Welcome to Playwriter

Getting Started with Playwriter

Control your browser via Playwright API. Uses extension + CLI. No context bloat.

Installation

Install the extension

Add the Playwriter extension from the Chrome Web Store.

Open Chrome Web Store

Enable a tab

Click the extension icon on a tab. It turns green when connected.

Install the CLI and run a command

Install the CLI and start automating the browser:

npm i -g playwriter
playwriter -s 1 -e "await page.goto('https://example.com')"

Add the skill to your agent

Install the Playwriter skill so your agent can call the CLI:

npx -y skills add remorses/playwriter

Quick Start (CLI)

playwriter session new  # creates stateful sandbox, outputs session id (e.g. 1)
playwriter -s 1 -e "await page.goto('https://example.com')"
playwriter -s 1 -e "console.log(await accessibilitySnapshot({ page }))"
playwriter -s 1 -e "await page.locator('aria-ref=e5').click()"

How It Works

No new Chrome instances: Works with your current browser session
No CDP mode required: No need to restart Chrome with special flags
Full CDP access: Complete Chrome DevTools Protocol capabilities
Visual feedback: Extension icon changes color to indicate connection status

Icon States

Gray: Not connected to any tab
Green: Successfully connected and ready
Orange badge (...): Connecting to relay server
Red badge (!): Error occurred

Privacy & Security

Playwriter MCP runs locally in your browser and does not send any data to external servers. All browser control happens through the standard Chrome DevTools Protocol on your machine.

MCP Setup (Optional)

The CLI is the recommended way to use Playwriter. If you need MCP server setup, auto-configure it with:

npx -y @playwriter/install-mcp playwriter@latest

For full MCP instructions, see MCP.md.

Need Help?

For issues, feature requests, or contributions, visit the GitHub repository .