| name | aw-setup |
| description | One-time (but safely re-runnable) setup flow that scaffolds a project's aw-tester aw-target: detects auth strategy, captures storage state, writes .claude/aw-targets/local.yml, and validates with a smoke spec. Re-runs detect the existing aw-target and only re-prompt for what broke or changed. Triggers on "/aw-setup", "setup aw-tester", "scaffold aw-target".
|
| disable-model-invocation | false |
| license | MIT |
| metadata | {"author":"mthines","version":"1.1.0","workflow_type":"slash-command","tags":["aw-tester","aw-target","auth","setup","autonomous-workflow"]} |
aw-setup โ Aw-Target Scaffolding for aw-tester
Interactive, idempotent setup flow that scaffolds the .claude/aw-targets/ config
that aw-tester needs to run specs. Run it once before the first autonomous
PR that touches UI. Re-run it when auth drifts, fixtures change, or base URL moves.
This is the prerequisite for spec-driven UI verification in the
autonomous-workflow. Without an aw-target file, aw-tester cannot run and
the executor's Phase 4 spec verification step skips cleanly.
When to run
- First time: before running any autonomous feature that touches UI.
- Re-run: when
aw-tester reports auth-refresh-failed, when the base URL
changes, or when seed fixtures are restructured.
- Never auto-triggered by the planner. The planner halts and tells the user
to run
/aw-setup. The user runs it explicitly.
Idempotency contract
First run: full guided scaffolding (Phases AโE).
Re-run: detect .claude/aw-targets/local.yml exists, validate each field:
- Auth storage state: does the file exist? Is it fresh (< N days old)?
- Fixtures: does the seed command resolve? Do references point to env vars that exist?
- Smoke spec: run it. If green, done โ no prompts needed.
- Only prompt for what broke or is missing.
- Show a unified diff before overwriting any field in the aw-target file.
- Never silently overwrite
.auth/*.json.
Phases
Phase A โ Detect
Read the project to guess the aw-target configuration. Look for:
| Signal | What to look for |
|---|
| Base URL | next.config.*, vite.config.*, package.json scripts (dev port), env files (.env, .env.local) |
| Auth strategy | next-auth / auth.js imports, custom /api/auth routes, OAuth config |
| Test backdoors | Dev-only cookies (__e2e_token), test env vars (E2E_AUTH_TOKEN), seed scripts in package.json |
| Fixtures / seed | db:seed, db:reset, seed:aw, test:setup scripts |
| Existing aw-target | .claude/aw-targets/local.yml (re-run path) |
Detection confidence level:
- High: base URL found in env, auth strategy clear, seed script named explicitly.
- Medium: base URL guessed from port, auth strategy inferred.
- Low: nothing found โ fall through to Ask with all questions.
Phase B โ Ask
Use AskUserQuestion with a single batched message. Default is 3โ4 questions
when detection confidence is high; expand only when detection is uncertain or
for a re-run that detected broken fields.
Questions (lean set โ skip any the detector answered with high confidence):
-
What is the base URL for local development? (e.g. http://localhost:3000)
-
How should aw-tester get an authenticated session? Five strategies, in
order from "best default" to "last resort" (see Auth flow templates
for the full mechanics of each):
| # | Strategy | When to pick | aw-setup writes |
|---|
| a | Interactive headful capture (recommended for first-time setup, SSO, OAuth, passwordless) | You can log in by hand once and reuse the session for days/weeks | scripts/auth-bootstrap-headful.mjs + auth.refresh.command in aw-target.yml |
| b | Automated credentials (env vars) (CI / unattended re-auth) | Plain HTML email+password form, no MFA, no CAPTCHA | scripts/auth-bootstrap-credentials.mjs + auth.refresh.command in aw-target.yml |
| c | Existing bootstrap command (you already have pnpm run auth:bootstrap or similar) | You've already invested in a login script | aw-target.yml referencing your command |
| d | None | The aw-target is public or pre-authed | aw-target.yml with auth.strategy: none |
| e | Manual (SSO with no test mode, hardware MFA, mandatory CAPTCHA) | Automation is genuinely impossible | aw-target.yml with auth.strategy: manual โ aw-tester will skip authed specs |
When in doubt, pick (a) โ it works for nearly every login flow and produces
the same storage_state artifact the other strategies converge to.
