Merge pull request #17: Browser view — find every Playwright, set one up in two clicks, bake the runtime libraries

app/src-tauri/src/browser_view/commands.rs

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 use tauri::{AppHandle, State};
 
+use crate::browser_view::install::{self, BrowserSetupOutcome};
 use crate::browser_view::{manager, BrowserViewStatus};
 use crate::AppState;
 
@@ -27,20 +28,7 @@ pub async fn set_browser_view_enabled(
         return Ok(manager().status(&project_id).await);
     }
 
-    let project = state
-        .projects_store
-        .get(&project_id)
-        .ok_or_else(|| format!("Project {} not found", project_id))?;
-
-    let Some(container_id) = project.container_id.clone() else {
-        return Err("Start the container before opening the browser view.".to_string());
-    };
-    if !crate::docker::container::is_container_running(&container_id)
-        .await
-        .unwrap_or(false)
-    {
-        return Err("Start the container before opening the browser view.".to_string());
-    }
+    let container_id = running_container(&state, &project_id, "opening the browser view").await?;
 
     manager()
         .start(
@@ -61,18 +49,84 @@ pub async fn get_browser_view_status(project_id: String) -> Result<BrowserViewSt
 /// Probe the container for Playwright without starting anything.
 ///
 /// Lets the pane say "install this" before the user asks for a view, and lets
-/// them re-check after installing without toggling the feature.
+/// them re-check after installing without toggling the feature. Read-only: it
+/// runs one `node -e` and changes nothing.
 #[tauri::command]
 pub async fn check_browser_view_support(
     project_id: String,
     state: State<'_, AppState>,
 ) -> Result<crate::browser_view::detect::PlaywrightDetection, String> {
-    let project = state
-        .projects_store
-        .get(&project_id)
-        .ok_or_else(|| format!("Project {} not found", project_id))?;
-    let container_id = project
-        .container_id
-        .ok_or_else(|| "Start the container to check for Playwright.".to_string())?;
+    let container_id = running_container(&state, &project_id, "checking for Playwright").await?;
     crate::browser_view::detect::detect(&container_id).await
 }
+
+/// Install `playwright` and `@playwright/cli` into the container.
+///
+/// **This mutates the container**, so it is a command of its own and is only
+/// ever reached by the user pressing the button — nothing here runs on tab
+/// open. Progress streams on `container-progress`; the outcome carries a fresh
+/// probe so the pane updates itself.
+///
+/// Browsers are *not* fetched here. They are hundreds of megabytes and get
+/// their own action, with the size stated before the click.
+#[tauri::command]
+pub async fn install_browser_view_support(
+    project_id: String,
+    app_handle: AppHandle,
+    state: State<'_, AppState>,
+) -> Result<BrowserSetupOutcome, String> {
+    let container_id = running_container(&state, &project_id, "installing Playwright").await?;
+    install::install_packages(&app_handle, &project_id, &container_id).await
+}
+
+/// Install a browser — `chromium` (Playwright's own build, for scripts that
+/// call `chromium.launch()`) or `chrome` (the Google Chrome channel that
+/// `@playwright/mcp` asks for) — along with the system libraries it needs, and
+/// verify that it actually starts.
+///
+/// Also a mutation, also user-initiated only.
+#[tauri::command]
+pub async fn install_browser_view_browser(
+    project_id: String,
+    browser: String,
+    app_handle: AppHandle,
+    state: State<'_, AppState>,
+) -> Result<BrowserSetupOutcome, String> {
+    let target = install::BrowserTarget::parse(&browser)?;
+    let container_id = running_container(&state, &project_id, "installing a browser").await?;
+    install::install_browser(&app_handle, &project_id, &container_id, target).await
+}
+
+/// The project's container, or a sentence saying why there isn't one.
+///
+/// Every command here needs a *running* container, and every one of them used
+/// to be able to fail somewhere further in with a Docker error instead. The
+/// `action` is folded into the message so "start the container first" arrives
+/// attached to what the user was trying to do.
+async fn running_container(
+    state: &State<'_, AppState>,
+    project_id: &str,
+    action: &str,
+) -> Result<String, String> {
+    let project = state
+        .projects_store
+        .get(project_id)
+        .ok_or_else(|| format!("Project {} not found", project_id))?;
+
+    let Some(container_id) = project.container_id.clone() else {
+        return Err(format!(
+            "This project has no container yet. Start it before {}.",
+            action
+        ));
+    };
+    if !crate::docker::container::is_container_running(&container_id)
+        .await
+        .unwrap_or(false)
+    {
+        return Err(format!(
+            "The container for “{}” isn't running. Start it before {}.",
+            project.name, action
+        ));
+    }
+    Ok(container_id)
+}

app/src-tauri/src/browser_view/detect.rs

@@ -17,6 +17,22 @@
 //! Discovery of published browsers is local-filesystem based (a cache directory
 //! plus a unix-socket singleton in the temp dir), which is exactly why the viewer
 //! has to run *in the container* next to the browsers rather than on the host.
+//!
+//! ## Where a Playwright can legitimately be
+//!
+//! `node_modules` is not the only answer, and assuming it was is what made this
+//! probe lie. `claude mcp add … npx @playwright/mcp@latest` — the way most
+//! people end up with Playwright in the container — installs nothing into any
+//! `node_modules`: npx unpacks the tree into `~/.npm/_npx/<hash>/node_modules`
+//! and runs it from there. So that cache is searched too, every entry of it,
+//! and [`PlaywrightDetection::searched`] echoes back every root actually
+//! consulted so a "not found" is checkable rather than merely asserted.
+//!
+//! Note what that npx route can and cannot do: `@playwright/mcp` bundles a
+//! `playwright-core` new enough to `bind()`, so it can satisfy points 1 and 2 —
+//! but it never ships `@playwright/cli`, so it can never satisfy point 3 on its
+//! own. Any message that offers it as a way to *set up* this pane is sending
+//! the user down a dead end; see [`PlaywrightDetection::blocker`].
 
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 
@@ -39,6 +55,14 @@ pub struct PlaywrightDetection {
     /// Absolute path of the resolved package manifest, for the diagnostics line.
     #[serde(default)]
     pub playwright_path: Option<String>,
+    /// Absolute path of the resolved Playwright's own CLI entry (`cli.js`).
+    ///
+    /// Both `playwright` and `playwright-core` declare one, and it is the thing
+    /// that installs browsers and their system libraries. Driving *that* file
+    /// with `node` — rather than whatever `playwright` happens to be on `PATH` —
+    /// is what keeps the browser install pinned to the copy this pane found.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub playwright_cli: Option<String>,
     /// Whether the resolved build's type definitions declare `Browser.bind()`.
     #[serde(default)]
     pub has_bind: bool,
@@ -50,6 +74,25 @@ pub struct PlaywrightDetection {
     /// we can signal.
     #[serde(default)]
     pub cli_entry: Option<String>,
+    /// Browser bundles present in the Playwright browser cache
+    /// (`~/.cache/ms-playwright`), e.g. `chromium-1200`. `ffmpeg-*` is excluded
+    /// — it is not a browser and its presence must not read as one.
+    ///
+    /// Not part of [`PlaywrightDetection::is_usable`]: the viewer serves
+    /// whatever has been published to it, and a browser could in principle be
+    /// remote. It is here because "installed but no browser to drive" is a real
+    /// state the pane has to be able to say out loud.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub browsers: Vec<String>,
+    /// Path to Google Chrome, if the `chrome` *channel* is installed.
+    ///
+    /// Separate from [`Self::browsers`] because it is not in Playwright's cache
+    /// at all — the channel is an apt package. It is tracked because
+    /// `@playwright/mcp` asks for `channel: 'chrome'` specifically, so a
+    /// container with the bundled Chromium and no Chrome is set up for the
+    /// user's own scripts and not for the MCP plugin.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub chrome_channel: Option<String>,
     /// Where the probe looked, echoed back for the "not found" message.
     #[serde(default)]
     pub searched: Vec<String>,
@@ -63,6 +106,13 @@ impl PlaywrightDetection {
 
