Set up Playwright in a project

Initialize Playwright Project

Set up a production-ready Playwright testing environment. Detect the framework, generate config, folder structure, example test, and CI workflow.

Steps

1. Analyze the Project

Use the Explore subagent to scan the project:

• Check package.json for framework (React, Next.js, Vue, Angular, Svelte)
• Check for tsconfig.json → use TypeScript; otherwise JavaScript
• Check if Playwright is already installed (@playwright/test in dependencies)
• Check for existing test directories (tests/, e2e/, __tests__/)
• Check for existing CI config (.github/workflows/, .gitlab-ci.yml)

2. Install Playwright

If not already installed:

npm init playwright@latest -- --quiet

Or if the user prefers manual setup:

npm install -D @playwright/test
npx playwright install --with-deps chromium

3. Generate playwright.config.ts

Adapt to the detected framework:

Next.js:

import { defineConfig, devices } from '@playwright/test';

export default defineConfig({
  testDir: './e2e',
  fullyParallel: true,
  forbidOnly: !!process.env.CI,
  retries: process.env.CI ? 2 : 0,
  workers: process.env.CI ? 1 : undefined,
  reporter: [
    ['html', { open: 'never' }],
    ['list'],
  ],
  use: {
    baseURL: 'http://localhost:3000',
    trace: 'on-first-retry',
    screenshot: 'only-on-failure',
  },
  projects: [
    { name: "chromium", use: { ...devices['Desktop Chrome'] } },
    { name: "firefox", use: { ...devices['Desktop Firefox'] } },
    { name: "webkit", use: { ...devices['Desktop Safari'] } },
  ],
  webServer: {
    command: 'npm run dev',
    url: 'http://localhost:3000',
    reuseExistingServer: !process.env.CI,
  },
});

React (Vite):

• Change baseURL to http://localhost:5173
• Change webServer.command to npm run dev

Vue/Nuxt:

• Change baseURL to http://localhost:3000
• Change webServer.command to npm run dev

Angular:

• Change baseURL to http://localhost:4200
• Change webServer.command to npm run start

No framework detected:

• Omit webServer block
• Set baseURL from user input or leave as placeholder

4. Create Folder Structure

e2e/
├── fixtures/
│   └── index.ts          # Custom fixtures
├── pages/
│   └── .gitkeep          # Page object models
├── test-data/
│   └── .gitkeep          # Test data files
└── example.spec.ts       # First example test

5. Generate Example Test

import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test.describe('Homepage', () => {
  test('should load successfully', async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('/');
    await expect(page).toHaveTitle(/.+/);
  });

  test('should have visible navigation', async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('/');
    await expect(page.getByRole('navigation')).toBeVisible();
  });
});

6. Generate CI Workflow

If .github/workflows/ exists, create playwright.yml:

name: "playwright-tests"

on:
  push:
    branches: [main, dev]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main, dev]

jobs:
  test:
    timeout-minutes: 60
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: lts/*
      - name: "install-dependencies"
        run: npm ci
      - name: "install-playwright-browsers"
        run: npx playwright install --with-deps
      - name: "run-playwright-tests"
        run: npx playwright test
      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        if: ${{ !cancelled() }}
        with:
          name: "playwright-report"
          path: playwright-report/
          retention-days: 30

If .gitlab-ci.yml exists, add a Playwright stage instead.

7. Update .gitignore

Append if not already present:

/test-results/
/playwright-report/
/blob-report/
/playwright/.cache/

8. Add npm Scripts

Add to package.json scripts:

{
  "test:e2e": "playwright test",
  "test:e2e:ui": "playwright test --ui",
  "test:e2e:debug": "playwright test --debug"
}

9. Verify Setup

Run the example test:

npx playwright test

Report the result. If it fails, diagnose and fix before completing.

Output

Confirm what was created:

• Config file path and key settings
• Test directory and example test
• CI workflow (if applicable)
• npm scripts added
• How to run: npx playwright test or npm run test:e2e