The Tool Desk
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import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';
export default defineConfig({
use: {
screenshot: 'only-on-failure',
},
});Playwright stores the resulting artifact in the configured test output directory (commonly test-results) and your reporter displays it with the failed test. Use 'on-first-failure' to avoid duplicate images when retries run, or use page.screenshot() with testInfo.attach() when you need a specific capture point, filename, or full-page image.
Choose the right failure-screenshot method
| Method | Best for | What it captures | Artifact volume |
|---|---|---|---|
use.screenshot: 'only-on-failure' |
Most test suites | Automatically after a failed test | One image per failure (and potentially per retry) |
use.screenshot: 'on-first-failure' |
Projects using retries | The first failure for each test | Fewer duplicate images |
page.screenshot() plus testInfo.attach() |
Custom timing, naming, or options | Exactly where your code requests it | Only the attachments you create |
step.attach() |
Debugging a particular test.step |
An image attributed to one step | Step-level artifacts |
The automatic setting is normally the best starting point. A custom hook is useful when the failure state changes quickly, when you need a full-page image, or when you want a named attachment alongside logs and traces.
Configure automatic screenshots after failures
Minimal configuration
Place this in the exported configuration object:
import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';
export default defineConfig({
use: {
screenshot: 'only-on-failure',
},
});The option is under use, so it applies to tests using the project unless a project or test-specific setting overrides it. The default is 'off'. The other documented modes are 'on', which captures every test, 'only-on-failure', and 'on-first-failure'.
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Capture a full page
Automatic screenshots use Playwright’s screenshot behavior. For a guaranteed full-scrollable-page image, use an explicit screenshot in a hook or in the test itself with fullPage: true. This is often more useful for pages where the defect is below the initial viewport.
Transparency
When the browser and image format support it, omitBackground: true removes the default background and preserves transparency. This option is available on the screenshot API; use a custom capture when you need to set it explicitly.
Use a custom screenshot and attach it to the test
Call page.screenshot() at the point that still shows the useful failure state, then attach the returned bytes with testInfo.attach():
import { test } from '@playwright/test';
test('checkout', async ({ page }, testInfo) => {
await page.goto('https://example.test/checkout');
const screenshot = await page.screenshot({ fullPage: true });
await testInfo.attach('checkout-screenshot', {
body: screenshot,
contentType: 'image/png',
});
});page.screenshot() returns a buffer when no path is supplied. Passing that buffer as body keeps the artifact under the test runner’s control. testInfo.attach() also accepts a filesystem path if another tool has already written the image. Playwright copies the attachment to a reporter-accessible location, so reporters can expose it without relying on your working directory.
Attach at a particular step
For step-level attribution, attach inside test.step and use the callback’s step object:
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import { test } from '@playwright/test';
test('profile update', async ({ page }) => {
await test.step('submit profile form', async ({ step }) => {
await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Save' }).click();
await step.attach('after-save', {
body: await page.screenshot({ fullPage: true }),
contentType: 'image/png',
});
});
});A step attachment is attributed to that step, whereas testInfo.attach() stores the artifact at test level. Choose the level that matches how your reporter groups evidence.
Capture only when the final result is unexpected
If you need a policy that evaluates the completed result, add an afterEach hook. Compare testInfo.status with testInfo.expectedStatus while the page fixture is still available:
import { test } from '@playwright/test';
test.afterEach(async ({ page }, testInfo) => {
if (testInfo.status !== testInfo.expectedStatus) {
await testInfo.attach('failure-screenshot', {
body: await page.screenshot({ fullPage: true }),
contentType: 'image/png',
});
}
});This condition also identifies an unexpected pass: a test marked as expected to fail that passes has a status different from its expected status. If you want images only for ordinary failures and not unexpected passes, test for the status value your project treats as a failure instead of using the general inequality.
Why the hook must run before the page is gone
Fixtures are torn down as the test lifecycle ends. Taking the screenshot in afterEach keeps the page fixture available. A later global teardown may no longer have the browser page that displayed the error.