     /// A specific, actionable explanation of what is missing. `None` when the
     /// container is ready.
+    ///
+    /// Every branch names the *package* that is missing and points at this
+    /// pane's install action, because assembling npm commands by hand is the
+    /// thing that went wrong for real users. `@playwright/mcp` is named only in
+    /// the role it actually plays — it binds sessions automatically once
+    /// Playwright is present — and never as a route through setup, because it
+    /// does not ship `@playwright/cli` and so can never make the viewer work.
     pub fn blocker(&self) -> Option<String> {
         if self.node_version.is_none() {
             return Some(
@@ -72,41 +122,66 @@ impl PlaywrightDetection {
         }
         if self.playwright_version.is_none() {
             return Some(format!(
-                "Playwright isn't installed in this container. Install it with \
-                 `npm i -D playwright` (or `npm i -g playwright`), then have Claude call \
-                 `await browser.bind('claude')` after launching a browser — or use \
-                 `@playwright/mcp`, which binds automatically. Looked in: {}.",
-                if self.searched.is_empty() {
-                    "the container's default module paths".to_string()
-                } else {
-                    self.searched.join(", ")
-                }
+                "Playwright isn't installed in this container. Two packages are needed: \
+                 `playwright` (for the `browser.bind()` live-dashboard API) and \
+                 `@playwright/cli` (the viewer UI this pane embeds). Use “Set up Playwright” \
+                 below to install both into the container. Installing `@playwright/mcp` on \
+                 its own is not enough — it binds sessions for you once Playwright is there, \
+                 but it never provides the viewer. Looked in: {}.",
+                self.searched_text()
             ));
         }
         if !self.has_bind {
             return Some(format!(
-                "Playwright {} is installed, but it predates the live-dashboard API \
-                 (`browser.bind()`). Upgrade with `npm i -D playwright@latest` and restart \
-                 the browser Claude is driving.",
-                self.playwright_version.as_deref().unwrap_or("?")
+                "Playwright {} is installed{}, but it predates the live-dashboard API \
+                 (`browser.bind()`). Use “Set up Playwright” below to upgrade to the latest \
+                 `playwright`, then restart the browser Claude is driving.",
+                self.playwright_version.as_deref().unwrap_or("?"),
+                match self.playwright_path.as_deref() {
+                    Some(p) => format!(" at {}", p),
+                    None => String::new(),
+                }
             ));
         }
         if self.cli_entry.is_none() {
-            return Some(
-                "Playwright is installed, but the viewer UI package isn't. Install it with \
-                 `npm i -D @playwright/cli`, then reopen this tab."
-                    .to_string(),
-            );
+            return Some(format!(
+                "Playwright {} is installed, but `@playwright/cli` — the package that serves \
+                 the viewer UI — isn't, and nothing else provides it (`@playwright/mcp` does \
+                 not). Use “Set up Playwright” below to install it. Looked in: {}.",
+                self.playwright_version.as_deref().unwrap_or("?"),
+                self.searched_text()
+            ));
         }
         None
     }
+
+    /// Whether Playwright is present but has no browser at all to drive —
+    /// neither a downloaded bundle nor the Chrome channel. Advisory: the viewer
+    /// still runs, it just has nothing to show until a browser is bound.
+    pub fn needs_browser(&self) -> bool {
+        self.playwright_version.is_some()
+            && self.browsers.is_empty()
+            && self.chrome_channel.is_none()
+    }
+
+    /// The searched roots as prose, so a message never trails off into "Looked
+    /// in: ." when the probe couldn't build a root list at all.
+    fn searched_text(&self) -> String {
+        if self.searched.is_empty() {
+            "the container's default module paths".to_string()
+        } else {
+            self.searched.join(", ")
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 /// One `node -e` probe, run as `claude` inside the container.
 ///
 /// No shell quoting is involved: the script is a single `argv` element. The
-/// script finds the global `node_modules` root itself, so a Playwright installed
-/// with `npm i -g` is found as readily as one in `/workspace/node_modules`.
+/// script finds the global `node_modules` root and the npx cache itself, so a
+/// Playwright installed with `npm i -g`, or merely *run* once through
+/// `npx @playwright/mcp`, is found as readily as one in
+/// `/workspace/node_modules`.
 pub async fn detect(container_id: &str) -> Result<PlaywrightDetection, String> {
     let output = exec_oneshot(
         container_id,
@@ -151,15 +226,44 @@ pub(crate) fn parse_probe_output(output: &str) -> Result<PlaywrightDetection, St
 /// produces "detection failed".
 const PROBE: &str = concat!(
     r#"const fs=require("fs"),path=require("path"),cp=require("child_process");"#,
-    r#"const out={node_version:process.versions.node,searched:[],has_bind:false};"#,
+    r#"const out={node_version:process.versions.node,searched:[],has_bind:false,browsers:[]};"#,
     // `npm root -g` is the only reliable way to learn the global prefix, and it
     // is cheap enough to pay for once per pane open.
     r#"let g=null;try{g=cp.execSync("npm root -g",{encoding:"utf8",stdio:["ignore","pipe","ignore"]}).trim()||null;}catch(e){}"#,
-    r#"const roots=[...new Set(["/workspace",process.cwd(),process.env.HOME?path.join(process.env.HOME,"node_modules"):null,g].filter(Boolean))];"#,
+    r#"const home=process.env.HOME||null;"#,
+    // The npx cache. `npm config get cache` would be authoritative but costs a
+    // second npm start-up; npm exports its resolved config into the
+    // environment of anything it runs, so `npm_config_cache` covers the
+    // overridden case and `~/.npm` covers the default.
+    r#"const cache=process.env.npm_config_cache||(home?path.join(home,".npm"):null);"#,
+    // Every `_npx/<hash>` is a separate tree — `@playwright/mcp` and any other
+    // npx-run package each get their own — so all of them are searched, in a
+    // stable order, and all of them are reported in `searched`.
+    r#"const npx=[];if(cache){try{for(const d of fs.readdirSync(path.join(cache,"_npx")).sort()){"#,
+    r#"const p=path.join(cache,"_npx",d,"node_modules");"#,
+    r#"try{if(fs.statSync(p).isDirectory())npx.push(p);}catch(e){}}}catch(e){}}"#,
+    r#"const roots=[...new Set(["/workspace",process.cwd(),home?path.join(home,"node_modules"):null,g,...npx].filter(Boolean))];"#,
     r#"out.searched=roots;"#,
-    r#"const res=(s)=>{for(const r of roots){try{return require.resolve(s,{paths:[r]});}catch(e){}}return null;};"#,
-    r#"const core=res("playwright-core/package.json")||res("playwright/package.json");"#,
-    r#"if(core){try{out.playwright_path=core;out.playwright_version=JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(core,"utf8")).version;}catch(e){}"#,
+    r#"const at=(s,r)=>{try{return require.resolve(s,{paths:[r]});}catch(e){return null;}};"#,
+    r#"const res=(s)=>{for(const r of roots){const p=at(s,r);if(p)return p;}return null;};"#,
+    // One `bin` reader for both packages: `bin` is a string for some manifests
+    // and an object for others, and getting that wrong on either one loses the
+    // entry point silently.
+    r#"const bin=(m,j)=>{const b=typeof j.bin==="string"?{[j.name]:j.bin}:(j.bin||{});"#,
+    r#"const k=Object.keys(b)[0];return k?path.resolve(path.dirname(m),b[k]):null;};"#,
+    // `playwright-core` is what carries the typings and the browser registry, but
+    // it is frequently *nested*: verified against a real `npm i -g playwright
+    // @playwright/cli`, npm does not hoist for global installs, so the global
+    // root holds `playwright/` and `@playwright/cli/` and no top-level
+    // `playwright-core/`. Resolving only the outer `playwright` would then read
+    // a package that ships no `types/types.d.ts` at all and report a perfectly
+    // current build as "predates browser.bind()". So: hop from the wrapper to
+    // its own `playwright-core`, and only fall back to the wrapper's manifest.
+    r#"let core=res("playwright-core/package.json");"#,
+    r#"if(!core){const pw=res("playwright/package.json");"#,
+    r#"if(pw)core=at("playwright-core/package.json",path.dirname(pw))||pw;}"#,
+    r#"if(core){try{out.playwright_path=core;const j=JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(core,"utf8"));"#,
+    r#"out.playwright_version=j.version;out.playwright_cli=bin(core,j);}catch(e){}"#,
     // `bind`/`unbind` are checked against the shipped type definitions rather
     // than by loading the module: it is a static read, needs no browser, and
     // cannot be tripped up by a package that fails to import.
@@ -167,8 +271,16 @@ const PROBE: &str = concat!(
     r#"out.has_bind=/\bunbind\s*\(\s*\)/.test(t)&&/\bbind\s*\(/.test(t);}catch(e){}}"#,
     r#"const cli=res("@playwright/cli/package.json");"#,
     r#"if(cli){try{const j=JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(cli,"utf8"));out.cli_version=j.version;"#,
-    r#"const b=typeof j.bin==="string"?{[j.name]:j.bin}:(j.bin||{});const k=Object.keys(b)[0];"#,
-    r#"if(k)out.cli_entry=path.resolve(path.dirname(cli),b[k]);}catch(e){}}"#,
+    r#"out.cli_entry=bin(cli,j);}catch(e){}}"#,
+    // Browser bundles. `ffmpeg-*` lives in the same directory and is filtered
+    // out: it is not something that can be driven, and counting it would let
+    // the pane claim a browser is present when none is.
+    r#"try{const bd=process.env.PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH||(home?path.join(home,".cache","ms-playwright"):null);"#,
+    r#"if(bd)out.browsers=fs.readdirSync(bd).filter((n)=>/^(chromium|firefox|webkit)/.test(n)).sort();}catch(e){}"#,
+    // The Chrome *channel* is an apt package, not a Playwright download, so it
+    // is looked for where apt puts it.
+    r#"try{for(const p of ["/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable","/usr/bin/google-chrome","/opt/google/chrome/chrome"]){"#,
+    r#"if(fs.existsSync(p)){out.chrome_channel=p;break;}}}catch(e){}"#,
     r#"process.stdout.write("\n__TRIPLE_C_BROWSER_VIEW__"+JSON.stringify(out)+"\n");"#,
 );
 
