+```
+
+Use `sips -g pixelWidth -g pixelHeight - Playwriter lets you control your Chrome browser with the full - Playwright API. A Chrome extension, a local relay, and a CLI. No new - browser windows, no Chrome flags, no context bloat.{" "} + You want your agent to control the browser. Your actual + Chrome {" \u2014 "} with logins, extensions, and cookies already + there. Not a headless instance that gets blocked by every captcha + and bot detector.{" "} Star on GitHub.
@@ -71,26 +73,36 @@ export default function IndexPage() {
- Every browser automation MCP I tried either spawns a new Chrome
- instance or forces you into a limited set of predefined tools. Playwriter
- does neither. It connects to the browser you already have open,
- exposes the full Playwright API through a single{" "}
- execute tool, and gets out of the way.
- One tool. Any Playwright code. No wrappers.
+ Other browser MCPs either spawn a fresh Chrome or give agents
+ a fixed set of tools. New Chrome means no logins, no extensions,
+ instant bot detection, and double the memory. Fixed tools mean the
+ agent can{"'"}t profile performance, can{"'"}t set breakpoints,
+ can{"'"}t intercept network requests {" \u2014 "} it can only do what someone
+ decided to expose.
+
+ Playwriter gives agents the full Playwright API through
+ a single execute tool. One tool, any Playwright code,
+ no wrappers. Low context usage because there{"'"}s no schema bloat
+ from dozens of tool definitions. And it runs in your existing browser,
+ so nothing extra gets spawned.
- Three steps. Extension, icon click, then you're automating. + Three steps and your agent is browsing.
-
@@ -130,12 +142,12 @@ export default function IndexPage() {
- - Local only — WebSocket server binds to + Local only {" \u2014 "} WebSocket server binds to localhost. Nothing leaves your machine.
- - Origin validation — only the Playwriter + Origin validation {" \u2014 "} only the Playwriter extension origin is accepted. Browsers cannot spoof the Origin header, so malicious websites cannot connect.
- - Explicit consent — only tabs where you + Explicit consent {" \u2014 "} only tabs where you clicked the extension icon are controlled. No background access.
- - Visible automation — Chrome shows an + Visible automation {" \u2014 "} Chrome shows an automation banner on controlled tabs.
- The extension uses chrome.debugger to
- attach to tabs where you clicked the icon. It opens a WebSocket
- connection to a local relay server. The CLI (or MCP, or your own
- Playwright script) connects to the same relay. CDP commands flow
- through; the extension forwards them to Chrome and sends responses
- back.
+ Click the extension icon on a tab {" \u2014 "} it attaches via{" "}
+ chrome.debugger and opens a WebSocket to a
+ local relay. Your agent (CLI, MCP, or a Playwright script) connects
+ to the same relay. CDP commands flow through; the extension
+ forwards them to Chrome and sends responses back. No Chrome restart,
+ no flags, no special setup.
- No Chrome restart required. No --remote-debugging-port{" "}
- flags. The extension handles the CDP attachment transparently, and
- the relay multiplexes sessions so multiple agents or CLI instances
- can work with the same browser simultaneously.
+ The relay multiplexes sessions, so multiple agents
+ or CLI instances can work with the same browser at the same time.
+
+ Because the agent works in your browser, you can + collaborate. You see everything it does in real time. When it hits + a captcha, you solve it. When a consent wall + appears, you click through it. When the agent gets stuck, you + disable the extension on that tab, fix things manually, re-enable + it, and the agent picks up where it left off. +
+ ++ You{"'"}re not watching a remote screen or reading logs after the + fact. You{"'"}re sharing a browser {" \u2014 "} the + agent does the repetitive work, you step in when it needs a human.
- The core feedback loop is observe → act → observe. - Accessibility snapshots are the primary way to read page state. They return - the full interactive element tree as text, with Playwright locators attached - to every element. + Your agent needs to see the page before it can act. + Accessibility snapshots return every interactive element as text, + with Playwright locators attached. 5{"\u2013"}20KB instead of + 100KB+ for a screenshot {" \u2014 "} cheaper, faster, and the + agent can parse them without vision.
