›_ Codex Issues
Codex Issues / #16696

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

Open 💬 3 comments Opened Apr 3, 2026 by jeff162
💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (github-actions[bot], contributor) responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.

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_

View original on GitHub ↗

3 Comments

github-actions[bot] contributor · 4 months ago

Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.

  • #16390
  • #16085

Powered by Codex Action

jeff162 · 4 months ago

I reviewed the suggested potential duplicates and do not think this is an exact duplicate.

  • #16390 is a macOS cwd/output-path issue (/.playwright-mcp / ENOENT)
  • #16085 is a VS Code extension/Linux issue reporting Browser is already in use

My repro is different:

  • Windows
  • Codex desktop and Codex CLI both initially fail with Error: "chrome" executable not found
  • codex mcp list shows the configured playwright MCP server enabled
  • @playwright/mcp@latest --extension processes are actually running

Additional testing on the same Windows machine:

I also reproduced the same initial failure in an interactive Codex CLI session.

Prompt:
Use Playwright to open http://example.com and tell me the page title.

The Codex Playwright tool call failed with:
Error: "chrome" executable not found. Make sure it is installed at a standard location.

As a control, I then ran Playwright directly against the installed Edge binary outside the built-in Codex Playwright tool path, and that succeeded and returned the page title:
Example Domain

So:

  • Edge is installed and usable
  • Playwright itself can work on this machine
  • the failing layer appears to be Codex’s Playwright integration/tool routing rather than the browser installation itself

This means the problem is probably broader than just the desktop UI, since I saw the same initial Playwright failure from Codex CLI as well.

jeff162 · 4 months ago

Repro update: I initially reproduced this in Codex desktop on April 3, 2026 with the error:

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

After additional setup, Playwright worked correctly in Codex. The steps were:

npm install -g @playwright/mcp
npx playwright install chromium
set MCP config to:
args = ["--extension"]
After that, the same task succeeded: Codex used Playwright to open http://example.com and returned the title Example Domain.

So the issue seems narrower than a general Playwright failure. The problem appears to be that the default setup failed on missing Chrome and did not automatically use the Playwright-installed Chromium. This looks like either a fallback problem or a setup/discoverability problem.

Expected behavior:
Codex should either automatically use Playwright-managed Chromium, or surface clearer setup guidance when that extra configuration is required.