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To run an existing Playwright suite in GitHub Actions, add a workflow YAML file under .github/workflows. Have it check out the repository, set up Node.js, install the lockfile-defined dependencies, install Playwright browsers and Linux system dependencies, run the tests, then upload the HTML report as an artifact. The example below uses npm and a Linux-hosted runner; adjust its branch names and runtime settings for your repository.
Before you add the workflow
Check that the repository contains Playwright tests, a Playwright configuration file, and the package manifest and lockfile expected by its package manager. The npm example below uses npm ci, which installs from the committed npm lockfile. If the project uses another package manager, translate the dependency-install command and lockfile assumptions rather than copying the npm command unchanged.
For a new project, Playwright’s installation setup can scaffold a configuration, example tests, package files, and optionally a GitHub Actions workflow. Treat generated workflow YAML as a starting point: confirm its triggers, runtime, and actions suit your repository. See the Playwright installation guide.
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Create .github/workflows/playwright.yml in the repository. GitHub discovers workflow YAML files in that directory; playwright.yml is the filename used in Playwright’s documentation.
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This npm-based example runs on pushes and pull requests targeting main, installs browser binaries and their Linux dependencies, runs the suite, and uploads the HTML report even when tests fail:
name: Playwright Tests
on:
push:
branches: [ main ]
pull_request:
branches: [ main ]
jobs:
test:
timeout-minutes: 60
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
with:
node-version: lts/*
- name: Install dependencies
run: npm ci
- name: Install Playwright browsers
run: npx playwright install --with-deps
- name: Run Playwright tests
run: npx playwright test
- name: Upload Playwright report
if: ${{ !cancelled() }}
uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
with:
name: playwright-report
path: playwright-report/
retention-days: 30The action major versions and Node selector above are sample choices, not a promise that they are best for every repository. Check current action versions and the runtime your project supports before adopting the file. The timeout-minutes value is an upper bound for the job, not an expected test duration; tune it for your suite.
Change branch triggers to match your repository
The workflow triggers on pushes and pull requests targeting main. If your default or release branch has another name, replace main in both places. You can list several branch names in the arrays. Remove or add trigger types only if they match how your team wants CI to run.
Keep the report upload after a failing test
The upload step’s if: ${{ !cancelled() }} condition permits it to run after a test failure while avoiding upload after the workflow has been cancelled. This makes the report available to diagnose ordinary failures. The artifact name is playwright-report, and the example retains it for 30 days; choose a retention period that fits the team’s needs and repository policy.
What each workflow step does
- Check out the code:
actions/checkoutmakes the repository files available to subsequent steps. - Set up Node.js:
actions/setup-nodeselects a Node runtime. Choose a supported version consistent with the application and Playwright project. - Install locked dependencies:
npm ciuses the npm lockfile for a clean CI install. Commit the matching lockfile; if it is missing or out of sync with the package manifest, correct that before relying on this command. - Install browsers and operating-system dependencies:
npx playwright install --with-depsinstalls the browser binaries Playwright needs and the Linux dependencies required to launch them on the runner. - Run the suite:
npx playwright testruns the configured Playwright tests and returns their result to the workflow. A failing test therefore fails the job, while the report step can still preserve diagnostic output. - Upload the report: the artifact step stores
playwright-report/with that workflow run for later download.
For the documented CI setup and current implementation details, consult Playwright’s CI guide.
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Run it and find the result
- Commit and push the workflow file to a branch covered by its trigger.
- Open the repository’s Actions tab and select the Playwright workflow run.
- Inspect the job steps and logs. A red test step indicates the test command failed; expand it for the test output.
- When the upload step completed, find
playwright-reportin the run’s Artifacts area and download it.
The HTML report needs to be served by a web server for local viewing to work as expected. Follow Playwright’s GitHub Actions setup guide for report access details.
