The playwright Python package is not installed where your script runs. Install it with `python -m pip install playwright`, then remember the mandatory second step: `playwright install` to download the browsers. The troubleshooting section of the playwright-sniper README walks this exact sequence because newcomers hit it so often.

## The error

```text
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'playwright'
```

## Fix it

1. **Install the Python package**

```
python -m pip install playwright
```
Expected: `Successfully installed playwright-...`.

2. **Download the browsers (do not skip)**

```
python -m playwright install chromium
```
Expected: Chromium downloads into the ms-playwright cache. Without this, the import works but every launch raises `Executable doesn't exist`.

3. **Confirm end to end**

```
python -c "from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright; print('import ok')"
```
Expected: prints `import ok`.

## When this applies

- any playwright import fails with ModuleNotFoundError naming playwright
- a fresh venv, container, or teammate's machine
- you followed a guide that only showed the browser install step

## When it does NOT apply

- `Executable doesn't exist` means the package IS installed and only browsers are missing
- `cannot import name 'sync_playwright'` with the package present is the shadowing problem

## Compatibility

playwright 1.x, Python 3.8+. The two-step install (pip package, then browser download) has been required since Playwright Python launched.

## Why it happens

Either the package was never installed into the active interpreter, or `pip` and `python` point at different installations. The `python -m pip` spelling ties them together. The follow-on trap is stopping after step 1 and hitting the browser-missing error, which is why step 2 is part of this fix.

## Edge cases

- In notebooks, install with `%pip install playwright` (the magic installs into the kernel's env), then restart the kernel before the browser install.
- If `playwright` CLI is not found after install, the pip Scripts dir is not on PATH. `python -m playwright install` bypasses PATH entirely.
- Some guides show `pip install pytest-playwright` only. That plugin does not install the browsers either.