Summary
Enable Playwright MCP to default to an undetectable/stealth Chromium backend while continuing to use the community-supported Playwright MCP server. This should behave as a drop-in replacement from the user’s perspective and be easy to turn off when needed.

Goals

• Default to a stealth/undetectable backend for browser automation initiated through Playwright MCP.
• Preserve use of the official community Playwright MCP server.
• Require no changes in downstream consumer code that uses the MCP server.
• Keep the solution portable across machines and worktrees.

Non-Goals

• Forking or modifying the community Playwright MCP server.
• Rewriting consumer code to target a specific backend implementation.
• Changing non-MCP Playwright usage across unrelated projects.

User Experience / Operator Expectations

• Using existing dotfiles configuration, starting Playwright MCP should run with an undetectable backend by default, powered by patchright.
• No hardcoded absolute paths; solution should work across environments.

Acceptance Criteria

• Playwright MCP launched via dotfiles runs with patchright by default.
• No consumer code changes required and no fork of the community MCP server.
• Basic smoke flow works on supported platforms (e.g., list tools, open a page, take a screenshot).

Constraints & Considerations

• Maintain compatibility with the community Playwright MCP server.
• Keep setup steps minimal and predictable for new machines/worktrees.
• Avoid introducing tool or path coupling that reduces portability.

Open Questions

• What minimal smoke checks should we standardize for confidence without over-specifying implementation?