vitest-dev/vitest · error · Error

Method "elementLocator" is not supported by the

Error message

Method "elementLocator" is not supported by the "${provider}" provider.

What it means

page.elementLocator converts a DOM Element into a Vitest Locator. The default page stub throws because building a Locator requires provider-specific binding (Playwright/WebDriverIO wrap the element in their own locator handles). The stub is replaced when a full provider's plugin calls page.extend or overrides the method directly.

Solutions

1. Switch test.browser.provider to 'playwright' or 'webdriverio' so elementLocator returns a real Locator.
2. Under preview, operate on the Element directly (e.g. assert on el.outerHTML or attributes) instead of converting to a Locator.
3. Avoid passing raw Elements into expect() chains that require Locators.

Example fix

// before
const loc = page.elementLocator(myEl)  // preview throws
// after (switch provider)
// test.browser.provider = 'playwright'
const loc = page.elementLocator(myEl)

if (getBrowserState().provider === 'preview') {
  // operate on the Element directly instead of converting to a Locator
} else {
  page.elementLocator(myEl)
}

function supportsLocators(): boolean {
  return ['playwright', 'webdriverio'].includes(getBrowserState().provider ?? '')
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling page.elementLocator(el) while provider is 'preview'; using convertToLocator (which delegates to page.elementLocator) under preview; calling expect(element).toBeVisible() style assertions that internally resolve via elementLocator.

Common situations: Passing a raw Element to a Locator-based API under the preview provider; mixing Locator and Element APIs without a full provider; default provider config.

Related errors

• Method "frameLocator" is not supported by the
• Method "getByAltText" is not supported by the
• Method "getByLabelText" is not supported by the
• Method "getByPlaceholder" is not supported by the
• Method "getByRole" is not supported by the

AI-assisted analysis of vitest-dev/vitest@1fa9837ec2 (2026-08-11). Data as JSON: /api/errors/00a6f19a556b976a. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at packages/browser/src/client/tester/context.ts:461

    throw new Error(`Method "getByLabelText" is not supported by the "${provider}" provider.`)
  },
  getByTestId() {
    throw new Error(`Method "getByTestId" is not supported by the "${provider}" provider.`)
  },
  getByAltText() {
    throw new Error(`Method "getByAltText" is not supported by the "${provider}" provider.`)
  },
  getByPlaceholder() {
    throw new Error(`Method "getByPlaceholder" is not supported by the "${provider}" provider.`)
  },
  getByText() {
    throw new Error(`Method "getByText" is not supported by the "${provider}" provider.`)
  },
  getByTitle() {
    throw new Error(`Method "getByTitle" is not supported by the "${provider}" provider.`)
  },
  elementLocator() {
    throw new Error(`Method "elementLocator" is not supported by the "${provider}" provider.`)
  },
  frameLocator() {
    throw new Error(`Method "frameLocator" is not supported by the "${provider}" provider.`)
  },
  extend(methods) {
    for (const key in methods) {
      (page as any)[key] = (methods as any)[key].bind(page)
    }
    return page
  },
}

function convertToLocator(element: Element | Locator): Locator {
  if (element instanceof Element) {
    return page.elementLocator(element)
  }
  return element
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 1fa9837ec2)