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To run Playwright tests in GitHub Actions, check out the repository, set up the project’s Node version, install its locked dependencies, install the matching Playwright browsers and operating-system packages, run the tests, and upload the report even if tests fail. Start with one CI worker for predictable execution; use sharding across jobs when the suite needs more parallelism.
Set up a basic Playwright GitHub Actions workflow
This workflow follows the sequence in Playwright’s Continuous Integration guide. It is an illustrative example, not a tested workflow. Replace the Node package commands with those for your project, and confirm that your configured reporter writes to the path the workflow uploads.
name: Playwright Tests
on:
push:
branches: [main, master]
pull_request:
branches: [main, master]
jobs:
test:
timeout-minutes: 60
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v6
- uses: actions/setup-node@v6
with:
node-version: lts/*
- run: npm ci
- run: npx playwright install --with-deps
- run: npx playwright test
- uses: actions/upload-artifact@v5
if: ${{ !cancelled() }}
with:
name: playwright-report
path: playwright-report/
retention-days: 30The 60-minute timeout and 30-day artifact retention are values in the documentation’s example, not universal requirements. Action tags and repository retention policies can change; adjust them to your project’s policy. The upload condition allows the report step to run after a test failure while respecting cancellation.
Make sure a report is actually produced
The example uploads playwright-report/. Configure Playwright’s HTML reporter to emit that directory, or change the artifact path to match your reporter’s output. A workflow can succeed at uploading an artifact while still collecting no useful report if the paths do not agree.
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Install browsers and system dependencies that match Playwright
Playwright browser binaries are tied to Playwright releases. Install browsers through the project’s Playwright CLI, and reinstall them when a Playwright update requires newer binaries. The general command installs supported browsers and their operating-system dependencies together:
npx playwright install --with-depsIf the suite runs only Chromium, a targeted install can avoid fetching unused browsers:
npx playwright install chromium --with-depsChoose Chromium, Firefox, WebKit, or branded browser channels according to the browsers your product needs to support; install only what the suite exercises. See Playwright’s browser installation guide for supported installation options.
Rank #2
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Direct installation or a Playwright container?
| Approach | What it does | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Install on the runner | Uses the hosted runner’s operating-system image and installs browser and system dependencies as workflow steps. | Simple to adopt, but browser setup occurs in the job and depends on the runner environment. |
| Use a Playwright image | Runs the job in a container with browsers and dependencies supplied by the image, so a separate browser-install step can be omitted. | Provides a more controlled browser environment, but the image tag and project Playwright package must be kept aligned and updated deliberately. |
Playwright’s CI guide shows a GitHub-hosted runner using mcr.microsoft.com/playwright:v1.63.0-noble as an example image tag. Treat that as a documentation example, not a statement that it is the latest image. Consult the Docker guide and match the selected image to the Playwright version in the project.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesKeep CI stable before increasing parallelism
Playwright recommends setting workers to 1 in CI to prioritize stability and reproducibility. More workers may be reasonable on a self-hosted runner with spare capacity, but concurrency can increase resource contention and timeouts. For broader parallel execution, Playwright documents distributing tests across jobs with sharding rather than simply increasing workers within one job. See the CI guidance and sharding guide.
Use retries as a diagnostic aid, not a fix
Playwright’s configuration examples show enabling retries only in CI, for example retries: process.env.CI ? 2 : 0, and using trace: 'on-first-retry'. They also demonstrate forbidOnly in CI, HTML reporting, browser projects, baseURL, and a webServer that starts a local app before tests. These are options, not mandatory settings: select retry counts and timeouts for your suite, and investigate repeat failures instead of treating retries as a cure for flakiness. The configuration guide explains these settings.
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Scale a long suite with sharded jobs
A single job is easier to maintain. If its runtime becomes a bottleneck, split the suite into shards so separate GitHub Actions jobs can run portions in parallel. The sharding guide uses a matrix and passes each job its shard index and total, such as:
npx playwright test --shard=${{ matrix.shardIndex }}/${{ matrix.shardTotal }}Each shard should produce a blob report. Collect those artifacts in a downstream job and merge them into a consolidated HTML report with:
npx playwright merge-reports --reporter html ./all-blob-reportsFollow the sharding guide for the matrix, artifact transfer, and merge structure. That page is in Playwright’s next documentation path and may change before general release.
Rank #4
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Retrieve reports and diagnose failed runs
Upload reports under a condition that runs after test failures; the workflow example uses if: ${{ !cancelled() }}. For sharded suites, preserve each shard’s blob report and merge them in a later job. Reports and traces can contain authenticated pages, test data, or internal application content, so store them only in trusted artifact locations or encrypt them before upload. Playwright calls out this risk in its configuration guidance.
Investigate browser launch failures
When a browser will not launch in CI, enable Playwright’s browser-launch logs with:
DEBUG=pw:browser npx playwright testIf a Linux job must run headed tests, it needs Xvfb. Playwright’s Docker image and GitHub Action have Xvfb preinstalled; the documented command pattern is:
Best Value
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- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
- Transfer Files in Seconds: Move files to and from your laptop at speeds of up to 5 Gbps via the USB-C and USB-A data ports. Note: The USB C 5Gbps Data port does not support video output.
- HD Display: Connect to the HDMI port to stream or mirror content to an external monitor in resolutions of up to 4K@30Hz. Note: The USB-C ports do not support video output.
- What You Get: Anker 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1), welcome guide, our worry-free 18-month warranty, and friendly customer service.
xvfb-run npx playwright testThese troubleshooting recommendations are in the CI guide.
Decide whether caching or changed-test selection is worthwhile
Browser download or cache
Start with installation unless measurements in your own environment show that restoring a browser cache saves meaningful time. Playwright does not recommend browser caching by default: restoring it can take about as long as downloading the binaries, and Linux system dependencies cannot be cached. If you do cache browser binaries, key the cache to the Playwright version so an upgrade does not restore incompatible browsers. See the CI guide.
Full suite or a changed-test pre-pass
--only-changed can select tests by analyzing dependency relationships, but the selection is heuristic and can miss affected tests. Playwright’s documented pattern requires a non-shallow checkout so the workflow can compare against the pull-request base ref. Use changed-test selection only as preliminary feedback, then run the full suite. See the CI guide.
Local application or deployed preview
For tests against an application started in the workflow, configure webServer and a baseURL as appropriate. For end-to-end tests of a deployed preview, Playwright documents triggering tests after a successful GitHub deployment status and setting the test base URL from the deployment target URL. The CI guide describes that deployment pattern.
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