General-purpose browser automation as a Claude Skill

A Claude Skill that enables Claude to write and execute any Playwright automation on-the-fly - from simple page tests to complex multi-step flows. Packaged as a Claude Code Plugin for easy installation and distribution.

Claude autonomously decides when to use this skill based on your browser automation needs, loading only the minimal information required for your specific task.

Made using Claude Code.

• Any Automation Task - Claude writes custom code for your specific request, not limited to pre-built scripts
• Visible Browser by Default - See automation in real-time with headless: false
• Zero Module Resolution Errors - Universal executor ensures proper module access
• Progressive Disclosure - Concise SKILL.md with full API reference loaded only when needed
• Safe Cleanup - Smart temp file management without race conditions
• Comprehensive Helpers - Optional utility functions for common tasks

This repository is structured as a Claude Code Plugin containing a skill. You can install it as either a plugin (recommended) or extract it as a standalone skill.

This repository uses the plugin format with a nested structure:

playwright-skill/              # Plugin root
├── .claude-plugin/           # Plugin metadata
└── skills/
    └── playwright-skill/     # The actual skill
        └── SKILL.md

Claude Code expects skills to be directly in folders under .claude/skills/, so manual installation requires extracting the nested skill folder.

Install via Claude Code's plugin system for automatic updates and team distribution:

# Add this repository as a marketplace
/plugin marketplace add lackeyjb/playwright-skill

# Install the plugin
/plugin install playwright-skill@playwright-skill

# Navigate to the skill directory and run setup
cd ~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/playwright-skill/skills/playwright-skill
npm run setup

Verify installation by running /help to confirm the skill is available.

To install as a standalone skill (without the plugin system), extract only the skill folder:

Global Installation (Available Everywhere):

# Clone to a temporary location
git clone https://github.com/lackeyjb/playwright-skill.git /tmp/playwright-skill-temp

# Copy only the skill folder to your global skills directory
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/playwright-skill-temp/skills/playwright-skill ~/.claude/skills/

# Navigate to the skill and run setup
cd ~/.claude/skills/playwright-skill
npm run setup

# Clean up temporary files
rm -rf /tmp/playwright-skill-temp

Project-Specific Installation:

# Clone to a temporary location
git clone https://github.com/lackeyjb/playwright-skill.git /tmp/playwright-skill-temp

# Copy only the skill folder to your project
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/playwright-skill-temp/skills/playwright-skill .claude/skills/

# Navigate to the skill and run setup
cd .claude/skills/playwright-skill
npm run setup

# Clean up temporary files
rm -rf /tmp/playwright-skill-temp

Why this structure? The plugin format requires the skills/ directory for organizing multiple skills within a plugin. When installing as a standalone skill, you only need the inner skills/playwright-skill/ folder contents.

1. Download and extract the latest release from GitHub Releases
2. Copy only the skills/playwright-skill/ folder to:
   • Global: ~/.claude/skills/playwright-skill
   • Project: /path/to/your/project/.claude/skills/playwright-skill
3. Navigate to the skill directory and run setup:

   cd ~/.claude/skills/playwright-skill  # or your project path
   npm run setup

Run /help to confirm the skill is loaded, then ask Claude to perform a simple browser task like "Test if google.com loads".

After installation, simply ask Claude to test or automate any browser task. Claude will write custom Playwright code, execute it, and return results with screenshots and console output.

"Test the homepage"
"Check if the contact form works"
"Verify the signup flow"

"Take screenshots of the dashboard in mobile and desktop"
"Test responsive design across different viewports"

"Fill out the registration form and submit it"
"Click through the main navigation"
"Test the search functionality"

"Check for broken links"
"Verify all images load"
"Test form validation"

1. Describe what you want to test or automate
2. Claude writes custom Playwright code for the task
3. The universal executor (run.js) runs it with proper module resolution
4. Browser opens (visible by default) and automation executes
5. Results are displayed with console output and screenshots

Default settings:

• Headless: false (browser visible unless explicitly requested otherwise)
• Slow Motion: 100ms for visibility
• Timeout: 30s
• Screenshots: Saved to /tmp/

playwright-skill/
├── .claude-plugin/
│   ├── plugin.json          # Plugin metadata for distribution
│   └── marketplace.json     # Marketplace configuration
├── skills/
│   └── playwright-skill/    # The actual skill (Claude discovers this)
│       ├── SKILL.md         # What Claude reads (314 lines)
│       ├── run.js           # Universal executor (proper module resolution)
│       ├── package.json     # Dependencies & setup scripts
│       └── lib/
│           └── helpers.js   # Optional utility functions
├── API_REFERENCE.md         # Full Playwright API reference (630 lines)
├── README.md                # This file - user documentation
├── CONTRIBUTING.md          # Contribution guidelines
└── LICENSE                  # MIT License

Claude will automatically load API_REFERENCE.md when needed for comprehensive documentation on selectors, network interception, authentication, visual regression testing, mobile emulation, performance testing, and debugging.

• Node.js >= 14.0.0
• Playwright ^1.48.0 (installed via npm run setup)
• Chromium (installed via npm run setup)

Playwright not installed? Navigate to the skill directory and run npm run setup.

Module not found errors? Ensure automation runs via run.js, which handles module resolution.

Browser doesn't open? Verify headless: false is set. The skill defaults to visible browser unless headless mode is requested.

Install all browsers? Run npm run install-all-browsers from the skill directory.

Skills are modular capabilities that extend Claude's functionality. Unlike slash commands that you invoke manually, skills are model-invoked—Claude autonomously decides when to use them based on your request.

When you ask Claude to test a webpage or automate browser interactions, Claude discovers this skill, loads the necessary instructions, executes custom Playwright code, and returns results with screenshots and console output.

Contributions are welcome. Fork the repository, create a feature branch, make your changes, and submit a pull request. See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

• Claude Skills - Official announcement from Anthropic
• Claude Code Skills Documentation
• Claude Code Plugins Documentation
• Plugin Marketplaces
• API_REFERENCE.md - Full Playwright documentation
• GitHub Issues

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.