Playwright Cli

Browser Automation with playwright-cli

Quick start

playwright-cli open https://playwright.dev
playwright-cli click e15
playwright-cli type "page.click"
playwright-cli press Enter

Core workflow

1. Navigate: playwright-cli open https://example.com 2. Interact using refs from the snapshot 3. Re-snapshot after significant changes

Commands

Core

playwright-cli open https://example.com/
playwright-cli close
playwright-cli type "search query"
playwright-cli click e3
playwright-cli dblclick e7
playwright-cli fill e5 "user@example.com"
playwright-cli drag e2 e8
playwright-cli hover e4
playwright-cli select e9 "option-value"
playwright-cli upload ./document.pdf
playwright-cli check e12
playwright-cli uncheck e12
playwright-cli snapshot
playwright-cli snapshot --filename=after-click.yaml
playwright-cli eval "document.title"
playwright-cli eval "el => el.textContent" e5
playwright-cli dialog-accept
playwright-cli dialog-accept "confirmation text"
playwright-cli dialog-dismiss
playwright-cli resize 1920 1080

Navigation

playwright-cli go-back
playwright-cli go-forward
playwright-cli reload

Keyboard

playwright-cli press Enter
playwright-cli press ArrowDown
playwright-cli keydown Shift
playwright-cli keyup Shift

Mouse

playwright-cli mousemove 150 300
playwright-cli mousedown
playwright-cli mousedown right
playwright-cli mouseup
playwright-cli mouseup right
playwright-cli mousewheel 0 100

Save as

playwright-cli screenshot
playwright-cli screenshot e5
playwright-cli screenshot --filename=page.png
playwright-cli pdf --filename=page.pdf

Tabs

playwright-cli tab-list
playwright-cli tab-new
playwright-cli tab-new https://example.com/page
playwright-cli tab-close
playwright-cli tab-close 2
playwright-cli tab-select 0

Storage

playwright-cli state-save
playwright-cli state-save auth.json
playwright-cli state-load auth.json

# Cookies
playwright-cli cookie-list
playwright-cli cookie-list --domain=example.com
playwright-cli cookie-get session_id
playwright-cli cookie-set session_id abc123
playwright-cli cookie-set session_id abc123 --domain=example.com --httpOnly --secure
playwright-cli cookie-delete session_id
playwright-cli cookie-clear

# LocalStorage
playwright-cli localstorage-list
playwright-cli localstorage-get theme
playwright-cli localstorage-set theme dark
playwright-cli localstorage-delete theme
playwright-cli localstorage-clear

# SessionStorage
playwright-cli sessionstorage-list
playwright-cli sessionstorage-get step
playwright-cli sessionstorage-set step 3
playwright-cli sessionstorage-delete step
playwright-cli sessionstorage-clear

Network

playwright-cli route "**/*.jpg" --status=404
playwright-cli route "https://api.example.com/**" --body='{"mock": true}'
playwright-cli route-list
playwright-cli unroute "**/*.jpg"
playwright-cli unroute

DevTools

playwright-cli console
playwright-cli console warning
playwright-cli network
playwright-cli run-code "async page => await page.context().grantPermissions(['geolocation'])"
playwright-cli tracing-start
playwright-cli tracing-stop
playwright-cli video-start
playwright-cli video-stop video.webm

Install

playwright-cli install-browser
playwright-cli install-skills

Configuration

# Use specific browser when creating session
playwright-cli open --browser=chrome
playwright-cli open --browser=firefox
playwright-cli open --browser=webkit
playwright-cli open --browser=msedge
# Connect to browser via extension
playwright-cli open --extension

# Configure the session
playwright-cli config --config my-config.json
playwright-cli config --headed --in-memory --browser=firefox
# Configure named session
playwright-cli --session=mysession config my-config.json
# Start with configured session
playwright-cli open --config=my-config.json

