Playwright "Host system is missing dependencies" in CI

By Daniel Zoghalchali·Latchkey

The browser binaries are present but the Linux system libraries they link against (libnss3, libatk, libgbm, fonts) are not installed in the CI container, so the browser cannot launch.

What this error means

Launch fails with "Host system is missing dependencies to run browsers" and a list of missing .so libraries, or "error while loading shared libraries: libnss3.so." Common in slim base images.

Host system is missing dependencies to run browsers.
Missing libraries:
    libnss3.so
    libatk-1.0.so.0
    libgbm.so.1

Please install them with the following command:
    npx playwright install-deps

Common causes

Slim base image without browser libs

Minimal Linux images (alpine, slim) omit the X/graphics/font libraries Chromium and Firefox link against, so the browser cannot start.

install-deps step skipped

npx playwright install downloaded the browsers but install-deps (or --with-deps) was never run, so the OS packages are missing.

How to fix it

Install the system dependencies

Run install-deps (root/sudo) or use --with-deps when installing browsers.

sudo npx playwright install-deps
# or in one step:
npx playwright install --with-deps

Or use the official Playwright image

container: mcr.microsoft.com/playwright:v1.49.0-jammy

How to prevent it

• Use --with-deps or the official Playwright image in CI.
• Pin the image so browser libraries match the Playwright version.
• Avoid alpine/slim images for browser tests unless deps are added.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation