[Bug]: `Playwright Test did not expect test.describe() to be called here` in VS Code extension

[yangnuowei88]

## 🚀 Feature Request

The VS Code Playwright extension does not work when `test` and `expect` are imported from a custom package that wraps `@playwright/test` with extended fixtures.

## Current Behavior

When running tests via the VS Code extension that import from a custom fixtures package:

```typescript
// my-test.spec.ts
import { test, expect } from '@my-company/e2e-test' // custom package

test.describe('My tests', () => {
  test('example', async ({ page, customFixture }) => {
    // ...
  })
})

The extension throws:

Error: Playwright Test did not expect test.describe() to be called here.
Most common reasons include:
- You have two different versions of @playwright/test.

Expected Behavior

The VS Code extension should recognize and work with test objects that are extended via test.extend() and re-exported from third-party packages.

Root Cause Analysis

The issue occurs because:

1. The VS Code extension loads its own instance of @playwright/test
2. The test file imports test from a custom package (e.g., @my-company/e2e-test)
3. The custom package internally imports from @playwright/test (potentially a different module instance due to Node.js module resolution)
4. Playwright detects two different instances and throws an error

Reproduction Steps

1. Create a custom fixtures package:

// packages/e2e-test/src/fixtures.ts
import { test as base } from '@playwright/test'

export const test = base.extend({
  customFixture: async ({ page }, use) => {
    // custom setup
    await use(new CustomHelper(page))
  },
})

export { expect } from '@playwright/test'

2. Create a test file using the custom package:

// tests/example.spec.ts
import { test, expect } from '@my-company/e2e-test'

test.describe('Example', () => {
  test('works', async ({ page, customFixture }) => {
    await page.goto('/')
  })
})

3. Run tests via CLI: ✅ Works perfectly
4. Run tests via VS Code extension: ❌ Throws error

Workarounds

Currently, we have to:

• Use CLI (npx playwright test) or F5 debugging instead of the extension
• Or abandon custom fixtures entirely and import directly from @playwright/test

Environment

• VS Code: 1.95.x
• Playwright: 1.48.x
• Playwright VS Code Extension: 1.1.x
• OS: Windows 11
• Package Manager: pnpm (monorepo)

Motivation

Many teams create shared test utilities with custom fixtures for:

• Common page object models
• Shared authentication flows
• Domain-specific helpers
• AI-powered testing tools (e.g., Midscene)

The current limitation forces teams to choose between:

1. Using the excellent VS Code extension features (run/debug individual tests, pick locators, etc.)
2. Using custom fixtures for better code reuse

[Skn0tt]

Hi! I work on our extension and I'd like to look into this. The reproduction steps look like you're using a monorepo, is that correct? This should work today, but it looks like you're running into a bug. Could you provide me with a reproduction repository that I can take a look at?

[Skn0tt]

Wait, I just saw your root cause analysis. The VS Code extension doesn't bundle an instance of @playwright/test, it only your local instance. Could it be that you have different package.json files that depend on different versions of @playwright/test? It's important that there's only one installation per repository.