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playwright · bobmatnyc — Claude Code skill: browser E2E tests

A Playwright skill that guides the agent through writing end-to-end tests: locators, auto-wait, cross-browser runs. Useful when user flows need test coverage.

Install into Claude Code · Skills CLI (Vercel) All methods and platforms ↓
npx skills add bobmatnyc/claude-mpm-skills --skill playwright -a claude-code
Open on GitHub

What playwright does

The skill hands the agent a Playwright reference: test structure, beforeEach and afterAll hooks, locator strategies, Page Object Model. Role-based locators get the most attention — getByRole, getByLabel, getByTestId survive markup changes better than CSS selectors.

A playwright.config.ts walkthrough covers parallel runs, retries, and projects for Chromium, Firefox, WebKit plus mobile Chrome. Network interception and debugging with UI mode and the trace viewer are in there too. Content loads in stages: a short summary first, the full text on demand.

The skill does not run your tests. Node.js and installed browsers are on you — npx playwright install. Skip that step and the run dies before the first assertion.

What it helps with

  • write an E2E test for the login flow
  • swap a brittle CSS selector for a stable locator
  • run one scenario across Chromium, Firefox and WebKit
  • set up retries and parallel workers in the config
  • trace a failing test in the trace viewer

Example prompts for the agent

  • Write an E2E test for checkout in checkout.spec.ts using role-based locators.
  • Move the login tests into a Page Object at pages/LoginPage.ts.
  • Add a mobile Chrome project and failure screenshots to playwright.config.ts.

How to install playwright

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add bobmatnyc/claude-mpm-skills --skill playwright -a claude-code

2Manually: put the files in place

~/.claude/skills/playwright/SKILL.md

Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/playwright/

Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways

Questions about playwright

How do I install the playwright skill in Claude Code?

Run npx skills add bobmatnyc/claude-mpm-skills --skill playwright -a claude-code. The skill file then lands at ~/.claude/skills/playwright/SKILL.md.

What does the playwright skill do?

It tells the agent how to write Playwright tests: structure, hooks, locators, config, debugging. The test code itself goes into your project.

What do I need before tests can run?

Node.js and browsers installed with npx playwright install. Without them the run never starts.

Source text

SKILL.md · MIT
---
name: playwright
description: "Playwright modern end-to-end testing framework with cross-browser automation, auto-wait, and built-in test runner"
user-invocable: false
disable-model-invocation: true
progressive_disclosure:
  entry_point:
    summary: "Playwright modern end-to-end testing framework with cross-browser automation, auto-wait, and built-in test runner"
    when_to_use: "When writing tests, implementing playwright-e2e-testing, or ensuring code quality."
    quick_start: "1. Review the core concepts below. 2. Apply patterns to your use case. 3. Follow best practices for implementation."
---
# Playwright E2E Testing Skill

---
progressive_disclosure:
  entry_point:
    summary: "Modern E2E testing framework with cross-browser automation and built-in test runner"
    when_to_use:
      - "When testing web applications end-to-end"
      - "When needing cross-browser testing"
      - "When testing user flows and interactions"
      - "When needing screenshot/video recording"
    quick_start:
      - "npm init playwright@latest"
      - "Choose TypeScript and test location"
      - "npx playwright test"
      - "npx playwright show-report"
  token_estimate:
    entry: 75-90
    full: 4200-5200
---

<!-- ENTRY POINT - Load this section by default (75-90 tokens) -->

## Overview

Playwright is a modern end-to-end testing framework that provides cross-browser automation with a built-in test runner, auto-wait mechanisms, and excellent developer experience.

