diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..27ee1f0a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+name: Automated Testing
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [ master ]
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [ master ]
+
+  # Allows you to run this workflow manually from the Actions tab
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  test:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      
+      - name: Install node
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: '20.x'
+          cache: 'yarn'
+
+      - name: Setup conda
+        uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v3
+        with:
+          auto-update-conda: true
+          python-version: '3.12'
+          mamba-version: "*"
+          channels: conda-forge,defaults
+          channel-priority: strict
+
+      - name: Install conda environment for tests
+        shell: bash -l {0}
+        run: |
+          set -eux
+          conda env create -f env_installer/jlab_server.yaml
+          conda activate jlab_server
+          which python
+          python --version
+          pip list | grep jupyterlab
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: |
+          npm install --global yarn --prefer-offline
+          yarn install
+
+      - name: Build application
+        run: |
+          yarn build
+
+      - name: Run tests
+        shell: bash -l {0}
+        run: |
+          set -eux
+          conda activate jlab_server
+          export JUPYTERLAB_DESKTOP_PYTHON_PATH="$(conda info --base)/envs/jlab_server/bin/python"
+          xvfb-run -a yarn test
+        
+      - name: Upload test results
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        if: always()
+        with:
+          name: test-results
+          path: |
+            test-results/
+            tests/snapshots/
+            
+      - name: Upload screenshots
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        if: always()
+        with:
+          name: screenshots
+          path: tests/snapshots/
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 7dccdea4..564b1ec6 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -27,3 +27,8 @@ __pycache__
 env_installer/jlab_server/
 env_installer/jlab_server.tar.gz
 
+# Test artifacts (but not screenshots)
+test-env/
+test-results/
+playwright-report/
+/playwright/.cache/
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 3873274f..fb25a413 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@
   "main": "./build/out/main/main.js",
   "scripts": {
     "start": "electron .",
-    "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1",
+    "test": "playwright test",
+    "test:headed": "playwright test --headed",
+    "test:debug": "playwright test --debug",
     "clean": "rimraf build dist",
     "watch:tsc": "tsc -w",
     "watch:assets": "node ./scripts/extract.js && node ./scripts/copyassets.js watch",
@@ -107,7 +109,7 @@
       "base": "core22",
       "environment": {
         "SHELL": "/bin/bash",
-        "GTK_USE_PORTAL":"1"
+        "GTK_USE_PORTAL": "1"
       },
       "hooks": "build/snap-hooks"
     },
@@ -182,9 +184,10 @@
   "license": "BSD-3-Clause",
   "devDependencies": {
     "@jupyter-notebook/web-components": "0.9.1",
+    "@leeoniya/ufuzzy": "1.0.14",
+    "@playwright/test": "^1.55.0",
     "@types/ejs": "^3.1.0",
     "@types/js-yaml": "^4.0.3",
-    "@types/node": "^14.14.31",
     "@types/node-fetch": "~2.5.12",
     "@types/react": "~17.0.2",
     "@types/react-dom": "^17.0.1",
@@ -193,7 +196,6 @@
     "@types/yargs": "^17.0.18",
     "@typescript-eslint/eslint-plugin": "~5.28.0",
     "@typescript-eslint/parser": "~5.28.0",
-    "@leeoniya/ufuzzy": "1.0.14",
     "electron": "^27.0.2",
     "electron-builder": "^24.9.1",
     "electron-notarize": "^1.2.2",
@@ -206,6 +208,7 @@
     "meow": "^6.0.1",
     "mini-css-extract-plugin": "^1.3.9",
     "node-watch": "^0.7.4",
+    "playwright": "^1.55.0",
     "prettier": "~2.1.1",
     "read-package-tree": "^5.1.6",
     "rimraf": "~3.0.0",
diff --git a/playwright.config.ts b/playwright.config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b323a87f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playwright.config.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';
+
+/**
+ * @see https://playwright.dev/docs/test-configuration
+ */
+export default defineConfig({
+  testDir: './tests',
+  /* Run tests in files in parallel */
+  fullyParallel: false, // Disable parallel for Electron tests
+  /* Fail the build on CI if you accidentally left test.only in the source code. */
+  forbidOnly: !!process.env.CI,
+  /* Retry on CI only */
+  retries: process.env.CI ? 1 : 0,
+  /* Opt out of parallel tests on CI. */
+  workers: 1, // Use single worker for Electron
+  /* Reporter to use. See https://playwright.dev/docs/test-reporters */
+  reporter: [
+    ['html'],
+    ['json', { outputFile: 'test-results/results.json' }]
+  ],
+  /* Shared settings for all the projects below. See https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-testoptions. */
+  use: {
+    /* Collect trace when retrying the failed test. See https://playwright.dev/docs/trace-viewer */
+    trace: 'on-first-retry',
+    // Increase timeouts for Electron app startup
+    actionTimeout: 15000,
+    navigationTimeout: 15000,
+  },
+
+  /* Global timeout for each test */
+  timeout: 30000,
+
+  /* Configure projects for Electron */
+  projects: [
+    {
+      name: 'electron-tests',
+      testMatch: '**/*.spec.ts',
+    },
+  ],
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/README.md b/tests/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..88eb6a11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+# Test Screenshots
+
+This directory contains screenshots generated by Playwright tests that replicate the screenshots shown in the documentation.
