Prerequisites
Before running any playwright-cli command, verify installation:
which playwright-cli || npm install -g @playwright/cli@latest
If the global install fails, fall back to npx playwright-cli for all commands.
Quick Start
playwright-cli open https://example.com
playwright-cli snapshot # see page elements with refs
playwright-cli click e15 # interact using refs
playwright-cli fill e5 "user@example.com" # fill form fields
playwright-cli screenshot # capture screenshot
playwright-cli close # close browser
Core Commands
# Navigation
playwright-cli open [url]
playwright-cli goto <url>
playwright-cli go-back / go-forward / reload
# Interaction (use ref IDs from snapshot)
playwright-cli click <ref>
playwright-cli dblclick <ref>
playwright-cli fill <ref> "<value>"
playwright-cli type "<text>"
playwright-cli select <ref> "<option-value>"
playwright-cli check / uncheck <ref>
playwright-cli hover <ref>
playwright-cli drag <ref-from> <ref-to>
playwright-cli upload <file-path>
# Keyboard & Mouse
playwright-cli press Enter|ArrowDown|Tab|...
playwright-cli keydown / keyup Shift
playwright-cli mousemove <x> <y>
playwright-cli mousedown / mouseup [right]
playwright-cli mousewheel <dx> <dy>
# Page inspection
playwright-cli snapshot [--filename=name.yaml]
playwright-cli screenshot [ref] [--filename=page.png]
playwright-cli pdf [--filename=page.pdf]
playwright-cli eval "<js-expression>" [ref]
# Dialog handling
playwright-cli dialog-accept ["text"]
playwright-cli dialog-dismiss
# Viewport
playwright-cli resize <width> <height>
# Tabs
playwright-cli tab-list / tab-new [url] / tab-select <index> / tab-close [index]
# Sessions
playwright-cli -s=<name> <command> # isolated browser session
playwright-cli list # list sessions
playwright-cli close / close-all / kill-all
Snapshots
After each command, playwright-cli outputs a snapshot with element refs (e1, e2, etc.). Use these refs to interact with elements.
Named Sessions
Use -s=<name> for isolated browser sessions with independent cookies/storage:
playwright-cli -s=auth open https://app.example.com/login
playwright-cli -s=public open https://example.com
Open Parameters
playwright-cli open --browser=chrome|firefox|webkit|msedge
playwright-cli open --persistent # persist profile to disk
playwright-cli open --profile=/path/to/dir # custom profile directory
playwright-cli open --config=config.json
playwright-cli open --extension # connect via browser extension
Storage Commands
# State save/load
playwright-cli state-save [filename.json]
playwright-cli state-load <filename.json>
# Cookies
playwright-cli cookie-list [--domain=example.com]
playwright-cli cookie-get / cookie-set / cookie-delete <name>
playwright-cli cookie-clear
# LocalStorage
playwright-cli localstorage-list / localstorage-get / localstorage-set / localstorage-delete <key>
playwright-cli localstorage-clear
# SessionStorage
playwright-cli sessionstorage-list / sessionstorage-get / sessionstorage-set / sessionstorage-delete <key>
playwright-cli sessionstorage-clear
DevTools
playwright-cli console [warning]
playwright-cli network
playwright-cli run-code "async page => { /* Playwright code */ }"
playwright-cli tracing-start / tracing-stop
playwright-cli video-start / video-stop <output.webm>
Network Mocking
playwright-cli route "**/*.jpg" --status=404
playwright-cli route "**/api/users" --body='[{"id":1}]' --content-type=application/json
playwright-cli route-list
playwright-cli unroute ["pattern"]
Specific Tasks (Reference Files)
Read the relevant reference file for detailed guides:
- Request mocking —
references/request-mocking.md - Running custom Playwright code —
references/running-code.md - Browser session management —
references/session-management.md - Storage state (cookies, localStorage) —
references/storage-state.md - Test generation —
references/test-generation.md - Tracing —
references/tracing.md - Video recording —
references/video-recording.md
Common Workflow: Form Submission
playwright-cli open https://example.com/form
playwright-cli snapshot
playwright-cli fill e1 "user@example.com"
playwright-cli fill e2 "password123"
playwright-cli click e3
playwright-cli snapshot
playwright-cli close
Common Workflow: Auth State Reuse
# Login and save
playwright-cli open https://app.example.com/login
playwright-cli fill e1 "user@example.com"
playwright-cli fill e2 "secret"
playwright-cli click e3
playwright-cli state-save auth.json
playwright-cli close
# Restore later
playwright-cli state-load auth.json
playwright-cli open https://app.example.com/dashboard