PiloTY vs Playwright MCP Server

A side-by-side comparison of two Developer Tools servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	PiloTY Persistent, interactive PTY terminal for AI agents over MCP — SSH, REPLs, password prompts, long-running jobs. Unverified stdio (local) No auth Python	Playwright MCP Server Microsoft's official browser-automation MCP using Playwright's accessibility tree (no vision model). Verified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript
Category	Developer Tools	Developer Tools
Language	Python	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	38	24k
Last commit	2 months ago	21 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`codex mcp add piloty -- uvx --from git+https://github.com/yiwenlu66/PiloTY.git piloty`	`npx -y @playwright/mcp@latest`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick PiloTY if you prefer its approach (persistent, interactive pty terminal for ai agents over mcp — ssh, repls, password prompts, long-running jobs).

Pick Playwright MCP Server if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Add PiloTY

Install / run

codex mcp add piloty -- uvx --from git+https://github.com/yiwenlu66/PiloTY.git piloty

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "piloty": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/yiwenlu66/PiloTY.git",
        "piloty"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

Add Playwright MCP Server

Install / run

npx -y @playwright/mcp@latest

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@playwright/mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

FAQ

PiloTY or Playwright MCP Server — which is better?

Pick PiloTY if you prefer its approach (persistent, interactive pty terminal for ai agents over mcp — ssh, repls, password prompts, long-running jobs). Pick Playwright MCP Server if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both PiloTY and Playwright MCP Server?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do PiloTY and Playwright MCP Server work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View PiloTY →View Playwright MCP Server →More comparisons →