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Add a YAML file under .github/workflows that checks out your code, installs the locked Node.js dependencies, installs Playwright browsers and Linux packages, runs the tests, and uploads the HTML report. The workflow below is a practical npm baseline; change its Node version, branch names, package-manager commands, and action versions to match your repository.
Before you create the workflow
Confirm that the repository already contains a Playwright project. A typical project has a Playwright configuration file such as playwright.config.ts or playwright.config.js, tests, and a package script or command that runs Playwright. If the project is new, the Playwright installer can scaffold the configuration, example tests, package files, and optionally a GitHub Actions workflow. Treat generated YAML as a starting point: review its triggers, runtime version, and artifact policy before committing it.
Check the local test command
Run the same command locally that CI will run. The documented direct command is npx playwright test. If your package.json defines a test script, you can use npm test or a project-specific script instead, but make sure it exits nonzero when a test fails.
Check the package manager
The example below uses npm and a committed package-lock.json. For Yarn, pnpm, or another manager, replace the install step with that manager’s frozen or locked install command and commit the corresponding lockfile. Do not use an unlocked install in CI when reproducibility matters.
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Create .github/workflows/playwright.yml
Save this file in the repository. The sample runs for pushes and pull requests targeting main or master, uses a hosted Ubuntu runner, runs one worker for predictable CI behavior, and stores the generated HTML report even when tests fail.
name: Playwright tests
on:
push:
branches: [ main, master ]
pull_request:
branches: [ main, master ]
jobs:
test:
timeout-minutes: 60
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
env:
CI: true
steps:
- name: Check out repository
uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Set up Node.js
uses: actions/setup-node@v4
with:
node-version: 20
cache: npm
- name: Install dependencies
run: npm ci
- name: Install Playwright browsers and OS dependencies
run: npx playwright install --with-deps
- name: Run Playwright tests
run: npx playwright test
- name: Upload Playwright report
if: ${{ !cancelled() }}
uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
with:
name: playwright-report
path: playwright-report/
retention-days: 14Adjust the trigger branches
Replace main and master with the branches used by your repository. Add other branch patterns only when you intentionally want those pushes or pull requests to consume runner time. You can also add a manual trigger with workflow_dispatch: if maintainers need to start a run from the Actions tab.
Choose a Node.js version
Set node-version to a version supported by your application and Playwright dependencies. Keep the value consistent with local development and any other CI jobs. Action major versions can change over time; verify the currently supported versions when you copy this file into a long-lived project.
Understand each required step
- Checkout: downloads the commit that triggered the run.
- Setup Node: installs the requested runtime and, with npm caching enabled, can reuse package-manager data.
npm ci: installs exactly what the lockfile specifies and fails when the lockfile and manifest disagree.npx playwright install --with-deps: downloads the browser binaries and installs required Linux system packages on the hosted runner.npx playwright test: runs the suite and returns the test result to GitHub Actions. A failing test therefore fails the job.- Artifact upload: makes the
playwright-report/directory downloadable from the workflow run.
Commit, run, and inspect the result
- Commit the workflow and push it to the branch that matches your trigger.
- Open the repository’s Actions tab and select the workflow run.
- Expand each step to inspect installation and test logs. A red test step means the command returned a failure status.
- When the run finishes, open its Artifacts area and download
playwright-report. - Serve the downloaded report through a local web server when necessary; opening the HTML file directly may not provide the report’s expected behavior.
Reports, traces, screenshots, videos, and logs can contain credentials, access tokens, staging data, test source, or application source. Keep artifacts private, use a retention period appropriate to your risk, and share them only through trusted storage. Be especially careful with workflows triggered by pull requests from forks: repository secrets are not available to those runs, so do not add secret-dependent publishing steps without understanding that security boundary.
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Make CI stable before making it fast
Use one worker by default
Playwright’s CI guidance recommends setting workers to 1 to prioritize stability and reproducibility. You can set this in the Playwright configuration, for example with a CI-specific conditional, or pass an equivalent command-line option if your project uses one. One worker reduces contention for CPU, memory, test data, and shared services.
