browser_take_screenshot
Capture screenshots of web pages or specific elements for documentation or analysis. Save images in PNG or JPEG format, viewable in the current viewport or as full-page captures. Integrates with Playwright MCP for structured web automation.
Instructions
Take a screenshot of the current page. You can't perform actions based on the screenshot, use browser_snapshot for actions.
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| element | No | Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to screenshot the element. If not provided, the screenshot will be taken of viewport. If element is provided, ref must be provided too. | |
| filename | No | File name to save the screenshot to. Defaults to `page-{timestamp}.{png|jpeg}` if not specified. | |
| fullPage | No | When true, takes a screenshot of the full scrollable page, instead of the currently visible viewport. Cannot be used with element screenshots. | |
| ref | No | Exact target element reference from the page snapshot. If not provided, the screenshot will be taken of viewport. If ref is provided, element must be provided too. | |
| type | No | Image format for the screenshot. Default is png. | png |
Implementation Reference
- src/tools/screenshot.ts:48-85 (handler)Executes the screenshot tool: determines file type, prepares options, generates code snippet for the action, creates locator if element specified, takes screenshot via Playwright page/locator.screenshot(), embeds base64 image if supported, and returns code/action for execution.handle: async (context, params) => { const tab = context.currentTabOrDie(); const snapshot = tab.snapshotOrDie(); const fileType = params.raw ? 'png' : 'jpeg'; const fileName = await outputFile(context.config, params.filename ?? `page-${new Date().toISOString()}.${fileType}`); const options: playwright.PageScreenshotOptions = { type: fileType, quality: fileType === 'png' ? undefined : 50, scale: 'css', path: fileName }; const isElementScreenshot = params.element && params.ref; const code = [ `// Screenshot ${isElementScreenshot ? params.element : 'viewport'} and save it as ${fileName}`, ]; const locator = params.ref ? snapshot.refLocator({ element: params.element || '', ref: params.ref }) : null; if (locator) code.push(`await page.${await generateLocator(locator)}.screenshot(${javascript.formatObject(options)});`); else code.push(`await page.screenshot(${javascript.formatObject(options)});`); const includeBase64 = context.clientSupportsImages(); const action = async () => { const screenshot = locator ? await locator.screenshot(options) : await tab.page.screenshot(options); return { content: includeBase64 ? [{ type: 'image' as 'image', data: screenshot.toString('base64'), mimeType: fileType === 'png' ? 'image/png' : 'image/jpeg', }] : [] }; }; return { code, action, captureSnapshot: true, waitForNetwork: false, }; }
- src/tools/screenshot.ts:26-46 (schema)Defines the Zod input schema for parameters (raw, filename, element, ref) with validation, and the tool schema metadata including name, title, description, inputSchema reference, and type.const screenshotSchema = z.object({ raw: z.boolean().optional().describe('Whether to return without compression (in PNG format). Default is false, which returns a JPEG image.'), filename: z.string().optional().describe('File name to save the screenshot to. Defaults to `page-{timestamp}.{png|jpeg}` if not specified.'), element: z.string().optional().describe('Human-readable element description used to obtain permission to screenshot the element. If not provided, the screenshot will be taken of viewport. If element is provided, ref must be provided too.'), ref: z.string().optional().describe('Exact target element reference from the page snapshot. If not provided, the screenshot will be taken of viewport. If ref is provided, element must be provided too.'), }).refine(data => { return !!data.element === !!data.ref; }, { message: 'Both element and ref must be provided or neither.', path: ['ref', 'element'] }); const screenshot = defineTool({ capability: 'core', schema: { name: 'browser_take_screenshot', title: 'Take a screenshot', description: `Take a screenshot of the current page. You can't perform actions based on the screenshot, use browser_snapshot for actions.`, inputSchema: screenshotSchema, type: 'readOnly', },
- src/tools.ts:35-50 (registration)Registers the browser_take_screenshot tool by including the screenshot module's exports in the snapshotTools array, which is used to provide tools for snapshot-enabled contexts.export const snapshotTools: Tool<any>[] = [ ...common(true), ...console, ...dialogs(true), ...files(true), ...install, ...keyboard(true), ...navigate(true), ...network, ...pdf, ...screenshot, ...snapshot, ...tabs(true), ...testing, ...wait(true), ];