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Playwright Skill

  • 3.6k installs
  • 44k repo stars
  • Updated July 27, 2026
  • sickn33/antigravity-awesome-skills

Execute custom Playwright code to automate browser interactions, verify UI flows, capture screenshots, and test responsive design.

About

Playwright-skill is a general-purpose browser automation tool that executes custom Playwright code for testing, screenshotting, and UI validation tasks. Developers use it to test responsive designs, verify login flows, check for broken links, fill and submit forms, and capture visual regressions. The skill auto-detects running dev servers via `detectDevServers()`, writes test scripts to /tmp (avoiding project clutter), and executes them via a universal executor. It defaults to visible browser mode (`headless: false`) for debugging transparency. Helpers like `safeClick()`, `safeType()`, and `takeScreenshot()` reduce boilerplate. Custom HTTP headers via `PW_HEADER_NAME`/`PW_HEADER_VALUE` environment variables enable identifying automated traffic and requesting LLM-optimized responses from backends. Auto-detects running dev servers and eliminates hardcoded URLs via detectDevServers(). Writes test scripts to /tmp to avoid cluttering project directory; auto-cleaned by OS. Default visible browser (headless: false) with slowMo option for debugging transparency.

  • Auto-detects running dev servers and eliminates hardcoded URLs via detectDevServers()
  • Writes test scripts to /tmp to avoid cluttering project directory; auto-cleaned by OS
  • Default visible browser (headless: false) with slowMo option for debugging transparency
  • Includes helper utilities: safeClick, safeType, takeScreenshot, handleCookieBanner, extractTableData
  • Supports custom HTTP headers via PW_HEADER_NAME/PW_EXTRA_HEADERS env vars for backend identification

Playwright Skill by the numbers

  • 3,620 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • +49 installs in the week ending Jul 28, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
  • Ranked #302 of 2,184 Testing & QA skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
  • Security screen: HIGH risk (skills.sh audit)
  • Data as of Jul 28, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
At a glance

playwright-skill capabilities & compatibility

free

Capabilities
auto detect dev servers via detectdevservers() · launch browser in visible or headless mode · navigate to urls and wait for page states · interact with page elements: click, fill, submit · take full page and viewport screenshots · test responsive design across multiple viewports · extract and validate page data (links, tables, t · inject custom http headers for backend identific
Works with
playwright · chrome
Use cases
testing · ui design · web design · web scraping · debugging
Platforms
macOS · Windows · Linux · WSL
Runs
Runs locally
Pricing
Free
From the docs

What playwright-skill says it does

Always use `headless: false` unless user specifically requests headless mode
SKILL.md
npx skills add https://github.com/sickn33/antigravity-awesome-skills --skill playwright-skill

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Listed on Skillselion
Installs3.6k
repo stars44k
Security audit0 / 3 scanners passed
Last updatedJuly 27, 2026
Repositorysickn33/antigravity-awesome-skills

What it does

Automate browser interactions and visual testing across multiple viewports and user flows.

Who is it for?

Testing responsive design across viewports, verifying login/form flows, checking broken links, capturing visual regressions, debugging UI behavior.

Skip if: End-to-end testing frameworks (use Playwright directly); load/performance testing at scale; headless-only CI/CD (visible browser default).

When should I use this skill?

Developer needs to test a webpage, verify a user flow, check responsive design, take screenshots, or validate form submission.

What you get

Custom Playwright scripts auto-detect dev servers, run against parameterized URLs, and produce timestamped screenshots and test results.

  • Custom Playwright automation scripts
  • Screenshot files (/tmp/)
  • Console output with test results and progress logs

By the numbers

  • Supports 3+ common viewport sizes: Desktop (1920x1080), Tablet (768x1024), Mobile (375x667)
  • Includes 6+ helper utilities: detectDevServers, safeClick, safeType, takeScreenshot, handleCookieBanner, extractTableDat
  • Parameterized URL pattern via TARGET_URL constant prevents hardcoding

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

IMPORTANT - Path Resolution: This skill can be installed in different locations (plugin system, manual installation, global, or project-specific). Before executing any commands, determine the skill directory based on where you loaded this SKILL.md file, and use that path in all commands below. Replace $SKILL_DIR with the actual discovered path.