+
+## Structure
+
+The tests capture the following screenshots that correspond to the documentation:
+
+- `welcome-page.png` - Captures the welcome page interface (corresponds to `media/welcome-page.png`)
+- `start-session.png` - Captures the start session controls (corresponds to `media/start-session.png`)
+- `recent-sessions.png` - Captures the recent sessions interface (corresponds to `media/recent-sessions.png`)
+- `desktop-app-frame.png` - Captures the main desktop app frame (corresponds to `media/desktop-app-frame.png`)
+- `python-env-status.png` - Captures the Python environment status (corresponds to `media/python-env-status.png`)
+- `start-session-connect.png` - Captures the connect to server interface (corresponds to `media/start-session-connect.png`)
+
+## Running Tests
+
+To generate the screenshots:
+
+1. First build the application:
+   ```bash
+   yarn build
+   ```
+
+2. Run the tests:
+   ```bash
+   yarn test
+   ```
+
+The tests wait for specific UI elements to be ready instead of using arbitrary timeouts, ensuring consistent screenshot capture.
+
+## Note
+
+These screenshots are committed to git to track visual changes over time. They serve as both test artifacts and visual documentation of the application's interface.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/desktop-app-frame.png b/tests/desktop-app-frame.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6916b705
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/desktop-app-frame.png differ
diff --git a/tests/documentation-screenshots.spec.ts b/tests/documentation-screenshots.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b1997409
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/documentation-screenshots.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,331 @@
+import { test, expect, _electron as electron } from '@playwright/test';
+import * as path from 'path';
+
+async function launchElectronApp() {
+  // Launch JupyterLab Desktop with proper configuration
+  const electronApp = await electron.launch({
+    args: [
+      path.join(__dirname, '../build/out/main/main.js'),
+      '--no-sandbox',
+      '--disable-setuid-sandbox',
+      '--disable-dev-shm-usage',
+      '--disable-web-security'
+    ],
+    executablePath: undefined,
+    env: {
+      ...process.env,
+      NODE_ENV: 'development',
+      DISPLAY: process.env.DISPLAY || ':99',
+      // Set Python path to our conda environment so the welcome page doesn't show warnings
+      JUPYTERLAB_DESKTOP_PYTHON_PATH: process.env.JUPYTERLAB_DESKTOP_PYTHON_PATH || '/usr/share/miniconda/envs/jlab_server/bin/python'
+    }
+  });
+  
+  return electronApp;
+}
+
+async function getMainWindow(electronApp: any) {
+  // Wait for initial window
+  await electronApp.waitForEvent('window', { timeout: 30000 });
+  
+  // Wait a bit for additional windows 
+  await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 3000));
+  
+  const allWindows = electronApp.windows();
+  console.log(`Found ${allWindows.length} windows`);
+  
+  if (allWindows.length === 0) {
+    throw new Error('No windows found');
+  }
+  
+  // Find the welcome page window by checking content
+  for (let i = 0; i < allWindows.length; i++) {
+    const window = allWindows[i];
+    const title = await window.title();
+    const url = window.url();
+    
+    console.log(`Window ${i}: title="${title}", url="${url}"`);
+    
+    // Check if this window has welcome page content
+    const hasWelcomeContent = await window.evaluate(() => {
+      return document.body.innerHTML.includes('container') && 
+             document.body.innerHTML.includes('Start') &&
+             !document.body.innerHTML.includes('titlebar');
+    });
+    
+    console.log(`Window ${i} has welcome content: ${hasWelcomeContent}`);
+    
+    if (hasWelcomeContent) {
+      console.log(`Using window ${i} as main window`);
+      return window;
+    }
+  }
+  
+  // If no welcome content found, log all window contents for debugging
+  for (let i = 0; i < allWindows.length; i++) {
+    const window = allWindows[i];
+    const content = await window.evaluate(() => {
+      return {
+        title: document.title,
+        bodyHTML: document.body.innerHTML.substring(0, 500),
+        hasContainer: document.body.innerHTML.includes('container'),
+        hasTitlebar: document.body.innerHTML.includes('titlebar'),
+        hasStart: document.body.innerHTML.includes('Start')
+      };
