[Windows] Reverted hiding console window when spawning browser processes, which caused regressions including broken codegen, --ui and show commands (#39990)
screencast.showActions() accepts position ('top-left', 'top', 'top-right', 'bottom-left', 'bottom', 'bottom-right'), duration (ms per annotation), and fontSize (px). Returns a disposable to stop showing actions.
Action annotations can also be enabled in test fixtures via the video option:
Visual overlays — add chapter titles and custom HTML overlays on top of the page for richer narration:
awaitpage.screencast.showChapter('Adding TODOs',{description:'Type and press enter for each TODO',duration:1000,});awaitpage.screencast.showOverlay('<div style="color: red">Recording</div>');
Real-time frame capture — stream JPEG-encoded frames for custom processing like thumbnails, live previews, AI vision, and more:
Agentic video receipts — coding agents can produce video evidence of their work. After completing a task, an agent can record a walkthrough video with rich annotations for human review:
awaitpage.screencast.start({path:'receipt.webm'});awaitpage.screencast.showActions({position:'top-right'});awaitpage.screencast.showChapter('Verifying checkout flow',{description:'Added coupon code support per ticket #​1234',});// Agent performs the verification steps...
awaitpage.locator('#coupon').fill('SAVE20');awaitpage.locator('#apply-coupon').click();awaitexpect(page.locator('.discount')).toContainText('20%');awaitpage.screencast.showChapter('Done',{description:'Coupon applied, discount reflected in total',});awaitpage.screencast.stop();
The resulting video serves as a receipt: chapter titles provide context, action annotations highlight each interaction, and the visual walkthrough is faster to review than text logs.
🔗 Interoperability
New browser.bind() API makes a launched browser available for playwright-cli, @playwright/mcp, and other clients to connect to.
Bind a browser — start a browser and bind it so others can connect:
Run playwright-cli show to open the Dashboard that lists all the bound browsers, their statuses, and allows interacting with them:
See what your agent is doing on the background browsers
Click into the sessions for manual interventions
Open DevTools to inspect pages from the background browsers.
- `playwright-cli` binds all of its browsers automatically, so you can see what your agents are doing.
- Pass `PLAYWRIGHT_DASHBOARD=1` env variable to see all `@playwright/test` browsers in the dashboard.
🐛 CLI debugger for agents
Coding agents can now run npx playwright test --debug=cli to attach and debug tests over playwright-cli — perfect for automatically fixing tests in agentic workflows:
$ npx playwright test --debug=cli
### Debugging Instructions
- Run "playwright-cli attach tw-87b59e" to attach to this test
$ playwright-cli attach tw-87b59e
### Session `tw-87b59e` created, attached to `tw-87b59e`.
Run commands with: playwright-cli --session=tw-87b59e <command>
### Paused
- Navigate to "/" at output/tests/example.spec.ts:4
$ playwright-cli --session tw-87b59e step-over
### Page
- Page URL: https://playwright.dev/
- Page Title: Fast and reliable end-to-end testing for modern web apps | Playwright
### Paused
- Expect "toHaveTitle" at output/tests/example.spec.ts:7
📋 CLI trace analysis for agents
Coding agents can run npx playwright trace to explore Playwright Trace and understand failing or flaky tests from the command line:
$ npx playwright trace open test-results/example-has-title-chromium/trace.zip
Title: example.spec.ts:3 › has title
$ npx playwright trace actions --grep="expect"# Time Action Duration
──── ───────── ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ────────
9. 0:00.859 Expect "toHaveTitle" 5.1s ✗
$ npx playwright trace action 9
Expect "toHaveTitle"
Error: expect(page).toHaveTitle(expected) failed
Expected pattern: /Wrong Title/
Received string: "Fast and reliable end-to-end testing for modern web apps | Playwright"
Timeout: 5000ms
Snapshots
available: before, after
usage: npx playwright trace snapshot 9 --name <before|after>
$ npx playwright trace snapshot 9 --name after
### Page
- Page Title: Fast and reliable end-to-end testing for modern web apps | Playwright
$ npx playwright trace close
♻️await using
Many APIs now return async disposables, enabling the await using syntax for automatic cleanup:
awaitusingpage=awaitcontext.newPage();{awaitusingroute=awaitpage.route('**/*',route=>route.continue());awaitusingscript=awaitpage.addInitScript('console.log("init script here")');awaitpage.goto('https://playwright.dev');// do something
}// route and init script have been removed at this point
🔍 Snapshots and Locators
Method page.ariaSnapshot() to capture the aria snapshot of the page — equivalent to page.locator('body').ariaSnapshot().
