Playwright

Overview

From the repository's own README, as read at the audited commit.

## Playwright MCPA Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides browser automation capabilities using [Playwright](https://playwright.dev). This server enables LLMs to interact with web pages through structured accessibility snapshots, bypassing the need for screenshots or visually-tuned models.### Playwright MCP vs Playwright CLIThis package provides MCP interface into Playwright. If you are using a **coding agent**, you might benefit from using the [CLI+SKILLS](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright-cli) instead.- **CLI**: Modern **coding agents** increasingly favor CLI–based workflows exposed as SKILLs over MCP because CLI invocations are more token-efficient: they avoid loading large tool schemas and verbose accessibility trees into the model context, allowing agents to act through concise, purpose-built commands. This makes CLI + SKILLs better suited for high-throughput coding agents that must balance browser automation with large codebases, tests, and reasoning within limited context windows.<br>**Learn more about [Playwright CLI with SKILLS](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright-cli)**.- **MCP**: MCP remains relevant for specialized agentic loops that benefit from persistent state, rich introspection, and iterative reasoning over page structure, such as exploratory automation, self-healing tests, or long-running autonomous workflows where maintaining continuous browser context outweighs token cost concerns.### Key Features- **Fast and lightweight**. Uses Playwright's accessibility tree, not pixel-based input.- **LLM-friendly**. No vision models needed, operates purely on structured data.- **Deterministic tool application**. Avoids ambiguity common with screenshot-based approaches.### Requirements- Node.js 18 or newer- VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop, Goose, Grok, Junie or any other MCP client<!--// Generate using:node utils/generate-links.js-->### Getting startedFirst, install the Playwright MCP server with your client.**Standard config** wo

Connect

Built from this server's own package name, version and transport as found in its source — not copied from anyone's documentation, so it cannot drift against a page we do not control.

claude mcp add mcp -- npx -y @playwright/[email protected]

Details

Source

microsoft/playwright-mcp

npm

@playwright/mcp@0.0.81

Transports

stdio

Tools

Registered at runtime; the list could not be read from source.

License

Apache-2.0

Stars

37,226 · pushed 0d ago

Trust audit

Nothing in the source contradicts what it says it does. Grade A is reserved for packages that have also passed the behavioural sandbox.

What the source does

Filesystem

declared (2 observation(s))

Network

declared (1 observation(s))

Shell

declared (3 observation(s))

Dependencies

not all pinned

Secrets in source

found

Findings (6)

-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----

import type * as playwright from '../../..';

MCP_VERSION=$(node -p "require('../../package.json').version")

@modelcontextprotocol/sdk, @types/node

| --allow-unrestricted-file-access | allow access to files outside of the workspace roots. Also allows unrestricted access to file:// URLs. By default access to file system is restricted to workspace 

Gates applied: no_behavioural_pass.

Audited 2026-09-18 · audit v0.4.0 · source sha 146dc5a010d0 · full audit: observations/trust-audit/mcp-server/microsoft__playwright-5.json · Report an issue or request a re-scan

Audit history

Alternatives

Other servers in the same categories, safer ones first.

Questions