## TL;DR
Make sure the HTML reporter is actually enabled in the CI invocation and that the report folder is uploaded as a build artifact; most "missing report" cases are a reporter override or a missing upload step, not a generation failure. Set `open: 'never'` so the reporter never tries to launch a browser on a headless runner.

## Problem
The run finishes on CI but there is no HTML report to download or view.

## Steps
1. Confirm the reporter config includes HTML: `reporter: [['html', { open: 'never' }]]`, and that the CI command does not override it with `--reporter=line`. Expected: the config and the command agree on the reporter.
2. Re-run and check the log for the HTML report line plus the `playwright-report` folder in the working directory. Expected: the folder exists with `index.html` inside.
3. Add an artifact upload step for the `playwright-report` folder in your CI yaml. Expected: the report appears in the run's artifacts tab.
4. Optional: also upload `test-results` for traces and attachments. Expected: failed-test traces are downloadable alongside the report.

## When to use
- CI finishes green or red but no HTML report artifact exists.
- You recently changed the reporter flags in the CI command.
- The report works locally but never shows up in CI.

## When not to use
- Customizing what the HTML report contains (reporter options, not generation).
- Opening a report on your own machine (`npx playwright show-report` covers that).
- A different reporter (JUnit, JSON) is missing (same idea, different folder).

## Tool compatibility
- Playwright 1.40 through 1.5x HTML reporter.
- Any CI with artifact uploads: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, CircleCI.

## Variant phrasings
### playwright report folder empty after CI run
Usually the reporter was overridden on the command line, or the run was killed before the reporter flushed.
### no html report artifact in github actions playwright
Add the upload-artifact step pointing at the playwright-report folder.

## Why it happens
CI templates often set `--reporter=line` for readable logs, which replaces the HTML reporter entirely. And even when the report is generated, the folder vanishes with the runner unless it is uploaded as an artifact.

## Edge cases
- Report downloads but will not open from the artifacts UI: download it and serve locally with `npx playwright show-report`; artifact browsers are not web servers.
- Report generation is slow on huge suites: trim retained attachments or split the run.
- The job is canceled mid-run: reporters flush at the end, so a killed job can leave a partial folder.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_S1pE8KvMJDHa4ZxlIMJmmg