### Key Features
- **Auto-wait**: Automatically waits for elements to be ready
- **Cross-browser**: Chromium, Firefox, WebKit support
- **Built-in runner**: Parallel execution, retries, reporters
- **Network control**: Mock and intercept network requests
- **Debugging**: UI mode, trace viewer, inspector

---

<!-- FULL CONTENT - Load on demand (4200-5200 tokens) -->

## Installation

```bash
# Initialize new Playwright project
npm init playwright@latest

# Or add to existing project
npm install -D @playwright/test

# Install browsers
npx playwright install
```

### Configuration

```typescript
// playwright.config.ts
import { defineConfig, devices } from '@playwright/test';

export default defineConfig({
  testDir: './tests',
  fullyParallel: true,
  forbidOnly: !!process.env.CI,
  retries: process.env.CI ? 2 : 0,
  workers: process.env.CI ? 1 : undefined,
  reporter: 'html',

  use: {
    baseURL: 'http://localhost:3000',
    trace: 'on-first-retry',
    screenshot: 'only-on-failure',
  },

  projects: [
    {
      name: 'chromium',
      use: { ...devices['Desktop Chrome'] },
    },
    {
      name: 'firefox',
      use: { ...devices['Desktop Firefox'] },
    },
    {
      name: 'webkit',
      use: { ...devices['Desktop Safari'] },
    },
    {
      name: 'Mobile Chrome',
      use: { ...devices['Pixel 5'] },
    },
  ],

  webServer: {
    command: 'npm run start',
    url: 'http://localhost:3000',
    reuseExistingServer: !process.env.CI,
  },
});
```

## Fundamentals

### Basic Test Structure

```typescript
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test('basic test', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://example.com');

  // Wait for element and check visibility
  const title = page.locator('h1');
  await expect(title).toBeVisible();
  await expect(title).toHaveText('Example Domain');

  // Get page title
  await expect(page).toHaveTitle(/Example/);
});

test.describe('User authentication', () => {
  test('should login successfully', async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('/login');
    await page.fill('[name="username"]', 'testuser');
    await page.fill('[name="password"]', 'password123');
    await page.click('button[type="submit"]');

    await expect(page).toHaveURL('/dashboard');
    await expect(page.locator('.welcome-message')).toContainText('Welcome');
  });

  test('should show error for invalid credentials', async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('/login');
    await page.fill('[name="username"]', 'invalid');
    await page.fill('[name="password"]', 'wrong');
    await page.click('button[type="submit"]');

    await expect(page.locator('.error-message')).toBeVisible();
    await expect(page.locator('.error-message')).toHaveText('Invalid credentials');
  });
});
```

### Test Hooks

```typescript
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test.describe('Dashboard tests', () => {
  test.beforeEach(async ({ page }) => {
    // Run before each test
    await page.goto('/dashboard');
    await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle');
  });

  test.afterEach(async ({ page }) => {
    // Cleanup after each test
    await page.close();
  });

  test.beforeAll(async ({ browser }) => {
    // Run once before all tests in describe block
    console.log('Starting test suite');
  });

  test.afterAll(async ({ browser }) => {
    // Run once after all tests
    console.log('Test suite complete');
  });

  test('displays user data', async ({ page }) => {
    await expect(page.locator('.user-name')).toBeVisible();
  });
});
```

## Locator Strategies

### Best Practice: Role-based Locators

```typescript
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test('accessible locators', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/form');

  // By role (BEST - accessible and stable)
  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Submit' }).click();
  await page.getByRole('textbox', { name: 'Email' }).fill('[email protected]');
  await page.getByRole('checkbox', { name: 'Subscribe' }).check();
  await page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Learn more' }).click();

  // By label (good for forms)
  await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('secret123');

  // By placeholder
  await page.getByPlaceholder('Search...').fill('query');

  // By text
  await page.getByText('Welcome back').click();
  await page.getByText(/hello/i).isVisible();

  // By test ID (good for dynamic content)
  await page.getByTestId('user-profile').click();

  // By title
  await page.getByTitle('Close dialog').click();

  // By alt text (images)
  await page.getByAltText('User avatar').click();
});
```

