Playwright 1.65.0 fails to start on macOS 13.2 due to bundled Node.js compatibility (Stealthy Playwright Mode) #4551

Description

When running Playwright 1.65.0 on macOS 13.2.1 (Ventura), Playwright's bundled Node.js executable fails to start because it was built for macOS 13.5 or later.

This causes sync_playwright() to fail with a dynamic linker (dyld) error.

Environment

• macOS: 13.2.1 (Ventura)
• Architecture: Apple Silicon (arm64)
• Python: 3.13
• Playwright: 1.65.0
• Node.js (system installation): 24.19.0

Error

dyld: Symbol not found: __ZNSt3__122__libcpp_verbose_abortEPKcz
Referenced from: .../site-packages/playwright/driver/node
(built for macOS 13.5 which is newer than running OS)
Expected in: /usr/lib/libc++.1.dylib

This subsequently causes:

Exception: Connection closed while reading from the driver.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Use macOS 13.2.1.
2. Install Python 3.13 and Playwright 1.65.0.
3. Run:

from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright

with sync_playwright() as p:
    print("Playwright started!")

4. Observe the dyld error when Playwright attempts to launch its bundled Node.js executable.

Workaround

Using a system-installed Node.js executable resolves the issue.

For example:

export PLAYWRIGHT_NODEJS_PATH=/usr/local/bin/node

With this environment variable set, Playwright successfully starts using the system Node.js 24.19.0.

Proposed SeleniumBase Fix

Automatically set PLAYWRIGHT_NODEJS_PATH on macOS versions below 13.5.

The implementation checks the macOS version, obtains the system Node.js path using which node, and sets:

os.environ["PLAYWRIGHT_NODEJS_PATH"] = node_path

This avoids requiring users to manually configure the environment variable or upgrade macOS.

Expected Behavior

SeleniumBase should automatically configure Playwright to use the system-installed Node.js on affected macOS versions, allowing Playwright-based SeleniumBase examples and integrations to work without manual intervention.

Additional Notes

• No changes to Playwright itself are necessary.
• No Python or Playwright downgrade is necessary.
• The workaround was verified on an Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 13.2.1 with Playwright 1.65.0 and Node.js 24.19.0.
• Browser binary compatibility requirements may be separate from the Node.js driver compatibility issue.