bowser

# Playwright Bowser ## Purpose Automate browsers using `playwright-cli` — a token-efficient CLI for Playwright. Runs headless by default, supports parallel sessions via named sessions (`-s=`), and doesn't load tool schemas into context. ## Key Details - **Headless by default** — pass `--headed` to `open` to see the browser - **Parallel sessions** — use `-s=<name>` to run multiple independent browser instances - **Persistent profiles** — cookies and storage state preserved between calls - **Token-efficient** — CLI-based, no accessibility trees or tool schemas in context - **Vision mode** (opt-in) — set `PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_CAPS=vision` to receive screenshots as image responses in context instead of just saving to disk ## Sessions **Always use a named session.** Derive a short, descriptive kebab-case name from the user's prompt. This gives each task a persistent browser profile (cookies, localStorage, history) that accumulates across calls. ```bash # Derive session name from prompt context: # "test the checkout flow on mystore.com" → -s=mystore-checkout # "scrape pricing from competitor.com" → -s=competitor-pricing # "UI test the login page" → -s=login-ui-test playwright-cli -s=mystore-checkout open https://mystore.com --persistent playwright-cli -s=mystore-checkout snapshot playwright-cli -s=mystore-checkout click e12 ``` Managing sessions: ```bash playwright-cli list # list all sessions playwright-cli close-all # close all sessions playwright-cli -s=<name> close # close specific session playwright-cli -s=<name> delete-data # wipe session profile ``` ## Quick Reference ``` Core: open [url], goto <url>, click <ref>, fill <ref> <text>, type <text>, snapshot, screenshot [ref], close Navigate: go-back, go-forward, reload Keyboard: press <key>, keydown <key>, keyup <key> Mouse: mousemove <x> <y>, mousedown, mouseup, mousewheel <dx> <dy> Tabs: tab-list, tab-new [url], tab-close [index], tab-select <index> Save: screenshot [ref], pdf, screenshot --filename=f Storage: state-save, state-load, cookie-*, localstorage-*, sessionstorage-* Network: route <pattern>, route-list, unroute, network DevTools: console, run-code <code>, tracing-start/stop, video-start/stop Sessions: -s=<name> <cmd>, list, close-all, kill-all Config: open --headed, open --browser=chrome, resize <w> <h> ``` ## Workflow 1. Derive a session name from the user's prompt and open with `--persistent` to preserve cookies/state. Always set the viewport via env var at launch: ```bash PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_VIEWPORT_SIZE=1440x900 playwright-cli -s=<session-name> open <url> --persistent # or headed: PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_VIEWPORT_SIZE=1440x900 playwright-cli -s=<session-name> open <url> --persistent --headed # or with vision (screenshots returned as image responses in context): PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_VIEWPORT_SIZE=1440x900 PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_CAPS=vision playwright-cli -s=<session-name> open <url> --persistent ``` 3. Get element references via snapshot: ```bash playwright-cli snapshot ``` 4. Interact using refs from snapshot: ```bash playwright-cli click <ref> playwright-cli fill <ref> "text" playwright-cli type "text" playwright-cli press Enter ``` 5. Capture results: ```bash playwright-cli screenshot playwright-cli screenshot --filename=output.png ``` 6. **Always close the session when done.** This is not optional — close the named session after finishing your task: ```bash playwright-cli -s=<session-name> close ``` ## Configuration If a `playwright-cli.json` exists in the working directory, use it automatically. If the user provides a path to a config file, use `--config path/to/config.json`. Otherwise, skip configuration — the env var and CLI defaults are sufficient. ```json { "browser": { "browserName": "chromium", "launchOptions": { "headless": true }, "contextOptions": { "viewport": { "width": 1440, "height": 900 } } }, "outputDir": "./screenshots" } ``` ## Full Help Run `playwright-cli --help` or `playwright-cli --help <command>` for detailed command usage. See [docs/playwright-cli.md](docs/playwright-cli.md) for full documentation.