vscode-playwright

name	vscode-playwright
description	VS Code screenshot capture using Playwright MCP with serve-web for slide decks and documentation
license	MIT
compatibility	Requires VS Code CLI (code or code-insiders), Playwright MCP tools, and curl
metadata	{"authors":"microsoft/hve-core","spec_version":"1.0","last_updated":"2026-03-18"}

VS Code Playwright Screenshot Skill

Captures VS Code editor views, code walkthroughs, and Copilot Chat examples using Playwright MCP tools with serve-web.

Overview

This skill provides a complete workflow for capturing high-quality VS Code screenshots suitable for embedding in slide decks, documentation, and other visual media. It handles server lifecycle management, viewport configuration, UI cleanup, and screenshot validation.

Prerequisites

• VS Code or VS Code Insiders CLI (code or code-insiders)
• Playwright MCP tools available (mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_*)
• curl for server readiness checks

Architecture

The serve-web CLI is a Rust-based proxy ("server of servers") that downloads the VS Code Server release and proxies connections to the inner Node.js server. The outer CLI accepts a limited set of flags; --server-data-dir is the key flag that controls where all server data (settings, extensions, state) is stored.

Quick Start

1. Detect the VS Code CLI variant and start the web server.
2. Navigate Playwright to the VS Code web instance.
3. Clean up the UI (close panels, tabs, notifications).
4. Open files and capture screenshots.
5. Stop the server and clean up.

Workflow Steps

Step 1: Detect VS Code CLI Variant

Check the VSCODE_QUALITY environment variable first; if it contains insider, use code-insiders. Otherwise, test availability with command -v code-insiders and fall back to code. Store the result for reuse:

if [[ "${VSCODE_QUALITY:-}" == *insider* ]] || command -v code-insiders &>/dev/null; then
  VSCODE_CLI="code-insiders"
else
  VSCODE_CLI="code"
fi

Step 2: Start the VS Code Web Server

Create a temporary server data directory, pre-seed settings (including the color theme) to prevent state restoration, and launch serve-web. The --server-data-dir flag must receive a literal path — shell variables from other terminal sessions are not available in background terminals:

VSCODE_SERVE_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
mkdir -p "$VSCODE_SERVE_DIR/data/User"
cat > "$VSCODE_SERVE_DIR/data/User/settings.json" <<'EOF'
{
  "window.restoreWindows": "none",
  "workbench.editor.restoreEditors": false,
  "workbench.startupEditor": "none",
  "workbench.editor.restoreViewState": false,
  "workbench.editor.sharedViewState": false,
  "files.hotExit": "off",
  "telemetry.telemetryLevel": "off",
  "workbench.colorTheme": "Default Dark Modern",
  "workbench.activityBar.location": "hidden"
}
EOF
$VSCODE_CLI serve-web --port 8765 --without-connection-token \
  --accept-server-license-terms --server-data-dir "$VSCODE_SERVE_DIR"

The serve-web command and mktemp must execute in the same terminal session so the $VSCODE_SERVE_DIR variable resolves. If using a background terminal (isBackground: true), inline the entire block — do not reference variables set in a different terminal.

Verify the server is ready before proceeding: curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" http://localhost:8765/ must return 200.

If the server log contains Ignoring option 'server-data-dir': Value must not be empty, the variable was empty — the server is using the default data directory instead of the ephemeral one. Kill the process and re-launch with the literal path.

Step 3: Navigate and Wait

1. Navigate to the workspace: mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_navigate to http://localhost:8765/?folder=/path/to/workspace.
2. Wait for VS Code to load: mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_wait_for with time: 5 to allow the editor UI to fully render.

Step 4: Resize Viewport

Resize the viewport to match the target placement ratio: mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_resize to a resolution whose aspect ratio matches the PPTX placeholder where the screenshot will be inserted.

Calculate dimensions using width_px = 1200 and height_px = int(1200 / (target_width_inches / target_height_inches)). For example, a 5.5" x 4.2" placeholder produces a 1200 x 916 viewport.

Do NOT use 1920x1080 unless the screenshot fills the full 16:9 slide. Resize before cleanup so UI elements render at the target resolution.

Step 5: Clean Up the UI

Prepare the editor for clean screenshots using mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_run_code with the Command Palette pattern:

1. Dismiss workspace trust dialog if present: take a mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_snapshot, look for a trust dialog, and click "Yes, I trust the authors" via mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_click if visible.
2. Close all editors and tabs: Command Palette -> View: Close All Editors.
3. Clear notifications: Command Palette -> Notifications: Clear All Notifications.
4. Enable Do Not Disturb: Command Palette -> Notifications: Toggle Do Not Disturb Mode.
5. Close Primary Side Bar: Command Palette -> View: Close Primary Side Bar.
6. Close bottom panel: Take a mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_snapshot first. If the panel (Terminal, Problems, Output) is visible, run Command Palette -> View: Close Panel. Do not run this command blindly — it toggles visibility and opens a hidden panel.
7. Close Secondary Side Bar: Take a mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_snapshot first. If the secondary side bar (Chat) is visible, run Command Palette -> View: Close Secondary Side Bar.
8. Zoom in for readability: use mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_run_code with await page.evaluate(() => { document.body.style.zoom = '1.5'; }) for full-UI zoom. Use 1.5x minimum; for placeholders under 5" wide, use 1.75x. Default font sizes become illegible (~7pt) when screenshots are shrunk to fit slide placeholders.