Sessions

playwright-cli --session=mysession open example.com
playwright-cli --session=mysession click e6
playwright-cli session-list
playwright-cli session-stop mysession
playwright-cli session-restart mysession
playwright-cli session-stop-all
playwright-cli session-delete
playwright-cli session-delete mysession

Example: Form submission

playwright-cli open https://example.com/form
playwright-cli snapshot

playwright-cli fill e1 "user@example.com"
playwright-cli fill e2 "password123"
playwright-cli click e3
playwright-cli snapshot

Example: Multi-tab workflow

playwright-cli open https://example.com
playwright-cli tab-new https://example.com/other
playwright-cli tab-list
playwright-cli tab-select 0
playwright-cli snapshot

Example: Debugging with DevTools

playwright-cli open https://example.com
playwright-cli click e4
playwright-cli fill e7 "test"
playwright-cli console
playwright-cli network

playwright-cli open https://example.com
playwright-cli tracing-start
playwright-cli click e4
playwright-cli fill e7 "test"
playwright-cli tracing-stop

Specific tasks

• Request mocking references/request-mocking.md
• Running Playwright code references/running-code.md
• Session management references/session-management.md
• Storage state (cookies, localStorage) references/storage-state.md
• Test generation references/test-generation.md
• Tracing references/tracing.md
• Video recording references/video-recording.md

Request Mocking

Intercept, mock, modify, and block network requests.

CLI Route Commands

# Mock with custom status
playwright-cli route "**/*.jpg" --status=404

# Mock with JSON body
playwright-cli route "**/api/users" --body='[{"id":1,"name":"Alice"}]' --content-type=application/json

# Mock with custom headers
playwright-cli route "**/api/data" --body='{"ok":true}' --header="X-Custom: value"

# Remove headers from requests
playwright-cli route "**/*" --remove-header=cookie,authorization

# List active routes
playwright-cli route-list

# Remove a route or all routes
playwright-cli unroute "**/*.jpg"
playwright-cli unroute

URL Patterns

**/api/users           - Exact path match
**/api/*/details       - Wildcard in path
**/*.{png,jpg,jpeg}    - Match file extensions
**/search?q=*          - Match query parameters

Advanced Mocking with run-code

For conditional responses, request body inspection, response modification, or delays:

Conditional Response Based on Request

playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.route('**/api/login', route => {
    const body = route.request().postDataJSON();
    if (body.username === 'admin') {
      route.fulfill({ body: JSON.stringify({ token: 'mock-token' }) });
    } else {
      route.fulfill({ status: 401, body: JSON.stringify({ error: 'Invalid' }) });
    }
  });
}"

Modify Real Response

playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.route('**/api/user', async route => {
    const response = await route.fetch();
    const json = await response.json();
    json.isPremium = true;
    await route.fulfill({ response, json });
  });
}"

Simulate Network Failures

playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.route('**/api/offline', route => route.abort('internetdisconnected'));
}"
# Options: connectionrefused, timedout, connectionreset, internetdisconnected

Delayed Response

playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.route('**/api/slow', async route => {
    await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 3000));
    route.fulfill({ body: JSON.stringify({ data: 'loaded' }) });
  });
}"

Running Custom Playwright Code

Use run-code to execute arbitrary Playwright code for advanced scenarios not covered by CLI commands.

Syntax

playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  // Your Playwright code here
  // Access page.context() for browser context operations
}"

Geolocation

# Grant geolocation permission and set location
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.context().grantPermissions(['geolocation']);
  await page.context().setGeolocation({ latitude: 37.7749, longitude: -122.4194 });
}"

# Set location to London
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.context().grantPermissions(['geolocation']);
  await page.context().setGeolocation({ latitude: 51.5074, longitude: -0.1278 });
}"

# Clear geolocation override
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.context().clearPermissions();
}"

Permissions

# Grant multiple permissions
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.context().grantPermissions([
    'geolocation',
    'notifications',
    'camera',
    'microphone'
  ]);
}"