@@ -201,27 +313,158 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     #[test]
-    fn a_missing_playwright_is_reported_with_where_we_looked() {
+    fn a_missing_playwright_names_both_packages_and_where_we_looked() {
         let d = parse_probe_output(&payload(
-            r#"{"node_version":"22.11.0","searched":["/workspace","/usr/lib/node_modules"]}"#,
+            r#"{"node_version":"22.11.0","searched":["/workspace","/usr/lib/node_modules","/home/claude/.npm/_npx/a1/node_modules"]}"#,
         ))
         .unwrap();
         assert!(!d.is_usable());
         let msg = d.blocker().unwrap();
-        assert!(msg.contains("npm i -D playwright"), "{}", msg);
+        // The two packages that actually have to be there, by name.
+        assert!(msg.contains("`playwright`"), "{}", msg);
+        assert!(msg.contains("`@playwright/cli`"), "{}", msg);
         assert!(msg.contains("browser.bind"), "{}", msg);
+        // Every root consulted, including the npx cache, so the claim is checkable.
         assert!(msg.contains("/usr/lib/node_modules"), "{}", msg);
+        assert!(msg.contains("/home/claude/.npm/_npx/a1/node_modules"), "{}", msg);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn no_message_offers_playwright_mcp_as_a_way_through_setup() {
+        // It bundles a playwright-core new enough to bind, but never ships the
+        // viewer — so proposing it as an install route is a dead end, which is
+        // exactly what a user hit. It may only be named for what it does do.
+        for json in [
+            r#"{"node_version":"22.11.0","searched":["/workspace"]}"#,
+            r#"{"node_version":"22.11.0","playwright_version":"1.44.0","has_bind":false}"#,
+            r#"{"node_version":"22.11.0","playwright_version":"1.62.1","has_bind":true}"#,
+        ] {
+            let msg = parse_probe_output(&payload(json)).unwrap().blocker().unwrap();
+            let offers_install = msg.contains("install `@playwright/mcp`")
+                || msg.contains("or use `@playwright/mcp`")
+                || msg.contains("npm i -D @playwright/mcp")
+                || msg.contains("npm i -g @playwright/mcp");
+            assert!(!offers_install, "{}", msg);
+            // And every message points at the one action that does work.
+            assert!(msg.contains("Set up Playwright"), "{}", msg);
+        }
     }
 
