# Playwright Ci Caching

Cache Playwright browser binaries in CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps) to...

- Repository: https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills (1244 stars)
- Category: Testing
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-10-28
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill playwright-ci-caching -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill playwright-ci-caching -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill playwright-ci-caching -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill playwright-ci-caching -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills`

## Description

Cache Playwright browser binaries in CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps) to avoid 1-2 minute download overhead on every build.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Caching Playwright Browsers in CI/CD

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:
- Setting up CI/CD for a project with Playwright E2E tests
- Build times are slow due to browser downloads (~400MB, 1-2 minutes)
- You want automatic cache invalidation when Playwright version changes
- Using GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps pipelines

## The Problem

Playwright browsers (~400MB) must be downloaded on every CI run by default. This:
- Adds 1-2 minutes to every build
- Wastes bandwidth
- Can fail on transient network issues
- Slows down PR feedback loops

## Core Pattern

1. **Extract Playwright version** from `Directory.Packages.props` (CPM) to use as cache key
2. **Cache browser binaries** using platform-appropriate paths
3. **Conditional install** - only download on cache miss
4. **Automatic cache bust** - key includes version, so package upgrades invalidate cache

## Cache Paths by OS

| OS | Path |
|----|------|
| Linux | `~/.cache/ms-playwright` |
| macOS | `~/Library/Caches/ms-playwright` |
| Windows | `%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\ms-playwright` |

## GitHub Actions

```yaml
- name: Get Playwright Version
  shell: pwsh
  run: |
    $propsPath = "Directory.Packages.props"
    [xml]$props = Get-Content $propsPath
    $version = $props.Project.ItemGroup.PackageVersion |
      Where-Object { $_.Include -eq "Microsoft.Playwright" } |
      Select-Object -ExpandProperty Version
    echo "PlaywrightVersion=$version" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV

- name: Cache Playwright Browsers
  id: playwright-cache
  uses: actions/cache@v4
  with:
    path: ~/.cache/ms-playwright
    key: ${{ runner.os }}-playwright-${{ env.PlaywrightVersion }}

- name: Install Playwright Browsers
  if: steps.playwright-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
  shell: pwsh
  run: ./build/playwright.ps1 install --with-deps
```

### Multi-OS GitHub Actions

For workflows that run on multiple operating systems:

The rest: https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills/blob/HEAD/skills/playwright-ci-caching/SKILL.md