v1.61.0
google-research/timesfmv1.61.0Jun 15, 2026by dgozman
AI Summary
This release introduces a virtual authenticator for WebAuthn passkeys and a new Web Storage API, alongside significant enhancements to the test runner and browser support. It also adds new options for CDP connections and screencasting, along with updated browser versions.
Key Highlights
- New virtual authenticator for WebAuthn passkeys allows testing without physical hardware.
- New Web Storage API enables easy reading and writing of local and session storage.
- Test runner improvements include new video modes, soft polling, and expanded configuration options.
- Support for Ubuntu 26.04 and updated browser versions (Chromium 149, Firefox 151, WebKit 26.5).
New Features
- Credentials virtual authenticator for WebAuthn passkeys
- Web Storage API (localStorage and sessionStorage)
- apiResponse.securityDetails() and apiResponse.serverAddr() methods
- artifactsDir option for browserType.connectOverCDP()
- cursor option for screencast.showActions()
- New video modes: 'on-all-retries', 'retain-on-first-failure', 'retain-on-failure-and-retries'
- expect.soft.poll(...) support
- fullConfig.argv for accessing process arguments
- fullConfig.failOnFlakyTests mirror
- testInfo.errors listing AggregateError sub-entries
- -G command line shorthand for --grep-invert
Full Release Notes
## 🔑 WebAuthn passkeys
New [Credentials](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-credentials) virtual authenticator, available via [browserContext.credentials](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browsercontext#browser-context-credentials), lets tests register passkeys and answer `navigator.credentials.create()` / `navigator.credentials.get()` ceremonies in the page — no real hardware key required, works in all browsers:
```js
const context = await browser.newContext();
// Seed a passkey your backend provisioned for a test user.
await context.credentials.create('example.com', {
id: credentialId,
userHandle,
privateKey,
publicKey,
});
await context.credentials.install();
const page = await context.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com/login');
// The page's navigator.credentials.get() is answered with the seeded passkey.
```
You can also let the app register a passkey once in a setup test, read it back with [credentials.get()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-credentials#credentials-get), and seed it into later tests — see [Credentials](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-credentials) for details.
## 🗃️ Web Storage
New [WebStorage](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-webstorage) API, available via [page.localStorage](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-local-storage) and [page.sessionStorage](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-session-storage), reads and writes the page's storage for the current origin:
```js
await page.localStorage.setItem('token', 'abc');
const token = await page.localStorage.getItem('token');
const items = await page.sessionStorage.items();
```
## New APIs
### Network
- [apiResponse.securityDetails()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-apiresponse#api-response-security-details) and [apiResponse.serverAddr()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-apiresponse#api-response-server-addr) mirror the browser-side [response.securityDetails()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-response#response-security-details) and [response.serverAddr()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-response#response-server-addr).
### Browser and Screencast
- New option `artifactsDir` in [browserType.connectOverCDP()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browsertype#browser-type-connect-over-cdp) controls where artifacts such as traces and downloads are stored when attached to an existing browser.
- New option `cursor` in [screencast.showActions()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-screencast#screencast-show-actions) controls the cursor decoration rendered for pointer actions.
- The `onFrame` callback in [screencast.start()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-screencast#screencast-start) now receives a `timestamp` of when the frame was presented by the browser.
### Test runner
- The [testOptions.video](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-testoptions#test-options-video) option now supports the same set of modes as `trace`: new `'on-all-retries'`, `'retain-on-first-failure'` and `'retain-on-failure-and-retries'` values. See the [video modes table](https://playwright.dev/docs/test-use-options#video-modes) for which runs are recorded and kept in each mode.
- Supported `expect.soft.poll(...)`.
- New [fullConfig.argv](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-fullconfig#full-config-argv) — a snapshot of `process.argv` from the runner process, handy for reading custom arguments passed after the `--` separator.
- New [fullConfig.failOnFlakyTests](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-fullconfig#full-config-fail-on-flaky-tests) mirrors the config option, so reporters can explain why a flaky run failed.
- [testInfo.errors](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-testinfo#test-info-errors) now lists each sub-error of an `AggregateError` as a separate entry.
- New `-G` command line shorthand for `--grep-invert`.
## 🛠️ Other improvements
- Playwright now supports Ubuntu 26.04.
- HAR and trace recordings now include WebSocket requests.
## Browser Versions
- Chromium 149.0.7827.55
- Mozilla Firefox 151.0
- WebKit 26.5
This version was also tested against the following stable channels:
- Google Chrome 149
- Microsoft Edge 149