwright docs)
    // @see https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browsertype#browser-type-launch
    launchOptions?: {
      channel?: string;        // Browser channel (e.g. 'chrome')
      headless?: boolean;      // Run in headless mode
      executablePath?: string; // Path to browser executable
      // ... other Playwright launch options
    };

    // Browser context options
    // @see https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browser#browser-new-context
    contextOptions?: {
      viewport?: { width: number, height: number };
      // ... other Playwright context options
    };

    // CDP endpoint for connecting to existing browser
    cdpEndpoint?: string;

    // Remote Playwright server endpoint
    remoteEndpoint?: string;
  },

  // Server configuration
  server?: {
    port?: number;  // Port to listen on
    host?: string;  // Host to bind to (default: localhost)
  },

  // List of additional capabilities
  capabilities?: Array<
    'tabs' |    // Tab management
    'install' | // Browser installation
    'pdf' |     // PDF generation
    'vision' |  // Coordinate-based interactions
  >;

  // Directory for output files
  outputDir?: string;

  // Network configuration
  network?: {
    // List of origins to allow the browser to request. Default is to allow all. Origins matching both `allowedOrigins` and `blockedOrigins` will be blocked.
    allowedOrigins?: string[];

    // List of origins to block the browser to request. Origins matching both `allowedOrigins` and `blockedOrigins` will be blocked.
    blockedOrigins?: string[];
  };
 
  /**
   * Whether to send image responses to the client. Can be "allow" or "omit". 
   * Defaults to "allow".
   */
  imageResponses?: 'allow' | 'omit';
}

Standalone MCP server

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 @wordbricks/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"]
    }
  }
}

You can build the Docker image yourself.

docker build -t mcr.microsoft.com/playwright/mcp .

import http from 'http';

import { createConnection } from '@wordbricks/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.sever.connect(transport);

  // ...
});

Tools

• browser_click
  • Title: Click
  • Description: Perform click on a web page
  • Parameters:
    • element (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the element
    • ref (string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshot
    • doubleClick (boolean, optional): Whether to perform a double click instead of a single click
    • button (string, optional): Button to click, defaults to left
    • modifiers (array, optional): Modifier keys to press
  • Read-only: false

• browser_close
  • Title: Close browser
  • Description: Close the page
  • Parameters: None
  • Read-only: true

• browser_console_messages
  • Title: Get console messages
  • Description: Returns all console messages
  • Parameters: None
  • Read-only: true

• browser_drag
  • Title: Drag mouse
  • Description: Perform drag and drop between two elements
  • Parameters:
    • startElement (string): Human-readable source element description used to obtain the permission to interact with the element
    • startRef (string): Exact source element reference from the page snapshot
    • endElement (string): Human-readable target element description used to obtain the permission to interact with the element
    • endRef (string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshot
  • Read-only: false

• browser_evaluate
  • Title: Evaluate JavaScript
  • Description: Evaluate JavaScript expression on page or element
  • Parameters:
    • function (string): () => { /* code / } or (element) => { / code */ } when element is provided
    • element (string, optional): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the element
    • ref (string, optional): Exact target element reference from the page snapshot
  • Read-only: false

• browser_extract_framework_state
  • Title: Extract framework state
  • Description: Extract framework state data from web pages (React, Redux, Remix, etc.)
  • Parameters:
    • framework (string, optional): Optional: specific key to extract from (e.g., "__remixContext")
    • path (string, optional): Path to extract (e.g., "state.loaderData")
  • Read-only: true

• browser_get_snapshot
  • Title: Get snapshot
  • Description: Get accessibility snapshot of the current page
  • Parameters: None
  • Read-only: true

• browser_get_visible_html
  • Title: Get visible HTML
  • Description: Get HTML content of the page or a specific element
  • Parameters:
    • selector (string, optional): CSS selector for a specific element (optional)
    • cleanHtml (boolean, optional): Clean HTML (true) or raw HTML (false)
    • removeScripts (boolean, optional): Remove scripts (true) or keep them (false)
    • removeStyles (boolean, optional): Remove styles (true) or keep them (false)
  • Read-only: true

• browser_hover
  • Title: Hover mouse
  • Description: Hover over element on page
  • Parameters:
    • element (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the element
    • ref (string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshot
  • Read-only: true

• browser_navigate
  • Title: Navigate to a URL
  • Description: Navigate to a URL
  • Parameters:
    • url (string): The URL to navigate to
  • Read-only: false

• browser_navigate_back
  • Title: Go back
  • Description: Go back to the previous page
  • Parameters: None
  • Read-only: true

• browser_navigate_forward
  • Title: Go forward
  • Description: Go forward to the next page
  • Parameters: None
  • Read-only: true

• browser_network_detail
  • Title: Get network request detail
  • Description: Show detailed info for a specific network request by event id. Call repeatedly to page through the body.
  • Parameters:
    • id (number): The network event id from events log
  • Read-only: true

• browser_network_requests
  • Title: List network requests
  • Description: Returns all network requests since loading the page
  • Parameters: None
  • Read-only: true

• browser_network_search
  • Title: Search network requests
  • Description: Search for keywords in network request/response bodies and URLs
  • Parameters:
    • keyword (string): Keyword or phrase; avoid generic words—specific terms reduce noise and improve precision.
  • Read-only: true

• browser_press_key
  • Title: Press a key
  • Description: Press a key on the keyboard
  • Parameters:
    • key (string): Name of the key to press or a character to generate, such as ArrowLeft or a
  • Read-only: false

• browser_repl
  • Title: Browser REPL
  • Description: DevTools-like browser REPL. Per-tab state persists across calls (const/let/functions); supports top-level await. Survives SPA nav; resets on full reload or when switching tabs. Helpers available via window.mcp: JSON5, JSONPath, _, GraphQLClient, gql, graphqlRequest. No need for wrapping in IIFE.
  • Parameters:
    • script (string): JavaScript code to execute in the browser console.
  • Read-only: false

• browser_resize
  • Title: Resize browser window
  • Description: Resize the browser window
  • Parameters:
    • width (number): Width of the browser window
    • height (number): Height of the browser window
  • Read-only: true

• browser_scroll
  • Title: Scroll page
  • Description: Scroll the page using mouse wheel with human-like behavior
  • Parameters:
    • amount (number): Vertical scroll amount in pixels (positive scrolls down, negative up)
  • Read-only: true

• browser_select_option
  • Title: Select option
  • Description: Select an option in a dropdown
  • Parameters:
    • element (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the element
    • ref (string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshot
    • values (array): Array of values to select in the dropdown. This can be a single value or multiple values.
  • Read-only: false

• browser_snapshot
  • Title: Page snapshot
  • Description: Capture accessibility snapshot of the current page, this is better than screenshot
  • Parameters: None
  • Read-only: true

• browser_type
  • Title: Type text
  • Description: Type text into editable element
  • Parameters:
    • element (string): Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to interact with the element
    • ref (string): Exact target element reference from the page snapshot
    • text (string): Text to type into the element
    • submit (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.
  • Read-only: false