     #[test]
     fn a_playwright_without_bind_asks_for_an_upgrade() {
         let d = parse_probe_output(&payload(
-            r#"{"node_version":"22.11.0","playwright_version":"1.44.0","has_bind":false,"cli_entry":"/x/cli.js"}"#,
+            r#"{"node_version":"22.11.0","playwright_version":"1.44.0","playwright_path":"/workspace/node_modules/playwright/package.json","has_bind":false,"cli_entry":"/x/cli.js"}"#,
         ))
         .unwrap();
         let msg = d.blocker().unwrap();
         assert!(msg.contains("1.44.0"), "{}", msg);
-        assert!(msg.contains("playwright@latest"), "{}", msg);
+        assert!(msg.contains("/workspace/node_modules/playwright"), "{}", msg);
+        assert!(msg.contains("Set up Playwright"), "{}", msg);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn an_npx_cached_playwright_counts_as_installed() {
+        // What `claude mcp add … npx @playwright/mcp@latest` leaves behind: a
+        // real playwright-core, in no `node_modules` the old probe looked at.
+        // It satisfies bind — and nothing else, because npx never brings the
+        // viewer with it.
+        let d = parse_probe_output(&payload(
+            concat!(
+                r#"{"node_version":"22.11.0","playwright_version":"1.62.1","#,
+                r#""playwright_path":"/home/claude/.npm/_npx/9f/node_modules/playwright-core/package.json","#,
+                r#""playwright_cli":"/home/claude/.npm/_npx/9f/node_modules/playwright-core/cli.js","#,
+                r#""has_bind":true,"#,
+                r#""searched":["/workspace","/usr/lib/node_modules","/home/claude/.npm/_npx/9f/node_modules"]}"#,
+            ),
+        ))
+        .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(d.playwright_version.as_deref(), Some("1.62.1"));
+        assert!(d.has_bind);
+        assert_eq!(
+            d.playwright_cli.as_deref(),
+            Some("/home/claude/.npm/_npx/9f/node_modules/playwright-core/cli.js")
+        );
+        // Still not usable, and the message says why: the viewer is missing.
+        assert!(!d.is_usable());
+        let msg = d.blocker().unwrap();
+        assert!(msg.contains("@playwright/cli"), "{}", msg);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn the_probe_searches_the_npx_cache_as_well_as_the_module_roots() {
+        // The roots are built inside the probe, so this is the only place the
+        // set can be asserted without a container. Each fragment is load-bearing:
+        // dropping any one of them is how an install becomes invisible.
+        assert!(PROBE.contains(r#""/workspace""#), "{}", PROBE);
+        assert!(PROBE.contains("process.cwd()"), "{}", PROBE);
+        assert!(PROBE.contains(r#"path.join(home,"node_modules")"#), "{}", PROBE);
+        assert!(PROBE.contains("npm root -g"), "{}", PROBE);
+        assert!(PROBE.contains(r#"path.join(cache,"_npx")"#), "{}", PROBE);
+        assert!(PROBE.contains("npm_config_cache"), "{}", PROBE);
+        // Every one of them, not just the first hit, and all of them reported.
+        assert!(PROBE.contains("...npx"), "{}", PROBE);
+        assert!(PROBE.contains("out.searched=roots"), "{}", PROBE);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_partial_tree_still_answers_rather_than_failing() {
+        // Playwright resolved, but its manifest unreadable and no viewer: the
+        // probe's guards must still produce a parseable payload carrying what
+        // it did learn, because that is what the message is built from.
+        let d = parse_probe_output(&payload(
+            r#"{"node_version":"22.11.0","has_bind":false,"searched":["/workspace"],"browsers":["chromium-1200"]}"#,
+        ))
+        .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(d.node_version.as_deref(), Some("22.11.0"));
+        assert_eq!(d.browsers, vec!["chromium-1200".to_string()]);
+        assert!(d.blocker().is_some());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_playwright_with_no_browser_bundle_is_flagged_without_blocking() {
+        let d = parse_probe_output(&payload(
+            concat!(
+                r#"{"node_version":"22.11.0","playwright_version":"1.62.1","has_bind":true,"#,
+                r#""cli_version":"0.1.18","cli_entry":"/g/cli.js","browsers":[]}"#,
+            ),
+        ))
+        .unwrap();
+        // Serving the viewer is possible; there is just nothing to drive yet.
+        assert!(d.is_usable());
+        assert_eq!(d.blocker(), None);
+        assert!(d.needs_browser());
+
+        let with_browser = parse_probe_output(&payload(
+            concat!(
+                r#"{"node_version":"22.11.0","playwright_version":"1.62.1","has_bind":true,"#,
+                r#""cli_version":"0.1.18","cli_entry":"/g/cli.js","browsers":["chromium-1200"]}"#,
+            ),
+        ))
+        .unwrap();
+        assert!(!with_browser.needs_browser());
+
+        // The Chrome channel counts too — it is an apt package rather than a
+        // Playwright download, so it never appears in `browsers`, and
+        // `@playwright/mcp` is the caller that asks for it.
+        let chrome_only = parse_probe_output(&payload(
+            concat!(
+                r#"{"node_version":"22.11.0","playwright_version":"1.62.1","has_bind":true,"#,
+                r#""cli_version":"0.1.18","cli_entry":"/g/cli.js","browsers":[],"#,
+                r#""chrome_channel":"/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable"}"#,
+            ),
+        ))
+        .unwrap();
+        assert!(!chrome_only.needs_browser());
+        assert_eq!(
+            chrome_only.chrome_channel.as_deref(),
+            Some("/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable")
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn the_probe_looks_for_the_chrome_channel_where_apt_puts_it() {
+        assert!(PROBE.contains("google-chrome-stable"), "{}", PROBE);
+        assert!(PROBE.contains("/opt/google/chrome/chrome"), "{}", PROBE);
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -252,6 +495,19 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(err.contains("no output"), "{}", err);
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn the_probe_reads_bind_from_the_nested_core_of_a_wrapper_install() {
+        // `npm i -g playwright` leaves `playwright-core` under
+        // `playwright/node_modules`, and the wrapper ships no
+        // `types/types.d.ts` — so without this hop a current build reports
+        // `has_bind: false`. Verified against a real global install.
+        assert!(
+            PROBE.contains(r#"at("playwright-core/package.json",path.dirname(pw))"#),
+            "{}",
+            PROBE
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn the_probe_is_a_single_argv_element_with_no_quoting_hazards() {
         // It is passed straight to `node -e`; a stray single quote would only

app/src-tauri/src/browser_view/mod.rs

@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@
 
 pub mod commands;
 pub mod detect;
+pub mod install;
 pub mod proxy;
 
 use std::collections::HashMap;

app/src-tauri/src/lib.rs

@@ -426,6 +426,8 @@ pub fn run() {
             browser_view::commands::set_browser_view_enabled,
             browser_view::commands::get_browser_view_status,
             browser_view::commands::check_browser_view_support,
+            browser_view::commands::install_browser_view_support,
+            browser_view::commands::install_browser_view_browser,
             // Shared Claude Code auth token
             commands::auth_token_commands::acquire_claude_token,
             commands::auth_token_commands::submit_claude_token_code,

app/src/components/projects/home/BrowserTab.test.tsx

@@ -1,23 +1,41 @@
 import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from "vitest";
 import { act, fireEvent, render, screen, waitFor } from "@testing-library/react";
 import BrowserTab from "./BrowserTab";
-import type { BrowserViewStatus, Project } from "../../../lib/types";
+import type {
+  BrowserSetupOutcome,
+  BrowserViewStatus,
+  PlaywrightDetection,
+  Project,
+} from "../../../lib/types";
 
 const getBrowserViewStatus = vi.fn<() => Promise<BrowserViewStatus>>();
 const setBrowserViewEnabled = vi.fn<() => Promise<BrowserViewStatus>>();
+const checkBrowserViewSupport = vi.fn<() => Promise<PlaywrightDetection>>();
+const installBrowserViewSupport = vi.fn<() => Promise<BrowserSetupOutcome>>();
+const installBrowserViewBrowser = vi.fn<(id: string, b: string) => Promise<BrowserSetupOutcome>>();
 const pushToast = vi.fn();
+const setContainerProgress = vi.fn();
 
 vi.mock("../../../lib/tauri-commands", () => ({
   getBrowserViewStatus: () => getBrowserViewStatus(),
   setBrowserViewEnabled: () => setBrowserViewEnabled(),
+  checkBrowserViewSupport: () => checkBrowserViewSupport(),
+  installBrowserViewSupport: () => installBrowserViewSupport(),
+  installBrowserViewBrowser: (id: string, b: string) => installBrowserViewBrowser(id, b),
 }));
 
 vi.mock("@tauri-apps/api/event", () => ({
   listen: vi.fn(async () => () => {}),
 }));
 
+const storeState = {
+  pushToast,
+  setContainerProgress,
+  containerProgress: {} as Record<string, string>,
+};
+
 vi.mock("../../../store/appState", () => ({
-  useAppState: (selector: (s: unknown) => unknown) => selector({ pushToast }),
+  useAppState: (selector: (s: unknown) => unknown) => selector(storeState),
 }));
 
 const OFF: BrowserViewStatus = {
@@ -31,6 +49,33 @@ const OFF: BrowserViewStatus = {
   message: null,
 };
 
+const NOTHING: PlaywrightDetection = {
+  node_version: "22.11.0",
+  playwright_version: null,
+  playwright_path: null,
+  playwright_cli: null,
+  has_bind: false,
+  cli_version: null,
+  cli_entry: null,
+  browsers: [],
+  chrome_channel: null,
+  searched: [
+    "/workspace",
+    "/usr/lib/node_modules",
+    "/home/claude/.npm/_npx/9f3a/node_modules",
+  ],
+};
+
+const READY: PlaywrightDetection = {
+  ...NOTHING,
+  playwright_version: "1.62.1",
+  playwright_path: "/workspace/node_modules/playwright-core/package.json",
+  playwright_cli: "/workspace/node_modules/playwright-core/cli.js",
+  has_bind: true,
+  cli_version: "0.1.18",
+  cli_entry: "/workspace/node_modules/@playwright/cli/playwright-cli.js",
+};
+
 const project: Project = {
   id: "p1",
   name: "api-server",
@@ -63,7 +108,9 @@ const project: Project = {
 
 beforeEach(() => {
   vi.clearAllMocks();
+  storeState.containerProgress = {};
   getBrowserViewStatus.mockResolvedValue(OFF);
+  checkBrowserViewSupport.mockResolvedValue(READY);
 });
 
 describe("BrowserTab", () => {
@@ -72,17 +119,24 @@ describe("BrowserTab", () => {
     expect(await screen.findByText(/container isn’t running/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.queryByRole("button", { name: /start browser view/i })).toBeNull();
     expect(getBrowserViewStatus).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(checkBrowserViewSupport).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
-  it("starts off, and never starts a view without being asked", async () => {
+  it("starts off, and never starts a view or installs anything without being asked", async () => {
+    checkBrowserViewSupport.mockResolvedValue({ ...READY, browsers: ["chromium-1200"] });
     render(<BrowserTab project={project} active />);
     await waitFor(() => expect(getBrowserViewStatus).toHaveBeenCalled());
     expect(screen.getByText("Off")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.queryByTitle(/browser view for/i)).toBeNull();
     expect(setBrowserViewEnabled).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    // Probing is read-only and expected; installing is a mutation and is not.
+    await waitFor(() => expect(checkBrowserViewSupport).toHaveBeenCalled());
+    expect(installBrowserViewSupport).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(installBrowserViewBrowser).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
   it("shows the live pane, pointed at loopback with a token, once started", async () => {
+    checkBrowserViewSupport.mockResolvedValue({ ...READY, browsers: ["chromium-1200"] });
     setBrowserViewEnabled.mockResolvedValue({
       ...OFF,
       enabled: true,
@@ -109,27 +163,121 @@ describe("BrowserTab", () => {
     expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Stop" })).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
+  it("offers setup before the user hits a wall, naming what is missing", async () => {
+    checkBrowserViewSupport.mockResolvedValue(NOTHING);
+
+    render(<BrowserTab project={project} active />);
+
+    // No Start attempt was needed to learn this.
+    expect(await screen.findByRole("button", { name: /set up playwright/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText(/Missing: playwright, @playwright\/cli/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    // The npx cache is shown among the searched roots — that is where an
+    // MCP-installed Playwright actually lives.
+    expect(screen.getByText(/_npx\/9f3a\/node_modules/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    // A browser can't be installed before Playwright is.
+    expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /install chromium/i })).toBeDisabled();
+  });
+
+  it("installs Playwright on request and updates itself from the fresh probe", async () => {
+    checkBrowserViewSupport.mockResolvedValue(NOTHING);
+    installBrowserViewSupport.mockResolvedValue({
+      detection: READY,
+      log: "added 5 packages in 3s",
+      browser_launched: null,
+      warning: "Playwright is installed, but this container has no browser to drive yet.",
+    });
+
+    render(<BrowserTab project={project} active />);
+    const button = await screen.findByRole("button", { name: /set up playwright/i });
+    await act(async () => {
+      fireEvent.click(button);
+    });
+
+    await waitFor(() => expect(installBrowserViewSupport).toHaveBeenCalled());
+    // The pane re-rendered from the returned probe — no reopening the tab.
+    expect(await screen.findByText("1.62.1")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    // Stated in the warning box, and again in the pane's own summary line.
+    expect(screen.getAllByText(/no browser to drive yet/).length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    // And the browser buttons are now live.
+    expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /install chromium/i })).toBeEnabled();
+    expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /install chrome channel/i })).toBeEnabled();
+    // The progress line is always cleared, whatever happened.
+    expect(setContainerProgress).toHaveBeenCalledWith("p1", null);
+  });
+
+  it("says which browser is for which caller, and states the size first", async () => {
+    checkBrowserViewSupport.mockResolvedValue(READY);
+    render(<BrowserTab project={project} active />);
+
+    expect(await screen.findByText(/several hundred mb/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    // The copy is broken across a <code> element, so match the container.
+    expect(
+      screen.getByText((_, el) =>
+        (el?.textContent ?? "").includes("@playwright/mcp") &&
+        (el?.textContent ?? "").includes("asks for") &&
+        el?.tagName.toLowerCase() === "li",
+      ),
+    ).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText(/roughly 150 mb/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it("installs the chrome channel when that is the one asked for", async () => {
+    checkBrowserViewSupport.mockResolvedValue(READY);
+    installBrowserViewBrowser.mockResolvedValue({
+      detection: { ...READY, chrome_channel: "/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable" },
+      log: "Installing google-chrome-stable",
+      browser_launched: true,
+      warning: null,
+    });
+
+    render(<BrowserTab project={project} active />);
+    const button = await screen.findByRole("button", { name: /install chrome channel/i });
+    await act(async () => {
+      fireEvent.click(button);
+    });
+
+    await waitFor(() =>
+      expect(installBrowserViewBrowser).toHaveBeenCalledWith("p1", "chrome"),
+    );
+    // Shown as the step's "done" line and again in the diagnostics table.
+    await waitFor(() =>
+      expect(screen.getAllByText(/google-chrome-stable/).length).toBeGreaterThan(0),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("reports an install failure with the real command output", async () => {
+    checkBrowserViewSupport.mockResolvedValue(NOTHING);
+    installBrowserViewSupport.mockRejectedValue(
+      "npm couldn't install Playwright in this container (exit 1).\n\nnpm said:\nEACCES: permission denied",
+    );
+
+    render(<BrowserTab project={project} active />);
+    const button = await screen.findByRole("button", { name: /set up playwright/i });
+    await act(async () => {
+      fireEvent.click(button);
+    });
+
+    expect(await screen.findByText(/EACCES: permission denied/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(pushToast).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({ kind: "error" }),
+    );
+    expect(setContainerProgress).toHaveBeenCalledWith("p1", null);
+  });
+
   it("explains precisely what is missing instead of spinning", async () => {
+    checkBrowserViewSupport.mockRejectedValue("container busy");
     getBrowserViewStatus.mockResolvedValue({
       ...OFF,
       enabled: true,
       state: "unavailable",
       message:
-        "Playwright isn't installed in this container. Install it with `npm i -D playwright`.",
-      detection: {
-        node_version: "22.11.0",
-        playwright_version: null,
-        playwright_path: null,
-        has_bind: false,
-        cli_version: null,
-        cli_entry: null,
-        searched: ["/workspace", "/usr/lib/node_modules"],
-      },
+        "Playwright isn't installed in this container. Two packages are needed: `playwright` and `@playwright/cli`.",
+      detection: NOTHING,
     });
 
     render(<BrowserTab project={project} active />);
 
