Browser Automation with playwright-cli

Quick start

When opening the browser, launch it in headed mode unless there is a specific request from the user.

bash

# First, check if an existing session is available
playwright-cli session-list

# If no session exists, configure a new one
playwright-cli config --headed

# Open the browser (uses existing session if available)
playwright-cli open https://playwright.dev
playwright-cli click e15
playwright-cli type "page.click"
playwright-cli press Enter

Core workflow

•Check for existing session: playwright-cli session-list
•Configure if needed: playwright-cli config --headed
•Navigate: playwright-cli open https://example.com
•Interact using refs from the snapshot
•Re-snapshot after significant changes

Session Management Best Practices

IMPORTANT: Preserve existing sessions to maintain authentication state.

Before Starting Work

Always check for existing sessions first:

bash

playwright-cli session-list

When to Create a New Session

Only run playwright-cli config when:

•No session exists (empty session-list output)
•You need different browser settings (e.g., switching browsers or headed/headless mode)
•You explicitly need to start fresh

Benefits of Session Reuse

•Authentication state preserved: Stay logged in across commands
•Reduced overhead: Skip browser initialization
•Natural workflow: Continue where you left off

Example: Working with Authenticated Pages

bash

# First time: Check and configure if needed
playwright-cli session-list
playwright-cli config --headed

# Login to a site
playwright-cli open https://example.com/login
playwright-cli fill e1 "username"
playwright-cli fill e2 "password"
playwright-cli click e3

# Later: Reuse the authenticated session
# No need to run config again - just open the page
playwright-cli open https://example.com/dashboard
playwright-cli snapshot

Managing Multiple Sessions

Use named sessions for different contexts:

bash

# Work session for authenticated testing
playwright-cli --session=work config --headed
playwright-cli --session=work open https://app.example.com

# Test session for anonymous browsing
playwright-cli --session=test config --headed --isolated
playwright-cli --session=test open https://example.com

Commands

Core

bash

playwright-cli config --headed
playwright-cli open https://example.com/
playwright-cli close
playwright-cli type "search query"
playwright-cli click e3
playwright-cli dblclick e7
playwright-cli fill e5 "user@example.com"
playwright-cli drag e2 e8
playwright-cli hover e4
playwright-cli select e9 "option-value"
playwright-cli upload ./document.pdf
playwright-cli check e12
playwright-cli uncheck e12
playwright-cli snapshot
playwright-cli eval "document.title"
playwright-cli eval "el => el.textContent" e5
playwright-cli dialog-accept
playwright-cli dialog-accept "confirmation text"
playwright-cli dialog-dismiss
playwright-cli resize 1920 1080

Navigation

bash

playwright-cli go-back
playwright-cli go-forward
playwright-cli reload

Keyboard

bash

playwright-cli press Enter
playwright-cli press ArrowDown
playwright-cli keydown Shift
playwright-cli keyup Shift

Mouse

bash

playwright-cli mousemove 150 300
playwright-cli mousedown
playwright-cli mousedown right
playwright-cli mouseup
playwright-cli mouseup right
playwright-cli mousewheel 0 100

Save as

bash

playwright-cli screenshot
playwright-cli screenshot e5
playwright-cli pdf

Tabs

bash

playwright-cli tab-list
playwright-cli tab-new
playwright-cli tab-new https://example.com/page
playwright-cli tab-close
playwright-cli tab-close 2
playwright-cli tab-select 0

DevTools

bash

playwright-cli console
playwright-cli console warning
playwright-cli network
playwright-cli run-code "async page => await page.context().grantPermissions(['geolocation'])"
playwright-cli tracing-start
playwright-cli tracing-stop
playwright-cli video-start
playwright-cli video-stop video.webm

Configuration

bash

# Configure the session
playwright-cli config my-config.json
# Configure named session
playwright-cli --session=mysession config my-config.json
# Start with configured session
playwright-cli open --config=my-config.json

Sessions

bash

playwright-cli --session=mysession open example.com
playwright-cli --session=mysession click e6
playwright-cli config --headed --isolated --browser=firefox
playwright-cli session-list
playwright-cli session-stop mysession
playwright-cli session-stop-all
playwright-cli session-delete
playwright-cli session-delete mysession

Example: Form submission

bash

playwright-cli open https://example.com/form
playwright-cli snapshot

playwright-cli fill e1 "user@example.com"
playwright-cli fill e2 "password123"
playwright-cli click e3
playwright-cli snapshot

Example: Multi-tab workflow

bash

playwright-cli open https://example.com
playwright-cli tab-new https://example.com/other
playwright-cli tab-list
playwright-cli tab-select 0
playwright-cli snapshot

Example: Debugging with DevTools

bash

playwright-cli open https://example.com
playwright-cli click e4
playwright-cli fill e7 "test"
playwright-cli console
playwright-cli network

bash

playwright-cli open https://example.com
playwright-cli tracing-start
playwright-cli click e4
playwright-cli fill e7 "test"
playwright-cli tracing-stop

Important Notes

Working Directory Management

CRITICAL: Always execute playwright-cli from the current working directory.

•DO NOT use cd commands: playwright-cli is available in PATH and can be executed from anywhere
•Maintain current directory: All playwright-cli commands should run in the user's current working directory
•Output file location: Screenshots, PDFs, and other files are saved to the current directory

Example of CORRECT usage:

bash

# User is in /path/to/project
playwright-cli session-list
playwright-cli open https://example.com
playwright-cli screenshot page.png
# page.png is saved to /path/to/project/page.png

Example of INCORRECT usage:

bash

# DO NOT DO THIS
cd /some/other/directory  # ❌ Wrong - never change directory
playwright-cli open https://example.com

Why This Matters

•Predictable output location: Users expect files in their current directory
•Workflow consistency: Maintains context with other development tools
•No surprises: Avoids files being saved to unexpected locations