MCP server · Design and testing

Playwright MCP server

Microsoft's official Playwright MCP server that drives a real browser so an agent can navigate, click, type, and read pages.

Official

npm package (runs locally)

Verified May 22, 2026 · editorial policy

TL;DR

Server: Playwright MCP server
Vendor: Microsoft
Category: Design and testing
Distribution: npm package (runs locally)
TL;DR: Microsoft's Playwright MCP server gives an agent a real browser to drive. Unlike the Fetch server, Playwright executes JavaScript, follows interactions, and can verify rendered output. The right server when the assistant needs to actually use your live SaaS – log in, click through onboarding, screenshot a broken state.
Founder fit: If you want Claude to verify that a fix actually works on your live landing page, walk a buyer-journey through your funnel, or screenshot what your app looks like right now, install Playwright MCP. It is the gold standard for letting an agent see and use a rendered web app.
Last verified: May 22, 2026

What an agent can do with it

Navigate and interact

Open URLs, click, type, scroll – full browser interaction surface.

Read rendered DOM

Inspect the rendered page including JS-hydrated content.

Take screenshots

Capture screenshots for the agent to reason about or hand back to you.

Why an indie SaaS founder cares

If you want Claude to verify that a fix actually works on your live landing page, walk a buyer-journey through your funnel, or screenshot what your app looks like right now, install Playwright MCP. It is the gold standard for letting an agent see and use a rendered web app.

Install

Access: Local, free, runs a headless or headed browser instance.

Claude Desktop

Add the following block to your claude_desktop_config.json and restart Claude:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@playwright/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add the following block to .cursor/mcp.json in your home directory or project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@playwright/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Install snippets are derived from the vendor's published distribution shape. If your client is neither Claude Desktop nor Cursor, see the vendor docs for client-specific configuration.