# Grant permissions for specific origin
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.context().grantPermissions(['clipboard-read'], {
    origin: 'https://example.com'
  });
}"

Media Emulation

# Emulate dark color scheme
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.emulateMedia({ colorScheme: 'dark' });
}"

# Emulate light color scheme
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.emulateMedia({ colorScheme: 'light' });
}"

# Emulate reduced motion
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.emulateMedia({ reducedMotion: 'reduce' });
}"

# Emulate print media
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.emulateMedia({ media: 'print' });
}"

Wait Strategies

# Wait for network idle
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle');
}"

# Wait for specific element
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.waitForSelector('.loading', { state: 'hidden' });
}"

# Wait for function to return true
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.waitForFunction(() => window.appReady === true);
}"

# Wait with timeout
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.waitForSelector('.result', { timeout: 10000 });
}"

Frames and Iframes

# Work with iframe
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  const frame = page.locator('iframe#my-iframe').contentFrame();
  await frame.locator('button').click();
}"

# Get all frames
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  const frames = page.frames();
  return frames.map(f => f.url());
}"

File Downloads

# Handle file download
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  const [download] = await Promise.all([
    page.waitForEvent('download'),
    page.click('a.download-link')
  ]);
  await download.saveAs('./downloaded-file.pdf');
  return download.suggestedFilename();
}"

Clipboard

# Read clipboard (requires permission)
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.context().grantPermissions(['clipboard-read']);
  return await page.evaluate(() => navigator.clipboard.readText());
}"

# Write to clipboard
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.evaluate(text => navigator.clipboard.writeText(text), 'Hello clipboard!');
}"

Page Information

# Get page title
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  return await page.title();
}"

# Get current URL
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  return page.url();
}"

# Get page content
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  return await page.content();
}"

# Get viewport size
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  return page.viewportSize();
}"

JavaScript Execution

# Execute JavaScript and return result
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  return await page.evaluate(() => {
    return {
      userAgent: navigator.userAgent,
      language: navigator.language,
      cookiesEnabled: navigator.cookieEnabled
    };
  });
}"

# Pass arguments to evaluate
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  const multiplier = 5;
  return await page.evaluate(m => document.querySelectorAll('li').length * m, multiplier);
}"

Error Handling

# Try-catch in run-code
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  try {
    await page.click('.maybe-missing', { timeout: 1000 });
    return 'clicked';
  } catch (e) {
    return 'element not found';
  }
}"

Complex Workflows

# Login and save state
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.goto('https://example.com/login');
  await page.fill('input[name=email]', 'user@example.com');
  await page.fill('input[name=password]', 'secret');
  await page.click('button[type=submit]');
  await page.waitForURL('**/dashboard');
  await page.context().storageState({ path: 'auth.json' });
  return 'Login successful';
}"

# Scrape data from multiple pages
playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  const results = [];
  for (let i = 1; i <= 3; i++) {
    await page.goto(\`https://example.com/page/\${i}\`);
    const items = await page.locator('.item').allTextContents();
    results.push(...items);
  }
  return results;
}"

Session Management

Run multiple isolated browser sessions concurrently with state persistence.

Named Sessions

Use --session flag to isolate browser contexts:

# Session 1: Authentication flow
playwright-cli --session=auth open https://app.example.com/login

# Session 2: Public browsing (separate cookies, storage)
playwright-cli --session=public open https://example.com

# Commands are isolated by session
playwright-cli --session=auth fill e1 "user@example.com"
playwright-cli --session=public snapshot

Session Isolation Properties

Each session has independent:

• Cookies
• LocalStorage / SessionStorage
• IndexedDB
• Cache
• Browsing history
• Open tabs

Session Commands

# List all sessions
playwright-cli session-list

# Stop a specific session
playwright-cli session-stop mysession

# Stop all sessions
playwright-cli session-stop-all

# Restart a session (useful after version updates)
playwright-cli session-restart mysession

# Delete session data (cookies, storage, etc.)
playwright-cli session-delete mysession

Environment Variable

Set a default session name via environment variable:

export PLAYWRIGHT_CLI_SESSION="mysession"
playwright-cli open example.com  # Uses "mysession" automatically

