Session Recorder

Session Recorder Skill

Record user testing sessions as Playwright Traces for replay and analysis. Traces capture the full testing session including screenshots, DOM snapshots, network requests, and console logs.

When to Use

• --record flag is present in the command
• User wants to replay or share a testing session
• Need to debug issues found during testing
• Creating documentation of UX issues

Trace File Format

Playwright Trace files (.zip) contain:

• Screenshots: Captured at each action
• DOM Snapshots: Full page state at each step
• Network Requests: All HTTP requests/responses
• Console Logs: JavaScript console output
• Action Timeline: Timestamped sequence of all interactions

Implementation

Starting a Recording

At the beginning of a test session when --record flag is present:

// Via browser_run_code
async (page) => {
  // Ensure recordings directory exists
  const fs = require('fs');
  const path = require('path');
  const recordingsDir = process.env.RECORD_PATH || 'recordings';
  if (!fs.existsSync(recordingsDir)) {
    fs.mkdirSync(recordingsDir, { recursive: true });
  }

  // Start tracing
  await page.context().tracing.start({
    screenshots: true,
    snapshots: true,
    sources: false  // Don't include source code
  });

  return 'Recording started';
}

Stopping a Recording

At the end of a test session:

// Via browser_run_code
async (page) => {
  const tracePath = process.env.TRACE_PATH;
  await page.context().tracing.stop({ path: tracePath });
  return `Trace saved to: ${tracePath}`;
}

Trace Filename Convention

Format: {command}-{persona}-{YYYY-MM-DD-HHmmss}.zip

Examples:

• user-test-genz-digital-native-2025-01-06-143022.zip
• stripe-test-impulse-buyer-2025-01-06-143156.zip
• user-test-boomer-tech-averse-2025-01-06-150830.zip

Generating Filename

const generateTracePath = (command, personaId, basePath = 'recordings') => {
  const now = new Date();
  const timestamp = now.toISOString()
    .replace(/[-:]/g, '')
    .replace('T', '-')
    .slice(0, 15);
  return `${basePath}/${command}-${personaId}-${timestamp}.zip`;
};

Recording Flow

1. Pre-Test Setup

When --record flag is detected:

1. Parse --record-path or use default 'recordings/'
2. Generate trace filename
3. Ensure output directory exists
4. Start Playwright tracing
5. Announce: "Starting session recording..."

2. During Test

• All browser interactions are automatically captured
• Screenshots taken at each action
• Network requests logged
• No additional steps needed

3. Post-Test Cleanup

1. Stop tracing with output path
2. Verify file was created
3. Report: "Session recorded to: {path}"
4. Report: "View at: https://trace.playwright.dev"

Viewing Traces

Traces can be viewed at: https://trace.playwright.dev

Instructions for Users

1. Open trace.playwright.dev in browser
2. Drag and drop the .zip trace file
3. Explore the timeline:
   • Click actions to see screenshots
   • View network requests tab
   • Check console output
   • See DOM snapshots at each step

Trace Viewer Features

Integration with Test Modes

Standard Mode

Starting session recording...

"Hi, I'm Harold. Let me see what this website is about..."
[Full narration continues]

Session recorded to: recordings/user-test-boomer-tech-averse-2025-01-06-143022.zip
View trace at: https://trace.playwright.dev (drag and drop the file)

Quiet Mode (--quiet --record)

Testing https://example.com as boomer-tech-averse...
Recording session...

[Screenshot: confusion-nav.png]
[Screenshot: task-complete.png]

# Summary
- Tasks: 2/3 completed
- Issues: 1 critical, 2 major

Session recorded to: recordings/user-test-boomer-tech-averse-2025-01-06-143022.zip
View trace at: https://trace.playwright.dev

Multi-Persona Mode (--personas --record)

Each persona test gets its own trace file:

recordings/
├── user-test-boomer-tech-averse-2025-01-06-143022.zip
├── user-test-genz-digital-native-2025-01-06-143024.zip
└── user-test-millennial-tech-skeptic-2025-01-06-143026.zip

Error Handling

Tracing Not Supported

If browser doesn't support tracing:

Warning: Session recording not available. Continuing without recording.

Directory Creation Failed

If recordings directory can't be created:

Error: Could not create recordings directory. Check permissions.

Trace Save Failed

If trace file can't be saved:

Warning: Failed to save trace file. Test results are still available.

Best Practices

1. Use with CI/CD: Combine --record with --quiet for automated testing
2. Share Traces: Trace files are self-contained, easily shareable
3. Storage: Traces can be large (10-50MB); manage storage accordingly
4. Privacy: Traces may contain sensitive data; handle appropriately