azure-playwright-browser-automation

name	azure-playwright-browser-automation
description	Automates browser interactions for web testing, form filling, screenshots, and data extraction using Playwright CLI connected to a remote Azure Playwright Service browser.
allowed-tools	run_playwright_cli, create_session, close_browser_session

Browser automation with Playwright CLI and Azure Playwright Service

This skill is the operational reference for browser tasks. The base prompt owns the non-negotiable lifecycle rules; this skill provides the concrete Playwright CLI command patterns.

Remote browser connection

1. Reuse an active browser session for follow-up browser work in the same hosted agent session whenever one is available. If no active browser is available, call create_session with no arguments.

2. As soon as create_session returns, before calling run_playwright_cli or doing any other automation work, inspect the tool result for liveViewUrl. If the result includes liveViewUrl, emit this exact markdown message using the liveViewUrl value returned by the tool:

   Created a new browser session [Live View URL](<liveViewUrl>)
   

   If the result does not include liveViewUrl, immediately emit this exact message before calling run_playwright_cli:

   No liveViewUrl was returned from the tool call. Automation will still continue
   

   Do not derive or invent a live-view URL from cdpUrl. Do not include the raw CDP URL in user-facing text. The live-view dashboard URL is safe to share with the user; only the raw cdpUrl is sensitive. If a browser session was created in this turn, repeat the live-view markdown link in the final answer as well when liveViewUrl was returned. If the user asks for the live URL, provide the live-view markdown link directly when it is available; do not refuse and do not say you can generate it later.

3. Use local Playwright CLI sessionId browser1, then call run_playwright_cli with that sessionId, the returned cdpUrl, and the command:

   open about:blank
   

   The tool sets PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_CDP_ENDPOINT=<cdpUrl> before invoking playwright-cli -s=<sessionId> open about:blank.

   This must be a standalone handshake command. Do not combine it with target navigation, eval, snapshot, or any other browser operation.

4. Run all subsequent commands with the same local Playwright CLI sessionId (browser1 by default) and no cdpUrl:

   goto https://example.com
   snapshot
   

   Use goto <url> for target navigation after the handshake; do not use open <url> for normal page navigation. If a follow-up command says the local session is not open, reconnect to the same remote browser with command: open and the stored cdpUrl, then retry the requested browser command. Do not call create_session for this recovery.

5. Keep the browser session open after successful work so follow-up tasks can continue in the same live browser. Call close_browser_session only when the user explicitly asks to close the browser, when the session is unusable, or before replacing it with a fresh remote browser.

If the initial open about:blank command with cdpUrl fails, do not retry the same CDP URL repeatedly. Call close_browser_session, then call create_session again to create a fresh remote browser.

Installation check

The hosted container installs @playwright/cli and the packaged Playwright CLI skills at build time:

npm install -g @playwright/cli@latest
playwright-cli install --skills

If running locally, verify the CLI before browser work:

playwright-cli --help

Common commands

Pass only the arguments shown below to run_playwright_cli.command; do not include playwright-cli or -s=<sessionId>.

# Navigation
open
open https://example.com
goto https://playwright.dev
go-back
go-forward
reload

# Page state
snapshot
snapshot --filename=after-click.yaml
snapshot --depth=4
screenshot
screenshot --filename=page.png

# Interactions
click e3
dblclick e7
fill e5 "[e-mail]"
fill e5 "search text" --submit
type "search query"
press Enter
hover e4
select e9 "option-value"
check e12
uncheck e12

# Tabs
tab-list
tab-new https://example.com/other
tab-select 0
tab-close

# Extraction and diagnostics
eval "document.title"
eval "JSON.stringify([...document.querySelectorAll('a')].map(a => a.href))"
console
requests
request 5

After most commands, Playwright CLI emits page status and a snapshot. Use refs from the snapshot, such as e15, for subsequent interactions.

Use --raw inside the command when you need only a result value:

--raw eval "document.title"

Cleanup

Do not close a healthy remote browser at the end of a normal task. When the user asks to close the browser, or when replacing a broken session, call close_browser_session with:

{ "sessionId": "<sessionId>", "cdpUrl": "<cdpUrl>" }

This detaches Playwright CLI from the held WSS/CDP connection for the named session, then closes the remote browser over CDP.