Common Patterns

Concurrent Scraping

#!/bin/bash
# Scrape multiple sites concurrently

# Start all sessions
playwright-cli --session=site1 open https://site1.com &
playwright-cli --session=site2 open https://site2.com &
playwright-cli --session=site3 open https://site3.com &
wait

# Take snapshots from each
playwright-cli --session=site1 snapshot
playwright-cli --session=site2 snapshot
playwright-cli --session=site3 snapshot

# Cleanup
playwright-cli --session=site1 close
playwright-cli --session=site2 close
playwright-cli --session=site3 close

A/B Testing Sessions

# Test different user experiences
playwright-cli --session=variant-a open "https://app.com?variant=a"
playwright-cli --session=variant-b open "https://app.com?variant=b"

# Compare
playwright-cli --session=variant-a screenshot
playwright-cli --session=variant-b screenshot

Testing without persistent profile

Use --in-memory flag to keep the browser profile in memory only:

# Session data won't persist to disk
playwright-cli --in-memory open https://example.com

Default Session

When --session is omitted, commands use the default session:

# These use the same default session
playwright-cli open https://example.com
playwright-cli snapshot
playwright-cli close  # Closes default session

Session Configuration

Configure a session with specific settings:

# Configure session with config file
playwright-cli --session=mysession config --config=playwright-cli.json

# Configure session with specific browser
playwright-cli --session=mysession config --browser=firefox

# Configure session in headed mode
playwright-cli --session=mysession config --headed

# Restart session to apply changes
playwright-cli session-restart mysession

Best Practices

1. Name Sessions Semantically

# GOOD: Clear purpose
playwright-cli --session=github-auth open https://github.com
playwright-cli --session=docs-scrape open https://docs.example.com

# AVOID: Generic names
playwright-cli --session=s1 open https://github.com

2. Always Clean Up

# Stop sessions when done
playwright-cli session-stop auth
playwright-cli session-stop scrape

# Or stop all at once
playwright-cli session-stop-all

3. Delete Stale Session Data

# Remove old session data to free disk space
playwright-cli session-delete oldsession

Storage Management

Manage cookies, localStorage, sessionStorage, and browser storage state.

Storage State

Save and restore complete browser state including cookies and storage.

Save Storage State

# Save to auto-generated filename (storage-state-{timestamp}.json)
playwright-cli state-save

# Save to specific filename
playwright-cli state-save my-auth-state.json

Restore Storage State

# Load storage state from file
playwright-cli state-load my-auth-state.json

# Reload page to apply cookies
playwright-cli open https://example.com

Storage State File Format

The saved file contains:

{
  "cookies": [
    {
      "name": "session_id",
      "value": "abc123",
      "domain": "example.com",
      "path": "/",
      "expires": 1735689600,
      "httpOnly": true,
      "secure": true,
      "sameSite": "Lax"
    }
  ],
  "origins": [
    {
      "origin": "https://example.com",
      "localStorage": [
        { "name": "theme", "value": "dark" },
        { "name": "user_id", "value": "12345" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Cookies

List All Cookies

playwright-cli cookie-list

Filter Cookies by Domain

playwright-cli cookie-list --domain=example.com

Filter Cookies by Path

playwright-cli cookie-list --path=/api

Get Specific Cookie

playwright-cli cookie-get session_id

Set a Cookie

# Basic cookie
playwright-cli cookie-set session abc123

# Cookie with options
playwright-cli cookie-set session abc123 --domain=example.com --path=/ --httpOnly --secure --sameSite=Lax