+    });
+    console.log(`Window ${i} content:`, content);
+  }
+  
+  console.log('No welcome window found, using first window');
+  return allWindows[0];
+}
+
+async function waitForWelcomePageToLoad(page: any) {
+  // Wait for the page to be ready
+  await page.waitForLoadState('domcontentloaded');
+  await page.waitForSelector('body', { timeout: 30000 });
+  
+  // Wait a bit more for the UI to be fully ready and JavaScript to load
+  await page.waitForTimeout(8000);
+  
+  // Log what we have
+  const title = await page.title();
+  console.log('Page title:', title);
+  
+  // Debug: Log all the links and their IDs/text  
+  const linkInfo = await page.evaluate(() => {
+    const links = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('a'));
+    return links.map(link => ({
+      id: link.id,
+      text: link.textContent?.trim(),
+      href: link.href,
+      className: link.className,
+      onclick: link.onclick ? link.onclick.toString() : null,
+      disabled: link.classList.contains('disabled') || link.hasAttribute('disabled')
+    }));
+  });
+  
+  console.log('All links on the page:', JSON.stringify(linkInfo, null, 2));
+  
+  // Also log HTML structure to debug
+  const htmlStructure = await page.evaluate(() => {
+    const body = document.body;
+    return {
+      hasContainer: !!body.querySelector('.container'),
+      hasStartCol: !!body.querySelector('.start-col'),
+      hasStartRecent: !!body.querySelector('.start-recent-col'),
+      bodyClasses: body.className,
+      innerHTML: body.innerHTML.substring(0, 2000)
+    };
+  });
+  
+  console.log('HTML structure:', JSON.stringify(htmlStructure, null, 2));
+}
+
+test.describe('Documentation Screenshots', () => {
+  test('should capture welcome page', async () => {
+    const electronApp = await launchElectronApp();
+    const page = await getMainWindow(electronApp);
+    
+    await waitForWelcomePageToLoad(page);
+    
+    // Take screenshot of the full welcome page
+    await page.screenshot({ 
+      path: 'tests/welcome-page.png',
+      fullPage: true
+    });
+    
+    await electronApp.close();
+  });
+
+  test('should capture new notebook window by clicking New notebook link', async () => {
+    const electronApp = await launchElectronApp();
+    const page = await getMainWindow(electronApp);
+    
+    await waitForWelcomePageToLoad(page);
+    
+    // Look for the "New notebook..." link and click it
+    try {
+      console.log('Looking for New notebook link...');
+      
+      // Wait a bit more for the UI to be ready and Python environment to be detected
+      await page.waitForTimeout(3000);
+      
+      // Look for the new notebook link by ID
+      const newNotebookLink = page.locator('#new-notebook-link');
+      
+      // Check if the link exists and is enabled
+      const linkExists = await newNotebookLink.count() > 0;
+      console.log(`New notebook link exists: ${linkExists}`);
+      
+      if (linkExists) {
+        const isEnabled = await newNotebookLink.evaluate(el => !el.classList.contains('disabled'));
+        console.log(`New notebook link enabled: ${isEnabled}`);
+        
+        if (isEnabled) {
+          console.log('Clicking New notebook link...');
+          await newNotebookLink.click();
+          
+          // Wait for new window to open
+          console.log('Waiting for new window...');
+          try {
+            await electronApp.waitForEvent('window', { timeout: 15000 });
+            console.log('New window event received');
+            
+            // Wait a bit more for the window to be ready
+            await page.waitForTimeout(5000);
+            
+            // Get all windows and find the JupyterLab window
+            const allWindows = electronApp.windows();
+            console.log(`Total windows now: ${allWindows.length}`);
+            
+            if (allWindows.length > 1) {
+              // Take screenshot of the new JupyterLab window
+              const jupyterLabWindow = allWindows[allWindows.length - 1];
+              await jupyterLabWindow.screenshot({ 
+                path: 'tests/desktop-app-frame.png',
+                fullPage: true
+              });
+              console.log('Captured JupyterLab window screenshot');
+            } else {
+              console.log('No new window found, taking screenshot of current window');
+              await page.screenshot({ 
+                path: 'tests/desktop-app-frame.png',
