Codex desktop ignores configured Playwright MCP server and falls back to Chrome-launching Playwright path

What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?

26.325.31654

What subscription do you have?

Plus

What platform is your computer?

Windows 11 x64

What issue are you seeing?

Codex desktop appears to ignore my configured Playwright MCP server and instead uses a separate Playwright path that tries to launch local Chrome.

I configured Playwright in ~/.codex/config.toml like this:

[mcp_servers.playwright]
enabled = true
command = "npx"
args = ["@playwright/mcp@latest", "--extension"]

[mcp_servers.playwright.env]
PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_EXTENSION_TOKEN = "<redacted>"

I have the Playwright MCP Bridge extension installed in Microsoft Edge, and the token matches the extension id.

I verified that:

• codex mcp list shows playwright enabled
• codex mcp get playwright shows the expected npx @playwright/mcp@latest --extension config
• running node processes on my machine show @playwright/mcp@latest --extension is actually being launched

However, Playwright tool calls in the desktop app fail with:

Error: "chrome" executable not found. Make sure it is installed at a standard location.

Chrome is not installed on this machine, but Edge is installed.

Because this setup is using the extension bridge, a local Chrome install should not be required. This makes it look like the desktop app is not routing Playwright tool calls through the configured MCP server, even though that server is configured and running.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

1. On Windows, configure Playwright MCP in ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.playwright]
enabled = true
command = "npx"
args = ["@playwright/mcp@latest", "--extension"]

[mcp_servers.playwright.env]
PLAYWRIGHT_MCP_EXTENSION_TOKEN = "<matching extension id>"

1. Install the Playwright MCP Bridge extension in Microsoft Edge.
2. Restart Codex desktop.
3. Confirm the MCP server is recognized with:

• codex mcp list
• codex mcp get playwright

1. Confirm @playwright/mcp@latest --extension processes are running.
2. In Codex desktop, ask it to do a Playwright action such as opening http://example.com and reading the page title.
3. Observe the failure:

Error: "chrome" executable not found. Make sure it is installed at a standard location.

What is the expected behavior?

Codex desktop should use the configured Playwright MCP server (npx @playwright/mcp@latest --extension) through the Edge extension bridge. A local Chrome install should not be required for this setup.

Additional information

_No response_