## TL;DR

The trace viewer is empty because tracing was never enabled. Set `trace: 'on'` (or retain-on-failure) in the config, re-run, and open the resulting trace.zip.

## Error

```text
No trace found: npx playwright show-trace found no trace file for this test.
```

## Steps

1. Check `playwright.config.ts` for the `trace` option under `use`. Expected: you find it missing or set to `'off'`.
2. Enable it: `use: { trace: 'retain-on-failure' }`. Expected: traces are captured for failing tests.
3. Re-run the failing test. Expected: a `trace.zip` appears in test-results.
4. Open it: `npx playwright show-trace test-results/.../trace.zip`. Expected: the viewer shows actions, network, and DOM snapshots.
5. For always-on tracing during debugging, use `trace: 'on'`, then switch back to `retain-on-failure` for CI. Expected: full traces while debugging, small artifacts in CI.

## When to use

- The viewer opens but shows nothing, or the trace file does not exist.
- You are setting up tracing for the first time.

## When not to use

- The trace exists but you cannot interpret it (ask about the specific view).
- You need video instead (separate option).

## Tool compatibility

- Playwright 1.30 through latest; `trace` option in config.

## Variant phrasings

### playwright show-trace no trace file

The file was never written; enable the option first.

### trace.zip not generated on failure

Same cause; check the `trace` setting, not the reporter.

## Why it happens

Tracing is opt-in because traces are large. Without the option, Playwright records nothing and the viewer has nothing to open.

## Edge cases

- `retain-on-failure` only keeps traces for failures; passing tests leave nothing, which is usually what you want.
- Traces include network bodies; check your data-retention policy before uploading them.
- `trace: 'on-first-retry'` is the sweet spot for flaky tests: traces only the retries.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_31N015-Z72aT82TefJkmaw