Test automation has come a long way, from scripted flows to self-healing and now AI-driven testing. With the introduction of Model Context Protocol (MCP), Playwright can now interact with AI models and external tools to make smarter testing decisions. This guide walks you through integrating MCP with Playwright in VSCode, starting from the basics, enabling you to build smarter, adaptive tests today.
What Is Playwright MCP?
- Playwright: An open-source framework for web testing and automation. It supports multiple browsers (Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit) and offers robust features like auto-wait, capturing screenshots, along with some great tooling like Codegen, Trace Viewer.
- MCP (Model Context Protocol): A protocol that enables external tools to communicate with AI models or services in a structured, secure way.
By combining Playwright with MCP, you unlock:
- AI-assisted test generation.
- Dynamic test data.
- Smarter debugging and adaptive workflows.
Why Integrate MCP with Playwright?
- AI-powered test generation: Reduce manual scripting.
- Dynamic context awareness: Tests adapt to real-time data.
- Improved debugging: AI can suggest fixes for failing tests.
- Smarter locator selection: AI helps pick stable, reliable selectors to reduce flaky tests.
- Natural language instructions: Write or trigger tests using plain English prompts.
Getting Started in VS Code
Prerequisites
- Node.js
- Download: nodejs.org
- Minimum version: v18.0.0 or higher (recommended: latest LTS)
- Check version:
node --version
- Playwright
Install Playwright:
npm install @playwright/testStep 1: Create Project Folder
mkdir playwrightMCP-demo cd playwrightMCP-demoStep 2: Initialize Project
npm init playwright@latestStep 3: Install MCP Server for VS Code
- Navigate to GitHub - microsoft/playwright-mcp: Playwright MCP server and click install server for VS Code
- Search for 'MCP: Open user configuration' (type ‘>mcp’ in the search box)
You will see a file mcp.json is created in your user -> app data folder, which is having the server details.
{
"servers": {
"playwright": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"@playwright/mcp@latest"
],
"type": "stdio"
}
},
"inputs": []
}Alternatively, install an MCP server directly GitHub MCP server registry using the Extensions view in VS Code.
From GitHub MCP server registry
Verify installation:
- Open Copilot Chat → select Agent Mode → click Configure Tools → confirm microsoft/playwright-mcp appears in the list.
Step 4: Create a Simple Test Using MCP
Once your project and MCP setup are ready in VS Code, you can create a simple test that demonstrates MCP’s capabilities. MCP can help in multiple scenarios, below is the example for Test Generation using AI:
Scenario: AI-Assisted Test Generation- Use natural language prompts to generate Playwright tests automatically.
Test Scenario - Validate that a user can switch the Playwright documentation language dropdown to Python, search for “Frames,” and navigate to the Frames documentation page. Confirm that the page heading correctly displays “Frames.”
Sample Prompt to Use in VS Code (Copilot Agent Mode):Create a Playwright automated test in JavaScript that verifies navigation to the 'Frames' documentation page following below steps and be more specific about locators to avoid strict mode violation error
- Navigate to : Playwright documentation
- select “Python” from the dropdown options, labelled “Node.js”
- Type the keyword “Frames” into the search box.
- Click the search result for the Frames documentation page
- Verify that the page header reads “Frames”.
- Log success or provide a failure message with details.
Copilot will generate the test automatically in your tests folder
Step 5: Run Test
npx playwright test Conclusion
Integrating Playwright with MCP in VS Code helps you build smarter, adaptive tests without adding complexity. Start small, follow best practices, and scale as you grow.
Note - Installation steps may vary depending on your environment. Refer to MCP Registry · GitHub for the latest instructions.
