Capabilities

Capabilities control which tools the MCP server exposes to the LLM. By default, only core tools are enabled. Add capabilities to unlock additional tool groups.

Enabling capabilities

Via CLI argument:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@playwright/mcp@latest", "--caps=vision,pdf,devtools"]
    }
  }
}

Via environment variable:

PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_CAPS=vision,pdf,devtools

Via config file:

{
  "capabilities": ["core", "vision", "pdf", "devtools", "network", "storage", "testing"]
}

Capability reference

core (always enabled)

Basic browser automation — always available, cannot be disabled.

Tool	Description
browser_navigate	Navigate to a URL
browser_navigate_back	Go back in history
browser_snapshot	Capture accessibility snapshot
browser_click	Click an element
browser_hover	Hover over an element
browser_drag	Drag and drop
browser_select_option	Select dropdown option
browser_type	Type text into element
browser_press_key	Press a key
browser_fill_form	Fill multiple form fields
browser_take_screenshot	Take a screenshot
browser_run_code	Execute Playwright code
browser_wait_for	Wait for text/time
browser_evaluate	Evaluate JavaScript
browser_handle_dialog	Accept/dismiss dialogs
browser_file_upload	Upload files
browser_console_messages	Get console output
browser_network_requests	List network requests
browser_tabs	Manage tabs
browser_close	Close browser
browser_resize	Resize window

network

Network mocking and state control.

Tool	Description
browser_route	Mock requests matching a URL pattern
browser_route_list	List active mocked routes
browser_unroute	Remove mocked routes
browser_network_state_set	Set online/offline state

"--caps=network"

storage

Cookie, localStorage, and sessionStorage management plus state persistence.

Tool	Description
browser_cookie_list/get/set/delete/clear	Manage cookies
browser_localstorage_list/get/set/delete/clear	Manage localStorage
browser_sessionstorage_list/get/set/delete/clear	Manage sessionStorage
browser_storage_state	Save cookies + localStorage to file
browser_set_storage_state	Restore saved state

"--caps=storage"

testing

Assertions and test generation tools.

Tool	Description
browser_verify_element_visible	Assert element is visible by role and name
browser_verify_text_visible	Assert text is visible
browser_verify_list_visible	Assert list with items is visible
browser_verify_value	Assert form field value
browser_generate_locator	Generate Playwright locator for test code

"--caps=testing"

vision

Coordinate-based mouse tools for screenshot-driven workflows. Requires a vision-capable LLM.

Tool	Description
browser_mouse_move_xy	Move mouse to coordinates
browser_mouse_click_xy	Click at coordinates
browser_mouse_drag_xy	Drag between coordinates
browser_mouse_down	Press mouse button
browser_mouse_up	Release mouse button
browser_mouse_wheel	Scroll with mouse wheel

"--caps=vision"

See Vision Mode for usage patterns.

pdf

PDF generation.

Tool	Description
browser_pdf_save	Export page as PDF

"--caps=pdf"

devtools

Tracing, video recording, and test debugging.

Tool	Description
browser_start_tracing	Start execution trace
browser_stop_tracing	Stop trace and save
browser_start_video	Start video recording
browser_stop_video	Stop video and save
browser_video_chapter	Add chapter marker
browser_resume	Resume paused execution

"--caps=devtools"

config

Configuration introspection.

Tool	Description
browser_get_config	Get resolved config

"--caps=config"

Common configurations

Minimal (default)

Only core tools — navigation, snapshots, clicking, typing, screenshots:

["@playwright/mcp@latest"]

Full automation

Everything enabled:

["@playwright/mcp@latest", "--caps=network,storage,testing,vision,pdf,devtools"]

Testing workflow

Core + testing assertions + storage for auth persistence:

["@playwright/mcp@latest", "--caps=testing,storage"]

Debugging workflow

Core + devtools for tracing and video:

["@playwright/mcp@latest", "--caps=devtools"]

Data extraction

Core + network for API inspection + storage for cookies:

["@playwright/mcp@latest", "--caps=network,storage"]

Why capabilities exist

Capabilities limit the number of tools exposed to the LLM. Fewer tools means:

• Lower token cost — the tool schema is smaller
• Fewer hallucinated tool calls — the LLM has fewer choices to confuse
• Faster responses — less context to process

Only enable what you need for your use case.