### CSS and XPath Locators

```typescript
test('CSS and XPath locators', async ({ page }) => {
  // CSS selectors
  await page.locator('button.primary').click();
  await page.locator('#user-menu').click();
  await page.locator('[data-testid="submit-btn"]').click();
  await page.locator('div.card:first-child').click();

  // XPath (use sparingly)
  await page.locator('xpath=//button[contains(text(), "Submit")]').click();

  // Chaining locators
  const form = page.locator('form#login-form');
  await form.locator('input[name="email"]').fill('[email protected]');
  await form.locator('button[type="submit"]').click();

  // Filter locators
  await page.getByRole('listitem')
    .filter({ hasText: 'Product 1' })
    .getByRole('button', { name: 'Add to cart' })
    .click();
});
```

## Page Object Model

### Page Class Pattern

```typescript
// pages/LoginPage.ts
import { Page, Locator } from '@playwright/test';

export class LoginPage {
  readonly page: Page;
  readonly usernameInput: Locator;
  readonly passwordInput: Locator;
  readonly submitButton: Locator;
  readonly errorMessage: Locator;

  constructor(page: Page) {
    this.page = page;
    this.usernameInput = page.getByLabel('Username');
    this.passwordInput = page.getByLabel('Password');
    this.submitButton = page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Log in' });
    this.errorMessage = page.locator('.error-message');
  }

  async goto() {
    await this.page.goto('/login');
  }

  async login(username: string, password: string) {
    await this.usernameInput.fill(username);
    await this.passwordInput.fill(password);
    await this.submitButton.click();
  }

  async expectErrorMessage(message: string) {
    await this.errorMessage.waitFor({ state: 'visible' });
    await expect(this.errorMessage).toHaveText(message);
  }
}

// pages/DashboardPage.ts
export class DashboardPage {
  readonly page: Page;
  readonly welcomeMessage: Locator;
  readonly logoutButton: Locator;

  constructor(page: Page) {
    this.page = page;
    this.welcomeMessage = page.locator('.welcome-message');
    this.logoutButton = page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Logout' });
  }

  async waitForLoad() {
    await this.welcomeMessage.waitFor({ state: 'visible' });
  }

  async logout() {
    await this.logoutButton.click();
  }
}

// tests/auth.spec.ts
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';
import { LoginPage } from '../pages/LoginPage';
import { DashboardPage } from '../pages/DashboardPage';

test('successful login flow', async ({ page }) => {
  const loginPage = new LoginPage(page);
  const dashboard = new DashboardPage(page);

  await loginPage.goto();
  await loginPage.login('testuser', 'password123');

  await dashboard.waitForLoad();
  await expect(dashboard.welcomeMessage).toContainText('Welcome');
});
```

### Component Pattern

```typescript
// components/NavigationComponent.ts
import { Page, Locator } from '@playwright/test';

export class NavigationComponent {
  readonly page: Page;
  readonly homeLink: Locator;
  readonly profileLink: Locator;
  readonly searchInput: Locator;

  constructor(page: Page) {
    this.page = page;
    const nav = page.locator('nav');
    this.homeLink = nav.getByRole('link', { name: 'Home' });
    this.profileLink = nav.getByRole('link', { name: 'Profile' });
    this.searchInput = nav.getByPlaceholder('Search...');
  }

  async navigateToProfile() {
    await this.profileLink.click();
  }

  async search(query: string) {
    await this.searchInput.fill(query);
    await this.searchInput.press('Enter');
  }
}
```

## User Interactions

### Form Interactions

```typescript
test('form interactions', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/form');

  // Text inputs
  await page.fill('input[name="email"]', '[email protected]');
  await page.type('textarea[name="message"]', 'Hello', { delay: 100 });

  // Checkboxes
  await page.check('input[type="checkbox"][name="subscribe"]');
  await page.uncheck('input[type="checkbox"][name="spam"]');

  // Radio buttons
  await page.check('input[type="radio"][value="option1"]');

  // Select dropdowns
  await page.selectOption('select[name="country"]', 'US');
  await page.selectOption('select[name="color"]', { label: 'Blue' });
  await page.selectOption('select[name="size"]', { value: 'large' });

  // Multi-select
  await page.selectOption('select[multiple]', ['value1', 'value2']);

  // File uploads
  await page.setInputFiles('input[type="file"]', 'path/to/file.pdf');
  await page.setInputFiles('input[type="file"]', [
    'file1.jpg',
    'file2.jpg'
  ]);

  // Clear file input
  await page.setInputFiles('input[type="file"]', []);
});
```

