Playwright Driver Skill

Soul

Before anything else, read and internalize soul.md in this skill directory. It defines WHO you are — a thin executor, not an orchestrator. Every action in this session should reflect that identity.

Phase 0: Bootstrap Gate

Read skills/_shared/bootstrap-gate.md and execute the gate check. If GATE_CLOSED, invoke skills/bootstrap/SKILL.md and wait for completion. If GATE_OPEN, continue.

<HARD-GATE> This driver wraps `playwright` (Apache-2.0, Microsoft). It does NOT use `@playwright/mcp` for browser drive — MCP is ~4× more expensive in tokens per test (Microsoft's own benchmark: ~114K tokens MCP vs ~27K CLI). The R5 grep-canary in `scripts/lib/validate/check-playwright-mcp-canary.mjs` enforces this: any reference to `@playwright/mcp` or `playwright-mcp` under `skills/playwright-driver/**` or `scripts/lib/test-runner/**` fails validate-plugin. </HARD-GATE>

Package Note — PRD Correction (Read This First)

The PRD originally referenced @playwright/cli — that wording is WRONG. Do not use it.

Package	Version (2026-05-14)	Status
`playwright`	1.60.0	Canonical — use this
`@playwright/test`	1.60.0	Test framework (same release train)
`@playwright/cli`	0.1.13	Unrelated, unstable — DO NOT USE
`@playwright/mcp`	0.0.75	MCP adapter — R5 hard-gate blocks this

Verified via npm view playwright version → 1.60.0 (2026-05-14 probe). The binary the orchestrator dispatches is named playwright (not playwright-cli), and it is deliberately the TARGET repo's own @playwright/test dependency — the driver never relies on a globally installed binary, so scripts/lib/playwright-driver/runner.mjs aborts with exit 2 when the target cannot resolve Playwright locally rather than letting npx download it mid-run. Use playwright@^1.60.0 for compatible-minor updates or pin to playwright@1.60.0 for reproducibility.

Install

Install into the TARGET repo — that is the only install this driver uses, in CI and locally alike:

npm install --save-dev @playwright/test@1.60.0
npx playwright install chromium    # download browser binaries

Both commands run in the target repo, so npx resolves the local binary. A global install is neither used nor sufficient: the driver's preflight requires @playwright/test (or playwright) under the target's own node_modules.

Canonical Usage

The orchestrator (skills/test-runner/) dispatches this driver via Bash. Session naming follows the artifact-paths contract:

RUN_ID="${pid}-${ms_timestamp}"      # from scripts/lib/test-runner/artifact-paths.mjs:makeRunId()
RUN_DIR=".orchestrator/metrics/test-runs/${RUN_ID}"

# Output paths via env vars (Playwright canonical):
#   PLAYWRIGHT_HTML_OUTPUT_DIR=${RUN_DIR}/report
#   PLAYWRIGHT_JSON_OUTPUT_FILE=${RUN_DIR}/results.json
#   PLAYWRIGHT_HTML_OPEN=never
PLAYWRIGHT_HTML_OUTPUT_DIR="${RUN_DIR}/report" \
PLAYWRIGHT_JSON_OUTPUT_FILE="${RUN_DIR}/results.json" \
PLAYWRIGHT_HTML_OPEN=never \
playwright test \
  --output "${RUN_DIR}/test-results" \
  --reporter html,json \
  --trace on \
  --project chromium

Canonical: see https://playwright.dev/docs/test-reporters — reporter names are comma-separated; paths flow via env vars. See scripts/lib/playwright-driver/runner.mjs for the canonical invocation.

The orchestrator provides RUN_ID and RUN_DIR via environment variables. The driver reads these, executes Playwright, and exits. Nothing else.

Artifact Layout

All artifacts land under ${RUN_DIR}/. Structure:

.orchestrator/metrics/test-runs/<run-id>/
  results.json          # Playwright JSON reporter output — orchestrator parses this
  report/
    index.html          # HTML report (served via `playwright show-report ${RUN_DIR}/report`)
  test-results/
    <test-name>/
      trace.zip         # Playwright trace bundle (open via `playwright show-trace`)
  screenshots/          # pre-created by runner.mjs; content written by test fixtures
    <test-name>-<step>.png   # per-step screenshots (written by test fixture via page.screenshot())
  ax-snapshots/         # pre-created by runner.mjs; content written by test fixtures
    <test-name>.yaml    # Playwright AX-tree dump via page.accessibility.snapshot() (written by test fixture, NOT by driver)
    axe-<route-slug>-<timestamp>.json  # axe-core JSON output (written by test fixture using @axe-core/playwright, NOT by driver)
  console.log           # NDJSON console output (written by test fixture via page.on('console', ...), NOT by driver)

Division of responsibility:

runner.mjs (driver): spawns playwright test, sets reporter env vars (PLAYWRIGHT_HTML_OUTPUT_DIR, PLAYWRIGHT_JSON_OUTPUT_FILE, PLAYWRIGHT_HTML_OPEN), pre-creates ax-snapshots/ and screenshots/ directories before spawn so test fixtures can write into them without racing, captures the process exit code, and routes reporter output to results.json / report/.
Test fixtures (in target repo): navigate pages, emit AX-tree snapshots, run axe-core scans, capture screenshots, and append console NDJSON — all using the RUN_DIR env var provided by the driver.

