Playwright-Embedded
Testing the Untestable, Automation for Embedded Browsers
A testing library solving a problem no existing tool handles: running E2E tests against real embedded hardware: smart TVs, consoles, infotainment systems where browsers expose no CDP, no DevTools, and no native automation surface.
It brings Playwright native test authoring to the most locked down devices on the network, without touching native platform tooling or writing a single device specific line of glue code.
The Problem, Embedded Browsers Don't Play Nice
No DevTools Protocol: Standard Playwright assumes CDP. On embedded browsers that assumption breaks completely, the protocol port is closed, and DevTools access itself isn't guaranteed. The automation surface most engineers take for granted simply doesn't exist.
No Native Input: Real remotes and physical input can't be scripted at the OS level without deep platform native integration. That means separate tooling, separate test suites, and inevitable drift between test environments and what users actually experience.
The Solution, ████ ████████ ████
Device Capture: *********** ****** ** ******** **** *** ****** ********** ******** ******* ** ** ******** **** *** ****** **********
Transport: ******* ** ******** ** ******** **** *** ****** ********** **** *********** ******** ***** ****** ******** ******* ** ********
Assertions: ******** *** ****** ****** *** * ***** ******** ******** **** **** ********** ******** ** ******** ** ********
Synthetic Input: ******** ********** **** ********** **** *** ****** ** ******** ************ ********
Multi-Device Orchestration: Devices connect with deterministic names. The same test suite can target multiple named devices in sequence. No manual config, no per-device test branches, no hardware juggling. Run it against a 2019 Samsung, a 2022 LG, and a PS5 in one command.
The Tech Stack
Playwright + TypeScript: Custom fixtures and device connectors let you write standard Playwright test code. ******** ** ******** ********** **** ** ******** ************ . No bespoke assertion APIs, no image comparison overhead.
Serialisation: ******** ********** **** ********** **** *** ****** ** ******** ************ **** ****** ******** ******** ******* ****** ****** ******** *** ********
Control Server: ******* ********** **** ********** **** *** ****** ** ******** ************ ******** *********** ******** ** ******** **** ******** ********
Strongly Typed Message Contracts: Every command and response between host and device is typed end-to-end. *** ******** ******** ** ************ **** ****** ******** at compile time, not silently in a CI run at 2am.
Why It Matters
Real hardware testing has always meant manual QA cycles or fragile screenshot diffs against a moving target. Playwright-Embedded makes it possible to write deterministic, functional tests against the actual devices users hold in their hands, with the same test authoring experience engineers already know.
It's the testing infrastructure that didn't exist, built from scratch to solve a problem the industry hasn't properly addressed.