Hands-On Testing with playwright-cli

Perform manual browser-based testing of a web application and produce a structured test report with screenshots and console output.

Workflow

Phase 1: Environment Setup

1.1 Create the test output directory

Generate a timestamp-based output directory for this test run:

bash
TEST_OUTPUT_DIR="$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR/test-output/$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M)"
mkdir -p "$TEST_OUTPUT_DIR"

All screenshots and the report for this run will be saved under this directory.

1.2 Check if the dev server is running

bash
# Check if something is listening on the expected port
lsof -i :3000 -sTCP:LISTEN
# or
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" http://localhost:3000

1.3 Start the dev server if not running

Detect the project's dev server command from project files (compose.yml, package.json, Makefile, etc.) and start it in the background.

bash
# Example: Docker Compose project
docker compose up -d

# Example: Node.js project
# npm run dev &

Wait for the server to become ready:

bash
# Poll until the server responds
for i in $(seq 1 30); do
  curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" http://localhost:3000 | grep -q "200" && break
  sleep 1
done

Phase 2: Browser Session

2.1 Open the browser and navigate

bash
playwright-cli open http://localhost:3000

Or navigate to a specific page to test:

bash
playwright-cli open http://localhost:3000/path/to/test

2.2 Take a snapshot to understand the page structure

bash
playwright-cli snapshot

Use the snapshot output to identify element refs (e.g., e1, e5, e12) for subsequent interactions.

2.3 Perform test actions

Interact with the page based on the test scenario. Common actions:

bash
# Click elements
playwright-cli click e3

# Fill form fields
playwright-cli fill e5 "test input"

# Type text (simulates keystrokes)
playwright-cli type "search query"

# Press keys
playwright-cli press Enter

# Select dropdown options
playwright-cli select e9 "option-value"

# Check/uncheck checkboxes
playwright-cli check e12
playwright-cli uncheck e12

# Hover
playwright-cli hover e4

# Navigate
playwright-cli goto http://localhost:3000/other-page

After each significant action, take a snapshot to verify the page state:

bash
playwright-cli snapshot

2.4 Capture screenshots

Save screenshots to $TEST_OUTPUT_DIR/ with descriptive filenames:

bash
# Full page screenshot
playwright-cli screenshot --filename=$TEST_OUTPUT_DIR/<test-name>-<step>.png

# Screenshot of a specific element
playwright-cli screenshot e5 --filename=$TEST_OUTPUT_DIR/<test-name>-<element>.png

Naming convention: <test-name>-<step-number>-<description>.png

Examples:

• login-01-initial.png
• login-02-filled-form.png
• login-03-after-submit.png
• dashboard-01-loaded.png

2.5 Collect console messages

bash
playwright-cli console

Check for errors, warnings, or relevant log output.

2.6 Collect network activity (if relevant)

bash
playwright-cli network

Phase 3: Outcome Verification

After performing actions and capturing state:

1. Read the screenshot using the Read tool to visually inspect the result
2. Review the snapshot to verify DOM state matches expectations
3. Check console output for errors or unexpected warnings
4. Compare the actual outcome against the intended behavior described in the test scenario

Phase 4: Cleanup

bash
playwright-cli close

Phase 5: Report Generation

Write a structured test report to $TEST_OUTPUT_DIR/REPORT.md:

markdown
# Hands-On Test Report

**Date**: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
**Tester**: <agent-name>
**Target**: <URL tested>

## Test Scenario

<Brief description of what was being tested>

## Steps Performed

| # | Action | Target | Details |
|---|--------|--------|---------|
| 1 | Navigate | http://localhost:3000/page | Initial page load |
| 2 | Fill | e5 (Email field) | Entered "user@example.com" |
| 3 | Click | e8 (Submit button) | Submitted form |

## Screenshots

| Step | Screenshot | Description |
|------|-----------|-------------|
| 1 | ![Step 1](test-name-01-initial.png) | Page after initial load |
| 2 | ![Step 2](test-name-02-filled.png) | Form with data entered |
| 3 | ![Step 3](test-name-03-submitted.png) | Result after submission |

## Console Output

<relevant console messages, warnings, or errors>

## Result

**Status**: PASS / FAIL

<Explanation of whether the outcome matched expectations.
If FAIL, describe the discrepancy between expected and actual behavior.>

Example: Full Test Session

bash
# Phase 1: Setup
TEST_OUTPUT_DIR="$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR/test-output/$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M)"
mkdir -p "$TEST_OUTPUT_DIR"
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" http://localhost:3000
# If not running:
docker compose up -d
# Wait for ready
for i in $(seq 1 30); do
  curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" http://localhost:3000 | grep -q "200" && break
  sleep 1
done

# Phase 2: Test
playwright-cli open http://localhost:3000/login
playwright-cli snapshot
playwright-cli screenshot --filename=$TEST_OUTPUT_DIR/login-01-initial.png

playwright-cli fill e5 "user@example.com"
playwright-cli fill e8 "password123"
playwright-cli screenshot --filename=$TEST_OUTPUT_DIR/login-02-filled.png

playwright-cli click e10
playwright-cli snapshot
playwright-cli screenshot --filename=$TEST_OUTPUT_DIR/login-03-result.png

playwright-cli console

# Phase 3: Verify
# Read screenshots to visually verify
# Check snapshot for expected DOM state
# Review console for errors

# Phase 4: Cleanup
playwright-cli close

# Phase 5: Write report to $TEST_OUTPUT_DIR/REPORT.md

Tips

• Always take a snapshot before interacting to identify correct element refs
• Capture screenshots at meaningful checkpoints, not after every micro-action
• Include both "before" and "after" screenshots for state-changing actions
• Check console output after actions that trigger API calls or state changes
• Use playwright-cli resize 1280 720 for consistent screenshot dimensions
• If a page takes time to load, use playwright-cli run-code "async page => { await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle'); }" before capturing