Creating a Live Playwright REPL for Browser Automation over SSH or API

Playwright is already one of the best tools for browser automation — but what if you could connect to a browser session remotely and script it live? This article shows you how to build a Node.js REPL interface connected to a running Playwright browser, allowing live control via terminal, SSH, or even WebSockets. Use cases include: Debugging headless sessions on remote servers Teaching or pairing in live browser contexts Automated QA with human override Controlled automation bots (via API or CLI) Step 1: Set Up a Headless Browser with Playwright Start by launching a Playwright browser that stays open: npm install playwright const { chromium } = require('playwright'); (async () => { const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: false }); const context = await browser.newContext(); const page = await context.newPage(); await page.goto('https://example.com'); // Keep alive global.browser = browser; global.page = page; })(); Step 2: Start a Node.js REPL That Has Access to page Let’s expose the Playwright page to a live REPL: const repl = require('repl'); const r = repl.start({ prompt: 'playwright> ', useGlobal: true }); r.context.page = global.page; Now anything you type into this REPL — like await page.screenshot() — runs directly in the open browser session. Step 3: Allow Remote Access Over SSH By running this script on a remote server, you can SSH in and attach to the live REPL: ssh user@host node remote-playwright.js Once connected, you can do: playwright> await page.click('text=Login') playwright> await page.fill('#email', 'me@example.com') It’s like a programmable Chrome DevTools, from the CLI. Step 4: Optional – Expose REPL Over WebSocket or API For advanced cases, expose this REPL interface over WebSocket using libraries like ws or socket.io: const WebSocket = require('ws'); const { Writable } = require('stream'); const wss = new WebSocket.Server({ port: 8080 }); wss.on('connection', (ws) => { const stream = new Writable({ write(chunk, _, cb) { ws.send(chunk.toString()); cb(); } }); const r = repl.start({ input: ws, output: stream, prompt: 'webrepl> ', terminal: false, useGlobal: true }); r.context.page = global.page; }); Now you can connect live to the REPL from a web client or external system. Step 5: Bonus – Add Sandbox or Timeout Protections To make your live REPL safer, add timeouts or sandbox restrictions using tools like vm2 or use setTimeout to auto-disconnect idle users. const { NodeVM } = require('vm2'); const vm = new NodeVM({ console: 'inherit', sandbox: { page: global.page }, timeout: 3000 }); vm.run('await page.screenshot()'); ✅ Pros:

May 1, 2025 - 05:20

Creating a Live Playwright REPL for Browser Automation over SSH or API

Playwright is already one of the best tools for browser automation — but what if you could connect to a browser session remotely and script it live?

This article shows you how to build a Node.js REPL interface connected to a running Playwright browser, allowing live control via terminal, SSH, or even WebSockets.

Use cases include:

Debugging headless sessions on remote servers
Teaching or pairing in live browser contexts
Automated QA with human override
Controlled automation bots (via API or CLI)

Step 1: Set Up a Headless Browser with Playwright

Start by launching a Playwright browser that stays open:


npm install playwright


const { chromium } = require('playwright');

(async () => {
  const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: false });
  const context = await browser.newContext();
  const page = await context.newPage();

  await page.goto('https://example.com');

  // Keep alive
  global.browser = browser;
  global.page = page;
})();

Step 2: Start a Node.js REPL That Has Access to `page`

Let’s expose the Playwright page to a live REPL:


const repl = require('repl');

const r = repl.start({
  prompt: 'playwright> ',
  useGlobal: true
});

r.context.page = global.page;

Now anything you type into this REPL — like await page.screenshot() — runs directly in the open browser session.

Step 3: Allow Remote Access Over SSH

By running this script on a remote server, you can SSH in and attach to the live REPL:


ssh user@host
node remote-playwright.js

Once connected, you can do:


playwright> await page.click('text=Login')
playwright> await page.fill('#email', 'me@example.com')

It’s like a programmable Chrome DevTools, from the CLI.

Step 4: Optional – Expose REPL Over WebSocket or API

For advanced cases, expose this REPL interface over WebSocket using libraries like ws or socket.io:


const WebSocket = require('ws');
const { Writable } = require('stream');

const wss = new WebSocket.Server({ port: 8080 });

wss.on('connection', (ws) => {
  const stream = new Writable({
    write(chunk, _, cb) {
      ws.send(chunk.toString());
      cb();
    }
  });

  const r = repl.start({
    input: ws,
    output: stream,
    prompt: 'webrepl> ',
    terminal: false,
    useGlobal: true
  });

  r.context.page = global.page;
});

Now you can connect live to the REPL from a web client or external system.

Step 5: Bonus – Add Sandbox or Timeout Protections

To make your live REPL safer, add timeouts or sandbox restrictions using tools like vm2 or use setTimeout to auto-disconnect idle users.


const { NodeVM } = require('vm2');

const vm = new NodeVM({
  console: 'inherit',
  sandbox: { page: global.page },
  timeout: 3000
});

vm.run('await page.screenshot()');

✅ Pros: