microsoft/playwright · error · Error

Creating new API request contexts is not allowed.

Error message

Creating new API request contexts is not allowed.

What it means

When Playwright runs as a server in a restricted (denyLaunch) mode — typical for sandboxed MCP servers and `playwright run-server` with launch disabled — creating a standalone GlobalAPIRequestContext is forbidden. The PlaywrightDispatcher.newRequest method checks the _denyLaunch flag and rejects the call to prevent unbounded outbound HTTP from a locked-down server.

Source

Thrown at packages/playwright-core/src/server/dispatchers/playwrightDispatcher.ts:89

      browserDispatcher = new BrowserDispatcher(browserTypeDispatcher, options.preLaunchedBrowser, {
        ignoreStopAndKill: true,
        isolateContexts: !options.sharedBrowser,
      });
      initializer.preLaunchedBrowser = browserDispatcher;
    }

    if (options.preLaunchedAndroidDevice)
      initializer.preConnectedAndroidDevice = new AndroidDeviceDispatcher(android, options.preLaunchedAndroidDevice);

    super(scope, playwright, 'Playwright', initializer);
    this._type_Playwright = true;
    this._browserDispatcher = browserDispatcher;
    this._denyLaunch = denyLaunch;
  }

  async newRequest(params: channels.PlaywrightNewRequestParams, progress: Progress): Promise<channels.PlaywrightNewRequestResult> {
    if (this._denyLaunch)
      throw new Error(`Creating new API request contexts is not allowed.`);
    const request = new GlobalAPIRequestContext(this._object, params);
    return { request: APIRequestContextDispatcher.from(this.parentScope(), request) };
  }

  async cleanup() {
    // Cleanup contexts upon disconnect.
    await this._browserDispatcher?.cleanupContexts();
  }
}

class SocksSupportDispatcher extends Dispatcher<SdkObject, channels.SocksSupportChannel, RootDispatcher> implements channels.SocksSupportChannel {
  _type_SocksSupport: boolean;
  private _socksProxy: SocksProxy;
  private _socksListeners: RegisteredListener[];

  constructor(scope: RootDispatcher, parent: SdkObject, socksProxy: SocksProxy) {
    super(scope, new SdkObject(parent, 'socksSupport'), 'SocksSupport', {});
    this._type_SocksSupport = true;

View on GitHub (pinned to c8fc3bf8d3)

Solutions

1. Issue API requests through a browser context instead: use context.request / page.request, which are permitted because they are scoped to an existing context.
2. If you genuinely need global request contexts, launch the Playwright server WITHOUT the denyLaunch restriction.
3. Use the local (non-server) Playwright entry point where newRequest is always allowed.

Example fix

// before — fails against a restricted server
const request = await playwright.request.newContext();
// after — scope the request to a browser context
const browser = await playwright.chromium.launch();
const context = await browser.newContext();
const response = await context.request.get('https://example.com/api');

// Prefer a browser-context-scoped request when connected to a restricted server.
const context = await browser.newContext();
const response = await context.request.get('https://example.com/api');
// context.request is allowed even when global playwright.request is denied.

When it happens

Trigger: Connecting to a Playwright server launched with denyLaunch and calling playwright.request.newContext() (or the newRequest channel) to make standalone HTTP requests not bound to any browser context.

Common situations: Using the Playwright MCP server configured in a restricted/remote mode where the user only wants browser-driven requests; assuming request.newContext() works identically against a remote server as it does locally.

Related errors

• ${this._closeReason}
• Unknown permission: ${permission}
• ${response.status} ${response.statusText}${responseText}
• Request context disposed.
• Method not implemented.

AI-assisted analysis of microsoft/playwright@c8fc3bf8d3 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/73343640a8593f5b. Report an issue: GitHub.