Battle-tested Playwright patterns for E2E, API, component, visual, accessibility, and security testing. Covers locators, fixtures, POM, network mocking, auth flows, debugging, CI/CD (GitHub Actions, GitLab, CircleCI, Azure, Jenkins), framework recipes (React, Next.js, Vue, Angular), and migration guides from Cypress/Selenium. TypeScript and JavaScript.
Install with the open skills CLI (global, non-interactive — available in every Claude Code session):
npx skills add zebbern/claude-code-guide --skill "playwright-skill" -g -a claude-code -yOr manually — clone and copy the skill directory (SKILL.md + companion files):
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/zebbern/claude-code-guide /tmp/claude-code-guide && cp -r /tmp/claude-code-guide/skills/playwright ~/.claude/skills/playwright-skill-zebbernThis skill contains nested skills — each is browsable and installable on its own.
Production-ready CI/CD configurations for Playwright — GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, Docker, parallel sharding, reporting, code coverage, and global setup/teardown.
Automates browser interactions for web testing, form filling, screenshots, and data extraction using playwright-cli. Use when the user needs to navigate websites, interact with web pages, fill forms, take screenshots, test web applications, extract information from web pages, mock network requests, manage browser sessions, or generate test code.
Battle-tested Playwright patterns for E2E, API, component, visual, accessibility, and security testing. Covers locators, assertions, fixtures, network mocking, auth flows, debugging, and framework recipes for React, Next.js, Vue, and Angular. TypeScript and JavaScript.
Step-by-step migration guides for moving to Playwright from Cypress or Selenium/WebDriver — command mappings, architecture changes, and incremental adoption strategies.
Page Object Model patterns for Playwright — when to use POM, how to structure page objects, and when fixtures or helpers are a better fit.
This skill is a directory: SKILL.md is the entry point; the files below ship with it.
---
name: playwright-skill
description: Battle-tested Playwright patterns for E2E, API, component, visual, accessibility, and security testing. Covers locators, fixtures, POM, network mocking, auth flows, debugging, CI/CD (GitHub Actions, GitLab, CircleCI, Azure, Jenkins), framework recipes (React, Next.js, Vue, Angular), and migration guides from Cypress/Selenium. TypeScript and JavaScript.
---
# Playwright Skill
> Opinionated, production-tested Playwright guidance — every pattern includes when (and when _not_) to use it.
**50+ reference guides** covering the full Playwright surface: selectors, assertions, fixtures, page objects, network mocking, auth, visual regression, accessibility, API testing, CI/CD, debugging, and more — with TypeScript and JavaScript examples throughout.
## Golden Rules
1. **`getByRole()` over CSS/XPath** — resilient to markup changes, mirrors how users see the page
2. **Never `page.waitForTimeout()`** — use `expect(locator).toBeVisible()` or `page.waitForURL()`
3. **Web-first assertions** — `expect(locator)` auto-retries; `expect(await locator.textContent())` does not
4. **Isolate every test** — no shared state, no execution-order dependencies
5. **`baseURL` in config** — zero hardcoded URLs in tests
6. **Retries: `2` in CI, `0` locally** — surface flakiness where it matters
7. **Traces: `'on-first-retry'`** — rich debugging artifacts without CI slowdown
8. **Fixtures over globals** — share state via `test.extend()`, not module-level variables
9. **One behavior per test** — multiple related `expect()` calls are fine
10. **Mock external services only** — never mock your own app; mock third-party APIs, payment gateways, email
## Guide Index
### Writing Tests
| What you're doing | Guide | Deep dive |
| -------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Choosing selectors | [locators.md](core/locators.md) | [locator-strategy.md](core/locator-strategy.md) |
| Assertions & waiting | [assertions-and-waiting.md](core/assertions-and-waiting.md) | |
| Organizing test suites | [test-organization.md](core/test-organization.md) | [test-architecture.md](core/test-architecture.md) |
| Playwright config | [configuration.md](core/configuration.md) | |
| Page objects | [page-object-model.md](pom/page-object-model.md) | [pom-vs-fixtures-vs-helpers.md](pom/pom-vs-fixtures-vs-helpers.md) |
| Fixtures & hooks | [fixtures-and-hooks.md](core/fixtures-and-hooks.md) | |
| Test data | [test-data-management.md](core/test-data-management.md) | |
| Auth & login | [authentication.md](core/authentication.md) | [auth-flows.md](core/auth-flows.md) |
| API testing (REST/GraphQL) | [api-testing.md](core/api-testing.md) | |
| Visual regression | [visual-regression.md](core/visual-regression.md) | |
| Accessibility | [accessibility.md](core/accessibility.md) | |
| Mobile & responsive | [mobile-and-responsive.md](core/mobile-and-responsive.md) | |
| Component testing | [component-testing.md](core/component-testing.md) | |
| Network mocking | [network-mocking.md](core/network-mocking.md) | [when-to-mock.md](core/when-to-mock.md) |
| Forms & validation | [forms-and-validation.md](core/forms-and-validation.md) | |
| File uploads/downloads | [file-operations.md](core/file-operations.md) | [file-upload-download.md](core/file-upload-download.md) |
