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ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID means the browser cannot build a trusted certificate-authority chain for the HTTPS site it is opening. The durable fix is to serve a complete certificate chain for the correct hostname or install the trusted internal root CA in the environment running Playwright. For a disposable local test where certificate validation is not being tested, set ignoreHTTPSErrors: true on the narrowest suitable Playwright context. If the error appears while downloading Playwright browsers behind an intercepting proxy, configure NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS before running the installer.
What ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID means in Playwright
The browser used by Playwright is refusing an HTTPS connection because it cannot verify the server’s certificate chain back to a trusted certificate authority. This is a certificate-trust failure, not necessarily a Playwright defect. Common causes include a self-signed development certificate, an organization’s private CA missing from the test environment, a server that omits an intermediate certificate, a certificate whose hostname does not match the URL, or a proxy that re-signs HTTPS traffic with its own CA.
First identify where the failure occurs. A navigation failure while your test visits a site points to trust or certificate configuration on the browser-to-site path. A failure during npx playwright install points instead to the network path used to download browser binaries. Those cases have different remedies; changing a page’s browser context does not install trust for the browser installer.
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- Confirm the exact URL and hostname. Compare the hostname in the Playwright URL with the hostname covered by the certificate. A certificate for one host does not establish trust for a different host.
- Determine whether a proxy is involved. Corporate or security proxies may intercept HTTPS and present a certificate issued by an internal CA. The relevant trust root is then the organization’s proxy CA, not necessarily the public CA expected by the site.
- Check the chain served by the endpoint. A valid leaf certificate can still fail if the server does not provide required intermediate certificates. Have the endpoint serve the required intermediates along with the leaf certificate.
- Establish whether the test is supposed to verify TLS. If certificate validation is part of the test’s purpose, keep it enabled and fix the chain or trust configuration. If the test concerns unrelated UI behavior on a disposable local site, a scoped bypass may be reasonable.
- Separate client authentication from server trust. A request for a client certificate is a separate issue. Supplying a client certificate authenticates your test to the server; it does not make the server’s certificate trusted.
Fix the certificate properly for production-like tests
Serve a complete chain with the right hostname
For a publicly reachable or production-like test endpoint, configure the server to present a certificate valid for the hostname in the URL and include the required intermediate certificates. Correcting the endpoint preserves normal browser certificate enforcement, so the test can detect real HTTPS configuration problems rather than silently accepting them.
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Install the organization’s root CA in the browser environment
If an internal service is intentionally signed by a private organizational CA, make that root CA trusted in the environment where the Playwright browser runs. This is the preferred solution for an internal HTTPS endpoint when the test is meant to exercise the normal trusted connection. Installing a CA on a developer workstation alone may not be enough if the tests run in a separate container, CI runner, or other environment; configure the environment that actually launches the browser.
Keep the trust change as narrow and controlled as your environment allows. Use the organization’s approved root certificate, and verify that the test URL is using the expected chain. Avoid replacing the certificate-validation fix with a broad bypass when you need meaningful coverage of HTTPS behavior.
Use ignoreHTTPSErrors only for a controlled test bypass
Playwright’s ignoreHTTPSErrors option controls whether HTTPS errors are ignored for network requests. Microsoft’s Playwright API documentation says it defaults to false (accessed 2026-09-29). Set it only when certificate validation is outside the purpose of the test. With the option enabled, the browser context no longer enforces HTTPS-error rejection for that context; this can conceal a broken or intercepted connection.
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Playwright Test configuration
To apply the setting to tests using the configured Playwright Test project, add it under use in playwright.config.ts:
import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';
export default defineConfig({
use: {
ignoreHTTPSErrors: true
}
});Use this configuration only for the project or test group that needs the bypass. If other tests are meant to validate certificate behavior, keep their configuration at the default of false rather than enabling the option for the entire suite.
Per browser context
When creating a context directly, provide the option when creating that context:
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const context = await browser.newContext({
ignoreHTTPSErrors: true
});
const page = await context.newPage();
await page.goto('https://your-test-host.example');Replace the example host with the URL under test. A context-level choice makes the scope visible in the code that creates the browser session. Do not treat it as a fix for an invalid certificate: it is an intentional decision to ignore HTTPS errors during that session.