Method locator.normalize() converts a locator to follow best practices like test ids and aria roles.
Method page.pickLocator() enters an interactive mode where hovering over elements highlights them and shows the corresponding locator. Click an element to get its Locator back. Use page.cancelPickLocator() to cancel.
New APIs
Screencast
page.screencast provides video recording, real-time frame streaming, and overlay management.
Method browserContext.setStorageState() clears existing cookies, local storage, and IndexedDB for all origins and sets a new storage state — no need to create a new context.
Option artifactsDir in browserType.launch() to configure the artifacts directory.
🛠️ Other improvements
UI Mode has an option to only show tests affected by source changes.
UI Mode and Trace Viewer have improved action filtering.
HTML Reporter shows the list of runs from the same worker.
HTML Reporter allows filtering test steps for quick search.
New trace mode 'retain-on-failure-and-retries' records a trace for each test run and retains all traces when an attempt fails — great for comparing a passing trace with a failing one from a flaky test.
Known Issues ⚠️⚠️
navigator.platform emulation can cause Ctrl or Meta dispatching errors (#40009). Pass PLAYWRIGHT_NO_UA_PLATFORM = '1' environment variable while we are issuing a patch release. Let us know in the issue how it affected you.
Breaking Changes ⚠️
Removed macOS 14 support for WebKit. We recommend upgrading your macOS version, or keeping an older Playwright version.
This PR contains the following updates:
| Package | Change | [Age](https://docs.renovatebot.com/merge-confidence/) | [Confidence](https://docs.renovatebot.com/merge-confidence/) |
|---|---|---|---|
| [@playwright/test](https://playwright.dev) ([source](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright)) | [`1.58.2` → `1.59.1`](https://renovatebot.com/diffs/npm/@playwright%2ftest/1.58.2/1.59.1) |  |  |
---
### Release Notes
<details>
<summary>microsoft/playwright (@​playwright/test)</summary>
### [`v1.59.1`](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.59.1)
[Compare Source](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/compare/v1.59.0...v1.59.1)
##### Bug Fixes
- **\[Windows]** Reverted hiding console window when spawning browser processes, which caused regressions including broken `codegen`, `--ui` and `show` commands ([#​39990](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/39990))
### [`v1.59.0`](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/releases/tag/v1.59.0)
[Compare Source](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/compare/v1.58.2...v1.59.0)
#### 🎬 Screencast
New [page.screencast](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-screencast) API provides a unified interface for capturing page content with:
- Screencast recordings
- Action annotations
- Visual overlays
- Real-time frame capture
- Agentic video receipts
<center>
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/playwright/main/docs/src/images/release-notes-1.59-screencast-demo.gif" alt="Demo" width="500" height="313" />
</center>
**Screencast recording** — record video with precise start/stop control, as an alternative to the [`recordVideo`](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browser#browser-new-context-option-record-video) option:
```js
await page.screencast.start({ path: 'video.webm' });
// ... perform actions ...
await page.screencast.stop();
```
**Action annotations** — enable built-in visual annotations that highlight interacted elements and display action titles during recording:
```js
await page.screencast.showActions({ position: 'top-right' });
```
[screencast.showActions()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-screencast#screencast-show-actions) accepts `position` (`'top-left'`, `'top'`, `'top-right'`, `'bottom-left'`, `'bottom'`, `'bottom-right'`), `duration` (ms per annotation), and `fontSize` (px). Returns a disposable to stop showing actions.
Action annotations can also be enabled in test fixtures via the `video` option:
```js
// playwright.config.ts
export default defineConfig({
use: {
video: {
mode: 'on',
show: {
actions: { position: 'top-left' },
test: { position: 'top-right' },
},
},
},
});
```
**Visual overlays** — add chapter titles and custom HTML overlays on top of the page for richer narration:
```js
await page.screencast.showChapter('Adding TODOs', {
description: 'Type and press enter for each TODO',
duration: 1000,
});
await page.screencast.showOverlay('<div style="color: red">Recording</div>');
```
**Real-time frame capture** — stream JPEG-encoded frames for custom processing like thumbnails, live previews, AI vision, and more:
```js
await page.screencast.start({
onFrame: ({ data }) => sendToVisionModel(data),
size: { width: 800, height: 600 },
});
```
**Agentic video receipts** — coding agents can produce video evidence of their work. After completing a task, an agent can record a walkthrough video with rich annotations for human review:
```js
await page.screencast.start({ path: 'receipt.webm' });
await page.screencast.showActions({ position: 'top-right' });
await page.screencast.showChapter('Verifying checkout flow', {
description: 'Added coupon code support per ticket #​1234',
});
// Agent performs the verification steps...
