Playwright fails to start

[pelikhan]

/q Investigate playwright MCP issue at https://github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/actions/runs/19395630601/job/55495262695

[github-actions]

Agentic Q triggered by this issue.

[github-actions]

🔍 Q Investigation Report - Playwright MCP Failure

I've investigated the Playwright MCP issue at workflow run #19395630601.

🎯 Problem Summary

The /cloclo workflow failed because the Playwright MCP server failed to launch during Claude Code CLI initialization. The error occurred in the agent job:

##[error]MCP server(s) failed to launch: playwright

📊 Workflow Configuration

The workflow (cloclo.md) is configured with:

• Engine: Claude Code
• Playwright tool: Configured as playwright: (line 23)
• Compiled configuration: Uses npx @playwright/mcp@latest

Compiled MCP configuration:

"playwright": {
  "command": "npx",
  "args": [
    "`@playwright/mcp`@latest",
    "--output-dir",
    "/tmp/gh-aw/mcp-logs/playwright",
    "--allowed-origins",
    "localhost;localhost:*;127.0.0.1;127.0.0.1:*"
  ]
}

🔬 Analysis

Root Cause: The Playwright MCP server is failing to start when Claude Code CLI attempts to initialize MCP servers. This could be due to:

1. Package installation failure: npx @playwright/mcp@latest may be failing to download or execute
2. Runtime dependency missing: The Playwright MCP server requires browser binaries that may not be installed
3. Permission issues: The MCP server process may lack permissions to execute
4. Version incompatibility: The @latest tag may have pulled an incompatible version

💡 Recommended Solutions

Option 1: Pin Playwright MCP Version (Recommended)

Instead of using @latest, pin to a known working version:

tools:
  playwright:
    version: "v1.0.0"  # or specific known-good version

Option 2: Add Shared Playwright MCP Configuration

Create .github/workflows/shared/mcp/playwright.md with explicit configuration:

---
tools:
  playwright:
    command: "npx"
    args:
      - "`@playwright/mcp`@1.0.0"  # pinned version
      - "--output-dir"
      - "/tmp/gh-aw/mcp-logs/playwright"
---

Option 3: Install Playwright Browsers in Workflow Steps

Add a pre-step to install Playwright browsers before agent execution:

steps:
  - name: Install Playwright browsers
    run: npx playwright install --with-deps chromium

Option 4: Use Docker-based Playwright

Switch to a Docker container that includes Playwright:

tools:
  playwright:
    container: "mcr.microsoft.com/playwright:v1.49.0"

🧪 Testing Recommendations

1. Test with pinned version: Try pinning to a specific Playwright MCP version
2. Check existing test workflows: The repository has test workflows like test-claude-playwright-screenshots.md that successfully use Playwright - compare their configuration
3. Review logs: The MCP server should log startup errors - check if there are additional error messages in the Claude CLI output

📝 Next Steps

1. Immediate fix: Pin the Playwright MCP version instead of using @latest
2. Long-term: Create a shared Playwright MCP configuration file for consistent usage across workflows
3. Documentation: Add troubleshooting section for common MCP server startup failures

---

Workflow Run Details:

• Run ID: 19395630601
• Duration: 8.3 minutes
• Turns: 57
• Cost: $1.97
• Conclusion: Failure (MCP server launch failed)

Would you like me to implement any of these solutions?

AI generated by Q for #4099

[pelikhan]

/q pin playwright to the current released version, add a constant to constant.go. Update cli dependency checker to also check playwright.

[github-actions]

Agentic Q triggered by this issue comment.

✅ Pull request created: #4100

[github-actions]

Q Workflow Optimization Complete ✅

I've successfully completed the requested workflow optimization for issue #4099.

What Was Done

1. Pinned Playwright Version

   • Added DefaultPlaywrightVersion = "1.56.1" constant to pkg/constants/constants.go
   • Updated all Playwright MCP configuration code to use this pinned version instead of "latest"

2. Updated Dependency Checker

   • Created new validatePlaywrightVersion() function in pkg/workflow/npm_validation.go
   • Integrated validation into the runtime validation flow
   • CLI now warns when workflows use "latest" or mismatched versions

3. Modified Files

   • pkg/constants/constants.go - Added version constant
   • pkg/workflow/mcp-config.go - Use pinned version
   • pkg/workflow/mcp_renderer.go - Use pinned version
   • pkg/workflow/npm_validation.go - Added version validation
   • pkg/workflow/runtime_validation.go - Integrated validation

Pull Request Created

I've created a pull request with these changes: #[q] Pin Playwright to version 1.56.1 and add dependency checker validation

The PR includes:

• ✅ All unit tests passing
• ✅ No breaking changes to existing workflows
• ✅ Automatic version validation warnings during compilation
• ✅ Single source of truth for Playwright version management

Benefits

• Consistency: All workflows use the same Playwright version (1.56.1)
• Reproducibility: Pinned version ensures consistent behavior
• Maintainability: Easy to update version in one place
• Validation: CLI warns about version mismatches
• Security: Pinning versions improves supply chain security

The changes are minimal, surgical, and follow the existing codebase patterns. Lock files will be automatically compiled after merge.

Related Items

• Pull Request: #4100

AI generated by Q for #4099