Token discipline: NEVER inline AX-tree dumps into the coordinator context — they balloon to 50–200K tokens. Always write to disk under ${RUN_DIR}/ax-snapshots/. The ux-evaluator agent reads from disk, not from prompt context.

Token-Frugal AX Snapshot Pattern

Tests that need AX-tree data write it in the fixture, not via the driver:

// playwright.config.ts fixture pattern
test.afterEach(async ({ page }, testInfo) => {
  const snapshot = await page.accessibility.snapshot();
  const snapshotPath = path.join(
    process.env.RUN_DIR ?? '.orchestrator/metrics/test-runs/default',
    'ax-snapshots',
    `${testInfo.title.replace(/\s+/g, '-')}.yaml`
  );
  await fs.writeFile(snapshotPath, yaml.stringify(snapshot));
});

The driver itself never reads or forwards AX snapshots. It only controls invocation.

Console Capture Pattern

To capture console output as NDJSON:

// in test or fixture
page.on('console', (msg) => {
  const entry = JSON.stringify({
    ts: Date.now(),
    type: msg.type(),
    text: msg.text(),
    location: msg.location(),
  });
  fs.appendFileSync(path.join(process.env.RUN_DIR, 'console.log'), entry + '\n');
});

Headed vs Headless

Default: headless (CI-friendly). Operator override via profile:

playwright test --headed    # local debugging
playwright test --debug     # opens Playwright Inspector
playwright show-trace "${RUN_DIR}/test-results/<test>/trace.zip"
playwright show-report "${RUN_DIR}/report"

The test-runner profile registry (.orchestrator/policy/test-profiles.json) controls headed/headless and browser selection — the driver stays simple and reads these from environment variables set by the orchestrator.

Composability Contract

Invocation Shape

# Output paths via env vars (Playwright canonical):
#   PLAYWRIGHT_HTML_OUTPUT_DIR=${RUN_DIR}/report
#   PLAYWRIGHT_JSON_OUTPUT_FILE=${RUN_DIR}/results.json
#   PLAYWRIGHT_HTML_OPEN=never
bash -c "PLAYWRIGHT_HTML_OUTPUT_DIR=${RUN_DIR}/report \
  PLAYWRIGHT_JSON_OUTPUT_FILE=${RUN_DIR}/results.json \
  PLAYWRIGHT_HTML_OPEN=never \
  playwright test \
  --output ${RUN_DIR}/test-results \
  --reporter html,json \
  --trace on \
  --project ${PROFILE_PROJECT:-chromium}"

Canonical: see https://playwright.dev/docs/test-reporters — reporter names are comma-separated; paths flow via env vars. See scripts/lib/playwright-driver/runner.mjs for the canonical invocation.

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning	Orchestrator Action
0	All tests passed	Record pass, continue
1	At least one test failed	Failures become findings (non-fatal)
2	Framework error (network, browser-install), or no local Playwright in the target repo (preflight)	Surface as driver error, halt run

Outputs the Orchestrator MUST Parse

${RUN_DIR}/results.json — Playwright JSON reporter format (testRun.{expected,unexpected,skipped,status})
${RUN_DIR}/test-results/**/trace.zip — trace bundles, one per test
${RUN_DIR}/screenshots/**/*.png — per-step screenshots
${RUN_DIR}/console.log — captured console as NDJSON
${RUN_DIR}/ax-snapshots/*.yaml — Playwright AX-tree dumps via page.accessibility.snapshot() (written by test fixtures)
${RUN_DIR}/ax-snapshots/axe-*.json — axe-core violation reports from @axe-core/playwright (written by test fixtures; consumed by ux-evaluator Check 2)

Version Pin + Upper-Bound Advisory

Pinned: playwright@1.60.0 (verified 2026-05-14). The 1.x line is the long-term stable track — Playwright has not announced a v2. Upper-bound advisory: re-validate this skill when upstream crosses 1.65; check for behavioral shifts in JSON reporter format and trace bundle schema before re-pinning.

Playwright Subcommands Reference

Subcommand	Purpose
`playwright test`	Run test suite
`playwright codegen <url>`	Record tests interactively
`playwright install`	Download browser binaries
`playwright show-report <dir>`	Serve HTML report locally
`playwright show-trace <zip>`	Open trace viewer
`playwright screenshot <url>`	Single-shot screenshot
`playwright open <url>`	Open browser with inspector

Anti-Patterns

DO NOT import @playwright/mcp for browser drive — 4× token cost. R5 grep-canary blocks this at validate-plugin time.
DO NOT inline AX-tree dumps into agent prompt context — always write to disk under ${RUN_DIR}/ax-snapshots/.
DO NOT invoke npx playwright per-test in a loop — install once, dispatch the local binary.
DO NOT mix Playwright runs with different session IDs — use the orchestrator's RUN_ID everywhere.
DO NOT use @playwright/cli@0.1.13 — that is an unrelated, low-version package. Use playwright@1.60.0.
DO NOT write artifacts outside ${RUN_DIR} — single source of truth for the orchestrator.

Sub-File Reference

File	Purpose
`soul.md`	Driver identity: thin wrapper, not orchestrator

playwright-driver

Files2

SKILL.mdskills/playwright-driver/SKILL.md