dogfood

name	dogfood
version	0.2.10
category	quality
description	Systematically explore and test a web application to find bugs, UX issues, and other problems. Use when asked to "dogfood", "QA", "exploratory test", "find issues", "bug hunt", "test this app/site/platform", or review the quality of a web application. Produces a structured report with full reproduction evidence. Not for test-runner, accessibility-auditor.
license	MIT

Dogfood

Systematically explore a web application, find issues, and produce a report with full reproduction evidence for every finding.

When to Use

• User asks to dogfood, QA, or exploratory test a web application
• Need to find bugs, UX issues, or other problems in a web app
• Even if they just say "test this app" or "find issues in this site"

Setup

Only the Target URL is required. Everything else has sensible defaults -- use them unless the user explicitly provides an override.

Parameter	Default	Example override
Target URL	(required)	vercel.com, http://localhost:3000
Session name	Slugified domain (e.g., vercel.com -> vercel-com)	--session my-session
Output directory	./dogfood-output/	Output directory: /tmp/qa
Scope	Full app	Focus on the billing page
Authentication	None	Sign in to [e-mail]

If the user says something like "dogfood vercel.com", start immediately with defaults. Do not ask clarifying questions unless authentication is mentioned but credentials are missing.

Always use agent-browser directly -- never npx agent-browser. The direct binary uses the fast Rust client. npx routes through Node.js and is significantly slower.

Workflow

1. Initialize      Set up session, output dirs, report file
2. Authenticate    Sign in if needed, save state
3. Orient          Navigate to starting point, take initial snapshot
4. Explore         Systematically visit pages and test features
5. Document        Screenshot + record each issue as found
6. Wrap up         Update summary counts, close session

1. Initialize

mkdir -p {OUTPUT_DIR}/screenshots {OUTPUT_DIR}/videos

Start a named session:

agent-browser --session {SESSION} open {TARGET_URL}
agent-browser --session {SESSION} wait --load networkidle

2. Authenticate

If the app requires login:

agent-browser --session {SESSION} snapshot -i
# Identify login form refs, fill credentials
agent-browser --session {SESSION} fill @e1 "{EMAIL}"
agent-browser --session {SESSION} fill @e2 "{PASSWORD}"
agent-browser --session {SESSION} click @e3
agent-browser --session {SESSION} wait --load networkidle

For OTP/email codes: ask the user, wait for their response, then enter the code.

After successful login, save state for potential reuse:

agent-browser --session {SESSION} state save {OUTPUT_DIR}/auth-state.json

3. Orient

Take an initial annotated screenshot and snapshot to understand the app structure:

agent-browser --session {SESSION} screenshot --annotate {OUTPUT_DIR}/screenshots/initial.png
agent-browser --session {SESSION} snapshot -i

Identify the main navigation elements and map out the sections to visit.

4. Explore

Strategy -- work through the app systematically:

• Start from the main navigation. Visit each top-level section.
• Within each section, test interactive elements: click buttons, fill forms, open dropdowns/modals.
• Check edge cases: empty states, error handling, boundary inputs.
• Try realistic end-to-end workflows (create, edit, delete flows).
• Check the browser console for errors periodically.

At each page:

agent-browser --session {SESSION} snapshot -i
agent-browser --session {SESSION} screenshot --annotate {OUTPUT_DIR}/screenshots/{page-name}.png
agent-browser --session {SESSION} errors
agent-browser --session {SESSION} console

Use your judgment on how deep to go. Spend more time on core features and less on peripheral pages.

5. Document Issues (Repro-First)

Every issue must be reproducible. When you find something wrong, stop exploring and document it immediately.

For interactive issues (functional, UX, console errors on action):

1. Start a repro video: agent-browser --session {SESSION} record start {OUTPUT_DIR}/videos/issue-{NNN}-repro.webm
2. Walk through steps at human pace with screenshots between actions
3. Capture the broken state with annotated screenshot
4. Stop video and write numbered repro steps in report

For static issues (typos, clipped text, visual glitches on load):

• Single annotated screenshot is sufficient. No video needed.

6. Wrap Up

Aim to find 5-10 well-documented issues, then wrap up. Depth of evidence matters more than total count.

1. Re-read the report and update summary severity counts
2. Close the session: agent-browser --session {SESSION} close
3. Tell the user the report is ready with summary

Guidance

• Repro is everything. Every issue needs proof matched to its type.
• Verify before collecting evidence. Retry at least once to confirm reproducibility.
• Use the right snapshot: snapshot -i for interactive elements, snapshot for reading content.
• Never delete output files mid-session. Work forward, not backward.
• Never read the target app's source code. All findings must come from browser observation.
• Check the console. Many issues are invisible in the UI but show as JS errors.

See Also

• test-runner — Execute tests and diagnose failures
• testing-strategy — Choose testing approaches
• accessibility-auditor — Accessibility-specific testing

Rationalizations

Rationalization	Reality
"Manual testing is too slow compared to automated tests"	Automated tests verify logic; dogfooding catches usability and UX issues that scripts miss.
"I already know the app works, I built it"	Builders have the curse of knowledge; systematic exploration reveals what users actually encounter.
"A few screenshots are enough for a report"	Reproduction evidence must be complete and reproducible to be actionable.

Red Flags

• Dogfood session skipped due to time pressure
• Issues reported without reproduction steps or evidence
• Only testing happy paths without edge cases or error states

References

• references/issue-taxonomy.md - What to look for, severity levels, exploration checklist
• templates/dogfood-report-template.md - Copy into output directory as the report file

Voice & Context

• Default: professional + blog
• Reference: voice-profiles skill for definitions and auto-detection.