| Error & edge cases | [error-and-edge-cases.md](core/error-and-edge-cases.md) | |
| CRUD flows | [crud-testing.md](core/crud-testing.md) | |
| Drag and drop | [drag-and-drop.md](core/drag-and-drop.md) | |
| Search & filter UI | [search-and-filter.md](core/search-and-filter.md) | |
### Debugging & Fixing
| Problem | Guide |
| -------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| General debugging workflow | [debugging.md](core/debugging.md) |
| Specific error message | [error-index.md](core/error-index.md) |
| Flaky / intermittent tests | [flaky-tests.md](core/flaky-tests.md) |
| Common beginner mistakes | [common-pitfalls.md](core/common-pitfalls.md) |
### Framework Recipes
| Framework | Guide |
| ----------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Next.js (App Router + Pages Router) | [nextjs.md](core/nextjs.md) |
| React (CRA, Vite) | [react.md](core/react.md) |
| Vue 3 / Nuxt | [vue.md](core/vue.md) |
| Angular | [angular.md](core/angular.md) |
### Migration Guides
| From | Guide |
| -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| Cypress | [from-cypress.md](migration/from-cypress.md) |
| Selenium / WebDriver | [from-selenium.md](migration/from-selenium.md) |
### Architecture Decisions
| Question | Guide |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Which locator strategy? | [locator-strategy.md](core/locator-strategy.md) |
| E2E vs component vs API? | [test-architecture.md](core/test-architecture.md) |
| Mock vs real services? | [when-to-mock.md](core/when-to-mock.md) |
| POM vs fixtures vs helpers? | [pom-vs-fixtures-vs-helpers.md](pom/pom-vs-fixtures-vs-helpers.md) |
### CI/CD & Infrastructure
| Topic | Guide |
| --------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| GitHub Actions | [ci-github-actions.md](ci/ci-github-actions.md) |
| GitLab CI | [ci-gitlab.md](ci/ci-gitlab.md) |
| CircleCI / Azure DevOps / Jenkins | [ci-other.md](ci/ci-other.md) |
| Parallel execution & sharding | [parallel-and-sharding.md](ci/parallel-and-sharding.md) |
| Docker & containers | [docker-and-containers.md](ci/docker-and-containers.md) |
| Reports & artifacts | [reporting-and-artifacts.md](ci/reporting-and-artifacts.md) |
| Code coverage | [test-coverage.md](ci/test-coverage.md) |
| Global setup/teardown | [global-setup-teardown.md](ci/global-setup-teardown.md) |
| Multi-project config | [projects-and-dependencies.md](ci/projects-and-dependencies.md) |
### Specialized Topics
| Topic | Guide |
| ------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Multi-user & collaboration | [multi-user-and-collaboration.md](core/multi-user-and-collaboration.md) |
| WebSockets & real-time | [websockets-and-realtime.md](core/websockets-and-realtime.md) |
| Browser APIs (geo, clipboard, permissions) | [browser-apis.md](core/browser-apis.md) |
| iframes & Shadow DOM | [iframes-and-shadow-dom.md](core/iframes-and-shadow-dom.md) |
| Canvas & WebGL | [canvas-and-webgl.md](core/canvas-and-webgl.md) |
| Service workers & PWA | [service-workers-and-pwa.md](core/service-workers-and-pwa.md) |
| Electron apps | [electron-testing.md](core/electron-testing.md) |
| Browser extensions | [browser-extensions.md](core/browser-extensions.md) |
| Security testing | [security-testing.md](core/security-testing.md) |
| Performance & benchmarks | [performance-testing.md](core/performance-testing.md) |
| i18n & localization | [i18n-and-localization.md](core/i18n-and-localization.md) |
| Multi-tab & popups | [multi-context-and-popups.md](core/multi-context-and-popups.md) |
| Clock & time mocking | [clock-and-time-mocking.md](core/clock-and-time-mocking.md) |
| Third-party integrations | [third-party-integrations.md](core/third-party-integrations.md) |
### CLI Browser Automation
| What you're doing | Guide |
| ------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| CLI browser interaction | [playwright-cli/SKILL.md](playwright-cli/SKILL.md) |
| Core commands (open, click, fill, navigate) | [core-commands.md](playwright-cli/core-commands.md) |
| Network mocking & interception | [request-mocking.md](playwright-cli/request-mocking.md) |
| Running custom Playwright code | [running-custom-code.md](playwright-cli/running-custom-code.md) |
| Multi-session browser management | [session-management.md](playwright-cli/session-management.md) |
| Cookies, localStorage, auth state | [storage-and-auth.md](playwright-cli/storage-and-auth.md) |
| Test code generation from CLI | [test-generation.md](playwright-cli/test-generation.md) |
| Tracing and debugging | [tracing-and-debugging.md](playwright-cli/tracing-and-debugging.md) |
| Screenshots, video, PDF | [screenshots-and-media.md](playwright-cli/screenshots-and-media.md) |
| Device & environment emulation | [device-emulation.md](playwright-cli/device-emulation.md) |
| Complex multi-step workflows | [advanced-workflows.md](playwright-cli/advanced-workflows.md) |
## Language Note
All guides include TypeScript and JavaScript examples. When the project uses `.js` files or has no `tsconfig.json`, examples are adapted to plain JavaScript.
Use when facing 2+ independent tasks that can be worked on without shared state or sequential dependencies
Use when encountering any bug, test failure, or unexpected behavior, before proposing fixes
Use when implementing any feature or bugfix, before writing implementation code