Getting Started with Playwriter MCP
Playwriter MCP enables Playwright to connect to your existing Chrome instance without requiring Chrome to be started in CDP mode. This allows AI assistants and automation tools to interact with your browser seamlessly through the Model Context Protocol.
Quick Start
Open a tab with the website you want to control via MCP. This could be any URL you want to automate or interact with.
Click the Playwriter MCP extension icon in your browser toolbar to attach the debugger to the current tab. The icon will turn green when successfully connected.
Open your terminal and run the following command to start the MCP server:
npx playwriterThis will start the relay server that bridges the extension with your MCP client.
Your MCP client (like Claude Desktop or other AI assistants) can now connect to the browser and control it using Playwright commands.
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.
Need Help?
For issues, feature requests, or contributions, visit the GitHub repository .