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Trust a proxy CA when Playwright browser installation fails
If a proxy intercepts downloads with a custom CA that is not trusted, Playwright’s browser installation guide documents setting NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS to the custom root certificate before installing browsers. Set the variable in the same shell and environment that runs the installer.
macOS or Linux shell
export NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS="/path/to/cert.pem"
npx playwright installPowerShell
$env:NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS = "C:pathtocert.pem"
npx playwright installWindows Command Prompt
set NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS=C:pathtocert.pem
npx playwright installUse the path to the organization’s trusted root certificate, not a guessed certificate or a leaf certificate copied from an unrelated endpoint. This remedy concerns browser downloads through the proxy. It is distinct from configuring the browser context for navigation to an HTTPS site.
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Configure a client certificate only when the server requires one
Playwright’s clientCertificates option is for mutual TLS: it supplies a client certificate and private key, or PFX material, for an exact origin so the server can authenticate the client. Use the origin that matches the service. This is not a remedy for ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID when the browser cannot trust the server’s certificate chain. If both mutual TLS and an internal server CA are involved, configure client authentication and server trust as separate requirements.
Troubleshoot common failure patterns
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Only a local development URL fails | The development certificate is self-signed or its CA is not trusted in the browser environment. | Use a certificate trusted by that environment, or apply ignoreHTTPSErrors only to the disposable test context if TLS validation is irrelevant. |
| An internal site fails in CI but works on a workstation | The CI browser environment may not trust the organization’s internal root CA, even if the workstation does. | Install the approved internal root CA in the environment that runs the Playwright browser; keep validation enabled for security-sensitive tests. |
| A site fails only when accessed through a corporate proxy | The proxy may be re-signing HTTPS traffic with a custom CA. | Determine whether the error occurs during site navigation or browser installation. Configure the appropriate trusted CA for that path rather than assuming one setting fixes both. |
Browser downloads fail during npx playwright install |
An intercepting proxy may present a CA the download process does not trust. | Set NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS to the proxy’s custom root certificate before running the installer. |
| The certificate appears valid but the browser still rejects it | The chain may be incomplete, or the certificate hostname may not match the URL. | Check the served chain and URL hostname, then correct the certificate or server configuration instead of disabling validation. |
Adding clientCertificates did not resolve the error |
The option handles client authentication, not trust in the server’s certificate authority. | Fix the server chain or install the trusted root CA separately; retain client-certificate configuration only if the server also requires mutual TLS. |
Turning on ignoreHTTPSErrors makes the test pass |
The option bypassed the browser’s HTTPS error enforcement for the configured context. | Decide whether that test is permitted to ignore TLS errors. If it must validate HTTPS, revert the bypass and repair the chain or trust store. |
Keep the fix reliable and appropriately scoped
- For security or production coverage: keep
ignoreHTTPSErrorsfalse and repair the certificate chain or install the correct internal root CA. - For local UI work with a disposable self-signed certificate: use a narrow context-level bypass or replace the certificate with one trusted by the test environment.
- For proxy-related browser downloads: configure
NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTSbefore the browser installation command. - For mutual TLS: configure the client certificate for the exact origin, and handle server certificate trust independently.
These choices have different security and maintenance trade-offs. A valid chain and trusted root preserve the browser’s normal checks. A bypass is convenient for tests that do not exercise TLS, but it can hide certificate faults. A proxy CA setting supports downloads through an intercepting proxy, but it does not replace the trust configuration needed for a separate page-navigation scenario.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does ignoreHTTPSErrors fix a missing intermediate certificate on the server?
No. It makes the configured browser context ignore HTTPS errors rather than repairing the server’s certificate chain. If the test needs normal certificate validation, correct the chain or trust configuration.
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Only if the server separately requires a client certificate for mutual TLS. Client certificates authenticate your test to the server; they do not establish trust in the server certificate authority.
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