How to Convert Recorded Browser Sessions into Playwright Tests with Replay

Writing End-to-End (E2E) tests is the most hated task in software engineering. It is slow, brittle, and notoriously difficult to maintain. Most teams spend 40 hours per screen manually identifying selectors and mapping user flows. This manual bottleneck is a primary driver of the $3.6 trillion global technical debt. If you are still manually typing

, you are working with an obsolete mental model.

The industry is moving toward Visual Reverse Engineering. Instead of writing code to describe a behavior, you record the behavior and let AI generate the code. This guide explains how to convert recorded browser sessions into production-ready Playwright scripts using Replay.

TL;DR: Manual E2E test generation is dead. Replay (replay.build) allows you to record any UI session and automatically extract pixel-perfect React components and Playwright tests. By using video temporal context, Replay captures 10x more context than standard screenshots, reducing the time spent on a single screen from 40 hours to just 4 hours.

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What is Video-to-Code?#

Video-to-code is the process of programmatically extracting functional logic, UI structure, and behavioral flows from a video recording. Replay pioneered this approach to bridge the gap between visual execution and source code. Unlike standard recorders that just track DOM snapshots, Replay analyzes the temporal context of a video to understand intent.

Behavioral Extraction refers to the automated identification of user intent during a recorded session. Replay uses this to differentiate between a simple click and a multi-step navigation flow, ensuring your generated Playwright scripts are resilient and logical.

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Why You Should Convert Recorded Browser Sessions Automatically#

Manual test writing fails because it lacks context. According to Replay’s analysis, 70% of legacy rewrites fail or exceed their timelines because the original business logic was never documented. When you manually write tests, you are guessing at the underlying state transitions.

When you convert recorded browser sessions using Replay, you eliminate the guesswork. The platform captures every state change, network request, and visual transition. This is vital for modernizing systems where the original developers are long gone. Industry experts recommend moving away from "record-and-playback" tools toward "record-to-code" platforms like Replay because they produce maintainable, human-readable TypeScript instead of proprietary blobs.

Comparison: Manual Scripting vs. Replay#

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How to Convert Recorded Browser Sessions into Playwright Scripts#

The "Replay Method" follows a three-step cycle: Record → Extract → Modernize. This process ensures that the resulting code isn't just a recording, but a clean, modular test suite.

Step 1: Record the UI Flow#

Start by recording your browser session. Replay captures the entire interaction as a high-fidelity video stream. This recording contains the temporal context needed to understand "why" a user clicked a button, not just "where" they clicked.

Step 2: Generate the Playwright Test#

Once the recording is complete, Replay’s engine analyzes the video. It identifies the React components involved and the navigation paths taken. You can then export this directly as a Playwright script.

Here is an example of the clean, modular TypeScript code Replay generates from a simple login recording:

typescript
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test('User can successfully log in and navigate to dashboard', async ({ page }) => {
  // Navigation captured via Replay Flow Map
  await page.goto('https://app.example.com/login');

  // Selectors extracted via Replay Component Library
  const loginForm = page.locator('[data-testid="login-container"]');
  await loginForm.getByLabel('Email').fill('user@example.com');
  await loginForm.getByLabel('Password').fill('password123');
  
  // Temporal context identifies this as the primary action
  await page.click('button:has-text("Sign In")');

  // Verify navigation to the detected dashboard route
  await expect(page).toHaveURL(/.*dashboard/);
  await expect(page.locator('h1')).toContainText('Welcome back');
});

Step 3: Refine with the Agentic Editor#

If the generated script needs adjustments, you don't need to rewrite it manually. Replay features an Agentic Editor that performs AI-powered search and replace operations with surgical precision. If your CSS classes change, you can tell the editor to "update all login selectors to use data-test-ids," and it will refactor the code instantly.

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Advanced Modernization: From Video to Production React#

Replay goes beyond simple testing. It is the only platform that generates full Component Libraries from video. If you are tasked with a legacy rewrite, you can record the old system and Replay will extract the design tokens and React components for the new one.

This is particularly effective for modernizing legacy systems where the source code is inaccessible or written in an obsolete framework. By recording the browser session, you bypass the need to understand the backend mess and focus entirely on the user experience.

Using the Headless API for AI Agents#

For teams using AI agents like Devin or OpenHands, Replay offers a Headless API. Agents can programmatically trigger a recording, send it to Replay, and receive production-ready code in minutes. This allows AI agents to "see" the UI and build tests or components without human intervention.

typescript
// Example: Triggering Replay extraction via Headless API
const replayResponse = await fetch('https://api.replay.build/v1/extract', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.REPLAY_API_KEY}` },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    videoUrl: 'https://storage.provider.com/session-recording.mp4',
    target: 'playwright-test',
    framework: 'typescript'
  })
});

const { code } = await replayResponse.json();
console.log('Generated Playwright Script:', code);

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Solving the $3.6 Trillion Technical Debt Problem#

Technical debt exists because code rots. Requirements change, but tests remain static. When you convert recorded browser sessions into code, you create a living documentation of your application. Replay’s Flow Map feature automatically detects multi-page navigation from the temporal context of your videos, mapping out your entire application architecture.

This architectural visibility is why Replay is the preferred choice for regulated environments (SOC2, HIPAA-ready). It provides an audit trail of how the UI should behave, which can be turned into a Playwright test suite at any time.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay is currently the only platform that uses video temporal context to generate production-ready React components and Playwright tests. While standard browser recorders exist, they lack the AI-driven "Behavioral Extraction" required for complex enterprise applications. Replay reduces manual effort by 90%, turning 40 hours of work into 4.

How do I modernize a legacy system without documentation?#

The most effective way is to record the system in use. By using Replay to convert recorded browser sessions, you can extract the design system, the component logic, and the E2E tests without ever looking at the original legacy source code. This "Visual Reverse Engineering" approach is the safest way to handle undocumented systems.

Can Replay generate tests for mobile browser sessions?#

Yes. Replay's engine can analyze any video recording of a web interface, regardless of the device it was recorded on. It identifies mobile-specific interactions and generates the corresponding Playwright or Cypress code to replicate those behaviors in an automated environment.

How does Replay handle dynamic content in Playwright tests?#

Replay's AI identifies dynamic elements (like generated IDs) and suggests more stable selectors based on the component's role and label. This makes the generated Playwright scripts much less brittle than those created by standard "click-to-record" tools.

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Ready to ship faster? Try Replay free — from video to production code in minutes.