Common installation paths:

  • Plugin system: <plugin-root>/skills/playwright-skill
  • Manual global: <agent-home>/skills/playwright-skill
  • Project-specific: <project>/.agent/skills/playwright-skill

Playwright Browser Automation

General-purpose browser automation skill. I'll write custom Playwright code for any automation task you request and execute it via the universal executor.

CRITICAL WORKFLOW - Follow these steps in order:

1. 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

2. Write scripts to /tmp - NEVER write test files to skill directory; always use /tmp/playwright-test-*.js

3. Use visible browser by default - Always use headless: false unless user specifically requests headless mode

4. Parameterize URLs - Always make URLs configurable via environment variable or constant at top of script

How It Works

1. You describe what you want to test/automate 2. I auto-detect running dev servers (or ask for URL if testing external site) 3. I write custom Playwright code in /tmp/playwright-test-*.js (won't clutter your project) 4. I execute it via: cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/playwright-test-*.js 5. Results displayed in real-time, browser window visible for debugging 6. Test files auto-cleaned from /tmp by your OS

Setup (First Time)

cd $SKILL_DIR
npm run setup

This installs Playwright and Chromium browser. Only needed once.

Execution Pattern

Step 1: Detect dev servers (for localhost testing)

cd $SKILL_DIR && node -e "require('./lib/helpers').detectDevServers().then(s => console.log(JSON.stringify(s)))"

Step 2: Write test script to /tmp with URL parameter

// /tmp/playwright-test-page.js
const { chromium } = require('playwright');

// Parameterized URL (detected or user-provided)
const TARGET_URL = 'http://localhost:3001'; // <-- Auto-detected or from user

(async () => {
  const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: false });
  const page = await browser.newPage();

  await page.goto(TARGET_URL);
  console.log('Page loaded:', await page.title());

  await page.screenshot({ path: '/tmp/screenshot.png', fullPage: true });
  console.log('📸 Screenshot saved to /tmp/screenshot.png');

  await browser.close();
})();

Step 3: Execute from skill directory

cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/playwright-test-page.js

Common Patterns

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();
})();

Test Login Flow

// /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"]');

  // Wait for redirect
  await page.waitForURL('**/dashboard');
  console.log('✅ Login successful, redirected to dashboard');

  await browser.close();
})();

Fill and Submit Form

// /tmp/playwright-test-form.js
const { chromium } = require('playwright');

const TARGET_URL = 'http://localhost:3001'; // Auto-detected

(async () => {
  const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: false, slowMo: 50 });
  const page = await browser.newPage();

  await page.goto(`${TARGET_URL}/contact`);

  await page.fill('input[name="name"]', 'John Doe');
  await page.fill('input[name="email"]', 'john@example.com');
  await page.fill('textarea[name="message"]', 'Test message');
  await page.click('button[type="submit"]');

  // Verify submission
  await page.waitForSelector('.success-message');
  console.log('✅ Form submitted successfully');

  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();
})();

Take Screenshot with Error Handling

const { chromium } = require('playwright');

(async () => {
  const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: false });
  const page = await browser.newPage();

  try {
    await page.goto('http://localhost:3000', {
      waitUntil: 'networkidle',
      timeout: 10000,
    });

    await page.screenshot({
      path: '/tmp/screenshot.png',
      fullPage: true,
    });

    console.log('📸 Screenshot saved to /tmp/screenshot.png');
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('❌ Error:', error.message);
  } finally {
    await browser.close();
  }
})();

Test Responsive Design

// /tmp/playwright-test-responsive-full.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();

  const viewports = [
    { name: 'Desktop', width: 1920, height: 1080 },
    { name: 'Tablet', width: 768, height: 1024 },
    { name: 'Mobile', width: 375, height: 667 },
  ];

  for (const viewport of viewports) {
    console.log(
      `Testing ${viewport.name} (${viewport.width}x${viewport.height})`,
    );

    await page.setViewportSize({
      width: viewport.width,
      height: viewport.height,
    });

    await page.goto(TARGET_URL);
    await page.waitForTimeout(1000);

    await page.screenshot({
      path: `/tmp/${viewport.name.toLowerCase()}.png`,
      fullPage: true,
    });
  }

  console.log('✅ All viewports tested');
  await browser.close();
})();

Inline Execution (Simple Tasks)

For quick one-off tasks, you can execute code inline without creating files:

# Take a quick screenshot
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 vs files:

  • Inline: Quick one-off tasks (screenshot, check if element exists, get page title)
  • Files: Complex tests, responsive design checks, anything user might want to re-run

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');

See lib/helpers.js for full list.