await page.locator('#coupon').fill('SAVE20');
await page.locator('#apply-coupon').click();
await expect(page.locator('.discount')).toContainText('20%');
await page.screencast.showChapter('Done', {
description: 'Coupon applied, discount reflected in total',
});
await page.screencast.stop();
```
The resulting video serves as a receipt: chapter titles provide context, action annotations highlight each interaction, and the visual walkthrough is faster to review than text logs.
#### 🔗 Interoperability
New [browser.bind()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browser#browser-bind) API makes a launched browser available for `playwright-cli`, `@playwright/mcp`, and other clients to connect to.
**Bind a browser** — start a browser and bind it so others can connect:
```js
const { endpoint } = await browser.bind('my-session', {
workspaceDir: '/my/project',
});
```
**Connect from playwright-cli** — connect to the running browser from your favorite coding agent.
```bash
playwright-cli attach my-session
playwright-cli -s my-session snapshot
```
**Connect from [@​playwright/mcp](https://github.com/playwright/mcp)** — or point your MCP server to the running browser.
```bash
@​playwright/mcp --endpoint=my-session
```
**Connect from a Playwright client** — use API to connect to the browser. Multiple clients at a time are supported!
```js
const browser = await chromium.connect(endpoint);
```
Pass `host` and `port` options to bind over WebSocket instead of a named pipe:
```js
const { endpoint } = await browser.bind('my-session', {
host: 'localhost',
port: 0,
});
// endpoint is a ws:// URL
```
Call [browser.unbind()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browser#browser-unbind) to stop accepting new connections.
#### 📊 Observability
Run `playwright-cli show` to open the Dashboard that lists all the bound browsers, their statuses, and allows interacting with them:
- See what your agent is doing on the background browsers
- Click into the sessions for manual interventions
- Open DevTools to inspect pages from the background browsers.
<center>
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/playwright/main/docs/src/images/release-notes-1.59-dashboard.png" alt="Demo" width="1169" height="835" />
</center>
- `playwright-cli` binds all of its browsers automatically, so you can see what your agents are doing.
- Pass `PLAYWRIGHT_DASHBOARD=1` env variable to see all `@playwright/test` browsers in the dashboard.
#### 🐛 CLI debugger for agents
Coding agents can now run `npx playwright test --debug=cli` to attach and debug tests over `playwright-cli` — perfect for automatically fixing tests in agentic workflows:
```bash
$ npx playwright test --debug=cli
### Debugging Instructions
- Run "playwright-cli attach tw-87b59e" to attach to this test
$ playwright-cli attach tw-87b59e
### Session `tw-87b59e` created, attached to `tw-87b59e`.
Run commands with: playwright-cli --session=tw-87b59e <command>
### Paused
- Navigate to "/" at output/tests/example.spec.ts:4
$ playwright-cli --session tw-87b59e step-over
### Page
- Page URL: https://playwright.dev/
- Page Title: Fast and reliable end-to-end testing for modern web apps | Playwright
### Paused
- Expect "toHaveTitle" at output/tests/example.spec.ts:7
```
#### 📋 CLI trace analysis for agents
Coding agents can run `npx playwright trace` to explore [Playwright Trace](https://playwright.dev/docs/trace-viewer) and understand failing or flaky tests from the command line:
```bash
$ npx playwright trace open test-results/example-has-title-chromium/trace.zip
Title: example.spec.ts:3 › has title
$ npx playwright trace actions --grep="expect"
# Time Action Duration
──── ───────── ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ────────
9. 0:00.859 Expect "toHaveTitle" 5.1s ✗
$ npx playwright trace action 9
Expect "toHaveTitle"
Error: expect(page).toHaveTitle(expected) failed
Expected pattern: /Wrong Title/
Received string: "Fast and reliable end-to-end testing for modern web apps | Playwright"
Timeout: 5000ms
Snapshots
available: before, after
usage: npx playwright trace snapshot 9 --name <before|after>
$ npx playwright trace snapshot 9 --name after
### Page
- Page Title: Fast and reliable end-to-end testing for modern web apps | Playwright
$ npx playwright trace close
```
#### ♻️ `await using`
Many APIs now return [async disposables](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Symbol/asyncDispose), enabling the `await using` syntax for automatic cleanup:
```js
await using page = await context.newPage();
{
await using route = await page.route('**/*', route => route.continue());
await using script = await page.addInitScript('console.log("init script here")');
await page.goto('https://playwright.dev');
// do something
}
// route and init script have been removed at this point
```
#### 🔍 Snapshots and Locators
- Method [page.ariaSnapshot()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-aria-snapshot) to capture the aria snapshot of the page — equivalent to `page.locator('body').ariaSnapshot()`.