Scale large suites with sharding
When a single job takes too long, distribute tests across multiple jobs with Playwright sharding. Each job runs a different shard, and the workflow needs a matrix or equivalent job fan-out. Sharding adds setup complexity and requires a later step if you want one combined report, but it scales more predictably than simply increasing workers on a constrained runner.
Do not assume browser caching is faster
Playwright notes that restoring cached browser binaries can take about as long as downloading them, and Linux system dependencies cannot be cached in the same way. The default download path is therefore reasonable. If you still cache browser binaries, key the cache to the installed Playwright version so an upgrade cannot silently reuse incompatible browsers.
Consider a container for a controlled environment
Installing browsers and dependencies on the runner is the documented baseline. A Playwright container image is an alternative when you need a tightly controlled operating-system environment or want to avoid modifying the host. Weigh image-download time, image maintenance, and compatibility with your repository’s build steps before switching.
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Adapt the workflow to common repository layouts
Tests need a running web server
If your configuration starts a development server through Playwright’s web-server setting, keep that configuration in the repository and let npx playwright test start it. If the application must be built first, add a separate build step before the test command and ensure the server command used by the configuration listens on the expected host and port.
Use a package script
A package script can centralize flags and project-specific setup:
{
"scripts": {
"test:e2e": "playwright test"
}
}In that case, replace the run step with npm run test:e2e. Keep the browser-install step separate so a missing browser produces a clear CI error.
Use another lockfile
For pnpm, enable the matching package-manager version and run its frozen-lockfile install. For Yarn, use the repository’s configured immutable or frozen install mode. The invariant is that CI installs from a committed lockfile before running Playwright; the exact command depends on the project.
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Troubleshoot failed runs
“Executable doesn’t exist” or browser launch errors
The browser binaries are missing or incompatible with the installed Playwright package. Ensure npx playwright install --with-deps runs after dependency installation. If the failure persists, confirm that the workflow is using the same Playwright version declared in the lockfile and that a custom browser path is not overriding the downloaded location.
Linux shared-library or dependency errors
Use the --with-deps option on a supported Ubuntu hosted runner. If you changed the runner image or use a self-hosted machine, install the operating-system packages required by the browsers and verify that the runner user can launch them.
Tests pass locally but fail in Actions
- Check environment variables, base URLs, credentials, and service startup timing.
- Look for tests that depend on local time, timezone, filesystem paths, or a developer’s browser profile.
- Run with one worker and inspect traces, screenshots, and videos from the report.
- Confirm that the CI Node.js version matches a supported version for the project.
Browser launch needs more diagnostics
Run the test command with Playwright’s browser debugging output enabled:
DEBUG=pw:browser npx playwright testUse the resulting logs to distinguish a missing executable, a sandbox or permission issue, a dependency failure, or a crash during startup.
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The report is missing
Check that the reporter writes to playwright-report/, that the upload step uses if: ${{ !cancelled() }}, and that the path is relative to the repository workspace. This condition uploads the report after a test failure while avoiding an upload after cancellation. If no report was generated, inspect the test command and reporter configuration rather than changing the artifact path blindly.
The workflow never starts
Compare the pushed or pull-request branch with the branches under on. Also verify that the file is exactly under .github/workflows and has valid YAML indentation. A workflow that only lists pull-request triggers will not run for an ordinary push unless a push trigger is also present.
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Useful decisions at a glance
| Decision | Baseline | When to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Runner setup | Ubuntu hosted runner with CLI browser installation | Use a container when a controlled environment outweighs image and maintenance costs |
| Workers | One worker in CI | Use sharding or carefully sized parallelism for a large suite |
| Browser binaries | Download each run | Cache only after measuring restore time; key by Playwright version |
| Reports | Private workflow artifact | Publish externally only with deliberate access control and secret handling |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which file extension should the workflow use?
Use a YAML file ending in .yml or .yaml inside .github/workflows; Playwright’s example uses playwright.yml.
Can a forked pull request use repository secrets?
Do not assume so. Pull requests from forks have restricted secret access, so secret-dependent publishing or deployment steps require a separate, carefully designed security model.
How long should Playwright artifacts be retained?
Choose a retention period based on debugging needs and the sensitivity of the report. The example uses 14 days; change it to match your team’s policy.
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