Retries, projects, and artifact volume
Retries can create duplicate evidence
With only-on-failure, a screenshot can be produced for each failed attempt. That is valuable when a retry succeeds—you can compare the failed attempt with the passing one—but it can produce several similar files for a consistently failing test. Choose on-first-failure when the first failed attempt is enough and artifact volume matters.
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Keep project context in the filename
When several browser projects run the same test, let the Playwright reporter’s test and project metadata distinguish the attachments. If you create files yourself, include the project or scenario name in your attachment name rather than writing to one shared filename, which can be overwritten by parallel workers.
Viewport versus full page
- Viewport capture: smaller and faster; best for a dialog, button, or layout issue visible at the failure point.
- Full-page capture: includes the scrollable document; best for missing content, long forms, and responsive pages where the defect is lower down.
Full-page images can be substantially larger. Use them selectively in high-volume suites, particularly when traces or videos are already enabled.
Where Playwright saves failure screenshots
Playwright writes screenshots, traces, and videos beneath the test output directory configured for the run. If you have not changed that setting, the directory is typically test-results. The HTML reporter and other configured reporters determine how attachments are displayed; open the report rather than searching only for a manually chosen filename.
To make locations predictable in CI, set a consistent output directory in your Playwright configuration and publish that directory as a CI artifact. Do not assume a local absolute path will exist on another worker. Parallel workers may create separate result subdirectories for the same test name.
Run and inspect a failure
- Install Playwright and its browser binaries in the project as usual.
- Add
screenshot: 'only-on-failure'underuse, or add the custom hook shown above. - Run the test command used by your project, for example
npx playwright test. - When a test fails, note the output directory reported by the runner.
- Open the generated HTML report (if enabled) or inspect the published test-results artifact in CI.
- Use the image with the error message, trace, console output, and network information; the screenshot shows visual state but does not replace those diagnostics.
Troubleshoot missing or unhelpful screenshots
No image is produced
- Confirm the setting is nested under
useand that the configuration file is the one used by the command. - Check whether the test actually failed. With
only-on-failure, passing tests intentionally produce no image. - Verify that the reporter or CI job publishes the configured output directory.
- If a custom hook is used, ensure the hook is imported or declared in a file loaded by the test run.
The screenshot shows the wrong page
Capture immediately after the failing action, before navigation, cleanup, or a fixture teardown changes the DOM. A custom page.screenshot() call is preferable to an automatic end-of-test image when timing is critical.
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The image is cropped
Use fullPage: true for a complete scrollable document. If the page uses a virtualized list, content outside the viewport may not exist in the DOM; screenshotting cannot capture elements the application has not rendered.
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Make sure the attachment has a correct MIME type such as image/png, and open the report generated by the configured reporter. In CI, upload the test output directory after the test command completes.
Retries create too many files
Switch automatic capture to on-first-failure, or use a custom hook that names and attaches only the evidence you need. Keep retries when they reveal flakiness, but avoid collecting identical full-page images on every attempt.
The hook throws because the page is unavailable
Use the hook while the page fixture is alive, as in afterEach. If a browser crash or navigation failure makes the page unusable, rely on the automatic artifact and other diagnostics rather than trying to call methods on a closed page.
Or skip the browser setup
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Use the ScreenshotNeo documentation for the complete parameter list. A direct call looks like this:
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpEquivalent Python:
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Equivalent Node.js:
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I save a screenshot to a specific local filename?
Yes. Call page.screenshot({ path: 'failure.png' }), then pass that path to testInfo.attach() if you also want it shown as a test artifact.
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Does an automatic screenshot include the browser console or network log?
No. It is an image of the page. Collect console, network, trace, or video artifacts separately when diagnosing the failure.
Should I use on-first-failure with retries?
Use it when one image per test is sufficient. Keep only-on-failure when comparing each failed attempt is important for flaky-test diagnosis.
Can a screenshot be attached to one step instead of the whole test?
Yes. Call step.attach() inside the test.step callback; this attributes the image to that step rather than to the test-level attachment list.
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