devflow-automation

name

devflow-automation

description

Automate .NET MAUI app state via explicitly registered DevFlow Actions. USE FOR: discovering and invoking [DevFlowAction] shortcuts, logging in test users, seeding data, navigating to deep screens, bypassing long UI flows to reach target state quickly. DO NOT USE FOR: calling arbitrary methods, invoking DI services or framework types, basic UI interaction (tap/fill/scroll - use DevFlow MCP tools directly), visual tree inspection, screenshot capture, connectivity issues, or build/deployment problems.

DevFlow Automation - Actions

DevFlow Actions are named shortcuts that a .NET MAUI app explicitly exposes for automation with [DevFlowAction]. Use them to reach useful app states quickly, such as logging in a test user, seeding data, toggling a feature flag, or navigating to a deep screen.

Actions are opt-in. DevFlow does not expose arbitrary reflection invoke; if you need a new shortcut, add an attributed method in app debug/test code, let Hot Reload apply it, then list and invoke the action.

Start by Listing Actions

Always check for available actions early in a DevFlow session:

maui_list_actions

Look for action names and descriptions that match your goal. Common patterns:

• login-* for authentication shortcuts
• seed-* for data population
• navigate-* for deep links or screen setup
• set-* for feature flags or configuration
• reset-* for state cleanup

Invoke an Action

Arguments are passed as a JSON array in parameter order. Omit trailing optional parameters to use their defaults.

maui_invoke_action actionName="login-test-user"
maui_invoke_action actionName="login-test-user" argsJson='["[e-mail]", "secret"]'
maui_invoke_action actionName="seed-catalog" argsJson='[100]'

After invoking an action, verify the state with a screenshot, tree query, or other DevFlow tools:

maui_screenshot

Hot Reload Workflow

If no useful action exists and you can edit the app:

1. Add a public static method annotated with [DevFlowAction].
2. Add [Description] to each parameter so agents know what to pass.
3. Save and let C# Hot Reload apply the change.
4. Call maui_list_actions again.
5. Invoke the new action with maui_invoke_action.

Example:

using System.ComponentModel;
using Microsoft.Maui.DevFlow.Agent.Core;

public static class DebugHelpers
{
    [DevFlowAction("login-test-user", Description = "Log in as the standard test account")]
    public static async Task LoginTestUser(
        [Description("Email address for the test account")] string email = "[e-mail]",
        [Description("Password for the test account")] string password = "password123")
    {
        await AuthService.LoginAsync(email, password);
    }
}

Supported Parameter Types

Arguments are converted from JSON to these action parameter types:

Type	JSON example
string	"hello"
bool	true or false
int, long, short, byte	42
float, double, decimal	3.14
enum	"MemberName" (case-insensitive)
arrays and supported list interfaces	["a", "b"] or [1, 2, 3]
nullable types	null or the value

Batch Support

Use invoke-action in batches when setup needs several steps:

{
  "actions": [
    { "action": "invoke-action", "name": "login-test-user" },
    { "action": "invoke-action", "name": "seed-catalog", "args": [100] },
    { "action": "tap", "elementId": "btn-advanced" }
  ]
}

Rules for App Developers

• Methods must be public static.
• Parameters should be simple supported types, enums, nullable supported types, arrays, or supported list interfaces.
• Add [Description] to parameters so AI agents know what to pass.
• Prefer returning void, Task, ValueTask, Task<T>, or ValueTask<T> with simple return values.
• Action names should be unique and intention-revealing.

The DevFlow analyzer validates attributed methods:

Diagnostic	Severity	Description
MAUI_DFA001	Error	Unsupported parameter type
MAUI_DFA002	Error	Method must be public static
MAUI_DFA003	Warning	Return type may not serialize cleanly
MAUI_DFA004	Info	Missing [Description] on parameter
MAUI_DFA005	Warning	Duplicate [DevFlowAction] name

Common Patterns

Authentication Bypass

maui_list_actions
maui_invoke_action actionName="login-test-user"
maui_screenshot

Data Seeding

maui_invoke_action actionName="seed-catalog" argsJson='[200]'
maui_invoke_action actionName="seed-orders" argsJson='[50, true]'

Feature Flag Override

maui_invoke_action actionName="set-feature-flag" argsJson='["dark-mode", true]'
maui_invoke_action actionName="set-feature-flag" argsJson='["experimental-ui", true]'

Navigate to a Deep Screen

maui_invoke_action actionName="navigate-to" argsJson='["//settings/advanced/network"]'