webapp-testing

name	Webapp Testing
description	Playwright testing with autonomous test agents (planner, generator, healer) and visual regression testing
version	1.1.0
tags	["playwright","testing","e2e","automation","agents","visual-regression",2025]

Webapp Testing Skill

Autonomous end-to-end testing with Playwright's three specialized agents plus native visual regression testing.

The Three Agents

1. Planner - Explores app and creates test plans
2. Generator - Writes Playwright tests with best practices
3. Healer - Fixes failing tests automatically

Quick Setup

# 1. Install Playwright
npm install --save-dev @playwright/test

# 2. Add MCP server
claude mcp add playwright npx '@playwright/mcp@latest'

# 3. Initialize agents
npx playwright init-agents --loop=claude

# 4. Create tests/seed.spec.ts (required for Planner)

Requirements: VS Code v1.105+ (Oct 9, 2025) or Claude Desktop with Playwright MCP

Agent Workflow

1. PLANNER   ──▶ Explores app ──▶ Creates specs/checkout.md
                 (uses seed.spec.ts)
                      │
                      ▼
2. GENERATOR ──▶ Reads spec ──▶ Tests live app ──▶ Outputs tests/checkout.spec.ts
                 (verifies selectors actually work)
                      │
                      ▼
3. HEALER    ──▶ Runs tests ──▶ Fixes failures ──▶ Updates selectors/waits
                 (self-healing)

Directory Structure

your-project/
├── specs/              ← Planner outputs (Markdown plans)
├── tests/              ← Generator outputs (Playwright tests)
│   └── seed.spec.ts    ← Required: Planner learns from this
├── playwright.config.ts
└── screenshots/        ← Visual regression baselines
    ├── desktop/
    └── mobile/

Key Concepts

seed.spec.ts is required - Planner executes this to learn:

• Environment setup (fixtures, hooks)
• Authentication flow
• Available UI elements

Generator validates live - Doesn't just translate Markdown, actually tests app to verify selectors work.

Healer auto-fixes - When UI changes break tests, Healer replays, finds new selectors, patches tests.

---

Visual Regression Testing

Replace Percy with Playwright's native screenshot testing (zero cost, faster, better).

Basic Visual Test

import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test('homepage visual regression', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/');
  
  // Full page screenshot with auto-retry
  await expect(page).toHaveScreenshot('homepage.png', {
    fullPage: true,
    maxDiffPixels: 100,  // Allow small rendering differences
  });
});

Component-Level Visual Testing

test('product card visual', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/products');
  
  // Screenshot specific component
  const productCard = page.locator('.product-card').first();
  await expect(productCard).toHaveScreenshot('product-card.png', {
    maxDiffPixelRatio: 0.01,  // 1% tolerance
  });
});

Responsive Visual Testing

const viewports = [
  { name: 'mobile', width: 375, height: 667 },
  { name: 'tablet', width: 768, height: 1024 },
  { name: 'desktop', width: 1920, height: 1080 },
];

for (const viewport of viewports) {
  test(`homepage ${viewport.name}`, async ({ page }) => {
    await page.setViewportSize(viewport);
    await page.goto('/');
    
    await expect(page).toHaveScreenshot(`homepage-${viewport.name}.png`);
  });
}

Masking Dynamic Content

test('dashboard with masked content', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/dashboard');
  
  await expect(page).toHaveScreenshot('dashboard.png', {
    mask: [
      page.locator('.timestamp'),      // Hide timestamps
      page.locator('.user-avatar'),    // Hide user photos
      page.locator('.live-graph'),     // Hide real-time data
    ],
  });
});

CI/CD Integration

playwright.config.ts:

export default defineConfig({
  // Update screenshots in CI when expected
  updateSnapshots: process.env.CI ? 'none' : 'missing',
  
  // Relaxed thresholds for cross-platform consistency
  expect: {
    toHaveScreenshot: {
      maxDiffPixels: 100,
      threshold: 0.2,  // 20% tolerance
    },
  },
  
  // Separate screenshot storage by OS
  snapshotPathTemplate: '{testDir}/__screenshots__/{platform}/{projectName}/{testFilePath}/{arg}{ext}',
});

GitHub Actions:

- name: Run Playwright tests
  run: npx playwright test
  
- name: Upload visual diffs on failure
  if: failure()
  uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
  with:
    name: playwright-visual-diffs
    path: test-results/

Updating Baselines

# Update all screenshots
npx playwright test --update-snapshots

# Update specific test screenshots
npx playwright test homepage.spec.ts --update-snapshots

# Review diffs before updating
npx playwright show-report

---

Real-World Test Examples

E-commerce Checkout Flow

test('complete checkout flow', async ({ page }) => {
  // Add item to cart
  await page.goto('/products');
  await page.click('[data-testid="add-to-cart-123"]');
  
  // Visual: Cart icon badge
  await expect(page.locator('.cart-badge')).toHaveScreenshot('cart-badge-1-item.png');
  
  // Proceed to checkout
  await page.click('[data-testid="cart-icon"]');
  await expect(page).toHaveScreenshot('cart-page.png', {
    mask: [page.locator('.item-price')],  // Prices may change
  });
  
  // Fill shipping info
  await page.fill('[name="email"]', '[e-mail]');
  await page.fill('[name="address"]', '123 Main St');
  
  // Visual: Filled form
  await expect(page.locator('.checkout-form')).toHaveScreenshot('checkout-form-filled.png');
  
  // Submit order
  await page.();
   page.();
  
  
   (page).(, {
    : [page.(), page.()],
  });
});

Dashboard with Real-time Data

test('analytics dashboard', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/dashboard');
  
  // Wait for data to load
  await page.waitForSelector('[data-loaded="true"]');
  
  // Mask all dynamic content
  await expect(page).toHaveScreenshot('dashboard.png', {
    mask: [
      page.locator('.live-counter'),
      page.locator('.timestamp'),
      page.locator('.chart-canvas'),  // Charts with live data
      page.locator('[data-dynamic="true"]'),
    ],
  });
});

Dark Mode Theme Testing

const themes = ['light', 'dark'];

for (const theme of themes) {
  test(`homepage ${theme} theme`, async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('/');
    
    // Toggle theme
    await page.evaluate((t) => {
      document.documentElement.setAttribute('data-theme', t);
    }, theme);
    
    // Wait for CSS transitions
    await page.waitForTimeout(500);
    
    await expect(page).toHaveScreenshot(`homepage-${theme}.png`);
  });
}

---

Best Practices

Visual Regression

1. Use meaningful names: checkout-step-2-payment.png not screen-1.png
2. Mask dynamic content: Timestamps, user data, live graphs
3. Set appropriate thresholds: maxDiffPixels: 100 for pixel-perfect, maxDiffPixelRatio: 0.02 for 2% tolerance
4. Test critical paths only: Don't screenshot every page
5. Group by viewport: Separate screenshots for mobile/tablet/desktop
6. Review diffs in CI: Upload artifacts on failure for manual review

Agent Usage

1. Start with seed.spec.ts: Teach Planner your auth flow and common patterns
2. Let Generator validate: Don't manually write selectors, let it test the live app
3. Trust the Healer: When selectors break, Healer finds new ones automatically
4. Iterate on specs: Update Markdown specs, regenerate tests

See references/ for detailed agent patterns and visual regression setup.

---

Version: 1.1.0 (December 2025) MCP Requirement: Playwright MCP server Visual Regression: Native Playwright toHaveScreenshot() (no Percy needed)