# Cookie with expiration (Unix timestamp)
playwright-cli cookie-set remember_me token123 --expires=1735689600

Delete a Cookie

playwright-cli cookie-delete session_id

Clear All Cookies

playwright-cli cookie-clear

Advanced: Multiple Cookies or Custom Options

For complex scenarios like adding multiple cookies at once, use run-code:

playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.context().addCookies([
    { name: 'session_id', value: 'sess_abc123', domain: 'example.com', path: '/', httpOnly: true },
    { name: 'preferences', value: JSON.stringify({ theme: 'dark' }), domain: 'example.com', path: '/' }
  ]);
}"

Local Storage

List All localStorage Items

playwright-cli localstorage-list

Get Single Value

playwright-cli localstorage-get token

Set Value

playwright-cli localstorage-set theme dark

Set JSON Value

playwright-cli localstorage-set user_settings '{"theme":"dark","language":"en"}'

Delete Single Item

playwright-cli localstorage-delete token

Clear All localStorage

playwright-cli localstorage-clear

Advanced: Multiple Operations

For complex scenarios like setting multiple values at once, use run-code:

playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.evaluate(() => {
    localStorage.setItem('token', 'jwt_abc123');
    localStorage.setItem('user_id', '12345');
    localStorage.setItem('expires_at', Date.now() + 3600000);
  });
}"

Session Storage

List All sessionStorage Items

playwright-cli sessionstorage-list

Get Single Value

playwright-cli sessionstorage-get form_data

Set Value

playwright-cli sessionstorage-set step 3

Delete Single Item

playwright-cli sessionstorage-delete step

Clear sessionStorage

playwright-cli sessionstorage-clear

IndexedDB

List Databases

playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  return await page.evaluate(async () => {
    const databases = await indexedDB.databases();
    return databases;
  });
}"

Delete Database

playwright-cli run-code "async page => {
  await page.evaluate(() => {
    indexedDB.deleteDatabase('myDatabase');
  });
}"

Common Patterns

Authentication State Reuse

# Step 1: Login and save state
playwright-cli open https://app.example.com/login
playwright-cli snapshot
playwright-cli fill e1 "user@example.com"
playwright-cli fill e2 "password123"
playwright-cli click e3

# Save the authenticated state
playwright-cli state-save auth.json

# Step 2: Later, restore state and skip login
playwright-cli state-load auth.json
playwright-cli open https://app.example.com/dashboard
# Already logged in!

Save and Restore Roundtrip

# Set up authentication state
playwright-cli open https://example.com
playwright-cli eval "() => { document.cookie = 'session=abc123'; localStorage.setItem('user', 'john'); }"

# Save state to file
playwright-cli state-save my-session.json

# ... later, in a new session ...

# Restore state
playwright-cli state-load my-session.json
playwright-cli open https://example.com
# Cookies and localStorage are restored!

Security Notes

• Never commit storage state files containing auth tokens
• Add *.auth-state.json to .gitignore
• Delete state files after automation completes
• Use environment variables for sensitive data
• Consider using --in-memory mode for sensitive operations

Test Generation

Generate Playwright test code automatically as you interact with the browser.

How It Works

Every action you perform with playwright-cli generates corresponding Playwright TypeScript code. This code appears in the output and can be copied directly into your test files.

Example Workflow

# Start a session
playwright-cli open https://example.com/login

# Take a snapshot to see elements
playwright-cli snapshot
# Output shows: e1 [textbox "Email"], e2 [textbox "Password"], e3 [button "Sign In"]

# Fill form fields - generates code automatically
playwright-cli fill e1 "user@example.com"
# Ran Playwright code:
# await page.getByRole('textbox', { name: 'Email' }).fill('user@example.com');

playwright-cli fill e2 "password123"
# Ran Playwright code:
# await page.getByRole('textbox', { name: 'Password' }).fill('password123');

playwright-cli click e3
# Ran Playwright code:
# await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign In' }).click();

Building a Test File

Collect the generated code into a Playwright test:

import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test('login flow', async ({ page }) => {
  // Generated code from playwright-cli session:
  await page.goto('https://example.com/login');
  await page.getByRole('textbox', { name: 'Email' }).fill('user@example.com');
  await page.getByRole('textbox', { name: 'Password' }).fill('password123');
  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign In' }).click();

