Steps

Install Playwright and its browsers with npx playwright install (add --with-deps on minimal Linux CI images to also install OS-level dependencies)
Keep the script headless (Playwright's default) — no DISPLAY/Xvfb is required for headless Chromium/Firefox/WebKit
Note where browser binaries are cached so cron's minimal environment can find them (default is a per-user cache directory), or override the location via the PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH environment variable
In the crontab or systemd timer/service unit, use absolute paths for the node binary, script, and working directory, since cron/systemd run with a minimal, non-login environment that does not source shell rc files
Redirect stdout/stderr to a log file, or rely on systemd's journal when using a timer+service unit, so failures are diagnosable after unattended runs
Re-run npx playwright install after upgrading the Playwright package, since browser binary versions are pinned per release

Known gotchas

Cron jobs don't inherit your interactive shell's environment variables (PATH, PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH, proxy vars) — set them explicitly in the crontab or unit file
If the cron user differs from the user that ran npx playwright install, the browser cache path may not be found — install and run as the same user, or pin PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH consistently for both steps
Playwright also offers a separate 'chrome-headless-shell' binary distinct from the regular headless browser channel — pick one deliberately if output rendering must match a specific real-browser behavior

Control timers and fake the system clock in Playwright tests using page.clock

Make headless-browser file downloads deterministic by awaiting the download event/promise instead of polling the filesystem

playwright.dev · 5 steps · unrated

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Run a headless Playwright script on a fixed schedule via cron or a systemd timer

Steps

Known gotchas

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