Run npx playwright codegen https://your-app.example to record a browser flow. Playwright opens the site and its Inspector, turns your clicks and form entries into test code, and lets you add visibility, text, and value assertions while you work. Treat the generated script as a starting point: review locators, remove accidental actions, and shape the flow around a user-visible behavior that can run independently.
This guide covers the command-line recorder, VS Code, emulation, locator and assertion cleanup, UI Mode, traces, failure recovery, and a screenshot-only alternative when you do not need an interactive test.
Set up a Playwright project
Use a project-local Playwright installation so the test runner and browser versions are reproducible on every machine.
- Create or enter your Node.js project.
- Install the test package with
npm install -D @playwright/test. - Install the supported browsers with
npx playwright install. - Keep the generated configuration and test files under version control, and pin dependency versions in your lockfile.
If you already have a Playwright project, start at the recording command. Codegen can open a supplied URL or start without one, allowing you to navigate to the page yourself.
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Record a test with Playwright codegen
Start the recorder
npx playwright codegen https://your-app.exampleA browser window and the Playwright Inspector appear. Perform the flow exactly as a user would: navigate, click, fill fields, choose options, and submit. The Inspector writes actions as you perform them. When the flow is complete, stop recording and choose Copy in the Inspector to paste the generated test into your editor.
Playwright examines the page while you interact with it and prioritizes role, text, and test-id locators. That usually produces more meaningful selectors than a long CSS path, but it does not know the business intent of your test. A generated click on a menu may be incidental; a deliberate assertion about the resulting page is usually the behavior you need to preserve.
Add assertions during recording
Use the Inspector assertion controls while recording. Select an element and add a visibility, text, or value assertion. Assertions turn a sequence of actions into a check with an observable outcome. For example, after submitting a form, assert that a confirmation message is visible instead of ending the test after the click.
Pick and refine locators
Stop recording and use Pick Locator in the Inspector. Hover over an element to preview the locator, click it, then copy or edit the result. Prefer a locator that describes what the user recognizes:
getByRolefor buttons, links, headings, checkboxes, and other accessible roles.getByTextwhen visible copy is the stable identity of an element.getByTestIdfor an intentional test contract exposed by the application.locatorwith a narrowly scoped CSS selector only when the semantic options are insufficient.
Check whether the locator remains unique after the page changes. If a generated selector depends on an auto-generated class, a changing index, or a layout detail, replace it before committing the test.
A complete recorded test after cleanup
The following TypeScript test is runnable in a Playwright Test project and illustrates the shape to aim for after copying codegen output. It uses a public example page so the assertion is deterministic.
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import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';
test('shows the example page heading', async ({ page }) => {
await page.goto('https://example.com');
await expect(
page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Example Domain' })
).toBeVisible();
});For your application, replace the URL and interactions with the recorded flow, then retain assertions that explain why the test exists. Keep one user goal per test where practical. Tests should be isolated: each test must establish its own data or use a controlled fixture rather than depending on the order in which another test ran.
Record from VS Code
Install the Playwright extension for VS Code, open the Testing sidebar, and choose Record new. The extension creates a test-1.spec.ts file and opens a browser for your interactions. This is the same recording concept as the CLI, but the editor keeps the generated file and test controls beside the browser.
| Approach | Best for | Notable control |
|---|---|---|
| CLI codegen | Repeatable recording from a terminal or script | Inspector, locator picker, and command-line emulation flags |
| VS Code Record new | Developers who want recording and the test file in one editor | Testing sidebar creates the spec file automatically |
| UI Mode | Exploring, running, watching, and debugging existing tests | Testing sidebar with time-travel-style inspection |
Choose the CLI when you need explicit device, viewport, locale, or timezone flags. Choose VS Code when the convenience of a graphical workflow outweighs terminal repeatability.
Record under the environment your test must cover
A flow recorded on a desktop light theme can fail to represent the behavior of a mobile, localized, or dark-mode user. Codegen accepts environment settings so the generated interactions match the intended test conditions.
npx playwright codegen
--viewport-size="1280,720"
--device="iPhone 13"
--color-scheme=dark
--timezone="America/New_York"
--geolocation="40.7128,-74.0060"
--lang=en-US
https://your-app.example- Viewport: exercise responsive breakpoints at a known width and height.
- Device: combine a device preset’s mobile characteristics with its browser context.
- Color scheme: expose light- or dark-theme branches.
- Timezone and geolocation: reproduce date, regional, or location-dependent behavior.
- Language: record the labels and formatting shown to the target locale.
For authenticated journeys, preserve the authenticated browser state using Playwright’s documented storage-state workflow rather than recording a login step in every test. Keep any saved state out of source control when it contains real credentials or session tokens, and regenerate it when the session expires.
Turn generated actions into a durable test
Remove accidental interactions
Codegen records what happened, not what mattered. Delete clicks used only to dismiss a transient tooltip, exploratory navigation, or a second interaction that was needed while discovering the flow. Leave the shortest sequence that demonstrates the user goal.
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Assert outcomes, not implementation details
Verify text, visibility, URL changes, enabled state, or form values that a user can observe. Avoid asserting a private CSS class or an internal network response unless that is specifically the contract under test. A useful assertion should fail when the user-visible behavior is broken.
