Implementation:Microsoft Playwright Server Artifact

Knowledge Sources	Microsoft_Playwright
Domains	Server, FileSystem
Last Updated	2026-02-12 00:00 GMT

Overview

Concrete tool for managing downloadable artifacts such as screenshots, videos, and traces on the server side provided by the Playwright library.

Description

The `Artifact` class extends `SdkObject` and represents a server-side file artifact (download, video, trace, etc.) with lifecycle management. It tracks a local file path, supports asynchronous completion via a `ManualPromise`, and provides `saveAs` and `cancel` operations with callback support. The artifact can be in an unaccessible state (e.g., when remote), finished or unfinished, and deleted. Multiple `saveAs` callbacks can be registered, and the artifact handles failure errors, deletion of temporary files, and coordination of save operations after the artifact finishes writing.

Usage

Use Server Artifact when managing file-based outputs from browser operations, including downloads, recorded videos, HAR files, and trace archives.

Code Reference

Source Location

• Repository: Microsoft_Playwright
• File: packages/playwright-core/src/server/artifact.ts

Signature

export class Artifact extends SdkObject {
  constructor(parent: SdkObject, localPath: string, unaccessibleErrorMessage?: string, cancelCallback?: CancelCallback);
  finishedPromise(): ManualPromise<void>;
  localPath(): string;
  async localPathAfterFinished(): Promise<string>;
  async saveAs(saveCallback: SaveCallback): Promise<void>;
  async failureError(): Promise<Error | undefined>;
  async cancel(): Promise<void>;
  async delete(): Promise<void>;
  async deleteOnContextClose(): Promise<void>;
}

Import

import { Artifact } from '../server/artifact';

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
parent	SdkObject	Yes	Parent SDK object for instrumentation hierarchy
localPath	string	Yes	Path to the artifact file on disk
unaccessibleErrorMessage	string	No	Error message if the artifact cannot be accessed directly
cancelCallback	CancelCallback	No	Async callback invoked when the artifact is cancelled

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
localPath	string	The file system path to the artifact
finishedPromise	ManualPromise<void>	Promise that resolves when the artifact has finished writing

Usage Examples

import { Artifact } from '../server/artifact';

const artifact = new Artifact(parentSdkObject, '/tmp/video.webm', undefined, async () => {
  // cancel recording logic
});

// Wait for the artifact to finish and retrieve the path
const path = await artifact.localPathAfterFinished();

// Save the artifact to a user-specified location
await artifact.saveAs(async (localPath) => {
  await fs.promises.copyFile(localPath, '/user/downloads/video.webm');
});

Related Pages

• Environment:Microsoft_Playwright_Node_Runtime_Environment