Default browser config fails when Chrome is not installed - unclear error and workaround

[MvRoo]

Problem

When using playwright-cli on a system without Google Chrome installed, the default configuration fails with an unclear error message:

Error: browserType.launchPersistentContext: Chromium distribution 'chrome' is not found at /Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome
Run "npx playwright install chrome"

The suggested fix (npx playwright install chrome) doesn't work because it installs browsers for a different playwright version than what @playwright/cli uses internally.

Environment

• macOS (Apple Silicon)
• @playwright/cli@0.0.61 installed globally via npm
• No Google Chrome installed

Root Cause

The CLI defaults to using the chrome channel, which requires Google Chrome to be installed at a specific path. The bundled Chromium browser is available but not used by default.

Workaround

Setting the PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_BROWSER environment variable works:

PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_BROWSER=chromium playwright-cli open https://example.com

However, this workaround is not documented in --help or the README.

Additional Issue: Browser Version Mismatch

When trying to install browsers, npx playwright install chromium installs for a different playwright version (e.g., 1.58.0) than what @playwright/cli uses (1.59.0-alpha). This causes "browser not installed" errors even after running the suggested install command.

The correct way to install browsers is:

/path/to/node_modules/@playwright/cli/node_modules/playwright/cli.js install chromium

This is not intuitive and not documented.

Suggestions

1. Better default behavior: Fall back to bundled chromium if the chrome channel is not available, rather than failing
2. Clearer error message: Include the PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_BROWSER=chromium workaround in the error message
3. Documentation: Document the PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_BROWSER environment variable in the README and --help output
4. Browser installation: Document how to install browsers for the specific playwright version bundled with the CLI, or make npx playwright install work correctly

Reproduction Steps

1. Install @playwright/cli globally: npm install -g @playwright/cli@latest
2. Ensure Google Chrome is not installed (or rename the app temporarily)
3. Run: playwright-cli open https://example.com
4. Observe the error

Expected Behavior

Either:

• The CLI should fall back to bundled Chromium automatically, or
• The error message should clearly explain how to use PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_BROWSER=chromium