- Options `depth` and `mode` in [locator.ariaSnapshot()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-locator#locator-aria-snapshot).
- Method [locator.normalize()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-locator#locator-normalize) converts a locator to follow best practices like test ids and aria roles.
- Method [page.pickLocator()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-pick-locator) enters an interactive mode where hovering over elements highlights them and shows the corresponding locator. Click an element to get its [Locator](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-locator) back. Use [page.cancelPickLocator()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-cancel-pick-locator) to cancel.
#### New APIs
##### Screencast
- [page.screencast](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-screencast) provides video recording, real-time frame streaming, and overlay management.
- Methods [screencast.start()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-screencast#screencast-start) and [screencast.stop()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-screencast#screencast-stop) for recording and frame capture.
- Methods [screencast.showActions()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-screencast#screencast-show-actions) and [screencast.hideActions()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-screencast#screencast-hide-actions) for action annotations.
- Methods [screencast.showChapter()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-screencast#screencast-show-chapter) and [screencast.showOverlay()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-screencast#screencast-show-overlay) for visual overlays.
- Methods [screencast.showOverlays()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-screencast#screencast-show-overlays) and [screencast.hideOverlays()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-screencast#screencast-hide-overlays) for overlay visibility control.
##### Storage, Console and Errors
- Method [browserContext.setStorageState()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browsercontext#browser-context-set-storage-state) clears existing cookies, local storage, and IndexedDB for all origins and sets a new storage state — no need to create a new context.
- Methods [page.clearConsoleMessages()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-clear-console-messages) and [page.clearPageErrors()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-clear-page-errors) to clear stored messages and errors.
- Option `filter` in [page.consoleMessages()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-console-messages) and [page.pageErrors()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-page-errors) controls which messages are returned.
- Method [consoleMessage.timestamp()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-consolemessage#console-message-timestamp).
##### Miscellaneous
- [browserContext.debugger](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browsercontext#browser-context-debugger) provides programmatic control over the Playwright debugger.
- Method [browserContext.isClosed()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browsercontext#browser-context-is-closed).
- Method [request.existingResponse()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-request#request-existing-response) returns the response without waiting.
- Method [response.httpVersion()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-response#response-http-version) returns the HTTP version used by the response.
- Events [cdpSession.on('event')](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-cdpsession#cdp-session-event-event) and [cdpSession.on('close')](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-cdpsession#cdp-session-event-close) for CDP sessions.
- Option `live` in [tracing.start()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-tracing#tracing-start) for real-time trace updates.
- Option `artifactsDir` in [browserType.launch()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browsertype#browser-type-launch) to configure the artifacts directory.
#### 🛠️ Other improvements
- UI Mode has an option to only show tests affected by source changes.
- UI Mode and Trace Viewer have improved action filtering.
- HTML Reporter shows the list of runs from the same worker.
- HTML Reporter allows filtering test steps for quick search.
- New trace mode `'retain-on-failure-and-retries'` records a trace for each test run and retains all traces when an attempt fails — great for comparing a passing trace with a failing one from a flaky test.
#### Known Issues ⚠️⚠️
- `navigator.platform` emulation can cause Ctrl or Meta dispatching errors ([#​40009](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/40009)). Pass `PLAYWRIGHT_NO_UA_PLATFORM = '1'` environment variable while we are issuing a patch release. Let us know in the issue how it affected you.
#### Breaking Changes ⚠️
- Removed macOS 14 support for WebKit. We recommend upgrading your macOS version, or keeping an older Playwright version.
- Removed `@playwright/experimental-ct-svelte` package.
#### Browser Versions
- Chromium 147.0.7727.15
- Mozilla Firefox 148.0.2
- WebKit 26.4
This version was also tested against the following stable channels:
- Google Chrome 146
- Microsoft Edge 146
</details>
---
### Configuration
📅 **Schedule**: (UTC)
- Branch creation
- At any time (no schedule defined)
- Automerge
- At any time (no schedule defined)
🚦 **Automerge**: Disabled by config. Please merge this manually once you are satisfied.
