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Tool capabilities allow you to control which automation features are enabled in the Playwright MCP server. By specifying capabilities, you can enable or restrict access to different tool groups.

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ToolCapability Type

The ToolCapability type defines all available capability values: 
type ToolCapability =
  | 'config'
  | 'core'
  | 'core-navigation'
  | 'core-tabs'
  | 'core-input'
  | 'core-install'
  | 'network'
  | 'pdf'
  | 'storage'
  | 'testing'
  | 'vision'
  | 'devtools';

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Configuration

Specify capabilities in your configuration: 
import { createConnection } from '@playwright/mcp';

const server = await createConnection({
  capabilities: ['core', 'pdf', 'vision', 'testing']
});
Or via CLI: 
npx @playwright/mcp@latest --caps=vision,pdf,devtools

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Capability Groups

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config

Configuration and management tools. Included Tools:
  • Server configuration management

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core

Core browser automation features. This is the primary capability group for standard browser interactions. Included Tools:
  • browser_click - Click on elements
  • browser_close - Close the browser
  • browser_console_messages - Get console messages
  • browser_drag - Drag and drop
  • browser_evaluate - Execute JavaScript
  • browser_file_upload - Upload files
  • browser_fill_form - Fill form fields
  • browser_handle_dialog - Handle dialogs
  • browser_hover - Hover over elements
  • browser_press_key - Press keyboard keys
  • browser_resize - Resize browser window
  • browser_run_code - Run Playwright code snippets
  • browser_select_option - Select dropdown options
  • browser_snapshot - Capture accessibility snapshots
  • browser_take_screenshot - Take screenshots
  • browser_type - Type text into elements
  • browser_wait_for - Wait for conditions
When to Enable: Always enable for basic browser automation tasks.

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core-navigation

Navigation-specific tools. Included Tools:
  • browser_navigate - Navigate to URLs
  • browser_navigate_back - Go back in history
When to Enable: Enable when you need page navigation capabilities.

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core-tabs

Tab management functionality. Included Tools:
  • browser_tabs - List, create, close, or select tabs
When to Enable: Enable when working with multiple browser tabs.

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core-input

Input and interaction tools. Included Tools:
  • Text input tools
  • Form interaction tools
  • Click and interaction handlers
When to Enable: Enable for user input simulation.

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core-install

Browser installation tools. Included Tools:
  • browser_install - Install the browser specified in config
When to Enable: Enable if you need to install browsers programmatically.

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network

Network request inspection and monitoring. Included Tools:
  • browser_network_requests - List all network requests
When to Enable: Enable when you need to inspect network traffic, debug API calls, or verify requests.

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pdf

PDF generation and manipulation. Included Tools:
  • browser_pdf_save - Save page as PDF
When to Enable: Enable when you need to generate PDFs from web pages. Note: This is an opt-in capability. Include 'pdf' in your capabilities array to enable.

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storage

Browser storage management (cookies, localStorage, sessionStorage). Included Tools:
  • Storage state management
  • Cookie manipulation
When to Enable: Enable when working with browser storage and authentication states.

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testing

Test assertions and verification tools. Included Tools:
  • browser_generate_locator - Generate test locators
  • browser_verify_element_visible - Verify element visibility
  • browser_verify_list_visible - Verify list items
  • browser_verify_text_visible - Verify text presence
  • browser_verify_value - Verify element values
When to Enable: Enable when writing or running automated tests, or when you need to verify page state. Note: This is an opt-in capability. Include 'testing' in your capabilities array to enable.

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vision

Coordinate-based interactions using pixel coordinates. Included Tools:
  • browser_mouse_click_xy - Click at coordinates
  • browser_mouse_down - Press mouse button down
  • browser_mouse_drag_xy - Drag between coordinates
  • browser_mouse_move_xy - Move mouse to coordinates
  • browser_mouse_up - Release mouse button
  • browser_mouse_wheel - Scroll mouse wheel
When to Enable: Enable when you need pixel-perfect interactions, canvas manipulation, or working with elements that don’t have accessible selectors. Note: This is an opt-in capability. Include 'vision' in your capabilities array to enable. Warning: Coordinate-based interactions are less reliable than accessibility-based interactions and may break with viewport changes.

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devtools

Developer tools features and advanced debugging capabilities. Included Tools:
  • DevTools protocol access
  • Performance profiling
  • Coverage analysis
When to Enable: Enable when you need advanced debugging features or DevTools Protocol access. Note: This is an opt-in capability. Include 'devtools' in your capabilities array to enable.

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Default Capabilities

If no capabilities are specified, the following are enabled by default:
  • core
  • core-navigation
  • core-tabs
  • core-input
  • core-install
  • network
  • storage
  • config
Opt-in capabilities (pdf, vision, devtools, testing) must be explicitly enabled.

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Configuration Examples

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Minimal Core Automation

const server = await createConnection({
  capabilities: ['core', 'core-navigation']
});

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Web Scraping with Network Monitoring

const server = await createConnection({
  capabilities: ['core', 'core-navigation', 'network', 'pdf']
});

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Testing and Verification

const server = await createConnection({
  capabilities: ['core', 'core-navigation', 'testing']
});

const server = await createConnection({
  capabilities: [
    'config',
    'core',
    'core-navigation',
    'core-tabs',
    'core-input',
    'core-install',
    'network',
    'pdf',
    'storage',
    'testing',
    'vision',
    'devtools'
  ]
});

​
Vision-Based Automation

const server = await createConnection({
  capabilities: ['core', 'vision']
});

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CLI Usage

Enable specific capabilities via command line: 
# Enable vision and PDF capabilities
npx @playwright/mcp@latest --caps=vision,pdf

# Enable testing capabilities
npx @playwright/mcp@latest --caps=testing

# Enable multiple opt-in capabilities
npx @playwright/mcp@latest --caps=vision,pdf,devtools,testing