Make repeated data explicit
Replace one-off values with clear constants or fixtures when the value is part of the scenario. Generate unique records where the application requires uniqueness, and clean up or isolate data so another run starts from a known state.
Keep tests independent
Do not rely on a previous test leaving a logged-in page, an open cart, or a database row behind. Each test should be runnable alone and in a different order. Shared setup belongs in fixtures or a controlled setup project, not in hidden assumptions between test files.
Explore and debug with UI Mode and traces
Use UI Mode for local investigation
npx playwright test --uiUI Mode presents the test list and a timeline for exploring, running, watching, and debugging tests. Select a step to inspect the action and the page state around it, then rerun the relevant test while refining the locator or assertion.
Capture a trace on a local run
npx playwright test --trace onOpen the resulting report with:
npx playwright show-reportTrace Viewer provides a timeline, DOM snapshots, network requests, and action details for each recorded step. Use it when a failure is timing-sensitive or the final page does not explain what happened.
Capture traces efficiently in CI
For continuous integration, configure retries and trace: 'on-first-retry'. A trace is then collected when a test first retries instead of adding trace overhead to every successful run. Keep the trace and HTML report as CI artifacts so a failure can be investigated after the worker is gone.
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Or skip the browser setup
If your deliverable is a clean screenshot or PDF of a page—not an interactive test that clicks through the page—ScreenshotNeo can capture it with one HTTP request. It is not a replacement for Playwright assertions, but it avoids maintaining a browser script for visual artifacts and documentation images. Cookie and consent banners are accepted and removed before capture, along with more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be disabled. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and the response identifies the page verdict and billing status in X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers.
See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for all options, including full-page and element capture, device and retina settings, custom CSS or JavaScript, waits, request blocking, cookies, headers, geolocation, PDF output, caching, signed links, asynchronous jobs, bulk capture, and usage reporting.
cURL
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpPython
import requests
r = requests.get(
"https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"},
timeout=90,
)
r.raise_for_status()
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js
const q = new URLSearchParams({
access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
url: 'https://stripe.com'
});
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Screenshot failed: ${res.status}`);
const data = Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer());
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Troubleshoot recorded tests
The generated locator matches more than one element
Cause: repeated button text, duplicate labels, or a responsive duplicate in the DOM.
Fix: scope the locator to the relevant region, add an accessible name, or add a deliberate test id. Confirm uniqueness with the Inspector before rerunning.
The test fails intermittently after a click
Cause: the next assertion races a navigation, animation, or asynchronous request.
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Fix: assert the expected destination or visible result rather than inserting an arbitrary sleep. Use a locator assertion that waits for the state you need, and inspect a trace to identify the actual delay.
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Codegen records a login that should not be committed
Cause: recording began from a signed-out context.
Fix: create and protect an authenticated storage state, load it for the test project, and keep secrets and session files outside version control. Regenerate the state when credentials or sessions expire.
The flow works locally but fails in CI
Cause: different viewport, timezone, browser, data, or timing; CI may also expose a test-order dependency.
Fix: set the intended environment explicitly, run the test alone and in a clean worker, enable CI retries with trace: 'on-first-retry', and inspect the trace and network timeline.
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Cause: an unavailable environment, blocked resource, redirect loop, or application error.
Fix: verify the URL from the same CI network, inspect console and network details in the trace, and make the application fixture deterministic. Do not hide the failure with a longer timeout until the underlying load problem is understood.
Performance, reliability, and maintenance
- Recording cost: codegen is an interactive authoring step; it is not how your test suite should run in CI. Commit the cleaned test and execute it headlessly or with the project settings appropriate for CI.
- Runtime stability: stable semantic locators and user-visible assertions usually survive UI refactors better than positional selectors.
- Parallel execution: independent data and isolated authentication are prerequisites before enabling workers; otherwise parallel tests can interfere with one another.
- Debug artifacts: retain HTML reports and traces for failed retries, but control retention because DOM snapshots and network details can contain sensitive data.
- Maintenance: rerun codegen when a flow changes, then review the diff manually. Re-recording wholesale can reintroduce accidental clicks and brittle selectors.
Recording approaches at a glance
| Need | Recommended path | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fast starter script | npx playwright codegen <url> |
Captures actions and opens the Inspector immediately |
| Assertions while interacting | Inspector assertion controls | Adds visibility, text, or value checks at the point they matter |
| Locator discovery | Inspector Pick Locator | Previews and copies a locator for the selected element |
| Editor-first workflow | VS Code Testing sidebar, Record new | Creates and opens a spec beside the browser |
| Failure diagnosis | UI Mode and Trace Viewer | Shows action history, DOM snapshots, network requests, and timing |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Playwright codegen record API requests as test steps?
No. Codegen records browser interactions and assertions. If an API call is part of setup or teardown, add it explicitly with your test fixtures or API request code rather than expecting it to appear as a recorded click or fill.
Can I begin recording without knowing the final URL?
Yes. The URL argument is optional. Start codegen without a URL, then navigate in the opened browser to the application and begin the flow.
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