Playwright Minimal MCP Server

4 Essential Tools - Drop-in replacement for puppeteer-minimal with Playwright's superior reliability

🎯 Features

• Multi-browser support: Test in Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit (Safari)
• Auto-wait mechanisms: Playwright automatically waits for elements to be actionable
• Built-in retry logic: Reduces test flakiness
• Enhanced debugging: Captures console logs, network requests, and screenshots
• 4-tool limit: Stays within Cursor IDE's 40-tool MCP limit

🛠️ Available Tools

1. navigate_and_wait

Navigate to a URL with smart waiting and multi-browser support.

Parameters:

• url (required): URL to navigate to
• waitUntil (optional): When to consider navigation complete (load, domcontentloaded, networkidle, commit)
• timeout (optional): Timeout in milliseconds (default: 30000)
• browserType (optional): Browser to use (chromium, firefox, webkit)

Example:

{
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "waitUntil": "domcontentloaded",
  "browserType": "chromium"
}

2. interact_with

Interact with page elements with auto-wait and retry.

Parameters:

• selector (required): CSS selector
• action (required): Action to perform (click, type, select, check)
• text (optional): Text to type (for type action)
• value (optional): Value to select (for select action)
• timeout (optional): Timeout in milliseconds
• force (optional): Skip actionability checks

Example:

{
  "selector": "#saveButton",
  "action": "click"
}

3. extract_and_verify

Extract content from elements with optional verification.

Parameters:

• selector (optional): CSS selector (default: body)
• attribute (optional): Attribute to extract (text, value, html, or any attribute name)
• expected (optional): Expected value for verification
• timeout (optional): Timeout in milliseconds

Example:

{
  "selector": ".notes-textarea",
  "attribute": "value",
  "expected": "Test note"
}

4. capture_test_evidence

Capture comprehensive test evidence for debugging.

Parameters:

• screenshot (optional): Capture screenshot (boolean or {fullPage: true})
• consoleLogs (optional): Capture browser console logs
• networkLogs (optional): Capture network requests
• html (optional): Capture page HTML source

Example:

{
  "screenshot": {"fullPage": true},
  "consoleLogs": true,
  "networkLogs": true
}

📦 Installation

cd my-mcp-servers/packages/playwright-minimal
npm install
npm run build

⚙️ Configuration

Add to .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright-minimal": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/Users/a00288946/Projects/accessilist/my-mcp-servers/packages/playwright-minimal/build/index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

🔄 Migration from Puppeteer-Minimal

| Puppeteer Tool | Playwright Tool | Migration Notes | |----------------|-----------------|-----------------| | navigate | navigate_and_wait | Add browserType parameter for multi-browser testing | | click_element | interact_with | Use action: "click" - includes auto-wait | | extract_text | extract_and_verify | Use attribute: "text" - can extract any attribute | | take_screenshot | capture_test_evidence | Use screenshot: true - can capture logs too |

🎯 Advantages Over Puppeteer

1. Auto-wait: No need for manual waitForSelector before actions
2. Multi-browser: Test in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari
3. Better reliability: Built-in retry logic reduces flakiness
4. Enhanced debugging: Capture console logs and network requests
5. Semantic selectors: Use text=Save or role=button selectors
6. Active development: Playwright is actively maintained by Microsoft

📚 Examples

Test User Workflow in All Browsers

// Navigate in Chrome
await navigate_and_wait({
  url: "https://webaim.org/training/online/accessilist2",
  browserType: "chromium"
});

// Navigate in Firefox
await navigate_and_wait({
  url: "https://webaim.org/training/online/accessilist2",
  browserType: "firefox"
});

// Navigate in Safari
await navigate_and_wait({
  url: "https://webaim.org/training/online/accessilist2",
  browserType: "webkit"
});

Click and Verify

// Click save button (auto-waits for button to be clickable)
await interact_with({
  selector: "#saveButton",
  action: "click"
});

// Verify save success
await extract_and_verify({
  selector: "body",
  attribute: "text",
  expected: "saved successfully"
});

Capture Test Evidence

// Capture everything for debugging
const evidence = await capture_test_evidence({
  screenshot: {fullPage: true},
  consoleLogs: true,
  networkLogs: true,
  html: false  // HTML can be large
});

🔧 Tool Count Impact

Before (Puppeteer): 39 tools total

• puppeteer-minimal: 4 tools

After (Playwright): 39 tools total (no change!)

• playwright-minimal: 4 tools

Stays within Cursor IDE's 40-tool MCP limit! ✅

📝 License

MIT