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You can use Playwright to capture screenshots in a Vitest browser test, but a screenshot capture is not the same thing as a visual-regression assertion. Configure Vitest Browser Mode with its Playwright provider, then use the browser page API to capture an image or Vitest’s screenshot settings to save artifacts. Playwright’s toHaveScreenshot() matcher is documented for Playwright Test, not as a native Vitest matcher.
Choose the screenshot workflow that matches your goal
Start by deciding what the image is for. Vitest and Playwright can produce screenshot files for inspection, but producing a file does not automatically compare it with an approved reference image.
| Goal | Approach | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Capture an image during browser automation | Use Playwright’s page.screenshot() or a locator’s screenshot method. |
Image bytes or a file; the capture itself does not assert that the image matches a baseline. |
| Save diagnostic images for Vitest browser tests | Use Vitest Browser Mode screenshot settings, or capture through the browser page API. | Artifacts useful for diagnosing a failure or reviewing a page. |
Compare screenshots with visual baselines using toHaveScreenshot() |
Use Playwright Test for the documented page and locator screenshot assertions. | A visual assertion that compares a capture with an expectation. |
Vitest Browser Mode integrates browser tests into Vitest. Playwright Test is a separate test runner. Choose based on whether you need Vitest integration or Playwright’s documented screenshot assertion API.
Set up Vitest Browser Mode with the Playwright provider
Use the configuration for your installed Vitest major version. Vitest’s provider packages and imports have changed across releases, including changes recorded in the Vitest 4 migration guide. The following illustrates the current configuration shape described by Vitest; check the documentation matching your installed version before copying it verbatim.
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import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config'
import { playwright } from '@vitest/browser-playwright'
export default defineConfig({
test: {
browser: {
enabled: true,
provider: playwright(),
instances: [
{ browser: 'chromium' },
],
},
},
})This configuration selects the Playwright provider and a Chromium browser instance. It does not, by itself, establish a visual baseline or tell Vitest to compare every test’s page with a saved image. If your installed Vitest version uses a different provider or configuration shape, follow its version-specific browser setup instead.
Capture a screenshot from a Vitest browser test
In the current Vitest Browser Mode guide, the browser page API is imported from vitest/browser. A basic capture can be written to a file with the page’s screenshot method. Use a path appropriate to your project and ensure the destination directory exists or is created by your test setup.
import { page } from 'vitest/browser'
import { it, expect } from 'vitest'
it('captures the rendered page', async () => {
await page.goto('/your-route')
await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Your page heading' })).toBeVisible()
await page.screenshot({ path: 'artifacts/page.png', fullPage: true })
})The route and heading are examples; replace them with a route and stable UI element in your application. Waiting for a meaningful element before capture helps avoid taking an image before the relevant page state appears. Whether the page API and assertion helpers are imported this way depends on the Vitest version in use.
Choose the capture area
- Viewport: omit
fullPageto capture the currently visible page area. - Full page: set
fullPage: truewhen the artifact should include content beyond the viewport. Lazy-loaded content may need to be triggered before capture. - One element: capture a locator when the whole page is unnecessary, for example a component under test. Playwright’s locator screenshot API is designed for element-level capture.
- Clipped region: use screenshot clipping when a specific rectangle is more useful than the page or a single locator.
Playwright’s screenshot options also include controls such as scale and masking. Use the capture scope and options deliberately: a viewport image, a full-page image, and an element image answer different debugging questions.
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Save diagnostic screenshots with Vitest settings
Vitest documents Browser Mode settings for a screenshot directory and screenshots on failure. These are useful when you want test artifacts for investigation rather than an explicit expected-image comparison. Configure them using the syntax for your installed Vitest version.
import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config'
import { playwright } from '@vitest/browser-playwright'
export default defineConfig({
test: {
browser: {
enabled: true,
provider: playwright(),
instances: [{ browser: 'chromium' }],
},
browser: {
screenshotDirectory: './artifacts/screenshots',
screenshotFailures: true,
},
},
})Do not paste this illustrative object unchanged if your version’s configuration schema differs. In particular, preserve a single browser configuration object in your actual config: the repeated key above separates the provider example from the screenshot-setting example for readability, and JavaScript object keys cannot safely be duplicated as a way to merge configuration. Combine the settings under the one test.browser object according to the installed version’s documented schema.
