| name | playwright-mcp |
| description | Automate browser testing, web scraping, and UI validation using Playwright MCP. Use this skill when you need to test Streamlit apps, validate web interfaces, test responsive design, check accessibility, or automate browser interactions through MCP tools. |
Playwright MCP Testing
Automate browser testing, web scraping, and UI validation using Playwright MCP server for comprehensive browser automation.
Quick Start
Core Testing Workflow:
- Navigate to application
- Take snapshot (accessibility tree)
- Interact with elements
- Verify expected behavior
- Take screenshots for documentation
Key Tools
Navigation & Waiting
browser_navigate- Load URLbrowser_wait_for- Wait for time, text, or element
Interaction
browser_click- Click buttons and elementsbrowser_fill_form- Batch fill multiple form fieldsbrowser_type- Type into inputsbrowser_select_option- Select dropdown options
Validation
browser_snapshot- Accessibility tree (for AI analysis)browser_take_screenshot- Visual capturebrowser_console_messages- Check for JavaScript errors
Testing Patterns
Page Load Verification
Navigate to http://localhost:8501
Wait 5 seconds
Take snapshot
Verify expected elements present
Form Testing
Fill form fields (use browser_fill_form for speed)
Click Submit button
Wait for "Success" text to appear
Take screenshot
Responsive Design
Resize to 375x667 (mobile)
Take screenshot
Resize to 1920x1080 (desktop)
Take screenshot
Multi-Page Navigation
Navigate to homepage
Click navigation link
Verify URL changed
Verify new page content
Best Practices
✅ DO:
- Use
browser_snapshotfor AI analysis - Wait for content (3-5 seconds)
- Batch form fields with
browser_fill_form - Use element refs from snapshots for reliable clicks
- Check console for errors
❌ AVOID:
- Using screenshots when you need to interact
- Typing each field individually
- Skipping waits for dynamic content
- Ignoring console errors
Common Workflows
Pre-Deployment Testing
- Test all pages load without errors
- Verify navigation works
- Test forms submit successfully
- Check data displays correctly
- Validate responsive design (375, 768, 1920px)
- Check console for JavaScript errors
Accessibility Validation
- Take snapshot of each page
- Verify interactive elements have labels
- Check heading hierarchy
- Verify form labels associated
Visual Regression
- Take full-page screenshots
- Compare with baseline
- Document changes
Quick Reference
Common Test Flow
Navigate to http://localhost:8501
Wait 5 seconds
Take snapshot
Click element with ref from snapshot
Wait for "Success" text
Take screenshot
Responsive Testing
Resize to 375x667 # Mobile
Take screenshot
Resize to 768x1024 # Tablet
Take screenshot
Resize to 1920x1080 # Desktop
Take screenshot
Form Testing
Fill form fields (batch)
Click Submit
Wait for success message
Verify in snapshot
Error Checking
Get console messages (onlyErrors=true)
Get network requests
Verify no 404s or 500s
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Browsers not installed | Run npx @playwright/mcp browser install |
| Element not found | Take snapshot first to get current page state and exact ref |
| Tests too slow | Use browser_fill_form instead of multiple browser_type |
| MCP not starting | Restart IDE, verify mcp.json is valid JSON |
| Timeout errors | Increase wait times or use browser_wait_for with specific conditions |
| Screenshots blank | Ensure page is fully loaded before taking screenshot |
| Console errors not showing | Use browser_console_messages with onlyErrors=true parameter |
Resources
TESTING_PATTERNS.md- Common test scenarios (coming soon)STREAMLIT_TESTING.md- Streamlit-specific patterns (coming soon)ACCESSIBILITY.md- Accessibility testing workflows (coming soon)mcp-config.json- MCP server configuration