### Mouse and Keyboard

```typescript
test('mouse and keyboard interactions', async ({ page }) => {
  // Click variations
  await page.click('button');
  await page.dblclick('button'); // Double click
  await page.click('button', { button: 'right' }); // Right click
  await page.click('button', { modifiers: ['Shift'] }); // Shift+click

  // Hover
  await page.hover('.tooltip-trigger');
  await expect(page.locator('.tooltip')).toBeVisible();

  // Drag and drop
  await page.dragAndDrop('#draggable', '#droppable');

  // Keyboard
  await page.keyboard.press('Enter');
  await page.keyboard.press('Control+A');
  await page.keyboard.type('Hello World');
  await page.keyboard.down('Shift');
  await page.keyboard.press('ArrowDown');
  await page.keyboard.up('Shift');

  // Focus
  await page.focus('input[name="email"]');
  await page.fill('input[name="email"]', '[email protected]');
});
```

### Waiting Strategies

```typescript
test('waiting strategies', async ({ page }) => {
  // Wait for element
  await page.waitForSelector('.dynamic-content');
  await page.waitForSelector('.modal', { state: 'visible' });
  await page.waitForSelector('.loading', { state: 'hidden' });

  // Wait for load state
  await page.waitForLoadState('load');
  await page.waitForLoadState('domcontentloaded');
  await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle');

  // Wait for URL
  await page.waitForURL('**/dashboard');
  await page.waitForURL(/\/product\/\d+/);

  // Wait for function
  await page.waitForFunction(() => {
    return document.querySelectorAll('.item').length > 5;
  });

  // Wait for timeout (avoid if possible)
  await page.waitForTimeout(1000);

  // Wait for event
  await page.waitForEvent('load');
  await page.waitForEvent('popup');
});
```

## Assertions

### Common Assertions

```typescript
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test('assertions', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/dashboard');

  // Visibility
  await expect(page.locator('.header')).toBeVisible();
  await expect(page.locator('.loading')).toBeHidden();
  await expect(page.locator('.optional')).not.toBeVisible();

  // Text content
  await expect(page.locator('h1')).toHaveText('Dashboard');
  await expect(page.locator('h1')).toContainText('Dash');
  await expect(page.locator('.message')).toHaveText(/welcome/i);

  // Attributes
  await expect(page.locator('button')).toBeEnabled();
  await expect(page.locator('button')).toBeDisabled();
  await expect(page.locator('input')).toHaveAttribute('type', 'email');
  await expect(page.locator('input')).toHaveValue('[email protected]');

  // CSS
  await expect(page.locator('.button')).toHaveClass('btn-primary');
  await expect(page.locator('.button')).toHaveClass(/btn-/);
  await expect(page.locator('.element')).toHaveCSS('color', 'rgb(255, 0, 0)');

  // Count
  await expect(page.locator('.item')).toHaveCount(5);

  // URL and title
  await expect(page).toHaveURL('http://localhost:3000/dashboard');
  await expect(page).toHaveURL(/dashboard$/);
  await expect(page).toHaveTitle('Dashboard - My App');
  await expect(page).toHaveTitle(/Dashboard/);

  // Screenshot comparison
  await expect(page).toHaveScreenshot('dashboard.png');
  await expect(page.locator('.widget')).toHaveScreenshot('widget.png');
});
```

### Custom Assertions

```typescript
test('custom matchers', async ({ page }) => {
  // Soft assertions (continue test on failure)
  await expect.soft(page.locator('.title')).toHaveText('Welcome');
  await expect.soft(page.locator('.subtitle')).toBeVisible();

  // Multiple elements
  const items = page.locator('.item');
  await expect(items).toHaveCount(3);
  await expect(items.nth(0)).toContainText('First');
  await expect(items.nth(1)).toContainText('Second');

  // Poll assertions
  await expect(async () => {
    const response = await page.request.get('/api/status');
    expect(response.ok()).toBeTruthy();
  }).toPass({
    timeout: 10000,
    intervals: [1000, 2000, 5000],
  });
});
```

