Copilot CLI docs appear inconsistent about whether Playwright is a built-in MCP server

Code of Conduct

What article on docs.github.com is affected?

Body:
The Copilot CLI command reference appears internally inconsistent about built-in MCP servers.

Docs page:
https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/reference/copilot-cli-reference/cli-command-reference#built-in-mcp-servers

What the docs currently say:

  • The “Built-in MCP servers” table lists:
    • github-mcp-server
    • playwright
    • fetch
    • time
  • The description for playwright says:
    • “Browser automation: navigate, click, type, screenshot, and form handling.”
  • On the same page, the --disable-builtin-mcps option says:
    • “Disable all built-in MCP servers (currently: github-mcp-server).”

Why this looks wrong:

  • Those two statements conflict with each other. If playwright, fetch, and time are built in, the --disable-builtin-mcps text should not say “currently: github-mcp-server”.
  • Other Copilot CLI docs also describe the GitHub MCP server as already configured, while showing Playwright as something users add themselves with npx @playwright/mcp@latest.

Local verification:

  • Environment: macOS, GitHub Copilot CLI 1.0.5

  • I temporarily removed my user-configured playwright MCP server from my global Copilot MCP config.

  • Then I ran Copilot CLI with this prompt:

    “Use built-in browser automation only. Open https://example.com in a browser and tell me the page title. If browser automation is unavailable, say exactly that and do not substitute shell commands or web fetch.”

  • The CLI response was exactly:

    “Browser automation is unavailable.”

This suggests that, at least in this environment, Playwright browser automation is not actually available as a built-in MCP server once the user-added Playwright config is removed.

Requested fix:
Please clarify which MCP servers are truly built into Copilot CLI by default, and then align:

  • the “Built-in MCP servers” table
  • the --disable-builtin-mcps option text
  • any Copilot CLI how-to pages that imply Playwright must be added manually

If Playwright is only available in some environments, behind a feature flag, or through a separate MCP setup, the docs should say that explicitly instead of presenting it as unconditionally built in.

What part(s) of the article would you like to see updated?

The “Built-in MCP servers” table lists:

  • github-mcp-server
  • playwright
  • fetch
  • time

it should say:

  • github-mcp-server

Additional information

No response