-    expect(await screen.findByText(/npm i -D playwright/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(await screen.findByText(/Two packages are needed/)).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByText("Unavailable")).toBeInTheDocument();
     // The probe's findings are shown, so the user can see why.
     expect(screen.getByText("22.11.0")).toBeInTheDocument();
@@ -139,6 +287,7 @@ describe("BrowserTab", () => {
   });
 
   it("surfaces a start failure rather than leaving the pane blank", async () => {
+    checkBrowserViewSupport.mockResolvedValue({ ...READY, browsers: ["chromium-1200"] });
     setBrowserViewEnabled.mockRejectedValue("container went away");
 
     render(<BrowserTab project={project} active />);
@@ -155,6 +304,7 @@ describe("BrowserTab", () => {
   });
 
   it("stops the view when asked", async () => {
+    checkBrowserViewSupport.mockResolvedValue({ ...READY, browsers: ["chromium-1200"] });
     getBrowserViewStatus.mockResolvedValue({
       ...OFF,
       enabled: true,

app/src/components/projects/home/BrowserTab.tsx

@@ -1,15 +1,22 @@
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { listen } from "@tauri-apps/api/event";
 import type {
+  BrowserInstallTarget,
+  BrowserSetupOutcome,
   BrowserViewChangedEvent,
   BrowserViewStatus,
+  PlaywrightDetection,
   Project,
 } from "../../../lib/types";
 import {
+  checkBrowserViewSupport,
   getBrowserViewStatus,
+  installBrowserViewBrowser,
+  installBrowserViewSupport,
   setBrowserViewEnabled,
 } from "../../../lib/tauri-commands";
 import { useAppState } from "../../../store/appState";
+import AccordionSection from "../../ui/AccordionSection";
 import Button from "../../ui/Button";
 import StatusIndicator from "../../ui/StatusIndicator";
 
@@ -29,6 +36,9 @@ const OFF: BrowserViewStatus = {
   message: null,
 };
 
+/** Which install is in flight. `null` means none — nothing installs itself. */
+type SetupJob = null | "packages" | BrowserInstallTarget;
+
 /**
  * Watch — and take over — the browser Claude is driving with Playwright inside
  * the container.
@@ -38,6 +48,12 @@ const OFF: BrowserViewStatus = {
  * loopback. Nothing starts until the user asks: this is remote control of a
  * browser in a privileged sandbox, so it is off by default and opted into per
  * project, exactly like the auth bridge.
+ *
+ * The same rule, harder, applies to setup. Opening this tab *probes* the
+ * container (one `node -e`, read-only) so the pane can say what is missing
+ * before the user asks for a view — but it never installs anything. Installing
+ * packages and downloading a browser are container mutations measured in
+ * hundreds of megabytes; both are separate, labelled, user-pressed buttons.
  */
 export default function BrowserTab({ project, active }: Props) {
   const [status, setStatus] = useState<BrowserViewStatus>(OFF);
@@ -45,7 +61,14 @@ export default function BrowserTab({ project, active }: Props) {
   const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);
   /** Bumped to force the iframe to reload without changing its src. */
   const [reloadKey, setReloadKey] = useState(0);
+  /** Last read-only probe of the container, for the setup panel. */
+  const [detection, setDetection] = useState<PlaywrightDetection | null>(null);
+  const [job, setJob] = useState<SetupJob>(null);
+  const [outcome, setOutcome] = useState<BrowserSetupOutcome | null>(null);
+  const [setupError, setSetupError] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const pushToast = useAppState((s) => s.pushToast);
+  const setContainerProgress = useAppState((s) => s.setContainerProgress);
+  const progress = useAppState((s) => s.containerProgress[project.id]);
   const running = project.status === "running";
 
   // The backend is the source of truth: it emits whenever a view starts or is
@@ -77,6 +100,11 @@ export default function BrowserTab({ project, active }: Props) {
     getBrowserViewStatus(projectId)
       .then((s) => mounted.current && setStatus(s))
       .catch(() => {});
+    // Read-only. This is what lets the pane offer setup before the user hits a
+    // wall, and it is why a "not installed" answer is never stale.
+    checkBrowserViewSupport(projectId)
+      .then((d) => mounted.current && setDetection(d))
+      .catch(() => {});
   }, [active, projectId, running]);
 
   const toggle = useCallback(
@@ -101,8 +129,52 @@ export default function BrowserTab({ project, active }: Props) {
     [projectId, pushToast],
   );
 
-  // A stopped container can't be hosting a browser, so say that plainly rather
-  // than offering a control that would only fail.
+  /** Run one install. Every path clears the progress line it started. */
+  const install = useCallback(
+    async (which: Exclude<SetupJob, null>) => {
+      setJob(which);
+      setSetupError(null);
+      setOutcome(null);
+      try {
+        const result =
+          which === "packages"
+            ? await installBrowserViewSupport(projectId)
+            : await installBrowserViewBrowser(projectId, which);
+        if (!mounted.current) return;
+        // The command re-probes, so the pane updates itself — no reopening the
+        // tab, no second button to press.
+        setDetection(result.detection);
+        setOutcome(result);
+        if (result.warning) {
+          // Not an error — the step did what it said — but the caveat is the
+          // part that decides whether the browser will actually work.
+          pushToast({
+            kind: "info",
+            message: "Setup finished, with something to know",
+            detail: result.warning,
+          });
+        } else {
+          pushToast({
+            kind: "success",
+            message:
+              which === "packages" ? "Playwright installed" : `${which} installed and verified`,
+          });
+        }
+      } catch (e) {
+        const detail = String(e);
+        if (mounted.current) setSetupError(detail);
+        pushToast({ kind: "error", message: "Setup failed", detail });
+      } finally {
+        setContainerProgress(projectId, null);
+        if (mounted.current) setJob(null);
+      }
+    },
+    [projectId, pushToast, setContainerProgress],
+  );
+
+  // A stopped container can't be hosting a browser — and can't be installed
+  // into either, so say that plainly rather than offering controls that would
+  // only fail.
   if (!running) {
     return (
       <Explainer title="The container isn’t running.">
@@ -113,6 +185,16 @@ export default function BrowserTab({ project, active }: Props) {
   }
 
   const live = status.state === "running" && status.url;
+  // Prefer the probe: it is the fresher of the two, and it is the one that
+  // reflects an install that just finished.
+  const probed = detection ?? status.detection;
+  const ready = isUsable(probed);
+  // Mirrors Rust `PlaywrightDetection::needs_browser`: the Chrome channel is an
+  // apt package, so it never shows up in `browsers`, and a container that has
+  // it is not missing a browser.
+  const needsBrowser =
+    probed !== null && probed.browsers.length === 0 && probed.chrome_channel === null;
+  const needsSetup = probed !== null && (!ready || needsBrowser);
 
   return (
     <div className="flex flex-col h-full min-h-0">
@@ -151,7 +233,7 @@ export default function BrowserTab({ project, active }: Props) {
         <Button
           size="md"
           variant={live ? "secondary" : "primary"}
-          disabled={busy}
+          disabled={busy || job !== null}
           onClick={() => toggle(!status.enabled || status.state !== "running")}
         >
           {busy ? "Working…" : live ? "Stop" : "Start browser view"}
@@ -169,8 +251,23 @@ export default function BrowserTab({ project, active }: Props) {
         />
       ) : (
         <div className="flex-1 min-h-0 overflow-y-auto">
-          {status.state === "unavailable" ? (
-            <Unavailable status={status} />
+          {/* Setup stays on screen while an install is running and after it
+              finishes, so its output and caveats don't vanish at the moment
+              they become readable. */}
+          {needsSetup ||
+          status.state === "unavailable" ||
+          job !== null ||
+          outcome !== null ||
+          setupError !== null ? (
+            <Setup
+              detection={probed}
+              message={status.state === "unavailable" ? status.message : null}
+              job={job}
+              progress={job ? progress : undefined}
+              outcome={outcome}
+              error={setupError}
+              onInstall={install}
+            />
           ) : error ? (
             <Explainer title="The browser view didn’t start." tone="error">
               <span className="font-mono text-xs break-words">{error}</span>
@@ -190,25 +287,214 @@ export default function BrowserTab({ project, active }: Props) {
   );
 }
 
