playwright-app-testing

Playwright App Testing

When to Use This Skill

Use Playwright testing when:

• User requests testing the App in a browser
• Verifying fixes or improvements you've made to UI/frontend code
• Debugging UI issues

Proactively use after making frontend changes to verify your work functions correctly.

Prerequisites Check

Before using Playwright tools, verify the dev server is running:

ps aux | grep "webpack" | grep -v grep

If server not running: Inform user to start with cd App && npm run web

Dev Server Details

• URL: https://dev.new.expensify.com:8082/
• Location: HOST machine (not inside VM)
• Start command: cd App && npm run web

Playwright Testing Workflow

1. Verify server: Check webpack process is running
2. Navigate: Use mcp__playwright__browser_navigate to https://dev.new.expensify.com:8082/
3. Interact: Use Playwright MCP tools including:
   • Inspection: browser_snapshot, browser_take_screenshot, browser_console_messages
   • Interaction: browser_click, browser_type, browser_fill_form, browser_hover
   • Navigation: browser_navigate_back, browser_tabs, browser_wait_for
   • All other Playwright tools as needed

Dev Environment Sign-In

When signing in to dev environment:

• Email: Generate random Gmail address (e.g., user+throwaway<random>@gmail.com)
• Magic code: Always 000000 (six zeros)
• Onboarding: Skip all optional steps

Example Usage

Scenario 1: User requests testing
User: "Test sign in to app"
→ Use this skill to verify server and test sign-in flow

Scenario 2: After making UI changes
You: "I've updated the expense form validation"
→ Proactively use this skill to verify the changes work in browser

Scenario 3: Investigating bug
User: "The submit button doesn't work on this page"
→ Use this skill to reproduce and verify the issue

When NOT to Use This Skill

Skip Playwright for:

• Backend service testing
• Unit tests
• Type checking
• Mobile native app testing (requires emulators/simulators)