To debug a Playwright test, record a trace, open its trace.zip in Trace Viewer, and follow the failed action through its timeline, DOM snapshots, source location, console messages, and network requests. For a local run, use npx playwright test --trace on; for CI, configure retries and trace: 'on-first-retry' so the trace is captured on the first retry.
Record a trace for the test you need to debug
Capture a trace locally
From your Playwright project directory, run:
npx playwright test --trace onThis records a trace for each test in that run. Afterward, Playwright saves trace data that you can open directly or access through the HTML report.
Capture traces for CI failures
For Playwright Test, configure a retry and record on the first retry:
import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';
export default defineConfig({
retries: 1,
use: {
trace: 'on-first-retry',
},
});With retries: 1, a failed test is retried once; on-first-retry records the retry, giving you a trace when the initial attempt fails. This is a practical CI default for intermittent failures without tracing every test routinely.
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Choose a recording mode
| Situation | Setting or command | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Investigate a problem locally | npx playwright test --trace on |
Records traces for the test run. |
| Capture a CI failure during its first retry | retries: 1 and trace: 'on-first-retry' |
Requires retries to be enabled. |
| Keep traces for failures without retries | trace: 'retain-on-failure' |
Use this when retries are not enabled. |
| Record every test | trace: 'on' |
Playwright warns this is performance heavy and does not recommend it as the routine default. |
Other documented modes include off and on-all-retries. The CLI reference also lists retain-on-first-failure and retain-on-failure-and-retries; check the documentation for your installed Playwright version before choosing those modes.
Open the trace in Trace Viewer
Open a saved archive
Point the CLI at the trace archive:
npx playwright show-trace path/to/trace.zipReplace path/to/trace.zip with the path to your saved archive.
Open a trace from the HTML report
Run:
npx playwright show-reportOpen the relevant test in the report and select its trace. This route is useful when you are already reviewing a test run’s results.
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Use UI Mode during local debugging
To step through tests and inspect what happened around each step, run:
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Find the failure in the Actions timeline
- Start at Errors. Use the Errors tab and the red timeline marker to locate the reported failure.
- Select the suspicious action. In Actions, find the failed step or the interaction immediately before the failure. The list shows the locator used and the action’s timing.
- Check the source location. Follow the source panel to the test line associated with that action.
- Compare snapshots. Inspect the Before, Action, and After DOM snapshots to see how the page changed around the interaction.
- Read the action details and log. Check what Playwright did before and during the action, including waits for visibility, enabled or stable state, and scrolling.
- Correlate other evidence. Inspect screenshots, console messages, and network activity for the selected action or timeline range before deciding what caused the failure.
What to inspect in a trace
Actions, locator, and call details
The Actions list connects the test’s sequence of operations to the page state. Call details can show the action duration, locator, strict-mode status, and key used. The action log helps distinguish a failed interaction from a delay or prerequisite: for example, Playwright may have been waiting for an element to become visible or stable before attempting the action.
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DOM snapshots and screenshots
Compare the DOM snapshots before, during, and after the selected action. The Action snapshot can help establish where Playwright clicked and what DOM state it encountered. The screenshot film strip provides visual context over time; screenshot capture is enabled by default according to the Trace Viewer guide. Select a timeline range to narrow the actions and related console or network entries to that period.
Console and network activity
Use the Console panel to inspect browser and test console output. Selecting an action or timeline range filters messages to that time window.
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Metadata and attachments
Review test metadata such as browser, viewport, and duration when the failure may depend on the execution environment. Attachments can also include visual-regression expected and actual images, plus diffs.
Use trace evidence to verify a cause
A trace helps you form a hypothesis; it does not by itself prove which application or test change is correct. For example, if an action waited for an element, compare its locator and action log with the DOM snapshots, then check whether the expected element existed at that moment. If the page looked correct but an assertion failed, follow the source location and inspect the relevant test and application behavior. When a request appears related, correlate its timing and response with the selected action before changing a locator or treating the request as the root cause.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose the right tracing API
For Playwright Test debugging where assertion context matters, configure tracing through the test runner. The lower-level browserContext.tracing API records browser operations and network activity but does not record test assertions such as expect calls. If you use that lower-level API, start tracing before the actions you want to capture and stop it to export the trace archive.
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Troubleshoot trace debugging
The trace archive is missing
- Check that tracing was enabled for the run or configured mode, and that the test run reached the conditions for that mode. For example,
on-first-retryrequires a retry. - If you chose a retention mode, check whether the test outcome met that mode’s retention condition.
- For CI, verify the report or trace artifacts are being retained and made available to the environment where you are opening them.
The archive will not open
- Confirm the path passed to
npx playwright show-tracepoints to the actualtrace.zip. - If opening a remote trace in the browser viewer at trace.playwright.dev, the archive must be accessible at its URL. Browser CORS rules may prevent loading it.
- The official guide says the browser-based viewer loads the trace entirely in the browser and does not transmit it externally.
The trace lacks assertion context
If you recorded with the lower-level browserContext.tracing API, the absence of test assertions such as expect calls is expected. Use Playwright Test configuration when assertion-level context is needed.
Tracing slows the routine test run
If you enabled trace: 'on' for every test, change to a failure-oriented mode such as on-first-retry with retries or retain-on-failure without retries. Playwright describes tracing every test as performance heavy; the documentation does not provide a measured overhead figure.
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ScreenshotNeo is a separate website screenshot API and MCP server, not a replacement for Playwright Trace Viewer or a way to inspect test traces. If you also need a clean screenshot of a page while diagnosing a visual issue, one GET request can return an image or PDF:
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a trace without opening the HTML report?
Yes. Run npx playwright show-trace path/to/trace.zip and supply the archive’s path.
Does the browser-based Trace Viewer upload my trace?
The official guide says trace.playwright.dev loads the trace entirely in the browser and does not transmit it externally.
Does the lower-level tracing API record expect assertions?
No. browserContext.tracing records browser operations and network activity, not test assertions such as expect calls.
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