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Playwright MCP
Category: Classic browser automation (MCP server)
Cost: Free and open source (Apache 2.0)
Official docs: playwright.dev/docs/getting-started-mcp
GitHub: github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp
What it is
Playwright MCP is an official MCP (Model Context Protocol) server from Microsoft that exposes a Chromium, Firefox, or WebKit browser to any MCP-compatible AI agent. Instead of sending raw screenshots, it communicates via accessibility snapshots: structured, text-based page representations that LLMs can read and reason about without vision models.
The server wraps the full Playwright automation surface: clicking, typing, navigation, tab management, cookie/storage operations, network inspection, PDF generation, screenshots, and tracing. An optional browser_run_code_unsafe tool allows arbitrary JavaScript execution in the server process (see Safety below).
Key capabilities
| Area | Details |
|---|---|
| Browsers | Chromium (default), Firefox, WebKit, MS Edge |
| Transport | stdio (default) or HTTP/SSE via --port |
| Page reading | Accessibility snapshots (no vision required) |
| Actions | Click, type, navigate, drag, select, file upload |
| Tabs | List, create, close, switch |
| Storage | Cookies, localStorage, sessionStorage |
| Network | List requests, mock routes, set offline mode |
| Opt-in extras | Tracing, video recording, coordinate-based mouse, PDF, DevTools highlight |
Safety
browser_run_code_unsafe
The browser_run_code_unsafe tool executes arbitrary JavaScript inside the server process (not just the browser page). This is RCE-equivalent. Only enable it when the MCP client is fully trusted. It is disabled by default.
Playwright MCP also supports --allowed-hosts for DNS-rebinding protection when running in HTTP/SSE mode.