+                fullPage: true
+              });
+            }
+          } catch (error) {
+            console.log('Error waiting for new window:', error);
+            await page.screenshot({ 
+              path: 'tests/desktop-app-frame.png',
+              fullPage: true
+            });
+          }
+        } else {
+          console.log('New notebook link is disabled, taking welcome page screenshot');
+          await page.screenshot({ 
+            path: 'tests/desktop-app-frame.png',
+            fullPage: true
+          });
+        }
+      } else {
+        console.log('New notebook link not found, taking welcome page screenshot');
+        await page.screenshot({ 
+          path: 'tests/desktop-app-frame.png',
+          fullPage: true
+        });
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.log('Error clicking new notebook link:', error);
+      await page.screenshot({ 
+        path: 'tests/desktop-app-frame.png',
+        fullPage: true
+      });
+    }
+    
+    await electronApp.close();
+  });
+
+  test('should capture start session area', async () => {
+    const electronApp = await launchElectronApp();
+    const page = await getMainWindow(electronApp);
+    
+    await waitForWelcomePageToLoad(page);
+    
+    // Take a screenshot focusing on the start session area
+    await page.screenshot({ 
+      path: 'tests/start-session.png',
+      fullPage: true
+    });
+    
+    await electronApp.close();
+  });
+
+  test('should capture connect dialog by clicking Connect link', async () => {
+    const electronApp = await launchElectronApp();
+    const page = await getMainWindow(electronApp);
+    
+    await waitForWelcomePageToLoad(page);
+    
+    // Look for and click the Connect link
+    try {
+      console.log('Looking for Connect link...');
+      
+      // Find the connect link 
+      const connectLink = page.locator('a:has-text("Connect")');
+      
+      const linkExists = await connectLink.count() > 0;
+      console.log(`Connect link exists: ${linkExists}`);
+      
+      if (linkExists) {
+        console.log('Clicking Connect link...');
+        await connectLink.click();
+        
+        // Wait for dialog or new window
+        await page.waitForTimeout(3000);
+        
+        // Check if a new window opened
+        const allWindows = electronApp.windows();
+        if (allWindows.length > 1) {
+          const connectWindow = allWindows[allWindows.length - 1];
+          await connectWindow.screenshot({ 
+            path: 'tests/start-session-connect.png',
+            fullPage: true
+          });
+          console.log('Captured connect dialog from new window');
+        } else {
+          // Take screenshot of current page which might have dialog
+          await page.screenshot({ 
+            path: 'tests/start-session-connect.png',
+            fullPage: true
+          });
+          console.log('Captured connect interface from main window');
+        }
+      } else {
+        console.log('Connect link not found, taking welcome page screenshot');
+        await page.screenshot({ 
+          path: 'tests/start-session-connect.png',
+          fullPage: true
+        });
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.log('Error clicking connect link:', error);
+      await page.screenshot({ 
+        path: 'tests/start-session-connect.png',
+        fullPage: true
+      });
+    }
+    
+    await electronApp.close();
+  });
+
+  test('should capture python environment status', async () => {
+    const electronApp = await launchElectronApp();
+    const page = await getMainWindow(electronApp);
+    
+    await waitForWelcomePageToLoad(page);
+    
+    // Take screenshot to show environment status
+    await page.screenshot({ 
+      path: 'tests/python-env-status.png',
+      fullPage: true
+    });
+    
+    await electronApp.close();
+  });
+
+  test('should capture recent sessions area', async () => {
+    const electronApp = await launchElectronApp();
+    const page = await getMainWindow(electronApp);
+    
+    await waitForWelcomePageToLoad(page);
+    
+    // Take screenshot of the recent sessions/news area
+    await page.screenshot({ 
+      path: 'tests/recent-sessions.png',
+      fullPage: true
+    });
+    
+    await electronApp.close();
+  });
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/python-env-status.png b/tests/python-env-status.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..812c4fbb
