browser_take_screenshot
Capture screenshots of web pages or specific elements using Playwright MCP. Save images in PNG or JPEG format for documentation, testing, or visual reference purposes.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| type | No | Image format for the screenshot. Default is png. | png |
| filename | No | File name to save the screenshot to. Defaults to `page-{timestamp}.{png|jpeg}` if not specified. | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| fullPage | No | When true, takes a screenshot of the full scrollable page, instead of the currently visible viewport. Cannot be used with element screenshots. |
Implementation Reference
- src/tools/screenshot.ts:53-82 (handler)The handler function that implements the logic for taking screenshots of the page viewport, full page, or specific elements using Playwright.handle: async (tab, params, response) => { const fileType = params.type || 'png'; const fileName = await tab.context.outputFile(params.filename ?? `page-${new Date().toISOString()}.${fileType}`); const options: playwright.PageScreenshotOptions = { type: fileType, quality: fileType === 'png' ? undefined : 90, scale: 'css', path: fileName, ...(params.fullPage !== undefined && { fullPage: params.fullPage }) }; const isElementScreenshot = params.element && params.ref; const screenshotTarget = isElementScreenshot ? params.element : (params.fullPage ? 'full page' : 'viewport'); response.addCode(`// Screenshot ${screenshotTarget} and save it as ${fileName}`); // Only get snapshot when element screenshot is needed const locator = params.ref ? await tab.refLocator({ element: params.element || '', ref: params.ref }) : null; if (locator) response.addCode(`await page.${await generateLocator(locator)}.screenshot(${javascript.formatObject(options)});`); else response.addCode(`await page.screenshot(${javascript.formatObject(options)});`); const buffer = locator ? await locator.screenshot(options) : await tab.page.screenshot(options); response.addResult(`Took the ${screenshotTarget} screenshot and saved it as ${fileName}`); response.addImage({ contentType: fileType === 'png' ? 'image/png' : 'image/jpeg', data: buffer }); }
- src/tools/screenshot.ts:25-41 (schema)Zod schema defining the input parameters for the browser_take_screenshot tool, including validations for element screenshots and full page options.const screenshotSchema = z.object({ type: z.enum(['png', 'jpeg']).default('png').describe('Image format for the screenshot. Default is png.'), 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.'), fullPage: z.boolean().optional().describe('When true, takes a screenshot of the full scrollable page, instead of the currently visible viewport. Cannot be used with element screenshots.'), }).refine(data => { return !!data.element === !!data.ref; }, { message: 'Both element and ref must be provided or neither.', path: ['ref', 'element'] }).refine(data => { return !(data.fullPage && (data.element || data.ref)); }, { message: 'fullPage cannot be used with element screenshots.', path: ['fullPage'] });
- src/tools/screenshot.ts:43-83 (registration)Tool registration using defineTabTool, specifying the name 'browser_take_screenshot', schema, description, and handler.const screenshot = defineTabTool({ 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', }, handle: async (tab, params, response) => { const fileType = params.type || 'png'; const fileName = await tab.context.outputFile(params.filename ?? `page-${new Date().toISOString()}.${fileType}`); const options: playwright.PageScreenshotOptions = { type: fileType, quality: fileType === 'png' ? undefined : 90, scale: 'css', path: fileName, ...(params.fullPage !== undefined && { fullPage: params.fullPage }) }; const isElementScreenshot = params.element && params.ref; const screenshotTarget = isElementScreenshot ? params.element : (params.fullPage ? 'full page' : 'viewport'); response.addCode(`// Screenshot ${screenshotTarget} and save it as ${fileName}`); // Only get snapshot when element screenshot is needed const locator = params.ref ? await tab.refLocator({ element: params.element || '', ref: params.ref }) : null; if (locator) response.addCode(`await page.${await generateLocator(locator)}.screenshot(${javascript.formatObject(options)});`); else response.addCode(`await page.screenshot(${javascript.formatObject(options)});`); const buffer = locator ? await locator.screenshot(options) : await tab.page.screenshot(options); response.addResult(`Took the ${screenshotTarget} screenshot and saved it as ${fileName}`); response.addImage({ contentType: fileType === 'png' ? 'image/png' : 'image/jpeg', data: buffer }); } });