For authorized testing, the common Node.js setup is to register puppeteer-extra-plugin-stealth with playwright-extra before launching Chromium. It attempts to reduce some recognizable automation signals; it does not make a browser undetectable or guarantee access to any site.
What “Playwright stealth” means
Playwright Stealth usually refers to using the playwright-extra wrapper with the stealth plugin from puppeteer-extra-plugin-stealth. The plugin applies evasions intended to make some browser properties look less automation-like. It is not an official Playwright mode, and it cannot remove every signal that a site might use.
Use this approach only on applications you own or have permission to assess. For owned systems, define controlled test cases and record the browser and plugin versions and settings so results can be reproduced.
Set up the Node.js version
Install the packages
In a Node.js project, install Playwright, its wrapper, and the stealth plugin:
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npm install playwright playwright-extra puppeteer-extra-plugin-stealth
Playwright requires a browser binary as well. Install the Chromium build used by your project with npx playwright install chromium. The package README documents the wrapper-and-plugin integration: playwright-extra on npm.
Register the plugin before launch
This CommonJS example opens a page and closes the browser even if navigation fails:
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const { chromium } = require('playwright-extra')
const stealth = require('puppeteer-extra-plugin-stealth')()
chromium.use(stealth)
;(async () => {
const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: true })
try {
const page = await browser.newPage()
await page.goto('https://example.com', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' })
console.log(await page.title())
} finally {
await browser.close()
}
})().catch((error) => {
console.error(error)
process.exitCode = 1
})The important order is chromium.use(stealth) before chromium.launch(). Registering it after launch does not configure the already-running browser.
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ES modules
With an ESM project, use the documented import form and register the plugin before creating the browser:
import { chromium } from 'playwright-extra'
import StealthPlugin from 'puppeteer-extra-plugin-stealth'
chromium.use(StealthPlugin())
const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: true })
try {
const page = await browser.newPage()
await page.goto('https://example.com', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' })
console.log(await page.title())
} finally {
await browser.close()
}Python is a separate package and API
Python users can evaluate the separately maintained playwright-stealth package; it is not the Node.js plugin above. The PyPI page for version 2.0.0 demonstrates wrapping Playwright’s asynchronous context with Stealth().use_async(...):
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import asyncio
from playwright.async_api import async_playwright
from playwright_stealth import Stealth
async def main():
async with Stealth().use_async(async_playwright()) as p:
browser = await p.chromium.launch(headless=True)
try:
page = await browser.new_page()
await page.goto("https://example.com", wait_until="domcontentloaded")
print(await page.title())
finally:
await browser.close()
asyncio.run(main())Install the package with pip install playwright-stealth and install the browser required by Playwright with playwright install chromium. Check the documentation for the exact version you install: the example here is for playwright-stealth 2.0.0, and its API may differ in later releases. Its maintainers explicitly caution not to expect it to bypass anything beyond the simplest bot-detection methods.
Choose a browser configuration you can reproduce
Stealth behavior is only one variable. Browser build, headless mode, operating environment, network signals, the site’s behavior, and the detector’s design can all affect what happens. Playwright distinguishes its default headless Chromium, which uses a Chromium headless shell, from branded Chrome or Edge channels. The branded browsers use a newer headless implementation closer to headed mode; the differences can matter when matching a real test environment.
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For regression work that targets publicly available browser releases, Playwright documents using stable browser channels. Choose the configuration that matches the application and test objective rather than changing browser identity at random. Record these details with each run:
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- Playwright version and installed browser build or channel
- Headless or headed mode and launch options
- Operating system and execution environment
- Stealth package and plugin version
- The exact owned test target and the expected outcome
See Playwright’s browser documentation for its browser-channel and headless-mode guidance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the plugin can and cannot establish
The plugin’s README describes detection as a continuing cat-and-mouse problem and says detection remains possible. Its historical public-test claims are maintainer-reported results, not an independent, current benchmark or a guarantee for your target. The maintainer also cautions that results can vary with the site, prior behavior, and IP address. The README’s summary is blunt: “It’s probably impossible to prevent all ways to detect headless chromium.” See the stealth plugin README.
Detection may also involve behavior rather than only browser properties. A 2026 preprint reports, in its controlled benchmark, that Playwright does not emit the raw pointer-move and wheel-delta streams produced by physical input devices, and that an absence signature remained under the trajectory manipulations it tested. That is evidence that behavioral signals can matter; it does not show that every site or detector uses them. Read the study as a bounded result, not a general detection score: 2026 preprint on behavioral detection.
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Troubleshoot setup and inconsistent results
The plugin appears to have no effect
- Confirm that the code imports
chromiumfromplaywright-extra, not directly fromplaywright. - Confirm
chromium.use(StealthPlugin())or its CommonJS equivalent runs beforechromium.launch(). - Check that the Node.js packages and browser binaries were installed in the same project environment that runs the script.
The Python example raises an import or method error
Check the installed playwright-stealth version against its documentation. The shown Stealth().use_async(...) form is specifically the 2.0.0 example; do not assume another version exposes an identical API.
A site still flags or blocks the session
That outcome does not by itself mean the setup is broken. The plugin does not guarantee evasion, and a site may use signals beyond the plugin’s scope. For authorized testing, compare a controlled set of configurations, capture the relevant application logs or diagnostics, and note browser, environment, network, and test-case details. Do not treat one detector page as proof that a configuration is universally detectable or undetectable.
Headless and headed runs differ
Record whether Playwright launched its bundled headless Chromium or a branded Chrome or Edge channel. Those modes do not use identical implementations; align the run with the browser configuration your test is intended to represent.
Or skip the browser setup
If your goal is to capture a website screenshot rather than run an authorized browser automation test, ScreenshotNeo provides a screenshot API. One GET request can return an image or PDF, without you installing or configuring a browser. For example, save a WebP capture of an authorized target:
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Playwright Stealth work with Firefox or WebKit?
The setup described here is Chromium-focused. The cited integration registers the plugin on Playwright’s Chromium object.
Can a stealth plugin guarantee that a browser will not be detected?
No. The plugin maintainers explicitly say detection remains possible, and results depend on the target and its detection methods.
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