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/python-env-status.png differ
diff --git a/tests/recent-sessions.png b/tests/recent-sessions.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..812c4fbb
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/recent-sessions.png differ
diff --git a/tests/start-session-connect.png b/tests/start-session-connect.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5cf64028
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/start-session-connect.png differ
diff --git a/tests/start-session.png b/tests/start-session.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..812c4fbb
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/start-session.png differ
diff --git a/tests/welcome-page.png b/tests/welcome-page.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..812c4fbb
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/welcome-page.png differ
diff --git a/tsconfig.json b/tsconfig.json
index 1ea631e6..546db32b 100644
--- a/tsconfig.json
+++ b/tsconfig.json
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
     "noImplicitAny": true,
     "noEmitOnError": true,
     "noUnusedLocals": true,
+    "skipLibCheck": true,
     "module": "commonjs",
     "moduleResolution": "node",
     "esModuleInterop": true,
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index e5d11bfd..2449f7e5 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -299,6 +299,13 @@
     "@nodelib/fs.scandir" "2.1.5"
     fastq "^1.6.0"
 
+"@playwright/test@^1.55.0":
+  version "1.55.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@playwright/test/-/test-1.55.0.tgz#080fa6d9ee6d749ff523b1c18259572d0268b963"
+  integrity sha512-04IXzPwHrW69XusN/SIdDdKZBzMfOT9UNT/YiJit/xpy2VuAoB8NHc8Aplb96zsWDddLnbkPL3TsmrS04ZU2xQ==
+  dependencies:
+    playwright "1.55.0"
+
 "@sindresorhus/is@^4.0.0":
   version "4.6.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@sindresorhus/is/-/is-4.6.0.tgz#3c7c9c46e678feefe7a2e5bb609d3dbd665ffb3f"
@@ -416,11 +423,6 @@
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/node/-/node-18.15.12.tgz#833756634e78c829e1254db006468dadbb0c696b"
   integrity sha512-Wha1UwsB3CYdqUm2PPzh/1gujGCNtWVUYF0mB00fJFoR4gTyWTDPjSm+zBF787Ahw8vSGgBja90MkgFwvB86Dg==
 
-"@types/node@^14.14.31":
-  version "14.18.36"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/node/-/node-14.18.36.tgz#c414052cb9d43fab67d679d5f3c641be911f5835"
-  integrity sha512-FXKWbsJ6a1hIrRxv+FoukuHnGTgEzKYGi7kilfMae96AL9UNkPFNWJEEYWzdRI9ooIkbr4AKldyuSTLql06vLQ==
-
 "@types/normalize-package-data@^2.4.0":
   version "2.4.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/normalize-package-data/-/normalize-package-data-2.4.1.tgz#d3357479a0fdfdd5907fe67e17e0a85c906e1301"
@@ -2060,6 +2062,11 @@ fs.realpath@^1.0.0:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/fs.realpath/-/fs.realpath-1.0.0.tgz#1504ad2523158caa40db4a2787cb01411994ea4f"
   integrity sha512-OO0pH2lK6a0hZnAdau5ItzHPI6pUlvI7jMVnxUQRtw4owF2wk8lOSabtGDCTP4Ggrg2MbGnWO9X8K1t4+fGMDw==
 
+fsevents@2.3.2:
+  version "2.3.2"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/fsevents/-/fsevents-2.3.2.tgz#8a526f78b8fdf4623b709e0b975c52c24c02fd1a"
+  integrity sha512-xiqMQR4xAeHTuB9uWm+fFRcIOgKBMiOBP+eXiyT7jsgVCq1bkVygt00oASowB7EdtpOHaaPgKt812P9ab+DDKA==
+
 function-bind@^1.1.1:
   version "1.1.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/function-bind/-/function-bind-1.1.1.tgz#a56899d3ea3c9bab874bb9773b7c5ede92f4895d"
@@ -3330,6 +3337,20 @@ pkg-dir@^4.2.0:
   dependencies:
     find-up "^4.0.0"
 
+playwright-core@1.55.0:
+  version "1.55.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/playwright-core/-/playwright-core-1.55.0.tgz#ec8a9f8ef118afb3e86e0f46f1393e3bea32adf4"
+  integrity sha512-GvZs4vU3U5ro2nZpeiwyb0zuFaqb9sUiAJuyrWpcGouD8y9/HLgGbNRjIph7zU9D3hnPaisMl9zG9CgFi/biIg==
+
+playwright@1.55.0, playwright@^1.55.0:
+  version "1.55.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/playwright/-/playwright-1.55.0.tgz#7aca7ac3ffd9e083a8ad8b2514d6f9ba401cc78b"
+  integrity sha512-sdCWStblvV1YU909Xqx0DhOjPZE4/5lJsIS84IfN9dAZfcl/CIZ5O8l3o0j7hPMjDvqoTF8ZUcc+i/GL5erstA==
+  dependencies:
+    playwright-core "1.55.0"
+  optionalDependencies:
+    fsevents "2.3.2"
+
 plist@^3.0.4:
   version "3.0.6"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/plist/-/plist-3.0.6.tgz#7cfb68a856a7834bca6dbfe3218eb9c7740145d3"