Playwriter vs Playwright CLI

The classic Playwright CLI (npx playwright screenshot, pdf, codegen, open) launches a new browser and exposes a small utility command set. The newer @playwright/cli adds a run-code command and can attach to a browser, but by default both still drive a separate browser profile, not the Chrome you're using right now.

Playwriter gives you the full Playwright API and, by design, runs it against your existing Chrome.

Comparison

	Playwriter	Playwright CLI
Browser	Your running Chrome (extension)	New browser by default
Login state	Your live sessions, zero setup	Persistent profile, separate from your daily Chrome
Extensions	Your existing ones	None by default
Captchas	Disconnect extension to solve manually	Managed automation profile
Collaboration	Same tab as user	Separate window
Programmable JS	`execute` with persistent `state`	`run-code` (no cross-call state)
Raw CDP access	First-class	Not exposed
Native video	`chrome.tabCapture` (30-60fps)	Trace / screencast based
Cloud + remote tab share	Built-in	No

Same API, different browser

Playwriter uses the same Playwright API you already know. The difference is where it runs. Instead of spawning a new browser, your code controls the browser you're already using.

12345# Playwright CLI: fresh browser, no state
npx playwright screenshot https://example.com shot.png

# Playwriter: your browser, your cookies, your extensions
playwriter -s 1 -e "state.page = await context.newPage(); await state.page.goto('https://example.com'); await state.page.screenshot({ path: './shot.png', scale: 'css' })"

Raw CDP access

Playwriter exposes the full Chrome DevTools Protocol through getCDPSession. This lets agents set breakpoints, profile performance, intercept network requests, and live-edit page scripts. The Playwright CLI doesn't expose CDP at all.

12playwriter -s 1 -e "state.cdp = getCDPSession({ page: state.page })"
playwriter -s 1 -e "state.cdp.send('Performance.getMetrics').then(console.log)"

Video recording

Playwright CLI records via tracing (file-based, low FPS). Playwriter uses chrome.tabCapture for native 30-60fps recording that survives page navigation.

123playwriter -s 1 -e "recording.start({ page: state.page, outputPath: './demo.mp4' })"
playwriter -s 1 -e "state.page.click('a'); state.page.waitForLoadState('domcontentloaded')"
playwriter -s 1 -e "recording.stop({ page: state.page })"