-/** The container can't serve a view — say exactly what is missing. */
-function Unavailable({ status }: { status: BrowserViewStatus }) {
-  const d = status.detection;
+/** Mirrors Rust `PlaywrightDetection::is_usable`. */
+function isUsable(d: PlaywrightDetection | null): boolean {
+  return d !== null && d.playwright_version !== null && d.has_bind && d.cli_entry !== null;
+}
+
+/** What the container is short of, as a list rather than as prose. */
+function missingParts(d: PlaywrightDetection | null): string[] {
+  if (!d) return [];
+  const out: string[] = [];
+  if (!d.node_version) out.push("Node.js");
+  if (!d.playwright_version) out.push("playwright");
+  else if (!d.has_bind) out.push("a newer playwright — this build has no browser.bind()");
+  if (!d.cli_entry) out.push("@playwright/cli");
+  return out;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Setup, as one action per line, each saying what it costs before it is
+ * pressed.
+ *
+ * The old pane printed npm commands here and left the rest to the user. The
+ * result, verified with a real one: an `@playwright/mcp` install that could
+ * never satisfy this pane, a global install that hit EACCES, a Chromium that
+ * downloaded and then would not start because the image shipped none of its
+ * shared libraries, and a long tail of commands after that. Current base images
+ * bake those libraries in, so that last one is fixed at the source — but a
+ * project keeps its original base image until it is migrated, so the install
+ * action still handles a container that lacks them.
+ */
+function Setup({
+  detection,
+  message,
+  job,
+  progress,
+  outcome,
+  error,
+  onInstall,
+}: {
+  detection: PlaywrightDetection | null;
+  message: string | null;
+  job: SetupJob;
+  progress?: string;
+  outcome: BrowserSetupOutcome | null;
+  error: string | null;
+  onInstall: (which: Exclude<SetupJob, null>) => void;
+}) {
+  const busy = job !== null;
+  const havePackages = isUsable(detection);
+  const missing = missingParts(detection);
+  const browsers = detection?.browsers ?? [];
+  const chrome = detection?.chrome_channel ?? null;
+  const noBrowser = browsers.length === 0 && chrome === null;
+
   return (
-    <div className="p-4 max-w-[46rem] space-y-3">
-      <h2 className="text-[13px] font-semibold text-[var(--text-primary)]">
-        This container can’t serve a browser view yet
-      </h2>
-      <p className="text-[13px] text-[var(--text-secondary)] leading-relaxed">
-        {status.message}
-      </p>
-      {d && (
-        <dl className="text-xs grid grid-cols-[auto_1fr] gap-x-3 gap-y-1 pt-2 border-t border-[var(--border-color)]">
-          <Detail label="Node.js" value={d.node_version} />
-          <Detail label="Playwright" value={d.playwright_version} />
-          <Detail label="browser.bind()" value={d.has_bind ? "available" : "not in this build"} />
-          <Detail label="@playwright/cli" value={d.cli_version} />
-          {d.searched.length > 0 && (
-            <Detail label="Searched" value={d.searched.join(", ")} />
+    <div className="p-4 max-w-[46rem] space-y-4">
+      <div>
+        <h2 className="text-[13px] font-semibold text-[var(--text-primary)]">
+          {!havePackages
+            ? "This container can’t serve a browser view yet"
+            : noBrowser
+              ? "Playwright is ready — but there’s no browser to drive yet"
+              : "This container is set up"}
+        </h2>
+        <p className="mt-1 text-[13px] text-[var(--text-secondary)] leading-relaxed">
+          {message ??
+            (missing.length > 0
+              ? `Missing: ${missing.join(", ")}.`
+              : noBrowser
+                ? "Playwright and the viewer are installed. Install a browser below so there is something to watch."
+                : "Start the view from the button above once Claude has a browser open.")}
+        </p>
+      </div>
+
+      <Step
+        title="1. Playwright and the viewer UI"
+        detail={
+          <>
+            Installs <Code>playwright</Code> and <Code>@playwright/cli</Code> into{" "}
+            <Code>/workspace/node_modules</Code> inside the container. That directory is
+            container storage — your project folders are mounted one level down, so
+            nothing of yours is touched — and no <Code>sudo</Code> is involved. Small
+            download; browsers come next.
+          </>
+        }
+        done={havePackages}
+        doneLabel={`Installed — playwright ${detection?.playwright_version ?? ""}, @playwright/cli ${detection?.cli_version ?? ""}`}
+        action={
+          <Button
+            size="md"
+            variant={havePackages ? "secondary" : "primary"}
+            disabled={busy}
+            onClick={() => onInstall("packages")}
+          >
+            {job === "packages" ? "Installing…" : havePackages ? "Reinstall" : "Set up Playwright"}
+          </Button>
+        }
+      />
+
+      <Step
+        title="2. A browser to drive"
+        detail={
+          <>
+            Both check the system libraries a browser links against first. Current base
+            images ship them, so that step is normally skipped; a container built from an
+            older image gets them installed with apt, which is the difference between a
+            browser that downloads successfully and one that also starts. Both end by
+            actually launching the browser to prove it works. Browsers land in{" "}
+            <Code>~/.cache/ms-playwright</Code>, which is on the home volume, so they
+            survive container recreation and are only lost on a project Reset.
+          </>
+        }
+        done={browsers.length > 0 || chrome !== null}
+        doneLabel={[
+          browsers.length > 0 ? browsers.join(", ") : null,
+          chrome ? `Chrome channel (${chrome})` : null,
+        ]
+          .filter(Boolean)
+          .join(" · ")}
+        action={
+          <div className="flex flex-col gap-2 items-end">
+            <Button
+              size="md"
+              variant={browsers.length > 0 || !havePackages ? "secondary" : "primary"}
+              disabled={busy || !havePackages}
+              onClick={() => onInstall("chromium")}
+            >
+              {job === "chromium" ? "Installing…" : "Install Chromium"}
+            </Button>
+            <Button
+              size="md"
+              disabled={busy || !havePackages}
+              onClick={() => onInstall("chrome")}
+            >
+              {job === "chrome" ? "Installing…" : "Install Chrome channel"}
+            </Button>
+          </div>
+        }
+      >
+        <ul className="mt-2 space-y-1 text-xs text-[var(--text-secondary)] leading-relaxed">
+          <li>
+            <strong className="text-[var(--text-primary)]">Chromium</strong> — Playwright’s
+            own build, used by <Code>chromium.launch()</Code> with no channel. Several
+            hundred MB.
+          </li>
+          <li>
+            <strong className="text-[var(--text-primary)]">Chrome channel</strong> — Google
+            Chrome from apt, which is what <Code>@playwright/mcp</Code> asks for. Install
+            this one if Claude drives the browser through the MCP plugin. Roughly 150 MB.
+          </li>
+        </ul>
+      </Step>
+
+      {busy && (
+        <p
+          className="text-xs font-mono text-[var(--text-secondary)] break-all"
+          aria-live="polite"
+        >
+          {progress ?? "Working…"}
+        </p>
+      )}
+
+      {error && (
+        <div className="text-xs text-[var(--error)]">
+          <p className="font-semibold">That didn’t work.</p>
+          <pre className="mt-1 whitespace-pre-wrap font-mono break-words text-[var(--text-secondary)]">
+            {error}
+          </pre>
+        </div>
+      )}
+
+      {outcome?.warning && (
+        <div className="text-xs text-[var(--text-primary)] border border-[var(--border-color)] rounded-[var(--radius-control)] p-3">
+          <p className="font-semibold">Worth knowing</p>
+          <p className="mt-1 whitespace-pre-wrap text-[var(--text-secondary)] leading-relaxed">
+            {outcome.warning}
+          </p>
+        </div>
+      )}
+
+      {outcome?.log && (
+        <AccordionSection
+          id="browser-view-install-log"
+          title="Install output"
+          defaultOpen={false}
+        >
+          <pre className="p-3 text-xs font-mono whitespace-pre-wrap break-words text-[var(--text-secondary)] max-h-64 overflow-y-auto">
+            {outcome.log}
+          </pre>
+        </AccordionSection>
+      )}
+
+      {detection && (
+        <dl className="text-xs grid grid-cols-[auto_1fr] gap-x-3 gap-y-1 pt-3 border-t border-[var(--border-color)]">
+          <Detail label="Node.js" value={detection.node_version} />
+          <Detail label="Playwright" value={detection.playwright_version} />
+          <Detail label="Resolved from" value={detection.playwright_path} />
+          <Detail
+            label="browser.bind()"
+            value={detection.has_bind ? "available" : "not in this build"}
+          />
+          <Detail label="@playwright/cli" value={detection.cli_version} />
+          <Detail
+            label="Browsers"
+            value={browsers.length > 0 ? browsers.join(", ") : null}
+          />
+          <Detail label="Chrome channel" value={chrome} />
+          {detection.searched.length > 0 && (
+            <Detail label="Searched" value={detection.searched.join(", ")} />
           )}
         </dl>
       )}
@@ -216,6 +502,44 @@ function Unavailable({ status }: { status: BrowserViewStatus }) {
   );
 }
 
