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Error: element is intercepted by another element

Another element (like a modal, overlay, or tooltip) is covering the target element, preventing Playwright from clicking it.

Common Causes

  1. 1Cookie consent banner covering the element
  2. 2Loading spinner or overlay blocking the page
  3. 3Sticky header/footer covering the element
  4. 4Tooltip or dropdown from another element overlapping
  5. 5z-index stacking issue

How to Fix

Close the intercepting element first

// Close cookie banner
const banner = page.locator('[data-testid="cookie-banner"]');
if (await banner.isVisible()) {
  await banner.locator('button').click();
}
await page.locator('#target').click();

Dismiss overlays, modals, or banners before interacting with the target element.

Scroll the element into clear view

await page.locator('#target').scrollIntoViewIfNeeded();
await page.locator('#target').click();

Ensures the element is scrolled into view and not behind a sticky header.

How ObserveOne Helps

ObserveOne detects overlay and z-index issues across your application and flags elements that may cause interaction failures.

Start Monitoring Free

Related Errors

TimeoutError: waiting for selector

Playwright waited for an element matching the given selector but it did not appear within the timeout. The element may not exist, may be hidden, or may appear under a different selector.

Error: element is not visible

The target element exists in the DOM but is not visible. Playwright requires elements to be visible before interacting with them (clicking, typing, etc.).

TimeoutError: Exceeded 30000ms

The default action timeout (30 seconds) was exceeded before the operation could complete. This commonly occurs during navigation, element waits, or network-dependent operations.

TimeoutError: page.goto: Timeout 30000ms exceeded

Navigation to the target URL did not complete within the timeout period. The page either failed to respond or took too long to reach the 'load' event.

Error: strict mode violation: locator resolved to N elements

A locator matched more than one element, but the action requires exactly one. Playwright's strict mode (enabled by default) prevents ambiguous interactions.