Playwright MCP Server
# Playwright MCP Server [](https://smithery.ai/server/@showfive/playwright
What is the Playwright MCP server?
Most browser automation work still happens through a UI a human drives. Playwright MCP server moves it into the conversation instead. # Playwright MCP Server English | 日本語 This project is a server that provides.
The short version
- Page navigation
- Full page content retrieval
- Visible content retrieval
- Interactive elements detection
- Mouse operation simulation
- Echo functionality for testing
The tools it exposes
The server publishes 2 tools. What each one is for:
Arguments— { url: string }Returns— Navigation result
Getting it running
Installation goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at @smithery/cli on npm and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.
How it compares
Among the browser automation options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Playwright's toolset — Arguments, Returns — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by showfive; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.
This entry was verified against Playwright's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.
Things to watch
- It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
- Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.
Available tools
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Arguments | { url: string } |
| Returns | Navigation result |
How to install the Playwright MCP server
{
"mcpServers": {
"playwright-mcp-server-showfive": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@smithery/cli"]
}
}
}Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.
Example prompts to try
- “Use Playwright to Arguments.”
- “Use Playwright to Returns.”
Frequently asked questions
Alternatives to the Playwright MCP server
Playwright
OfficialMicrosoft's official browser automation server — drive a real browser through the accessibility tree, no screenshots needed.
Firecrawl
OfficialIndustrial-strength web extraction — render, scrape, crawl and search entire sites into clean markdown.
Puppeteer
OfficialThe original Chromium automation reference server — simple, screenshot-driven browser control.
Chrome DevTools
OfficialGive your coding agent the full DevTools toolbox: traces, network, console, heap snapshots and Lighthouse.
Browser MCP
Puppeteer-powered browser control that drives pages from the accessibility tree instead of pixels.
Browserbase
OfficialCloud browsers for AI agents — automation sessions that run in Browserbase's fleet, not on your machine.