diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/recorder/recorderApp.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/recorder/recorderApp.ts
index 5e170b2e3e..c7120ef408 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/recorder/recorderApp.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/recorder/recorderApp.ts
@@ -123,9 +123,8 @@ export class RecorderApp extends EventEmitter implements IRecorderApp {
       persistentContextOptions: {
         noDefaultViewport: true,
         headless: !!process.env.PWTEST_CLI_HEADLESS || (isUnderTest() && !headed),
-        useWebSocket: !!process.env.PWTEST_RECORDER_PORT,
+        useWebSocket: isUnderTest(),
         handleSIGINT: false,
-        args: process.env.PWTEST_RECORDER_PORT ? [`--remote-debugging-port=${process.env.PWTEST_RECORDER_PORT}`] : [],
         executablePath: inspectedContext._browser.options.isChromium ? inspectedContext._browser.options.customExecutablePath : undefined,
       }
     });
diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/trace/viewer/traceViewer.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/trace/viewer/traceViewer.ts
index 78848142a8..6ca0319aa3 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/trace/viewer/traceViewer.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/trace/viewer/traceViewer.ts
@@ -178,7 +178,6 @@ export async function openTraceViewerApp(url: string, browserName: string, optio
       ...options?.persistentContextOptions,
       useWebSocket: isUnderTest(),
       headless: !!options?.headless,
-      args: process.env.PWTEST_RECORDER_PORT ? [`--remote-debugging-port=${process.env.PWTEST_RECORDER_PORT}`] : [],
     },
   });
 
diff --git a/tests/library/inspector/inspectorTest.ts b/tests/library/inspector/inspectorTest.ts
index 5690ce7773..891b87bcae 100644
--- a/tests/library/inspector/inspectorTest.ts
+++ b/tests/library/inspector/inspectorTest.ts
@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@ const playwrightToAutomateInspector = require('../../../packages/playwright-core
 
 export const test = contextTest.extend<CLITestArgs>({
   recorderPageGetter: async ({ context, toImpl, mode }, run, testInfo) => {
-    process.env.PWTEST_RECORDER_PORT = String(10907 + testInfo.workerIndex);
     testInfo.skip(mode.startsWith('service'));
     await run(async () => {
       while (!toImpl(context).recorderAppForTest)
@@ -69,7 +68,6 @@ export const test = contextTest.extend<CLITestArgs>({
   },
 
   runCLI: async ({ childProcess, browserName, channel, headless, mode, launchOptions }, run, testInfo) => {
-    process.env.PWTEST_RECORDER_PORT = String(10907 + testInfo.workerIndex);
     testInfo.skip(mode.startsWith('service'));
 
     await run((cliArgs, { autoExitWhen } = {}) => {