diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/cli/docker.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/cli/docker.ts
index 50ec3081d925eb..ae3db97f0333af 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/cli/docker.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/cli/docker.ts
@@ -171,22 +171,6 @@ export async function installImage() {
   console.log(`Done!`);
 }
 
-export async function wsEndpoint(): Promise<string> {
-  await ensureDockerIsRunning();
-  const result = await wsEndpointInternal();
-  if (!result) {
-    throw new Error(`\n` + utils.wrapInASCIIBox([
-      `Docker container is not running!`,
-      `Please run docker container first:`,
-      ``,
-      `    npx playwright docker start`,
-      ``,
-      `<3 Playwright Team`,
-    ].join('\n'), 1));
-  }
-  return result;
-}
-
 async function wsEndpointInternal(): Promise<string|undefined> {
   const containerId = await findRunningDockerContainerId();
   if (!containerId)
@@ -207,7 +191,20 @@ async function wsEndpointInternal(): Promise<string|undefined> {
   return webSocketLine ? 'ws://' + webSocketLine.substring(LINE_PREFIX.length) : undefined;
 }
 
-export async function startContainer() {
+export async function containerInfo(): Promise<{wsEndpoint: string, vncSession: string}|undefined> {
+  await ensureDockerIsRunning();
+  const wsEndpoint = await wsEndpointInternal();
+  return wsEndpoint ? containerInfoInternal(wsEndpoint) : undefined;
+}
+
+function containerInfoInternal(wsEndpoint: string): { wsEndpoint: string, vncSession: string } {
+  return {
+    wsEndpoint,
+    vncSession: `http://127.0.0.1:7900?path=${utils.createGuid()}&resize=scale`,
+  };
+}
+
+export async function ensureContainer(): Promise<{ wsEndpoint: string, vncSession: string }> {
   await ensureDockerIsRunning();
   const pwImage = await findDockerImage(VRT_IMAGE_NAME);
   if (!pwImage) {
@@ -220,10 +217,10 @@ export async function startContainer() {
       `<3 Playwright Team`,
     ].join('\n'), 1));
   }
-  if (await wsEndpointInternal()) {
-    console.log(`Container is already running.`);
-    return;
-  }
+
+  let wsEndpoint = await wsEndpointInternal();
+  if (wsEndpoint)
+    return containerInfoInternal(wsEndpoint);
 
   await launchContainer({
     image: pwImage,
@@ -234,24 +231,15 @@ export async function startContainer() {
 
   // Wait for the service to become available.
   const startTime = Date.now();
-  let endpoint = undefined;
   const timeouts = [0, 100, 100, 200, 500, 1000];
   do {
     await new Promise(x => setTimeout(x, timeouts.shift() ?? 1000));
-    endpoint = await wsEndpointInternal();
-  } while (!endpoint && Date.now() < startTime + 60000);
+    wsEndpoint = await wsEndpointInternal();
+  } while (!wsEndpoint && Date.now() < startTime + 60000);
 
-  if (!endpoint)
+  if (!wsEndpoint)
     throw new Error('Failed to launch docker container!');
-
-  /* eslint-disable no-console */
-  console.log(`✨ Launched Playwright ${getPlaywrightVersion()} Docker Container ✨`);
-  console.log(``);
-  console.log(`- VNC session: http://127.0.0.1:7900?path=${utils.createGuid()}&resize=scale`);
-  console.log(`- WS endpoint: ${endpoint}`);
-  console.log(``);
-  console.log(`You can now run tests with browsers inside this container:`);
-  console.log(`   npx playwright docker test`);
+  return containerInfoInternal(wsEndpoint);
 }
 
 export async function stopContainer() {
diff --git a/packages/playwright-test/src/cli.ts b/packages/playwright-test/src/cli.ts
index face478712d9aa..41fe85b499ba07 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-test/src/cli.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-test/src/cli.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 
 import type { Command } from 'playwright-core/lib/utilsBundle';
 import * as docker from 'playwright-core/lib/cli/docker';
+import * as utils from 'playwright-core/lib/utils';
 import fs from 'fs';
 import url from 'url';
 import path from 'path';
@@ -36,6 +37,17 @@ export function addTestCommands(program: Command) {
   addDockerCommand(program);
 }
 
+const dockerStartupMessage = (vncSession: string, wsEndpoint: string) => ([
+  `Playwright launched docker container to run browsers.`,
+  `- VNC session: ${vncSession}`,
+  `- WS endpoint: ${wsEndpoint}`,
+  ``,
+  `Please stop container manually when it is no longer needed:`,
+  ``,
+  `   npx playwright docker stop`,
+  ``,
+].join('\n'));
+
 function addDockerCommand(program: Command) {
   const dockerCommand = program.command('docker', { hidden: true });
 
@@ -47,8 +59,14 @@ function addDockerCommand(program: Command) {
 
   dockerCommand.command('start')
       .description('Start container')
-      .action(function(options) {
-        docker.startContainer();
+      .action(async function(options) {
+        if (await docker.containerInfo()) {
+          console.log('Container is already running.');
+          return;
+        }
+        const info = await docker.ensureContainer();
+        /* eslint-disable no-console */
+        console.log(dockerStartupMessage(info.vncSession, info.wsEndpoint));
       });
 
   dockerCommand.command('stop')
@@ -91,10 +109,19 @@ function addTestCommand(program: Command, isDocker: boolean) {
   command.action(async (args, opts) => {
     try {
       if (isDocker) {
-        const wsEndpoint = await docker.wsEndpoint();
-        if (!wsEndpoint)
-          throw new Error(`Playwright docker container is not running; run "npx playwright docker start" first`);
-        process.env.PW_TEST_CONNECT_WS_ENDPOINT = await docker.wsEndpoint();
+        let info = await docker.containerInfo();
+        if (info) {
+          /* eslint-disable no-console */
+          console.log(utils.wrapInASCIIBox([
+            `Running browsers in a pre-launched docker container.`,
+            `- VNC session: ${info.vncSession}`,
+          ].join('\n'), 1));
+        } else {
+          info = await docker.ensureContainer();
+          /* eslint-disable no-console */
+          console.log(utils.wrapInASCIIBox(dockerStartupMessage(info.vncSession, info.wsEndpoint), 1));
+        }
+        process.env.PW_TEST_CONNECT_WS_ENDPOINT = info.wsEndpoint;
         process.env.PW_TEST_CONNECT_HEADERS = JSON.stringify({
           'x-playwright-proxy': '*',
         });