Step 6: Open Files and Capture

Open files via mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_run_code using the Command Palette pattern: Go to File command opens Quick Open, then type the filename and press Enter:

async (page) => {
  await page.keyboard.press('F1');
  await page.waitForTimeout(400);
  await page.keyboard.type('Go to File');
  await page.waitForTimeout(300);
  await page.keyboard.press('Enter');
  await page.waitForTimeout(500);
  await page.keyboard.type('doc-ops-update.prompt.md');
  await page.waitForTimeout(500);
  await page.keyboard.press('Enter');
  await page.waitForTimeout(1000);
  return 'File opened';
}

Set up the view: selectively open only the panels needed for this screenshot (split views, Copilot Chat, Explorer) via click-based navigation using mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_snapshot to find refs followed by mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_click. Keep the view focused on the subject.

Take the screenshot: mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_take_screenshot with type: "png" and a descriptive filename.

Validate the screenshot fits the target placement. Compare the captured image's aspect ratio against the target placeholder ratio. If they diverge by more than 5%, retake with corrected viewport dimensions. If text appears too small for the placeholder width (below ~10pt effective size), retake with higher zoom. Iterate viewport and zoom adjustments until the screenshot matches the placement dimensions without distortion.

Repeat for additional screenshots. Close the current file's tab before opening the next (Command Palette -> View: Close All Editors).

Step 7: Copilot Chat Screenshots

For Copilot Chat screenshots: pre-seed "workbench.activityBar.location": "default" in settings.json (or omit it) so the Activity Bar is visible. Open the Chat panel via Activity Bar click using mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_snapshot -> mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_click, type the prompt via mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_run_code with page.keyboard.type(), then wait for the response via mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_wait_for before capturing.

Step 8: Cleanup

Stop the VS Code web server and clean up the ephemeral environment:

pkill -f "serve-web.*8765" 2>/dev/null || true
rm -rf "$VSCODE_SERVE_DIR"

Also close the Playwright browser: mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_close.

Playwright MCP Command Palette Pattern

Individual MCP tool calls execute asynchronously, so the Command Palette closes between separate press_key, type, and press_key calls. All Command Palette operations must use mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_run_code to chain actions atomically in a single Playwright execution:

async (page) => {
  const runCommand = async (command) => {
    await page.keyboard.press('F1');
    await page.waitForTimeout(400);
    await page.keyboard.type(command);
    await page.waitForTimeout(300);
    await page.keyboard.press('Enter');
    await page.waitForTimeout(500);
  };

  await runCommand('View: Close All Editors');
  await runCommand('View: Close Primary Side Bar');
  // Chain additional commands as needed
  return 'Commands executed';
}

Never use separate mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_press_key -> mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_type -> mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_press_key calls for Command Palette operations — the palette loses focus between calls.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Solution
Ignoring option 'server-data-dir': Value must not be empty	Shell variable resolved empty in background terminal	Inline the full command with the literal temp directory path or run mktemp and serve-web in the same session
Color Theme navigates to Marketplace themes	Fresh server-data-dir has no built-in theme set	Pre-seed "workbench.colorTheme": "Default Dark Modern" in ephemeral settings.json
Panel toggle opens hidden panel	View: Toggle Panel Visibility is a toggle	Use View: Close Panel only after confirming the panel is visible via snapshot
?file= parameter does not auto-open files	VS Code web only supports ?folder=	Open files through Command Palette Go to File command after navigating
Text too small in screenshots	Default ~14px font becomes ~7pt when shrunk	Zoom in with page.evaluate(() => { document.body.style.zoom = '1.5'; }) or higher
Screenshot aspect ratio distortion	Viewport ratio does not match placeholder ratio	Calculate viewport from placeholder: width_px = 1200, height_px = int(1200 / (target_w / target_h))
UI clutter at slide-embedded sizes	Explorer, minimap, tabs, toasts visible	Close all unnecessary UI elements before each capture
workbench.action.zoomIn does not work	Electron-only command	Use editor.action.fontZoomIn or CSS zoom via page.evaluate()
Browser state restoration	IndexedDB/localStorage restore previous files	Pre-seed settings to disable restore; use incognito mode when available
Meta+P triggers browser action	Keyboard shortcuts intercepted by browser	Use page.keyboard.press('F1') to open Command Palette
Screenshot saved to wrong directory	take_screenshot saves relative to Playwright working directory	Copy screenshots to the target directory after capture
Copilot Chat responses non-deterministic	Streaming token-by-token output	Use mcp_microsoft_pla_browser_wait_for with expected text or time delay