Keyword-driven browser automation powered by Playwright. Use it from VS Code, your terminal, as a Chrome extension, or let an AI agent drive it via MCP.
pw> goto https://demo.playwright.dev/todomvc/
pw> fill "What needs to be done?" Buy groceries
pw> press Enter
pw> snapshot
pw> click e5
pw> verify text 1 item left
Instead of writing page.locator('[placeholder="What needs to be done?"]').fill('Buy groceries'), you type fill "What needs to be done?" Buy groceries. Same Playwright engine, simpler syntax.
| Package | Description |
|---|---|
| Playwright REPL | VS Code extension — Test Explorer, REPL panel, assert builder, element picker |
playwright-repl |
CLI — terminal REPL with keyword commands, recording, replay, and piping |
| Dramaturg | Chrome extension — console, script editor, recorder, JS debugger |
@playwright-repl/runner |
Test runner — drop-in replacement for npx playwright test with context reuse |
@playwright-repl/mcp |
MCP server — AI agents control your real Chrome browser |
@playwright-repl/core |
Shared parser, servers, and utilities |
Test Explorer, interactive REPL, assert builder, and element picker — all inside VS Code.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Test Explorer | Run Playwright tests with persistent browser and context reuse |
| REPL Panel | Interactive commands, inline screenshots, execution timing |
| Locator Panel | Pick elements visually, highlight toggle, ARIA snapshot |
| Assert Builder | 13 matchers, smart filtering by element type, verify against live page |
| Recorder | Capture interactions as .pw keyword commands or Playwright JavaScript |
Workflow: Record → Pick Locator → Assert → Run Test
Terminal REPL for Playwright. Supports keyword commands and JavaScript.
npm install -g playwright-repl
playwright-replpw> goto https://demo.playwright.dev/todomvc/
pw> fill "What needs to be done?" Buy groceries
pw> press Enter
pw> await page.title()
pw> verify text 1 item left
pw> screenshot
Two modes:
| Mode | Flag | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone | (default) | Launches Chromium with Dramaturg extension |
| Bridge | --bridge |
Connects to your real Chrome via Dramaturg extension |
Standalone launches a fresh Chromium with the extension pre-installed — keyword commands and JavaScript both work. Use --headless for CI/scripting.
The @playwright-repl/runner package provides the pw CLI:
npm install -D @playwright-repl/runnerpw test # run Playwright tests (2.8x faster via extension)
pw repl # interactive REPL with keyword + JS support
pw repl --headless # headless mode for scriptingChrome side panel extension that runs Playwright directly inside your browser.
Install from the Chrome Web Store, or build from source.
| Feature | |
|---|---|
| Console | .pw keywords and Playwright JavaScript — auto-detected |
| Script editor | Syntax highlighting, pass/fail gutter, autocompletion |
| JS debugger | Breakpoints, step over/into/out, variables with scope inspection |
| Recorder | Captures interactions as .pw commands and Playwright code |
| Object tree | Expandable CDP object tree |
AI agents control the browser — standalone or connected to your real Chrome.
npm install -g @playwright-repl/mcp
playwright-repl-mcp --standalone # launch fresh browser (keyword + JS)
playwright-repl-mcp # connect to existing Chrome via bridge@playwright-repl/mcp |
Playwright MCP | Playwriter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uses your real session | Yes | No | Yes |
expect() assertions |
Yes | No | No |
| Full Playwright API | Yes | Yes | Yes |
JS eval (page.evaluate) |
Yes | No | Yes |
packages/
├── vscode/ # Playwright REPL — VS Code extension
├── cli/ # playwright-repl — terminal REPL
├── runner/ # @playwright-repl/runner — test runner (pw CLI)
├── extension/ # Dramaturg — Chrome side panel extension
├── mcp/ # @playwright-repl/mcp — MCP server for AI agents
└── core/ # @playwright-repl/core — shared parser, servers, utilities
- Node.js >= 20
- Playwright >= 1.59
MIT