## Authentication Patterns

### Storage State Pattern

```typescript
// auth.setup.ts - Run once to save auth state
import { test as setup } from '@playwright/test';

const authFile = 'playwright/.auth/user.json';

setup('authenticate', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/login');
  await page.fill('[name="username"]', 'testuser');
  await page.fill('[name="password"]', 'password123');
  await page.click('button[type="submit"]');

  await page.waitForURL('/dashboard');

  // Save authentication state
  await page.context().storageState({ path: authFile });
});

// playwright.config.ts
export default defineConfig({
  projects: [
    {
      name: 'setup',
      testMatch: /.*\.setup\.ts/,
    },
    {
      name: 'chromium',
      use: {
        ...devices['Desktop Chrome'],
        storageState: authFile,
      },
      dependencies: ['setup'],
    },
  ],
});

// tests/dashboard.spec.ts - Already authenticated
test('view dashboard', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/dashboard');
  // Already logged in!
  await expect(page.locator('.user-menu')).toBeVisible();
});
```

### Multiple User Roles

```typescript
// fixtures/auth.ts
import { test as base } from '@playwright/test';

type Fixtures = {
  adminPage: Page;
  userPage: Page;
};

export const test = base.extend<Fixtures>({
  adminPage: async ({ browser }, use) => {
    const context = await browser.newContext({
      storageState: 'playwright/.auth/admin.json',
    });
    const page = await context.newPage();
    await use(page);
    await context.close();
  },

  userPage: async ({ browser }, use) => {
    const context = await browser.newContext({
      storageState: 'playwright/.auth/user.json',
    });
    const page = await context.newPage();
    await use(page);
    await context.close();
  },
});

// tests/permissions.spec.ts
import { test } from '../fixtures/auth';

test('admin can access admin panel', async ({ adminPage }) => {
  await adminPage.goto('/admin');
  await expect(adminPage.locator('.admin-panel')).toBeVisible();
});

test('regular user cannot access admin panel', async ({ userPage }) => {
  await userPage.goto('/admin');
  await expect(userPage.locator('.access-denied')).toBeVisible();
});
```

## Network Control

### Request Mocking

```typescript
test('mock API responses', async ({ page }) => {
  // Mock API response
  await page.route('**/api/users', route => {
    route.fulfill({
      status: 200,
      contentType: 'application/json',
      body: JSON.stringify({
        users: [
          { id: 1, name: 'John Doe' },
          { id: 2, name: 'Jane Smith' },
        ],
      }),
    });
  });

  await page.goto('/users');
  await expect(page.locator('.user-list')).toContainText('John Doe');
});

test('mock with conditions', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.route('**/api/**', route => {
    const url = route.request().url();

    if (url.includes('/users/1')) {
      route.fulfill({
        status: 200,
        body: JSON.stringify({ id: 1, name: 'Test User' }),
      });
    } else if (url.includes('/users')) {
      route.fulfill({
        status: 200,
        body: JSON.stringify({ users: [] }),
      });
    } else {
      route.continue();
    }
  });
});

test('simulate network errors', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.route('**/api/data', route => {
    route.abort('failed');
  });

  await page.goto('/data');
  await expect(page.locator('.error-message')).toBeVisible();
});
```

### Request Interception

```typescript
test('intercept and modify requests', async ({ page }) => {
  // Modify request headers
  await page.route('**/api/**', route => {
    const headers = route.request().headers();
    route.continue({
      headers: {
        ...headers,
        'X-Custom-Header': 'test-value',
      },
    });
  });

  // Modify POST data
  await page.route('**/api/submit', route => {
    const postData = route.request().postDataJSON();
    route.continue({
      postData: JSON.stringify({
        ...postData,
        timestamp: Date.now(),
      }),
    });
  });
});

test('wait for API response', async ({ page }) => {
  // Wait for specific request
  const responsePromise = page.waitForResponse('**/api/users');
  await page.click('button#load-users');
  const response = await responsePromise;

  expect(response.status()).toBe(200);
  const data = await response.json();
  expect(data.users).toHaveLength(10);
});
```

