To capture Selenium screenshots on a Jenkins agent and keep them with the build, have the test save each PNG inside the Jenkins workspace, then archive the matching files with archiveArtifacts. Put the archive step in Declarative Pipeline’s post { always { ... } } block when you need screenshots from failed builds, too. With a remote browser or container, first ensure the screenshot file is visible in the workspace Jenkins archives.
How the screenshot-to-artifact workflow works
Selenium captures the current browsing context through WebDriver; its language bindings can return or save PNG data. Jenkins agents run Pipeline steps in a workspace, and archiveArtifacts collects matching files from that workspace. The reliable handoff is therefore: capture in the test process, write to a workspace-relative path, and archive that path after the test stage.
- Choose whether you need a screenshot of the current browsing context or a particular element.
- In the Selenium test, write the image under a directory such as
screenshots/in the workspace. - Configure Jenkins to archive the directory with a matching pattern.
- Use
post { always { ... } }if artifact collection must run after a failed test as well as a successful one.
Selenium’s official WebDriver documentation includes full-context and element screenshot examples across bindings: Selenium: Working with windows and tabs. WebDriver is a W3C Recommendation; Selenium’s getting-started guide explains the browser and driver setup: Selenium: Getting started.
Configure Jenkins to archive screenshots
This Declarative Pipeline example runs tests and archives any PNGs created below screenshots/. It assumes the test command writes files into the agent workspace.
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pipeline {
agent any
stages {
stage('Browser tests') {
steps {
sh 'pytest'
}
}
}
post {
always {
archiveArtifacts artifacts: 'screenshots/**/*.png', allowEmptyArchive: true
}
}
}Jenkins resolves artifact paths relative to the workspace and uses Ant-style include patterns. Its artifact scanner is case-sensitive by default. The Declarative always condition runs at completion regardless of the pipeline result. See the Jenkins guides for recording tests and artifacts, the archiveArtifacts step, and Pipeline post conditions.
Decide whether an empty archive is acceptable
allowEmptyArchive: true prevents the build from failing just because the pattern matched no files. That can be appropriate if screenshots are only produced under certain conditions. But if every run should create a screenshot, allowing an empty archive can hide a broken capture path or a test that never wrote the file. In that case, omit the option so Jenkins reports the zero-match problem.
Keep paths aligned
The code that writes the screenshot and the archive glob must agree. For example, a file at screenshots/failure.png matches screenshots/**/*.png. A file written to another directory, or with an extension such as .PNG, may not match the pattern as intended. Save relative to the process working directory when that directory is the workspace, or construct an explicit workspace path.
Save screenshots with Selenium
Use the binding already used by your tests. The examples below capture a PNG from the current browsing context; Selenium also supports element screenshots when the whole page context is unnecessary. Confirm the portion of the page returned by your selected browser and driver rather than assuming every implementation captures beyond the current viewport.
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Python
For a test or failure handler running from the workspace, create the destination directory and call save_screenshot:
from pathlib import Path
screenshot_dir = Path("screenshots")
screenshot_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
driver.save_screenshot(str(screenshot_dir / "failure.png"))Selenium’s Python example uses driver.save_screenshot('./image.png'). Put the call in the test code or framework’s failure hook if the image is specifically for diagnosing a failed test. The hook itself is framework-specific; Jenkins can archive only files that have actually been written before the post section runs.
JavaScript
The JavaScript WebDriver API returns a Base64-encoded PNG. Decode it when writing the file, and ensure its parent directory exists:
const fs = require('node:fs/promises');
await fs.mkdir('screenshots', { recursive: true });
const encoded = await driver.takeScreenshot();
await fs.writeFile('screenshots/failure.png', encoded, 'base64');Run the test process with the Jenkins workspace as its working directory, or replace the relative path with a known workspace path.
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Java
In Java, use Selenium’s TakesScreenshot interface and copy the returned file into the workspace directory. Create the directory before the test or capture operation:
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Path;
import java.nio.file.StandardCopyOption;
import org.openqa.selenium.OutputType;
import org.openqa.selenium.TakesScreenshot;
Path directory = Path.of("screenshots");
Files.createDirectories(directory);
File image = ((TakesScreenshot) driver).getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE);
Files.copy(image.toPath(), directory.resolve("failure.png"),
StandardCopyOption.REPLACE_EXISTING);The exact driver and browser setup varies by project. The important artifact requirement is unchanged: the final file must be available at a path under the Jenkins workspace when the archive step executes.
Choose full-context or element capture
A full-context screenshot gives more surrounding information, which is often useful for layout or navigation failures. An element screenshot focuses on a specific component, which can make a targeted assertion failure easier to inspect. Selenium documents both options, but the precise screenshot scope can depend on the binding, driver, and browser.
- Use a full-context screenshot for failures where surrounding page state matters.
- Use an element screenshot when the diagnostic question is confined to one component and your binding and driver support it.
- For failure-only capture, call the relevant screenshot API from the test framework’s failure hook or exception handling path, then let Jenkins archive the resulting files.
Account for agents, containers, and remote browsers
Browser running on the Jenkins agent
If the browser and test process run on the agent, write screenshots directly into the agent’s workspace. Jenkins allocates a workspace for Pipeline execution; the artifact archive step reads from that workspace.
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Container agent
For a containerized test, make sure the path used by the process is part of the workspace visible to the Pipeline step. Container and workspace mounts vary by Jenkins deployment, so verify the actual mount arrangement rather than assuming a file written inside a container is automatically available for archiving. Jenkins documents agent and workspace execution in its Pipeline agent guidance.
Selenium Grid or another remote WebDriver
A WebDriver screenshot call returns image data to the test process, but a screenshot saved on a separate machine is not automatically an artifact in Jenkins. Keep the screenshot call and file-write operation in the test process and write the returned data into that process’s Jenkins workspace. If the test process itself runs remotely, arrange an explicit transfer into the workspace before archiveArtifacts runs.
Troubleshoot missing screenshots
- No screenshot file was created: The capture code may not have run, or it may have failed before writing. Check the test log and confirm the capture path is reached, especially in a failure hook.
- Jenkins reports no matching artifacts: Compare the actual file path and extension with the archive pattern. Remember that matching is case-sensitive by default.
- The file exists locally but not in the archive: Confirm it is under the workspace, not a temporary directory or another machine’s filesystem.
- Containerized tests produce no archived file: Inspect the container/workspace mount arrangement and ensure the screenshot lands in a path visible to the Pipeline step.
- Remote WebDriver tests produce no archived file: Write the screenshot data in the test process and transfer it to the Jenkins workspace if that process is not running there.
- Files disappear before archive: Check cleanup steps and move cleanup after artifact collection, or preserve the screenshot directory until archiving completes.
- The build passes but the screenshot is absent: If capture is limited to failures, that may be expected. If screenshots should always exist, remove
allowEmptyArchive: trueso a missing match is not silently accepted.
Or skip the browser setup
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Jenkins take the Selenium screenshot automatically when a test fails?
No. The test code or framework failure handler must capture and write the image; Jenkins archives files that already exist in the workspace.
Can I archive screenshots only when tests fail?
Yes. Capture them in the test failure path and use a Jenkins post condition that runs regardless of result to collect any resulting files.
Can Jenkins archive a screenshot saved on a Selenium Grid machine?
Only after the file is made available in the Jenkins workspace. A screenshot saved elsewhere is not automatically visible to the archive step.
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