Custom HTTP Headers

Configure custom headers for all HTTP requests via environment variables. Useful for:

  • Identifying automated traffic to your backend
  • Getting LLM-optimized responses (e.g., plain text errors instead of styled HTML)
  • Adding authentication tokens globally

Configuration

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

How It Works

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

const context = await helpers.createContext(browser);
const page = await context.newPage();
// All requests from this page include your custom headers

For scripts using raw Playwright API, use the injected getContextOptionsWithHeaders():

const context = await browser.newContext(
  getContextOptionsWithHeaders({ viewport: { width: 1920, height: 1080 } }),
);

Advanced Usage

For comprehensive Playwright API documentation, see API_REFERENCE.md:

  • Selectors & Locators best practices
  • Network interception & API mocking
  • Authentication & session management
  • Visual regression testing
  • Mobile device emulation
  • Performance testing
  • Debugging techniques
  • CI/CD integration

Tips

  • CRITICAL: Detect servers FIRST - Always run detectDevServers() before writing test code for localhost testing
  • Custom headers - Use PW_HEADER_NAME/PW_HEADER_VALUE env vars to identify automated traffic to your backend
  • Use /tmp for test files - Write to /tmp/playwright-test-*.js, never to skill directory or user's project
  • Parameterize URLs - Put detected/provided URL in a TARGET_URL constant at the top of every script
  • DEFAULT: Visible browser - Always use headless: false unless user explicitly asks for headless mode
  • Headless mode - Only use headless: true when user specifically requests "headless" or "background" execution
  • Slow down: Use slowMo: 100 to make actions visible and easier to follow
  • 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 and show what's happening

Troubleshooting

Playwright not installed:

cd $SKILL_DIR && npm 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 })

Example Usage

User: "Test if the marketing page looks good"

Claude: I'll test the marketing page across multiple viewports. Let me first detect running servers...
[Runs: detectDevServers()]
[Output: Found server on port 3001]
I found your dev server running on http://localhost:3001

[Writes custom automation script to /tmp/playwright-test-marketing.js with URL parameterized]
[Runs: cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/playwright-test-marketing.js]
[Shows results with screenshots from /tmp/]
User: "Check if login redirects correctly"

Claude: I'll test the login flow. First, let me check for running servers...
[Runs: detectDevServers()]
[Output: Found servers on ports 3000 and 3001]
I found 2 dev servers. Which one should I test?
- http://localhost:3000
- http://localhost:3001

User: "Use 3001"

[Writes login automation to /tmp/playwright-test-login.js]
[Runs: cd $SKILL_DIR && node run.js /tmp/playwright-test-login.js]
[Reports: ✅ Login successful, redirected to /dashboard]

Notes

  • Each automation is custom-written for your specific request
  • Not limited to pre-built scripts - any browser task possible
  • Auto-detects running dev servers to eliminate hardcoded URLs
  • Test scripts written to /tmp for automatic cleanup (no clutter)
  • Code executes reliably with proper module resolution via run.js
  • Progressive disclosure - API_REFERENCE.md loaded only when advanced features needed

When to Use

This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.

Limitations

  • Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
  • Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
  • Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.

Related skills

How it compares

Pick playwright-skill when the project already uses Playwright and you need agent-guided patterns for locators, POM, and visual regression rather than generic testing advice.

FAQ

How do I avoid hardcoding URLs?

Run detectDevServers() first to auto-detect running dev servers. The skill will prompt you to select one or ask for a URL.

Where do test scripts get written?

Always to /tmp/playwright-test-*.js to avoid cluttering your project. Files auto-clean via OS.

Can I run this headless?

Default is visible browser (headless: false). Only use headless: true if you explicitly request background execution.

Is Playwright Skill safe to install?

skills.sh reports 0 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.

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