## Test Organization

### Custom Fixtures

```typescript
// fixtures/todos.ts
import { test as base } from '@playwright/test';

type TodoFixtures = {
  todoPage: TodoPage;
  createTodo: (title: string) => Promise<void>;
};

export const test = base.extend<TodoFixtures>({
  todoPage: async ({ page }, use) => {
    const todoPage = new TodoPage(page);
    await todoPage.goto();
    await use(todoPage);
  },

  createTodo: async ({ page }, use) => {
    const create = async (title: string) => {
      await page.fill('.new-todo', title);
      await page.press('.new-todo', 'Enter');
    };
    await use(create);
  },
});

// tests/todos.spec.ts
import { test } from '../fixtures/todos';

test('can create new todo', async ({ todoPage, createTodo }) => {
  await createTodo('Buy groceries');
  await expect(todoPage.todoItems).toHaveCount(1);
  await expect(todoPage.todoItems).toHaveText('Buy groceries');
});
```

### Test Tags and Filtering

```typescript
test('smoke test', { tag: '@smoke' }, async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/');
  await expect(page).toHaveTitle('Home');
});

test('regression test', { tag: ['@regression', '@critical'] }, async ({ page }) => {
  // Complex test
});

// Run: npx playwright test --grep @smoke
// Run: npx playwright test --grep-invert @slow
```

## Visual Testing

### Screenshot Comparison

```typescript
test('visual regression', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/dashboard');

  // Full page screenshot
  await expect(page).toHaveScreenshot('dashboard.png', {
    maxDiffPixels: 100,
  });

  // Element screenshot
  await expect(page.locator('.widget')).toHaveScreenshot('widget.png');

  // Full page with scroll
  await expect(page).toHaveScreenshot('full-page.png', {
    fullPage: true,
  });

  // Mask dynamic elements
  await expect(page).toHaveScreenshot('masked.png', {
    mask: [page.locator('.timestamp'), page.locator('.avatar')],
  });

  // Custom threshold
  await expect(page).toHaveScreenshot('comparison.png', {
    maxDiffPixelRatio: 0.05, // 5% difference allowed
  });
});
```

### Video and Trace

```typescript
// playwright.config.ts
export default defineConfig({
  use: {
    video: 'retain-on-failure',
    trace: 'on-first-retry',
    screenshot: 'only-on-failure',
  },
});

// Programmatic video
test('record video', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/');
  // Test actions...

  // Video saved automatically to test-results/
});

// View trace: npx playwright show-trace trace.zip
```

## Parallel Execution

### Test Sharding

```typescript
// playwright.config.ts
export default defineConfig({
  fullyParallel: true,
  workers: process.env.CI ? 4 : undefined,
});

// Run shards in CI
// npx playwright test --shard=1/4
// npx playwright test --shard=2/4
// npx playwright test --shard=3/4
// npx playwright test --shard=4/4
```

### Serial Tests

```typescript
test.describe.configure({ mode: 'serial' });

test.describe('order matters', () => {
  let orderId: string;

  test('create order', async ({ page }) => {
    // Create order
    orderId = await createOrder(page);
  });

  test('verify order', async ({ page }) => {
    // Use orderId from previous test
    await verifyOrder(page, orderId);
  });
});
```

## CI/CD Integration

### GitHub Actions

```yaml
# .github/workflows/playwright.yml
name: Playwright Tests
on:
  push:
    branches: [main, master]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main, master]

jobs:
  test:
    timeout-minutes: 60
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 20

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci

      - name: Install Playwright Browsers
        run: npx playwright install --with-deps

      - name: Run Playwright tests
        run: npx playwright test

      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        if: always()
        with:
          name: playwright-report
          path: playwright-report/
          retention-days: 30
```

### Docker

```dockerfile
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/playwright:v1.40.0-jammy

WORKDIR /app

COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci

COPY . .

CMD ["npx", "playwright", "test"]
```