+/** One numbered setup step: what it does, whether it is done, and its button. */
+function Step({
+  title,
+  detail,
+  done,
+  doneLabel,
+  action,
+  children,
+}: {
+  title: string;
+  detail: React.ReactNode;
+  done: boolean;
+  doneLabel?: string;
+  action: React.ReactNode;
+  children?: React.ReactNode;
+}) {
+  return (
+    <div className="border border-[var(--border-color)] rounded-[var(--radius-control)] p-3">
+      <div className="flex items-start gap-3">
+        <div className="flex-1 min-w-0">
+          <div className="flex items-center gap-2 flex-wrap">
+            <h3 className="text-[13px] font-semibold text-[var(--text-primary)]">{title}</h3>
+            <StatusIndicator tone={done ? "ok" : "off"} label={done ? "Installed" : "Not installed"} />
+          </div>
+          <p className="mt-1 text-xs text-[var(--text-secondary)] leading-relaxed">{detail}</p>
+          {done && doneLabel && (
+            <p className="mt-1 text-xs font-mono text-[var(--text-secondary)] break-all">
+              {doneLabel}
+            </p>
+          )}
+          {children}
+        </div>
+        <div className="flex-shrink-0">{action}</div>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
 function Detail({ label, value }: { label: string; value: string | null }) {
   return (
     <>

app/src/lib/tauri-commands.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { invoke } from "@tauri-apps/api/core";
-import type { Project, ProjectPath, ContainerInfo, SiblingContainer, AppSettings, UpdateInfo, ImageUpdateInfo, FileEntry, WebTerminalInfo, SttStatus, GatewayStatus, InstallOptions, ClaudeSession, ContainerCapabilities, ScheduledTask, ScheduledTaskInput, SchedulerNotification, AuthBridgeStatus, BrowserViewStatus, PlaywrightDetection, ContainerStaleness, MigrationOptions, MigrationReport, MigrationState, ClearTokenOutcome } from "./types";
+import type { Project, ProjectPath, ContainerInfo, SiblingContainer, AppSettings, UpdateInfo, ImageUpdateInfo, FileEntry, WebTerminalInfo, SttStatus, GatewayStatus, InstallOptions, ClaudeSession, ContainerCapabilities, ScheduledTask, ScheduledTaskInput, SchedulerNotification, AuthBridgeStatus, BrowserViewStatus, PlaywrightDetection, BrowserSetupOutcome, BrowserInstallTarget, ContainerStaleness, MigrationOptions, MigrationReport, MigrationState, ClearTokenOutcome } from "./types";
 
 // Docker
 export const checkDocker = () => invoke<boolean>("check_docker");
@@ -178,6 +178,24 @@ export const getBrowserViewStatus = (projectId: string) =>
 /** Probe for Playwright without starting anything — used to re-check after installing it. */
 export const checkBrowserViewSupport = (projectId: string) =>
   invoke<PlaywrightDetection>("check_browser_view_support", { projectId });
+/**
+ * Install `playwright` + `@playwright/cli` into the container's `/workspace`.
+ *
+ * A container mutation, so it only ever runs from an explicit click. Progress
+ * streams on the existing `container-progress` event; the result carries a
+ * fresh probe. Browsers are a separate action — see below.
+ */
+export const installBrowserViewSupport = (projectId: string) =>
+  invoke<BrowserSetupOutcome>("install_browser_view_support", { projectId });
+/**
+ * Install a browser and the apt libraries it needs, then verify it launches.
+ * `chromium` is Playwright's own build; `chrome` is the channel
+ * `@playwright/mcp` asks for. Hundreds of MB — never call this implicitly.
+ */
+export const installBrowserViewBrowser = (
+  projectId: string,
+  browser: BrowserInstallTarget,
+) => invoke<BrowserSetupOutcome>("install_browser_view_browser", { projectId, browser });
 
 // Shared Claude Code auth token — one `claude setup-token` run authenticates
 // every Anthropic-backend project. The token itself is never exposed here: it

app/src/lib/types.ts

@@ -434,14 +434,40 @@ export interface PlaywrightDetection {
   node_version: string | null;
   playwright_version: string | null;
   playwright_path: string | null;
+  /** Playwright's own `cli.js`, which installs browsers and their apt libraries. */
+  playwright_cli: string | null;
   /** Whether the resolved Playwright declares the `browser.bind()` live-dashboard API. */
   has_bind: boolean;
   cli_version: string | null;
   cli_entry: string | null;
-  /** Module roots the probe searched, echoed back for the "not found" message. */
+  /** Browser bundles in `~/.cache/ms-playwright`, e.g. `chromium-1200`. Never `ffmpeg-*`. */
+  browsers: string[];
+  /** Path to Google Chrome when the `chrome` channel — what `@playwright/mcp`
+   *  asks for — is installed. It is an apt package, so it is never in `browsers`. */
+  chrome_channel: string | null;
+  /** Module roots the probe searched, echoed back for the "not found" message.
+   *  Includes the npx cache (`~/.npm/_npx/*​/node_modules`), which is where a
+   *  Playwright installed through Claude Code's MCP setup actually lives. */
   searched: string[];
 }
 
+/** Result of an install action. Mirrors Rust `BrowserSetupOutcome`. */
+export interface BrowserSetupOutcome {
+  /** Fresh probe taken after the install, so the pane can update itself. */
+  detection: PlaywrightDetection;
+  /** Tail of the real npm/apt/Playwright output — shown instead of a generic message. */
+  log: string;
+  /** Whether a browser was actually started and closed. `null` when the step
+   *  didn't try (the package step doesn't). */
+  browser_launched: boolean | null;
+  /** Something that didn't fail the action but the user still needs to know. */
+  warning: string | null;
+}
+
+/** Browsers the pane can install. `chromium` is Playwright's own build;
+ *  `chrome` is the Google Chrome channel `@playwright/mcp` asks for. */
+export type BrowserInstallTarget = "chromium" | "chrome";
+
 /** Mirrors Rust `BrowserViewState` (serde snake_case). */
 export type BrowserViewState = "off" | "running" | "unavailable";