How to Fix “No Playwright Tests Found”

“No tests found” means Playwright collected zero tests for the command you ran. The cause is usually one of these: you are in the wrong directory or using the wrong config, your files are outside testDir, their names do not match testMatch, ignore rules exclude them, or a CLI filter selects nothing.

Start by separating test discovery from browser execution:

npx playwright test --list

If the intended files do not appear, follow the checks below in order. If the project is new and has no test file yet, create one with a recognized name such as login.spec.ts or login.test.js.

1. Confirm the command and config

Playwright looks for playwright.config.ts or playwright.config.js in the current directory. A different config can be selected with -c. First check where you are and which files exist:

pwd
ls
find . -maxdepth 3 -type f \( -name 'playwright.config.ts' -o -name 'playwright.config.js' \)

npx playwright test -c path/to/playwright.config.ts --list

Run the command from the project that owns the tests, or pass the intended config explicitly. In a monorepo, this is one of the most common reasons a valid test directory appears empty.

2. Inspect `testDir`

testDir is scanned recursively. If it is not set, Playwright uses the directory containing the config file. A project can also override the global value with its own testDir.

import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';

export default defineConfig({
  testDir: './tests',
  projects: [
    {
      name: 'chromium',
      testDir: './tests/e2e'
    }
  ]
});

Make sure every intended spec is below the active directory:

find tests -type f
find . -type f \( -name '*.spec.ts' -o -name '*.test.ts' -o -name '*.spec.js' -o -name '*.test.js' \)

If you run a project with --project, inspect that project’s testDir, not only the top-level setting.

3. Check the filename against `testMatch`

The default pattern accepts JavaScript and TypeScript files using .spec or .test, including supported CommonJS, module, JSX and TSX variants. Typical names are:

login.spec.ts
checkout.test.js
settings.spec.tsx
search.test.mjs

Names such as login.ts, login.spec.md or helpers.test-data.ts may not match the configured pattern. Rename the file or deliberately configure a pattern for your convention:

import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';

export default defineConfig({
  testMatch: '**/*.e2e.ts'
});

Do not change testMatch just to hide the symptom. Verify that the pattern includes the files you actually intend to run.

4. Look for ignore rules

testIgnore excludes matching paths. Playwright can also ignore files matching .gitignore entries by default when neither a global nor project-specific testDir was explicitly set.

import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';

export default defineConfig({
  testDir: './tests',
  testIgnore: [
    '**/fixtures/**',
    '**/*.generated.ts'
  ]
});

Check both configuration and repository ignore files:

cat .gitignore
rg -n "testIgnore|testDir|testMatch|ignore" playwright.config.* package.json

A broad rule such as tests/**, **/e2e/** or an ignored parent directory can remove every candidate from collection.

5. Remove filters that select zero tests

Even when files exist, command-line filters can reduce the selected set to zero.

Positional file and directory arguments

Arguments after playwright test are regular expressions matched against full test file paths. A shell expansion or an overly specific expression can match nothing:

# Temporarily remove the path argument
npx playwright test --list

# Then try a deliberately broad path
npx playwright test tests --list

Grep filters

npx playwright test --grep "checkout" --list
npx playwright test --grep-invert "flaky" --list

Remove --grep and --grep-invert while diagnosing. A title, annotation or tag that changed can make a previously valid expression match nothing.

Project selection

npx playwright test --project=chromium --list

Run without --project once to see whether the selected project is the problem. Check each project’s testDir, testMatch and dependencies.

6. Use `--list` as the collection test

--list collects tests without launching them. It is the fastest way to distinguish discovery problems from browser, fixture or application failures.

# Broad collection check
npx playwright test --list

# With an explicit config
npx playwright test -c playwright.config.ts --list

# With one project
npx playwright test --project=chromium --list

Interpret the result:

Result	Meaning	Next action
No files or tests listed	Discovery or selection is still wrong	Check directory, filename, ignore rules and filters
Files listed, then runtime failures	Discovery works	Debug browser launch, fixtures, navigation or assertions
Some tests listed	A filter or project excludes the missing tests	Compare the listed paths and titles with the intended suite

7. Add a recognized test if the project is empty

An empty new project can legitimately show Error: No tests found. Make sure that arguments are regular expressions matching test files. The WordPress Developer tutorial uses this message before its first test is created.

Create a minimal test under the configured directory:

// tests/home.spec.ts
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test('home page has the expected title', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://example.com');
  await expect(page).toHaveTitle(/Example Domain/);
});

Then verify collection and run it:

npx playwright test tests/home.spec.ts --list
npx playwright test tests/home.spec.ts

8. A repeatable diagnosis checklist

Run from the directory containing the intended config, or pass -c.
Read the active global and project-level testDir.
Confirm each file is below that directory.
Compare filenames with testMatch.
Inspect testIgnore and relevant .gitignore entries.
Remove positional paths, --grep, --grep-invert and --project.
Run npx playwright test --list.
Only after the intended tests are listed, run the normal test command.

9. Common errors and fixes

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
`No tests found` in a new repository	No test file exists	Add a spec under `testDir` with a recognized suffix
Tests work from one folder but not another	Different config is being discovered	Change directory or pass `-c`
Only files with a custom suffix are missing	`testMatch` excludes them	Rename them or configure the custom pattern
All files are under an ignored directory	`testIgnore` or `.gitignore` excludes them	Remove or narrow the rule
One command returns zero, another finds tests	Path, grep or project filter differs	Compare commands and remove filters temporarily
Files appear with `--list` but execution fails	Discovery is fixed; runtime setup is failing	Debug browser installation, fixtures, web server and assertions separately

10. Performance, reliability and CI notes

Use --list in a fast diagnostic step before expensive browser runs. It avoids spending time on browsers when collection is empty.

Keep discovery settings explicit in CI. Set the working directory, pass the config path when a repository has multiple Playwright projects, and avoid relying on a developer’s current directory. Print the command and config path in CI logs so a zero-test run can be reproduced.

When changing testDir, testMatch or ignore rules, run --list before and after the change. This gives a simple collection-level check without depending on network availability or browser stability.

Or skip the browser setup

If your goal is a clean image or PDF of a page rather than an end-to-end assertion, ScreenshotNeo can capture it with one request. See the API documentation for all options.

cURL

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

Python

import requests

r = requests.get(
    "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
    params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"},
    timeout=90,
)
r.raise_for_status()
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

Node.js

const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Screenshot failed: ${res.status}`);
const fs = await import('node:fs/promises');
await fs.writeFile('shot.webp', Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer()));

ScreenshotNeo removes cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups and chat widgets before capture. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are not billed, and the response reports the page verdict and billing status in X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients. You get 1,000 screenshots each month free with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account.

FAQ

Does “No tests found” mean Playwright is broken?

No. It means the current command collected zero tests. Discovery can be empty even when Playwright is installed correctly.

Do test titles affect file discovery?

Titles matter when grep filters are used. File discovery first depends on the active config, directory, filename pattern and ignore rules.

Should I reinstall Playwright?

Usually no. Run --list and inspect configuration before reinstalling browsers or packages.

Why does a test file exist but still not run?

It may be outside testDir, fail testMatch, match an ignore rule, belong to another project, or be excluded by a path or grep filter.

What should I keep in a bug report?

Include the working directory, exact command, config path, relevant testDir/testMatch/testIgnore settings, file path, and output from npx playwright test --list.