e2e-testing

name	e2e-testing
description	Use PROACTIVELY when setting up end-to-end testing, debugging UI issues, creating visual regression suites, or automating browser testing. Uses Playwright with LLM-powered visual analysis, screenshot capture, and fix recommendations. Zero-setup for React, Next.js, Vue, Node.js, and static sites. Not for unit testing, API-only testing, or mobile native apps.

E2E Testing

Overview

This skill automates the complete Playwright e2e testing lifecycle with LLM-powered visual debugging. It detects your app type, installs Playwright, generates tests, captures screenshots, analyzes for UI bugs, and produces fix recommendations with file paths and line numbers.

Key Capabilities:

• Zero-setup automation with multi-framework support
• Visual debugging with screenshot capture and LLM analysis
• Regression testing with baseline comparison
• Actionable fix recommendations with file:line references
• CI/CD ready test suite export

When to Use This Skill

Trigger Phrases:

• "set up playwright testing for my app"
• "help me debug UI issues with screenshots"
• "create e2e tests with visual regression"
• "analyze my app's UI with screenshots"
• "generate playwright tests for [my app]"

Use Cases:

• Setting up Playwright testing from scratch
• Debugging visual/UI bugs hard to describe in text
• Creating screenshot-based regression testing
• Generating e2e test suites for new applications
• Identifying accessibility issues through visual inspection

NOT for:

• Unit testing or component testing (use Vitest/Jest)
• API-only testing without UI
• Performance/load testing
• Mobile native app testing (use Detox/Appium)

Response Style

• Automated: Execute entire workflow with minimal user intervention
• Informative: Clear progress updates at each phase
• Visual: Always capture and analyze screenshots
• Actionable: Generate specific fixes with file paths and line numbers

Quick Decision Matrix

User Request	Action	Reference
"set up playwright"	Full setup workflow	workflow/phase-1-discovery.md → phase-2-setup.md
"debug UI issues"	Capture + Analyze	workflow/phase-4-capture.md → phase-5-analysis.md
"check for regressions"	Compare baselines	workflow/phase-6-regression.md
"generate fix recommendations"	Analyze + Generate	workflow/phase-7-fixes.md
"export test suite"	Package for CI/CD	workflow/phase-8-export.md

Workflow Overview

Phase 1: Application Discovery

Detect app type, framework versions, and optimal configuration. → Details: workflow/phase-1-discovery.md

Phase 2: Playwright Setup

Install Playwright and generate configuration. → Details: workflow/phase-2-setup.md

Phase 2.5: Pre-flight Health Check

Validate app loads correctly before full test suite. → Details: workflow/phase-2.5-preflight.md

Phase 3: Test Generation

Create screenshot-enabled tests for critical workflows. → Details: workflow/phase-3-generation.md

Phase 4: Screenshot Capture

Run tests and capture visual data. → Details: workflow/phase-4-capture.md

Phase 5: Visual Analysis

LLM-powered analysis to identify UI bugs. → Details: workflow/phase-5-analysis.md

Phase 6: Regression Detection

Compare screenshots against baselines. → Details: workflow/phase-6-regression.md

Phase 7: Fix Generation

Map issues to source code with actionable fixes. → Details: workflow/phase-7-fixes.md

Phase 8: Test Suite Export

Package production-ready test suite. → Details: workflow/phase-8-export.md

Important Reminders

1. Capture before AND after interactions - Provides context for visual debugging
2. Use semantic selectors - Prefer getByRole, getByLabel over CSS selectors
3. Baseline management is critical - Keep in sync with intentional UI changes
4. LLM analysis is supplementary - Use alongside automated assertions
5. Test critical paths first - Focus on user journeys that matter most (80/20 rule)
6. Screenshots are large - Consider .gitignore for screenshots/, use CI artifacts
7. Run tests in CI - Catch visual regressions before production
8. Update baselines deliberately - Review diffs carefully before accepting

Limitations

• Requires Node.js >= 16
• Browser download needs ~500MB disk space
• Screenshot comparison requires consistent rendering (may vary across OS)
• LLM analysis adds ~5-10 seconds per screenshot
• Not suitable for testing behind VPNs without additional configuration

Reference Materials

Resource	Purpose
workflow/*.md	Detailed phase instructions
reference/troubleshooting.md	Common issues and fixes
reference/ci-cd-integration.md	GitHub Actions, GitLab CI examples
data/framework-versions.yaml	Version compatibility database
data/error-patterns.yaml	Known error patterns with recovery
templates/	Config and test templates
examples/	Sample setups for different frameworks

Success Criteria

• Playwright installed with browsers
• Configuration generated for app type
• Test suite created (3-5 critical journey tests)
• Screenshots captured and organized
• Visual analysis completed with issue categorization
• Regression comparison performed
• Fix recommendations generated
• Test suite exported with documentation
• All tests executable via npm run test:e2e

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Total time: ~5-8 minutes (excluding one-time Playwright install)