♻ **Rebasing**: Whenever PR becomes conflicted, or you tick the rebase/retry checkbox.
🔕 **Ignore**: Close this PR and you won't be reminded about this update again.
---
- [ ] <!-- rebase-check -->If you want to rebase/retry this PR, check this box
---
This PR has been generated by [Renovate Bot](https://github.com/renovatebot/renovate).
<!--renovate-debug:eyJjcmVhdGVkSW5WZXIiOiI0My4xMzYuMCIsInVwZGF0ZWRJblZlciI6IjQzLjEzNi4wIiwidGFyZ2V0QnJhbmNoIjoibWFzdGVyIiwibGFiZWxzIjpbXX0=-->
Blocking a user prevents them from interacting with repositories, such as opening or commenting on pull requests or issues. Learn more about blocking a user.
This PR contains the following updates:
1.58.2→1.59.1Release Notes
microsoft/playwright (@playwright/test)
v1.59.1Compare Source
Bug Fixes
codegen,--uiandshowcommands (#39990)v1.59.0Compare Source
🎬 Screencast
New page.screencast API provides a unified interface for capturing page content with:
Screencast recording — record video with precise start/stop control, as an alternative to the
recordVideooption:Action annotations — enable built-in visual annotations that highlight interacted elements and display action titles during recording:
screencast.showActions() accepts
position('top-left','top','top-right','bottom-left','bottom','bottom-right'),duration(ms per annotation), andfontSize(px). Returns a disposable to stop showing actions.Action annotations can also be enabled in test fixtures via the
videooption:Visual overlays — add chapter titles and custom HTML overlays on top of the page for richer narration:
Real-time frame capture — stream JPEG-encoded frames for custom processing like thumbnails, live previews, AI vision, and more:
Agentic video receipts — coding agents can produce video evidence of their work. After completing a task, an agent can record a walkthrough video with rich annotations for human review:
The resulting video serves as a receipt: chapter titles provide context, action annotations highlight each interaction, and the visual walkthrough is faster to review than text logs.
🔗 Interoperability
New browser.bind() API makes a launched browser available for
playwright-cli,@playwright/mcp, and other clients to connect to.Bind a browser — start a browser and bind it so others can connect:
Connect from playwright-cli — connect to the running browser from your favorite coding agent.
Connect from @playwright/mcp — or point your MCP server to the running browser.
Connect from a Playwright client — use API to connect to the browser. Multiple clients at a time are supported!
Pass
hostandportoptions to bind over WebSocket instead of a named pipe:Call browser.unbind() to stop accepting new connections.
📊 Observability
Run
playwright-cli showto open the Dashboard that lists all the bound browsers, their statuses, and allows interacting with them:🐛 CLI debugger for agents
Coding agents can now run
npx playwright test --debug=clito attach and debug tests overplaywright-cli— perfect for automatically fixing tests in agentic workflows:📋 CLI trace analysis for agents
Coding agents can run
npx playwright traceto explore Playwright Trace and understand failing or flaky tests from the command line:♻️
await usingMany APIs now return async disposables, enabling the
await usingsyntax for automatic cleanup:🔍 Snapshots and Locators
page.locator('body').ariaSnapshot().depthandmodein locator.ariaSnapshot().New APIs
Screencast
Storage, Console and Errors
filterin page.consoleMessages() and page.pageErrors() controls which messages are returned.Miscellaneous
livein tracing.start() for real-time trace updates.artifactsDirin browserType.launch() to configure the artifacts directory.🛠️ Other improvements
'retain-on-failure-and-retries'records a trace for each test run and retains all traces when an attempt fails — great for comparing a passing trace with a failing one from a flaky test.Known Issues ⚠️⚠️
navigator.platformemulation can cause Ctrl or Meta dispatching errors (#40009). PassPLAYWRIGHT_NO_UA_PLATFORM = '1'environment variable while we are issuing a patch release. Let us know in the issue how it affected you.Breaking Changes ⚠️
@playwright/experimental-ct-sveltepackage.Browser Versions
This version was also tested against the following stable channels:
Configuration
📅 Schedule: (UTC)
🚦 Automerge: Disabled by config. Please merge this manually once you are satisfied.
♻ Rebasing: Whenever PR becomes conflicted, or you tick the rebase/retry checkbox.
🔕 Ignore: Close this PR and you won't be reminded about this update again.
This PR has been generated by Renovate Bot.
6d3d9997b2to85b9daac83