Choose a CI parallelism strategy
Start with one worker
Playwright recommends setting workers to 1 in CI to prioritize stability and reproducibility. If you want to make that policy explicit, set it in the Playwright configuration or pass the worker option to the test command, for example npx playwright test --workers=1. The test configuration is often the better place when that behavior should apply consistently to CI runs.
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Use sharding to scale a larger suite
For larger suites, Playwright supports sharding: distribute tests across multiple CI jobs instead of increasing the worker count in one job. Sharding requires extra workflow setup to create multiple jobs and collect results or reports as appropriate. See Playwright’s sharding guide for the supported approach.
A stronger self-hosted runner may also support more workers, but changing parallelism can affect stability and reproducibility. Increase it deliberately and observe how the suite behaves rather than assuming more workers will always improve the result.
Browser downloads and caching
The simplest baseline is to install browsers during each run with npx playwright install --with-deps. Playwright does not recommend browser caching as a default speed optimization: restoring a cache can take about as long as downloading browser binaries, and Linux system dependencies cannot be cached this way.
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If you choose to cache browser binaries anyway, key the cache against a hash of the installed Playwright version so the cached browsers correspond to that version. Caching browser files does not replace installing the Linux system dependencies needed by the runner. For most teams, start with the documented install command and add caching only after measuring its effect in their own CI environment.
Alternative: run in a Playwright container
Installing dependencies on the runner is the straightforward documented baseline. A Playwright container image is another option when you want a consistent browser environment and to avoid installing browser dependencies directly on the host. It adds container-image selection and maintenance to the workflow, so confirm the image and Playwright version stay aligned with the project. The CI guide discusses this option alongside runner installation.
Protect reports, traces, and logs
Playwright reports, trace files, and workflow logs can expose test credentials, access tokens, staging data, test source, or application source. Store artifacts only where the people who need them can access them; use an appropriately trusted artifact store, or encrypt files before uploading or sharing them when required by your security policy. Be especially cautious about making reports public.
Do not assume a workflow running for a pull request from a fork can access repository secrets. Playwright’s setup guide calls out that limitation for its Azure Storage report-publishing example. Avoid adding secret-based publication steps to workflows handling untrusted pull requests without first designing for that security boundary.
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The workflow does not start
Check that the YAML file is in .github/workflows/, is valid YAML, and that the push or pull-request target branch matches one of the names in the trigger. A workflow configured only for main will not run for a pull request targeting a differently named branch.
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npm ci fails
Confirm the repository includes the npm lockfile and that it agrees with the package manifest. If the project uses a different package manager, use that manager’s appropriate frozen or lockfile-based install command and commit its lockfile rather than applying the npm example blindly.
A browser will not launch
On Linux, ensure the workflow ran npx playwright install --with-deps successfully. For browser launch diagnostics, Playwright documents running tests with DEBUG=pw:browser npx playwright test; use the resulting logs to investigate the launch failure.
Tests pass locally but fail in CI
Check the failing test output and report, then compare the local and CI runtime, browser installation, environment variables, and available services. CI-specific timing or parallelism can reveal reliability problems; the recommended single worker is a useful stability baseline. Avoid treating a retry or a larger timeout as a diagnosis unless the failure points to timing.
The report is missing
Check whether the test run reached the upload step and whether playwright-report/ exists. The example’s upload condition skips only cancelled runs, but an artifact cannot contain a report that was never generated. In the Actions run, inspect the upload step and its log for a path or artifact error.
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A forked pull request cannot publish a report externally
Forked pull-request workflows do not receive repository secrets in the secret-based Azure Storage publishing example described by Playwright. Keep the report as a workflow artifact or design a publication flow that does not expose secrets to untrusted code.
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Can I use a different workflow filename?
Yes. GitHub discovers workflow YAML files in .github/workflows; the filename does not have to be playwright.yml.
Can a GitHub Actions run show the Playwright HTML report without downloading it?
The workflow setup described here uploads the report as an artifact for download; Playwright’s guide says the report needs a web server for local viewing.
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