For instance, where the installed version supports these properties in the same browser configuration, the shape is conceptually:
test: {
browser: {
enabled: true,
provider: playwright(),
instances: [{ browser: 'chromium' }],
screenshotDirectory: './artifacts/screenshots',
screenshotFailures: true,
},
}A failure screenshot is evidence for diagnosis, not proof that a page matches a desired design. Treat those as separate jobs.
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Understand the boundary between Vitest and Playwright Test
Playwright documents expect(page).toHaveScreenshot() and expect(locator).toHaveScreenshot() as Playwright Test-only screenshot assertions. Do not assume that importing Vitest’s expect makes those Playwright Test matchers available, or describe them as native Vitest assertions.
If your requirement is screenshot comparison with that exact API, put those tests in a Playwright Test suite. If the application’s main unit and integration tests use Vitest, you can keep them there and maintain a separate browser visual test suite. Another option is a visual comparison tool that explicitly supports Vitest, but treat its installation and assertion API as a separate dependency rather than implying it comes with Vitest.
Make captures more repeatable
Screenshot comparisons are sensitive to the state being captured. Fix the viewport and the route or component state across runs, and wait for the UI that matters to be ready. Mask regions that are genuinely dynamic when your visual-testing approach supports masking. Playwright exposes capture and assertion controls for matters such as scale, masks, animation handling, and style overrides; these can reduce irrelevant differences but cannot guarantee that every rendering variation disappears.
- Use a stable browser instance and viewport for the comparisons you intend to make.
- Wait for a meaningful selector or UI state, rather than relying only on an arbitrary delay.
- Choose viewport, full-page, or locator capture to fit the intended check.
- Mask only regions whose changing content is not part of what the test should verify.
- Keep diagnostic artifacts distinct from checked-in or otherwise managed visual baselines.
Troubleshoot missing, blank, or surprising screenshots
The screenshot is blank or captures the wrong state
Check that navigation completed, the expected UI state was reached, and the selected capture scope includes the target. A screenshot taken before a route or component is ready can faithfully capture an empty or intermediate state. Wait for a relevant selector or state before capture.
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The test cannot find the browser page API or provider
Check the installed Vitest major version and its matching Browser Mode guide. Provider package names and imports are version-sensitive; the current guide’s vitest/browser import should not be assumed to match every earlier release.
toHaveScreenshot() is unavailable
That matcher is documented for Playwright Test. A Vitest test using Vitest’s assertion library should not rely on it as a native matcher. Use Playwright Test for that API or select a separately documented Vitest-compatible visual comparison tool.
The image differs between runs
Confirm the browser/provider, viewport, capture scope, and UI readiness are consistent. Inspect whether the difference comes from dynamic content or an unfinished state. Masking or style controls can help with known dynamic regions, but they do not eliminate every cause of variation.
The artifact is missing after a failed test
Verify that screenshot-on-failure is configured for the Vitest version in use and that the configured screenshot directory is where you expect. For a manual capture, verify the output path and directory. A screenshot setting for failure artifacts is not the same as an assertion that compares against a reference.
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Or skip the browser setup
If you need an image or PDF of a public page rather than a browser test artifact, ScreenshotNeo provides a website screenshot API and MCP server. One GET request returns a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. For the exact options and response details, see the ScreenshotNeo API documentation.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpUse your own API key and target URL. This service is not a replacement for assertions about your application’s state inside Vitest; it is an alternative for obtaining page captures without setting up browser automation. Cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets are removed before capture; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. An MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card, and paid plans start at $5 for 3,000.
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Cost and reliability considerations
For tests running in your own browser setup, the relevant cost and reliability work is operational: keep the browser configuration aligned with the Vitest version, save useful artifacts, and limit visual comparisons to stable states that matter. A capture API is a different workflow from a test runner: ScreenshotNeo bills only clean shots, with response headers indicating the page verdict and billing status, and cache hits cost nothing. The appropriate choice depends on whether you need an assertion against your application or a screenshot of a URL.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I call Playwright’s page.screenshot() from Vitest?
Yes, in a Vitest Browser Mode setup using the Playwright provider, use the browser page API for capture; check the API/import form against your installed Vitest version.
Does a Vitest screenshot automatically become a visual regression test?
No. Capturing or saving an artifact is different from comparing it with an expected image.
Can I use toHaveScreenshot() in a Vitest test?
Playwright documents that matcher for Playwright Test, not as a native Vitest assertion.
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