Modes

Strict flags

Sentinel intentionally keeps mode switching strict. You should be able to flip a repo between hosted and local-only without changing your Playwright command or config.

`SENTINEL_MODE`: `hosted` (default) or `offline`
`SENTINEL_TOKEN`: optional, used only for uploading into your workspace in hosted mode
`SENTINEL_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1`: opt out of telemetry

Hosted mode (default)

Hosted mode uploads a debugging report and prints a shareable URL at the end of the run.

Best for: sharing a failing CI run with teammates immediately
If `SENTINEL_TOKEN` is set: the run uploads to your workspace
If `SENTINEL_TOKEN` is not set: the run uses the free hosted flow

Example

bash

npx playwright test

Offline mode (no uploads)

Offline mode generates a local HTML report and prints a local `file://` share link you can open in a browser. Uploads are skipped even if `SENTINEL_TOKEN` is set.

Enable offline mode

bash

SENTINEL_MODE=offline

Expected output

text

Sentinel diagnosis
...
Local report ready
Next: ./sentinel-report/index.html

Shareable report:
  file:///.../sentinel-report/index.html

Behavior matrix

`SENTINEL_MODE=offline`: local report only, no uploads
Default hosted + no `SENTINEL_TOKEN`: free hosted report
Default hosted + `SENTINEL_TOKEN` set: upload to your workspace