Fix Playwright MCP reconnect failure and /c → C:/ rewrite on Windows

A native Windows report found Claude serialized cmd.exe’s /c as C:/. Launching the Playwright MCP CLI directly with Node bypassed the broken command transformation.

Quick answer

Bypass the generated plugin command and configure Claude to run Playwright’s MCP cli.js directly with node. Use forward slashes in the absolute JavaScript path.

The exact error

Failed to reconnect to plugin:playwright:playwright

Do not use this guide for a merely similar message. The workaround is scoped to this signature and the environments below.

Match your environment

  • Claude Code native Windows
  • Playwright MCP 0.0.68 report
  • CDP endpoint configuration

What to do

  1. 01

    Find the installed Playwright MCP CLI

    Locate @playwright/mcp/cli.js in the package installation you already trust. Do not paste the example path unchanged.

  2. 02

    Test the direct Node entry point

    Run the JavaScript file with Node and the same CDP endpoint used by your browser.

    node D:/path/to/@playwright/mcp/cli.js --cdp-endpoint http://127.0.0.1:9222
  3. 03

    Use Node as the MCP command

    Set command to node. Put the absolute cli.js path first in args, followed by --cdp-endpoint and the endpoint URL.

  4. 04

    Restart and inspect the connection

    Restart Claude Code and check the MCP list. The original reporter confirmed the direct Node configuration connected.

What likely happened

The command setup path rewrote /c into C:/, corrupting the intended cmd.exe switch. Direct Node execution removes that switch from the configuration.

First-hand sources

Source links support the environment and workaround claims above. An issue being closed does not by itself mean a fix shipped.