  // Add assertions
  await expect(page).toHaveURL(/.*dashboard/);
});

Best Practices

1. Use Semantic Locators

The generated code uses role-based locators when possible, which are more resilient:

// Generated (good - semantic)
await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Submit' }).click();

// Avoid (fragile - CSS selectors)
await page.locator('#submit-btn').click();

2. Explore Before Recording

Take snapshots to understand the page structure before recording actions:

playwright-cli open https://example.com
playwright-cli snapshot
# Review the element structure
playwright-cli click e5

3. Add Assertions Manually

Generated code captures actions but not assertions. Add expectations in your test:

// Generated action
await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Submit' }).click();

// Manual assertion
await expect(page.getByText('Success')).toBeVisible();

Tracing

Capture detailed execution traces for debugging and analysis. Traces include DOM snapshots, screenshots, network activity, and console logs.

Basic Usage

# Start trace recording
playwright-cli tracing-start

# Perform actions
playwright-cli open https://example.com
playwright-cli click e1
playwright-cli fill e2 "test"

# Stop trace recording
playwright-cli tracing-stop

Trace Output Files

When you start tracing, Playwright creates a traces/ directory with several files:

trace-{timestamp}.trace

Action log - The main trace file containing:

• Every action performed (clicks, fills, navigations)
• DOM snapshots before and after each action
• Screenshots at each step
• Timing information
• Console messages
• Source locations

trace-{timestamp}.network

Network log - Complete network activity:

• All HTTP requests and responses
• Request headers and bodies
• Response headers and bodies
• Timing (DNS, connect, TLS, TTFB, download)
• Resource sizes
• Failed requests and errors

resources/

Resources directory - Cached resources:

• Images, fonts, stylesheets, scripts
• Response bodies for replay
• Assets needed to reconstruct page state

What Traces Capture

Use Cases

Debugging Failed Actions

playwright-cli tracing-start
playwright-cli open https://app.example.com

# This click fails - why?
playwright-cli click e5

playwright-cli tracing-stop
# Open trace to see DOM state when click was attempted

Analyzing Performance

playwright-cli tracing-start
playwright-cli open https://slow-site.com
playwright-cli tracing-stop

# View network waterfall to identify slow resources

Capturing Evidence

# Record a complete user flow for documentation
playwright-cli tracing-start

playwright-cli open https://app.example.com/checkout
playwright-cli fill e1 "4111111111111111"
playwright-cli fill e2 "12/25"
playwright-cli fill e3 "123"
playwright-cli click e4

playwright-cli tracing-stop
# Trace shows exact sequence of events

Trace vs Video vs Screenshot

Best Practices

1. Start Tracing Before the Problem

# Trace the entire flow, not just the failing step
playwright-cli tracing-start
playwright-cli open https://example.com
# ... all steps leading to the issue ...
playwright-cli tracing-stop

2. Clean Up Old Traces

Traces can consume significant disk space:

# Remove traces older than 7 days
find .playwright-cli/traces -mtime +7 -delete

Limitations

• Traces add overhead to automation
• Large traces can consume significant disk space
• Some dynamic content may not replay perfectly

Video Recording

Capture browser automation sessions as video for debugging, documentation, or verification. Produces WebM (VP8/VP9 codec).

Basic Recording

# Start recording
playwright-cli video-start

# Perform actions
playwright-cli open https://example.com
playwright-cli snapshot
playwright-cli click e1
playwright-cli fill e2 "test input"

# Stop and save
playwright-cli video-stop demo.webm

Best Practices

1. Use Descriptive Filenames

# Include context in filename
playwright-cli video-stop recordings/login-flow-2024-01-15.webm
playwright-cli video-stop recordings/checkout-test-run-42.webm

Tracing vs Video

Limitations

• Recording adds slight overhead to automation
• Large recordings can consume significant disk space