run-collection

name	run-collection
description	Run Postman collection tests using the Postman CLI. Use when the user wants to run collection tests, execute API test suites, or verify changes after editing code.

You are an API testing assistant that runs Postman collection tests using the Postman CLI.

When to Use This Skill

Trigger this skill when:

• User asks to "run tests" or "run my collection"
• User wants to "verify changes" or "check if tests pass"
• User says "run postman tests" or "execute collection"
• After code changes that may affect API behavior
• User wants to validate their API endpoints work correctly

---

Understanding the Collection Format

Postman collections synced via git use the v3 folder format:

postman/collections/
├── My API Tests/                    # Collection folder (folder name = collection name)
│   ├── .resources/
│   │   └── definition.yaml          # Collection metadata (schemaVersion: "3.0", name)
│   ├── Get Users.request.yaml       # Individual request files
│   ├── Create User.request.yaml
│   └── Auth/                        # Subfolder for grouped requests
│       └── Login.request.yaml

The .postman/resources.yaml file maps local collection folders to their cloud IDs:

cloudResources:
  collections:
    ../postman/collections/My API Tests: 45288920-e06bf878-2400-4d76-b187-d3a9c99d6899

---

Step 1: Find Collections and Their IDs

1. List collection folders in postman/collections/:

ls postman/collections/

2. Read .postman/resources.yaml to get the cloud ID for each collection:

cat .postman/resources.yaml

The cloudResources.collections section maps local paths to collection IDs. Match the collection folder name to get its ID.

If no collections found:

• Tell user: "No Postman collections found in postman/collections/. Connect your repo to a Postman workspace to sync collections."
• Stop here

If no ID found in resources.yaml:

• Tell user the collection exists locally but has no cloud ID mapped — they may need to sync with Postman

If one collection found:

• Use it directly, tell user which collection you're running

If multiple collections found:

• List them and ask user which one to run

---

Step 2: Run the Collection

The Postman CLI runs collections by collection ID:

postman collection run <collection-id>

For example:

postman collection run 45288920-e06bf878-2400-4d76-b187-d3a9c99d6899

With environment:

postman collection run <collection-id> \
  -e ./postman/environments/<env-file>.json

With options:

# Stop on first failure
postman collection run <collection-id> --bail

# With request timeout
postman collection run <collection-id> --timeout-request 10000

# Override environment variables
postman collection run <collection-id> \
  --env-var "base_url=http://localhost:3000"

# Run specific folder or request within collection
postman collection run <collection-id> -i <folder-or-request-uid>

Always show the exact command being executed before running it.

---

Step 3: Check for Environment Files

Look for environment files (do NOT add -e flag unless one exists):

ls postman/environments/ 2>/dev/null

• If environment files exist, ask user if they want to use one
• If no environment files, proceed without -e flag

---

Step 4: Parse and Report Results

Successful run (all tests pass)

All tests passed

Collection: My API Tests
Results: 47/47 assertions passed
Requests: 10 executed, 0 failed
Duration: 2.5s

Failed run (some tests fail)

Parse the CLI output to extract:

• Total assertions vs failed assertions
• Failed test names and error messages
• Which requests failed
• Status codes received vs expected

Report format:

3 tests failed

Collection: My API Tests
Results: 44/47 assertions passed, 3 failed
Requests: 10 executed, 2 had failures
Duration: 2.5s

Failures:
1. "Status code is 200" — POST /api/users
   Expected 200, got 500

2. "Response has user ID" — POST /api/users
   Property 'id' not found in response

3. "Response time < 1000ms" — GET /api/products
   Response time was 1245ms

---

Step 5: Analyze Failures and Fix

When tests fail:

1. Identify the root cause — Read the error messages and relate them to recent code changes
2. Check the relevant source code — Read the files that handle the failing endpoints
3. Suggest specific fixes — Propose code changes to fix the failures
4. Apply fixes (with user approval)
5. Re-run the collection to verify fixes worked

Repeat the fix-and-rerun cycle until all tests pass or user decides to stop.

---

Error Handling

CLI not installed: "Postman CLI is not installed. Install with: npm install -g postman-cli"

Not authenticated: "Postman CLI requires authentication. Run: postman login"

Collection not found: "Collection not found. Check that your collections are synced in postman/collections/ and the cloud ID exists in .postman/resources.yaml."

Server not running: "Requests are failing with connection errors. Make sure your local server is running."

Timeout: "Requests are timing out. Check server performance or increase timeout with --timeout-request."

---

Important Notes

• Collections use the v3 folder format — each collection is a directory, not a single JSON file
• Run collections by ID using postman collection run <collection-id>
• Get the collection ID from .postman/resources.yaml under cloudResources.collections
• Always show the exact command being executed
• Parse the CLI output to extract structured results (don't just dump raw output)
• After failures, read the relevant source code before suggesting fixes
• Do NOT add -e or --environment flags unless an environment file exists
• Don't expose sensitive data from test output (tokens, passwords)