Playwright MCP

Browser automation via Playwright MCP server. Navigate websites, click elements, fill forms, extract data, take screenshots, and perform full browser automation workflows.

Security Scan

The skill's requested binaries, install method, and runtime instructions align with a Playwright MCP browser-automation tool; nothing in the package or SKILL.md is obviously inconsistent, but the npm-sourced install and lack of a homepage/author metadata leave some supply-chain uncertainty.

Purpose & Capability

The name/description (Playwright MCP browser automation) match the declared requirements: the skill lists the playwright-mcp binary and npx and provides an npm install for @playwright/mcp. The tools described (navigate, click, evaluate, screenshot, upload) are expected for a browser-automation skill.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md contains concrete instructions to start the MCP server and call browser tools. It does not instruct the agent to read unrelated system files or environment variables. However, browser automation inherently has access to web content and (via browser_choose_file and output options) may interact with local files and produce extracted data — this is expected but something users should consciously restrict (allowed-hosts, blocked-origins, filesystem root restriction).

Install Mechanism

Install uses npm (@playwright/mcp) which is a reasonable and common distribution method for Playwright tooling. This is a moderate supply-chain risk compared with no-install skills; review of the npm package and its maintainers is advisable because the skill metadata lacks a homepage and source repository.

Credentials

The skill requests no environment variables, no config paths, and only needs the Playwright MCP binary and npx. Those requirements are proportional to the described functionality.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill does not request system-wide configuration changes or permanent presence. It does not request elevated privileges in the metadata or via SKILL.md.

Assessment

This skill appears internally consistent for running Playwright MCP, but take these precautions before installing: 1) Verify the npm package: inspect its publisher, repository URL, and recent versions (npm view @playwright/mcp, review package contents or source repo). 2) Run the MCP server in a sandboxed environment (container, VM) and not as root. 3) Configure --allowed-hosts and --blocked-origins, and limit filesystem access (keep output-dir inside a controlled workspace). 4) Be aware that browser automation can access page data and local files (browser_choose_file and evaluate can be used to read and exfiltrate data); only allow trusted targets. 5) If you need high assurance, review the package source code or use an official Playwright distribution from a known repository. If you want, I can show commands to inspect the npm package metadata and contents before installing.

Playwright MCP Skill

Browser automation powered by Playwright MCP server. Control Chrome, Firefox, or WebKit programmatically.

Installation

npm install -g @playwright/mcp
# Or
npx @playwright/mcp

Install browsers (first time):

npx playwright install chromium

Quick Start

Start MCP Server (STDIO mode)

npx @playwright/mcp

Start with Options

# Headless mode
npx @playwright/mcp --headless

# Specific browser
npx @playwright/mcp --browser firefox

# With viewport
npx @playwright/mcp --viewport-size 1280x720

# Ignore HTTPS errors
npx @playwright/mcp --ignore-https-errors

Common Use Cases

1. Navigate and Extract Data

# MCP tools available:
# - browser_navigate: Open URL
# - browser_click: Click element
# - browser_type: Type text
# - browser_select_option: Select dropdown
# - browser_get_text: Extract text content
# - browser_evaluate: Run JavaScript
# - browser_snapshot: Get page structure
# - browser_close: Close browser

2. Form Interaction

1. browser_navigate to form URL
2. browser_type into input fields
3. browser_click to submit
4. browser_get_text to verify result

3. Data Extraction

1. browser_navigate to page
2. browser_evaluate to run extraction script
3. Parse returned JSON data

MCP Tools Reference

Tool	Description
browser_navigate	Navigate to URL
browser_click	Click element by selector
browser_type	Type text into input
browser_select_option	Select dropdown option
browser_get_text	Get text content
browser_evaluate	Execute JavaScript
browser_snapshot	Get accessible page snapshot
browser_close	Close browser context
browser_choose_file	Upload file
browser_press	Press keyboard key

Configuration Options

# Security
--allowed-hosts example.com,api.example.com
--blocked-origins malicious.com
--ignore-https-errors

# Browser settings
--browser chromium|firefox|webkit
--headless
--viewport-size 1920x1080
--user-agent "Custom Agent"

# Timeouts
--timeout-action 10000      # Action timeout (ms)
--timeout-navigation 30000  # Navigation timeout (ms)

# Output
--output-dir ./playwright-output
--save-trace
--save-video 1280x720

Examples

Login to Website

browser_navigate: { url: "https://example.com/login" }
browser_type: { selector: "#username", text: "user" }
browser_type: { selector: "#password", text: "pass" }
browser_click: { selector: "#submit" }
browser_get_text: { selector: ".welcome-message" }

Extract Table Data

browser_navigate: { url: "https://example.com/data" }
browser_evaluate: { 
  script: "() => { return Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('table tr')).map(r => r.textContent); }" 
}

Screenshot

browser_navigate: { url: "https://example.com" }
browser_evaluate: { script: "() => { document.body.style.zoom = 1; return true; }" }
# Screenshot saved via --output-dir or returned in response

Security Notes

• By default restricts file system access to workspace root
• Host validation prevents navigation to untrusted domains
• Sandboxing enabled by default (use --no-sandbox with caution)
• Service workers blocked by default

Troubleshooting

# Update browsers
npx playwright install chromium

# Debug mode
npx @playwright/mcp --headless=false --output-mode=stdout

# Check installation
playwright-mcp --version

Links

• Playwright Docs
• MCP Protocol
• NPM Package