- Snapshots are text. They cost a fraction of what screenshots cost in - tokens. Use them as your primary debugging tool. Only reach for - screenshots when spatial layout matters — grids, dashboards, maps. + Use snapshots as the primary way to read pages. Only + reach for screenshots when spatial layout matters {" \u2014 "} grids, + dashboards, maps.
-
- For pages where spatial layout matters,{" "}
+ When the agent needs to understand where things are on
+ screen,{" "}
screenshotWithAccessibilityLabels overlays{" "}
- Vimium-style labels on every interactive element. Take a screenshot,
- read the labels, click by reference.
+ Vimium-style labels on every interactive element.
+ The agent sees the screenshot, reads the labels, and clicks by
+ reference.
- Each session runs in an isolated sandbox with its own{" "}
- state object. Variables, pages, listeners
- persist between calls within a session. Different sessions get
- different state. Browser tabs are shared.
+ Run multiple agents at once without them stepping on
+ each other. Each session is an isolated sandbox with its own{" "}
+ state object. Variables, pages, and listeners
+ persist between calls. Browser tabs are shared, but state is not.
- Full Chrome DevTools Protocol access. Set breakpoints, step through - code, inspect variables at runtime. Live-edit page scripts and CSS - without reloading. + Things no other browser MCP can do. Set breakpoints, + step through code, inspect variables at runtime. Live-edit + page scripts and CSS without reloading. Full Chrome DevTools + Protocol access, not a watered-down subset.
- Intercept requests and responses to reverse-engineer APIs, scrape
- data, or debug network issues. Store captured data in{" "}
- state and analyze across calls.
+ Let the agent watch network traffic to
+ reverse-engineer APIs, scrape data behind JavaScript rendering,
+ or debug failing requests. Captured data lives in{" "}
+ state and persists across calls.
- This is faster than scrolling through DOM. Capture the real API - calls, inspect their schemas, and replay them with different - parameters. Works for pagination, authenticated endpoints, and - anything behind JavaScript rendering. + Faster than scraping the DOM. The agent captures the + real API calls, inspects their schemas, and replays them with + different parameters. Works for pagination, authenticated endpoints, + and anything behind client-side rendering.
- Record the active tab as video using{" "}
- chrome.tabCapture. The recording runs in
- the extension context, so it survives page navigation. Video is saved
- as MP4.
+ Have the agent record what it{"'"}s doing as MP4
+ video. The recording uses chrome.tabCapture and
+ runs in the extension context, so it survives page
+ navigation.
- How Playwriter compares to other browser automation approaches. + Why use this over the alternatives.
- Control Chrome on any machine from anywhere over the internet. - The relay runs on the host alongside Chrome. - A{" "} + Control Chrome on a remote machine {" \u2014 "} a headless + Mac mini, a cloud VM, a devcontainer. A{" "} traforo{" "} - tunnel exposes it through Cloudflare, giving you a secure public URL. - No VPN, no firewall rules, no port forwarding. + tunnel exposes the relay through Cloudflare. No VPN, no + firewall rules, no port forwarding.
- Also works on a LAN without tunnels — just set{" "}
+ Also works on a LAN without tunnels {" \u2014 "} just set{" "}
- Playwriter is local by default. The relay runs on{" "}
- PLAYWRITER_HOST=192.168.1.10. Works for MCP
- too — set PLAYWRITER_HOST and{" "}
+ too {" \u2014 "} set PLAYWRITER_HOST and{" "}
PLAYWRITER_TOKEN in your MCP client env config.
Use cases: headless Mac mini, remote user support,
multi-machine automation, dev from a VM or devcontainer.
@@ -454,28 +483,27 @@ export default function IndexPage() {
localhost:19988 and only accepts connections
- from the extension. There's no remote server, no account, no
- telemetry.
+ Everything runs on your machine. The relay binds
+ to localhost:19988 and only accepts connections
+ from the extension. No remote server, no account, no telemetry.