Quality Engineering Playwright Cli

What the source does

• FilesystemNone observedNo reads or writes in the source
• NetworkNone observedNo outbound calls in the source
• ShellNone observedNo commands run in the source
• DependenciesPinnedNothing floats
• SecretsNone foundNo keys in source

Five audit layers

Gates applied: no behavioural pass.

Audit 0.4.1 · source sha 6f5be687a268 · 14 Oct 2026Report an issue or request a re-scan

• PublisherHoangNguyen0403 GitHub userOwner of the repository this skill is read from
• Source folderHoangNguyen0403/agent-skills-standard/.codex/skills/quality-engineering/quality-engineering-playwright-cliThe exact folder we audited
• LicenceMITAs the repository states it
• Commit pinned for this verdict6f5be687a268A new audit runs when the source changes
• Repository statusNot archivedPushed today
• Sandboxed runNot runSkills are read, not executed; layer L4 is skipped

Its description: Standardizes token-efficient browser automation via playwright-cli, with Playwright MCP as the fallback driver. Runs a preflight, picks the driver rung, captures aria snapshots/console/screenshots into a named evidence…

---
name: quality-engineering-playwright-cli
description: Standardizes token-efficient browser automation via playwright-cli, with Playwright MCP as the fallback driver. Runs a preflight, picks the driver rung, captures aria snapshots/console/screenshots into a named evidence dir. Use for web verification, navigation, and capturing snapshots/logs.
metadata:
  triggers:
    keywords:
    - playwright-cli
    - playwright mcp
    - browser_snapshot
    - browser automation
    - web verify
    - browser navigate
    - page verification
    - playwright-cli install
---

# 🎭 Playwright CLI (Web Automation)

## **Priority: P1 (HIGH)**

> [!IMPORTANT]
> **Tier 0 (Infrastructure)**: Browser process management, named sessions, network/console logs.
> **Tier 1 (Core Interactions)**: Clicks, fills, and navigation (`open` vs `goto`).
> **Tier 2 (Verification)**: Snapshot-based assertions and auth state persistence.

## 🔌 Activation

**Triggers**: `playwright-cli`, `playwright mcp`, `browser_snapshot`, `browser automation`, `web verify`, `snapshot`, `auth-state.json`.

## 🪜 Driver Ladder

1. `sh scripts/preflight.sh` — exit 0 found, 2 missing, 1 broken. `PLAYWRIGHT_CLI_BIN` overrides lookup.
2. `playwright-cli -s={ID}` — default when preflight passes and a shell exists.
3. Playwright MCP (`browser_navigate` → `browser_snapshot` → `browser_console_messages` → `browser_take_screenshot` → `browser_close`), launched `--isolated --headless --output-dir .playwright-cli/{ID}`. Use when CLI missing or runtime has no shell (Antigravity, Copilot). `--extension` opt-in only: not a security boundary.
4. Neither: ask for exported screenshots + console log; label `human-provided`.
5. Nothing exported: return `BLOCKED (driver: playwright)`, continue other lanes.

One driver per session. Full table: [driver-ladder](references/driver-ladder.md).

## 🛠 Core Workflow

| Step | Command | Purpose |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 1 | `playwright-cli -s={ID} open <url>` | Start **named session**. (Mandatory `-s=`). |
| 2 | `playwright-cli -s={ID} snapshot --aria` | **Aria Snapshot**: YAML-like view for LLM reasoning (Best for assertions). |
| 3 | `playwright-cli -s={ID} console` | Check for JS errors/warnings. |
| 4 | `playwright-cli -s={ID} screenshot` | Visual evidence. Use `--mask <ref>` for dynamic content. |
| 5 | `playwright-cli -s={ID} close` | **MANDATORY Cleanup**. |

For a sticky header that appears after scrolling, scroll until the header is visible, use `hover` on the header (or its stable role/reference) to establish the visible state, then capture the `screenshot`. Keep the named session open until the evidence is captured.

## 📁 Evidence

`.playwright-cli/{ID}/` (MCP: same dir via `--output-dir`). Files: `<AC|step>-<before|after>.png`, `<AC|step>-<before|after>.aria.txt`, `console.txt`; `trace.zip` only on a FAIL needing replay. Walkthrough records `driver:` + `evidence_dir:`. Relative paths only; CLI refuses writes outside cwd.

## 💡 Agent-Native Optimization
- **Aria-First**: Use `snapshot --aria` as primary way to "see" page. Filters noise.
- **Robust Locators**: Prefer Role-based references (e.g. `button[name="Submit"]`) over fragile CSS classes.
- **Visual Stability**: evaluated `document.body.style.animation = 'none'` to freeze animations before capture.

## 🚫 Anti-Patterns (Zero-Tolerance)

- **Unnamed Sessions**: Never omit `-s=`. Bare commands collide across concurrent runs.
- **Double Open**: Use `open` for first run; `goto` for mid-session navigation.
- **Unmasked Snapshots**: Mask clocks/random IDs before comparison to avoid false positives.
- **Orphaned Processes**: Always `close` session, even on failure.

## ✅ Evaluation Criteria

- **Cleanup Rate**: 100% session closure.
- **Assertion Quality**: 90% of assertions use `snapshot` rather than pixels.
- **Auth Persistence**: Successful re-use of `state-load` for multi-step flows.

## 🔗 References

- **Web Visual Testing**: [common-web-visual-testing](../../common/common-web-visual-testing/SKILL.md) — Methodology for what to verify.
- **Driver Ladder**: [driver-ladder](references/driver-ladder.md) — CLI ↔ MCP equivalence, launch flags, degradation rules.
- **Setup**: [setup](references/setup.md) — install, MCP registration snippet, security, alternatives not adopted.
- **Anti-Patterns Rationale**: [anti-patterns-rationale](references/anti-patterns-rationale.md) — Why these rules exist.

## Canonical response anchors

When this skill applies, preserve the following domain terminology or equivalent concrete examples in the answer when relevant:
- 🎭 Playwright CLI (Web Automation)

## Remediation anchors

- Remediation anchors: hover, screenshot

Excerpt, first 4,673 characters of SKILL.md, verbatim from the audited commit. It is text from someone else’s repository, quoted so you can judge it before your agent reads it.

1. 2026-10-14
   ✓SAFE B 89 / 100

   first audit · source 6f5be687a268

Questions about Quality Engineering Playwright Cli

• github.com/HoangNguyen0403/agent-skills-standard/tree/develop/.c — the audited source at commit 6f5be687a268 and every finding aboveObserved · 14 Oct 2026

Spotted something wrong? Report a correction · Methodology