How to Add Extensions to Claude Code

Before you start

You need Claude Code installed already. If you don't have it yet, start with the Download Claude Code guide.

Estimated time: about 10 minutes.

Step 1, What extensions are

Extensions are add-ons that give Claude Code new abilities beyond reading and writing files on your computer.

Think of them like apps on your phone. Your phone can make calls out of the box, but you install apps to do more. Extensions work the same way for Claude Code.

The most useful extension is called Playwright. It gives Claude the ability to open a web browser and do things automatically, like:

• Navigate to websites and click buttons
• Fill out forms on any website
• Post content to social media platforms
• Take screenshots to check if your website looks right
• Log into tools and pull information for you
• Schedule posts on platforms without other automation options

Good to know. You don't need to understand how Playwright works. You just need to install it. Claude handles the rest.

Step 2, Install Node.js

Playwright needs a program called Node.js to run. If you already installed Claude Code, you probably have it.

How to check:

1. Open your terminal (the same one you use for Claude Code)
2. Type this command and press Enter: node --version
3. If you see a version number (like v20.11.0), you're good. Skip to Step 3.
4. If you get an error, go to nodejs.org and download the LTS version. Install it like any other program.

Tip. Not sure if you have Node.js? Just try the command. If it works, move on. If it doesn't, install it.

Step 3, Install Playwright

1. Open your terminal
2. Type this command and press Enter: npx playwright install
3. This downloads the browsers Playwright needs (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit)
4. It may take a minute or two. Wait until it says it's done.

Good to know. You only need to do this once. After it's installed, it stays installed.

Step 4, Add Playwright to Claude Code

Now you need to tell Claude Code that Playwright is available.

The easy way:

1. Open Claude Code and type this message: "Add the Playwright MCP server to my settings so you can browse the web and interact with websites."
2. Claude will update your settings file automatically
3. Close Claude Code completely and reopen it. Extensions only load when Claude Code starts up, so you have to restart for it to see the new one.

Important. You must restart Claude Code after adding any extension. It won't work until you close and reopen it. When you restart, Claude Code will ask you to authorize the new extension. Type "y" or click Allow to approve it. Depending on your setup, you may need to authorize more than once (sometimes for the server itself, then again for individual tools). Just keep approving until it stops asking. This is normal.

The manual way (optional). If you prefer to do it yourself, add this to your Claude Code settings file. The file is usually at .claude/settings.json in your project folder, or in your global settings. Under mcpServers, add: "playwright": { "command": "npx", "args": ["@playwright/mcp@latest"] }

If something goes wrong. If Claude says it can't find Playwright or gives an error, make sure Step 3 completed successfully. Run npx playwright install again in your terminal to be sure.

Verify it worked

1. Make sure you restarted Claude Code after Step 4
2. When it starts, authorize the Playwright extension when prompted (type "y")
3. Then type: "Go to google.com and take a screenshot"
4. If Playwright is working, Claude will open a browser, navigate to Google, and save a screenshot
5. You should see it mention "browser_navigate" and "browser_take_screenshot" in the output

Not working? Close Claude Code completely, reopen it, and authorize the extension when prompted. You might get asked to approve multiple times (once for the server, then for individual browser actions). Just keep saying yes. If it still doesn't work, run npx playwright install in your terminal again, then restart Claude Code one more time.

Now that Playwright is installed, try asking Claude things like "Go to my website and tell me if anything looks broken" or "Take a screenshot of my homepage on mobile and desktop."

Other extensions worth knowing about

Playwright is the most useful extension for most people, but there are others you can add the same way:

• Google Calendar, let Claude read and create calendar events
• Gmail, let Claude read and draft emails
• Slack, let Claude send and read messages
• Asana, let Claude manage your tasks

These all work the same way. Install them and add them to your settings. Claude handles the rest.

Tip. Want help setting up additional extensions? Just ask Claude: "What MCP servers are available and how do I add them?" It will walk you through it.