testland/playwright-extension-fixtures
Use when writing or debugging Playwright tests for a Chromium browser extension: the persistent-context fixture that loads the extension and finds its ID, why an edit seems to have no effect (reload matrix), and popup, content-script, storage and MV3 service-worker tests.
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reload-matrix.mdreferences/
Extension reload matrix - what a code edit re-evaluates
Companion reference for playwright-extension-fixtures. Consult when an edit
appears to have no effect and you need to know which extension surface
requires an explicit reload - the manual chrome://extensions card-refresh
gesture this fixture automates.
Per the Chrome Extensions "Hello World" tutorial:
| Component edited | Reload action required |
|---|---|
manifest.json | Click refresh on the extension card |
Service worker (background.service_worker) | Click refresh on the extension card |
| Content scripts | Click refresh on the extension card plus refresh the host page |
| Popup HTML / JS | None, next open re-evaluates |
| Options page | None, next open re-evaluates |
| Other extension HTML pages | None |
An automated harness reproduces the "click refresh on the card" gesture
either by toggling chrome.management.setEnabled(id, false) then
setEnabled(id, true) (requires the "management" permission per the
chrome.management reference; management.getSelf is the
no-permission exception), or by closing and re-launching the persistent
browser context.
Anti-patterns the matrix prevents:
- Editing a content script and expecting the next page load to pick it up - content scripts need the card refresh and a host-page refresh per cr-hello.
- Reloading the card after a popup-only edit - the popup re-evaluates on next open per cr-hello; the reload is wasted time and resets service-worker state.