## Debugging

### UI Mode

```bash
# Interactive debugging
npx playwright test --ui

# Debug specific test
npx playwright test --debug login.spec.ts

# Step through test
npx playwright test --headed --slow-mo=1000
```

### Trace Viewer

```typescript
// Generate trace
test('with trace', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.context().tracing.start({ screenshots: true, snapshots: true });

  // Test actions
  await page.goto('/');

  await page.context().tracing.stop({ path: 'trace.zip' });
});

// View: npx playwright show-trace trace.zip
```

### Console Logs

```typescript
test('capture console', async ({ page }) => {
  page.on('console', msg => console.log(`Browser: ${msg.text()}`));
  page.on('pageerror', error => console.error(`Error: ${error.message}`));

  await page.goto('/');
});
```

## Best Practices

### 1. Use Stable Locators
```typescript
// ✅ Good - Role-based, stable
await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Submit' }).click();
await page.getByLabel('Email').fill('[email protected]');

// ❌ Bad - Fragile, implementation-dependent
await page.click('button.btn-primary.submit-btn');
await page.fill('div > form > input:nth-child(3)');
```

### 2. Leverage Auto-Waiting
```typescript
// ✅ Good - Auto-waits
await page.click('button');
await expect(page.locator('.result')).toBeVisible();

// ❌ Bad - Manual waits
await page.waitForTimeout(2000);
await page.click('button');
```

### 3. Use Page Object Model
```typescript
// ✅ Good - Reusable, maintainable
const loginPage = new LoginPage(page);
await loginPage.login('user', 'pass');

// ❌ Bad - Duplicated selectors
await page.fill('[name="username"]', 'user');
await page.fill('[name="password"]', 'pass');
```

### 4. Parallel-Safe Tests
```typescript
// ✅ Good - Isolated
test('user signup', async ({ page }) => {
  const uniqueEmail = `user-${Date.now()}@test.com`;
  await signUp(page, uniqueEmail);
});

// ❌ Bad - Shared state
test('user signup', async ({ page }) => {
  await signUp(page, '[email protected]'); // Conflicts in parallel
});
```

### 5. Handle Flakiness
```typescript
// ✅ Good - Wait for network idle
await page.goto('/', { waitUntil: 'networkidle' });
await expect(page.locator('.data')).toBeVisible();

// Configure retries
test.describe(() => {
  test.use({ retries: 2 });

  test('flaky test', async ({ page }) => {
    // Test with auto-retry
  });
});
```

## Common Patterns

### Multi-Page Scenarios

```typescript
test('popup handling', async ({ page, context }) => {
  // Listen for new page
  const popupPromise = context.waitForEvent('page');
  await page.click('a[target="_blank"]');
  const popup = await popupPromise;

  await popup.waitForLoadState();
  await expect(popup).toHaveTitle('New Window');
  await popup.close();
});
```

### Conditional Logic

```typescript
test('handle optional elements', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/');

  // Close modal if present
  const modal = page.locator('.modal');
  if (await modal.isVisible()) {
    await page.click('.modal .close-button');
  }

  // Or use count
  const cookieBanner = page.locator('.cookie-banner');
  if ((await cookieBanner.count()) > 0) {
    await page.click('.accept-cookies');
  }
});
```

### Data-Driven Tests

```typescript
const testCases = [
  { input: 'hello', expected: 'HELLO' },
  { input: 'World', expected: 'WORLD' },
  { input: '123', expected: '123' },
];

for (const { input, expected } of testCases) {
  test(`transforms "${input}" to "${expected}"`, async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('/transform');
    await page.fill('input', input);
    await page.click('button');
    await expect(page.locator('.result')).toHaveText(expected);
  });
}
```

## Resources

- [Playwright Documentation](https://playwright.dev/)
- [Best Practices Guide](https://playwright.dev/docs/best-practices)
- [API Reference](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-playwright)
- [GitHub Examples](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/tree/main/examples)

© bobmatnyc · MIT · bobmatnyc/claude-mpm-skills

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