n8n-nodes-playwright-session

This is an n8n community node. It lets you automate browser actions using Playwright in your n8n workflows with session persistence support.

n8n is a fair-code licensed workflow automation platform.

Installation

Operations

Session Persistence

Compatibility

Resources

Version history

Installation

Follow the installation guide in the n8n community nodes documentation.

npm install n8n-nodes-playwright-session
# or
pnpm install n8n-nodes-playwright-session

Note: The package will automatically download and set up the required browser binaries during installation. This requires approximately 1GB of disk space.

If you need to manually trigger the browser setup:

pnpm rebuild n8n-nodes-playwright-session

Operations

Navigate

Navigate to a URL.

Take Screenshot

Take a screenshot of the current page.

Get Text

Extract text from an element using a CSS selector.

Click Element

Click on an element using a CSS selector.

Fill Form

Fill a form field with a value.

Execute Script

Execute custom Playwright scripts with full access to the page object.

Example Script:

// Login to a website
await page.goto('https://example.com/login');
await page.fill('#username', '[email protected]');
await page.fill('#password', 'password');
await page.click('#login-button');

// Wait for navigation and return result
await page.waitForNavigation();
return { 
    success: true, 
    message: 'Login completed',
    currentUrl: page.url()
};

Available Variables:

• page: Playwright page object with all methods (fill, click, goto, etc.)
• itemIndex: Current item index in the workflow

Browser Options

• Choose between Chromium, Firefox, or WebKit
• Configure headless mode
• Adjust operation speed with slow motion option

Screenshot Options

• Full page capture
• Custom save path
• Base64 output

Session Persistence

NEW in v0.3.0: This node now supports session persistence across multiple nodes in a workflow.

How It Works

• Session ID: Each node can specify a unique session identifier
• State Persistence: Cookies, localStorage, sessionStorage, and form data persist between nodes
• Workflow Isolation: Each workflow execution maintains its own session state
• Multi-Entry Support: Multiple form entries can have separate sessions

Usage Example

// Node 1: Navigate and login
Session ID: "my-workflow"
Operation: "navigate"
URL: "https://example.com/login"

// Node 2: Fill login form  
Session ID: "my-workflow"  // Same session ID
Operation: "fillForm"
Selector: "#username"
Value: "[email protected]"

// Node 3: Click login button
Session ID: "my-workflow"  // Same session ID
Operation: "clickElement" 
Selector: "#login-button"

// Node 4: Get dashboard content
Session ID: "my-workflow"  // Same session ID
Operation: "getText"
Selector: ".dashboard-content"

Session Management

• Same Session ID: Nodes share browser state (cookies, form data, etc.)
• Different Session ID: Nodes get fresh browser sessions
• Empty Session ID: Creates new session each time
• Automatic Cleanup: Sessions are cleaned up when workflow completes

Multiple Workflow Executions

Each workflow execution maintains its own session state:

• Execution 1: Session "my-session_chromium_exec-123"
• Execution 2: Session "my-session_chromium_exec-456"

This ensures that different workflow runs don't interfere with each other.

Compatibility

• Requires n8n version 1.0.0 or later
• Tested with Playwright version 1.49.0
• Supports Windows, macOS, and Linux

System Requirements

• Node.js 18.10 or later
• Approximately 1GB disk space for browser binaries
• Additional system dependencies may be required for browser automation

Resources

• n8n community nodes documentation
• Playwright documentation

Version history

0.4.1

• NEW: Execute Script operation for custom Playwright code
• NEW: Full access to Playwright page object in custom scripts
• NEW: Support for complex browser automation workflows
• IMPROVED: Better script execution with error handling

0.4.0

• NEW: Session persistence across nodes
• NEW: Session ID parameter for workflow state management
• NEW: Automatic session cleanup
• IMPROVED: Better error handling and logging
• FIXED: Multi-item workflow support

0.3.*

• Initial release
• Basic browser automation operations
• Support for Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit
• Screenshot and form interaction capabilities

Troubleshooting

If browsers are not installed correctly:

1. Clean the installation:

rm -rf ~/.cache/ms-playwright
# or for Windows:
rmdir /s /q %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\ms-playwright

2. Rebuild the package:

pnpm rebuild n8n-nodes-playwright

License

MIT