recording-browser-flow-as-test

Recording Browser Flow as Playwright Test

Use the browser MCP as a recorder: every navigation, click, fill, and keypress becomes a row in a script. The agent then translates that trace into a Playwright test file in the repo (or a snippet to paste into an existing spec).

This is Cursor-native because it combines browser_snapshot (refs + roles + names) with structured actions — not a separate recorder extension.

Prerequisites

• Target app reachable (e.g. dev server running); use finding-dev-server-url if needed.
• Repo has or will have Playwright installed (@playwright/test). If not, add it with adding-e2e-tests or the project’s standard setup.

Recording workflow

1. Define the flow

One sentence scope, e.g. “Log in, open Settings, toggle dark mode, save.”

2. For each step, in order

1. browser_snapshot — get the accessibility tree and element refs.

2. Choose the smallest interaction:

   • browser_click with ref from snapshot (not coordinate clicks unless required).
   • browser_fill or browser_type for inputs.
   • browser_select_option for selects.
   • browser_navigate for full URL changes.

3. Log the step in a structured list the main agent keeps:

   • Step number
   • Action verb (navigate, click, fill, press, select)
   • Locator strategy for Playwright — prefer:
     • getByRole('button', { name: '...' })
     • getByLabel('...')
     • getByPlaceholder('...')
     • getByTestId('...') if the app uses test IDs
   • Value (for fills), URL (for navigates)
   • Optional: short assertion (“expect URL to contain /settings”)

4. After actions that change the DOM or navigate, take a new browser_snapshot before the next interaction.

5. If the flow must wait for async content, use browser_wait_for or short incremental waits per cursor-ide-browser guidance — then snapshot again.

3. Add assertions

From the final snapshot and URL, add at least:

• expect(page).toHaveURL(...) or URL fragment check
• One visible outcome: text, role, or test id

4. Generate Playwright output

Emit a test file, e.g. tests/recorded/<flow-name>.spec.ts, containing:

• test.describe and test('...', async ({ page }) => { ... })
• Steps as await page.goto(...), await page.getByRole(...).click(), etc.
• No raw snapshot refs in the final file — they are session-specific.

5. Run and harden

npx playwright test tests/recorded/<flow-name>.spec.ts

Fix flakiness: prefer expect(locator).toBeVisible() before clicks, use toPass() retries for async lists, avoid arbitrary waitForTimeout except as last resort.

Tips

• Stable selectors: roles and accessible names beat CSS from devtools. Add data-testid in app code if names are ambiguous.
• Auth: if the flow needs login, use env vars for test credentials or Playwright storageState — never commit secrets.
• Parallel runs: ensure test data does not collide with other tests.

When not to use

• Flows that require manual 2FA, captchas, or email links — stop and ask the user for a test bypass or mock.