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To save a Playwright MCP screenshot to a specific file, pass a filename to browser_take_screenshot. A relative filename is resolved from the MCP workspace root. To send automatically named screenshots to a chosen folder, leave out filename and configure the server with --output-dir or PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_OUTPUT_DIR. These settings do different jobs: --output-dir does not redirect a screenshot with an explicit filename.
Choose how the screenshot should be named and saved
Playwright MCP offers two ways to choose a screenshot destination. Use filename when a particular capture needs a predictable name or path. Configure an output directory when you want screenshots without an explicit filename to be saved in one chosen folder under automatically generated names. The relevant settings are documented in the Playwright MCP project README and the Playwright MCP screenshots documentation.
| What you want | What to set | How the destination is resolved |
|---|---|---|
| A screenshot with a specific name or subfolder | Pass filename to browser_take_screenshot |
A relative filename is resolved against the MCP workspace root. |
| Automatically named screenshots in a chosen folder | Omit filename; set --output-dir or PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_OUTPUT_DIR |
The generated file is placed in the configured output directory. |
The workspace root and output directory depend on how your MCP server is deployed and launched. The official documentation defines the path rules but does not establish one absolute workspace-root path for every host. Use paths that make sense in your own MCP environment.
Save a screenshot to a named file
Include a filename in the screenshot tool arguments. For example, this requests a full-page PNG at a relative path named artifacts/homepage.png:
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{
"filename": "artifacts/homepage.png",
"fullPage": true
}
The example path is relative to the MCP workspace root, not necessarily the directory from which your MCP client happens to be open. If you want a different destination, provide the corresponding path for your server’s workspace. The documentation does not promise that a missing parent directory will be created, so make sure the destination folder exists and is writable before relying on it.
For a viewport capture, omit fullPage or set it to false. To capture one element, use the screenshot tool’s target-element option rather than requesting the full page. Full-page capture and target-element capture cannot be combined. See the screenshot tool reference for the supported argument names for the capture mode you need.
Save automatically named screenshots to a folder
If you do not need to choose a filename for every capture, configure the MCP server’s output directory and omit filename in the screenshot call. You can choose either the server option --output-dir or its environment-variable equivalent, PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_OUTPUT_DIR.
Use the server option
When launching the server, supply the option with the directory you want to use:
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--output-dir /path/to/screenshots
Include this option in the arguments used by your MCP host to start the Playwright MCP server. The exact place where server arguments are configured varies by host; the option itself is the documented Playwright MCP setting. Replace /path/to/screenshots with a path that exists or can be created by your deployment and that the server process can write to.
Use the environment variable
Alternatively, set the environment variable for the process that starts the server:
PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_OUTPUT_DIR=/path/to/screenshots
Set it in the environment available to the MCP server, not only in an unrelated terminal or client process. If the server does not inherit the variable, it cannot use that value. Restart or relaunch the server after changing its startup configuration so the new setting is available to it.
What happens when filename is omitted
With no explicit filename, Playwright MCP generates a name in the form page-{timestamp}.{png|jpeg|webp} and saves it in the output directory. The tool also returns the image inline in its response. If you need a stable, human-readable name, use an explicit filename instead; if a unique timestamped name is preferable, use the configured output directory.
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Choose the capture format and scope
The screenshot tool supports PNG, JPEG, and WebP. If you provide a filename with a recognized extension and omit type, the extension is used to infer the image type. If neither a type nor a filename extension specifies the format, PNG is the default. For example, a filename ending in .webp requests WebP through extension inference; an explicit type can be used when you want to state the format directly. Do not give the file one extension while requesting a different type, because the name can then mislead whatever consumes the file.
- Viewport: captures the visible browser viewport, suitable for a page-state image without scrolling the entire document.
- Full page: captures the full scrollable page. It cannot be combined with a target-element capture.
- Target element: captures a specific element rather than the viewport or entire page.
The scale option controls whether output dimensions follow CSS pixels or device pixels. Choose based on the downstream use: CSS-pixel output aligns with layout dimensions, while device-pixel output can preserve the denser resolution associated with the browser device scale. Check the screenshot reference for the exact accepted option values and parameter syntax rather than assuming a value from another browser automation interface.
Understand the path rules before debugging
The most common source of a screenshot appearing in the “wrong” folder is mixing up the workspace root and output directory. An explicit relative filename is resolved against the workspace root. The output directory setting is for automatically named captures when filename is omitted. It does not act as a base directory for explicit filenames.
- Check the tool call: does it include
filename? If yes, resolve that path from the MCP workspace root. - If the call omits
filename, check whether the server was launched with--output-diror receivedPLAYWRIGHT_MCP_OUTPUT_DIR. - Confirm the path from the perspective of the server process. A path on your local machine may not refer to the same location inside a container or remote host.
- Check that the directory exists and that the server process can write there.
- For a repeatable workflow, use one convention consistently: explicit filenames for known artifacts, or automatic names in a configured output directory.
The Playwright MCP documentation does not identify your particular host’s workspace root, container mount points, or permissions. Those must be checked in your own MCP host and deployment configuration.
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Troubleshoot common save problems
The image appears, but not in the folder from –output-dir
Look for a filename in the tool arguments. If present, the filename is resolved against the workspace root, and the output directory is not used for that capture. Remove the filename to use automatic naming in the configured output directory, or change the explicit path to the intended workspace-relative location.
The screenshot is inline but no file is where you expected
The tool can return an image inline as well as save it. An inline image in the MCP response is not proof that the file was written to the folder you expected. Check whether the call used an explicit filename or automatic naming, then inspect the corresponding workspace-root or output-directory path from the server’s environment.
The output directory setting seems to have no effect
Verify the setting reached the process that launches Playwright MCP. For a command-line configuration, check that --output-dir is among the server’s startup arguments. For the environment-variable route, confirm that PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_OUTPUT_DIR is in the server process environment. Also check whether the tool call supplied a filename, which takes the workspace-root path instead.
The requested file cannot be written
Check that the parent directory exists and that the server process has permission to write to it. This matters especially when MCP runs in a container, remote environment, or restricted workspace: the path visible to the MCP host may differ from a path on your desktop. Use a path accessible to the server and verify the relevant mount or workspace configuration.
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The file type is not what you expected
Check both the filename extension and the screenshot tool’s type argument. If type is absent, the extension is used when present; without either, the default is PNG. Align the requested format and file extension, and use only the documented PNG, JPEG, or WebP formats.
You need to interact with the page, not just inspect an image
A screenshot is a visual artifact, not an interaction handle. The official guidance says: “Screenshots are for looking at, not for acting on — use browser_snapshot to get refs to interact with.” For an interaction-oriented representation, use the structured accessibility snapshot workflow described in the Playwright MCP snapshots documentation.
Or skip the browser setup
If your goal is a website image rather than a Playwright browser workflow, ScreenshotNeo provides a screenshot API and MCP server. Its API accepts a GET request with a URL and returns an image or PDF. For example, this cURL request saves a WebP screenshot of Stripe:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp
See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options and setup. ScreenshotNeo removes cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; those steps can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, failed loads, timeouts, and cache hits are not billed, with response headers reporting the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server gives AI agents tools including take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card, and paid plans start at $5 for 3,000.
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