-
What email/role should the test user have? (informational โ used in smoke
spec description and as the default for E2E_EMAIL if you picked strategy b)
-
Is there a seed command that creates test fixtures? (e.g. pnpm run db:seed:aw)
Re-run: only ask about fields that failed validation. State which fields were
validated successfully so the user knows what was checked.
Incompatible auth detection:
If the project uses hardware MFA, mandatory CAPTCHA, or SSO without a test mode,
set auth.strategy: manual and warn:
Auth strategy set to "manual". aw-tester will skip authed specs autonomously
and mark them "skipped" with reason "auth.strategy: manual". To enable
authed spec verification, add a test-mode login backdoor (e.g. a dev token
accepted via cookie) and re-run /aw-setup.
Phase C โ Probe
Run the chosen auth flow once to validate it produces a working storage state.
Behaviour depends on the strategy picked in Phase B:
| Strategy | Probe command | Expected outcome |
|---|
| (a) Interactive headful capture | AUTH_LOGIN_URL=... AUTH_STORAGE_STATE=./.auth/local.json node scripts/auth-bootstrap-headful.mjs | Headful browser opens. User logs in. .auth/local.json is written when the user closes the browser (or hits a POST_LOGIN_URL_PATTERN). |
| (b) Automated credentials | AUTH_LOGIN_URL=... AUTH_STORAGE_STATE=./.auth/local.json AUTH_POST_LOGIN_URL_PATTERN='/dashboard' E2E_EMAIL=... E2E_PASSWORD=... node scripts/auth-bootstrap-credentials.mjs | Headless run. .auth/local.json written on success. Script exits non-zero with a diagnostic if locators or credentials are wrong. |
| (c) Existing bootstrap command | timeout 30 <user-provided command> | The user's command produces .auth/local.json. |
| (d) None | (skip โ no auth) | n/a |
| (e) Manual | (skip โ aw-tester will skip authed specs) | n/a |
Then for every strategy except (d) / (e):
- Verify
.auth/local.json was written.
- Load one fixture URL (base_url +
/) and confirm it renders (HTTP 200 and
the page title is not an error page).
- If the probe fails, report the error and loop back to Phase B.
For strategy (b), the most common probe failure is a locator mismatch โ the
script's default getByLabel(/email/i) / getByLabel(/password/i) / submit
button regex don't match the project's form. The fix is a 3-line edit to the
CUSTOMIZE block in scripts/auth-bootstrap-credentials.mjs. aw-setup
shows the failing locator and offers to surface the form's actual labels via
a one-shot Playwright probe so the user can paste them into the script.
Phase D โ Write
Write the aw-target file, the chosen bootstrap script (if applicable), and
ensure the auth file is gitignored.
First run:
mkdir -p .claude/aw-targets scripts
Show the complete aw-target YAML AND the bootstrap script to the user for
review before writing. For strategy (b), explicitly call out the CUSTOMIZE
block in the script and confirm the user has reviewed the locators.
Re-run: show a unified diff:
--- .claude/aw-targets/local.yml (existing)
+++ .claude/aw-targets/local.yml (proposed)
@@ ...
Require user confirmation before writing. If the diff is empty, say "No changes
needed โ aw-target is up to date."
Gitignore guard:
grep -q "^\.auth/" .gitignore 2>/dev/null || echo ".auth/" >> .gitignore
Never overwrite .auth/*.json silently. If the file exists and a new one would
be produced by the bootstrap command, ask: "Overwrite existing auth state at
.auth/local.json?"
Phase E โ Smoke-test
Call aw-tester with a one-spec smoke to validate the aw-target end-to-end:
aw-tester:
specs: |
# Specs: Smoke Test
Target: local
## Spec 1: Homepage loads as the identified test user
persist: verify-only
url: /
preconditions:
- User is logged in as {auth.identity.email}
flow:
- WHEN page loads
THEN page title is not "Error" and not "404"
AND page does not contain {text: "Sign in"}
aw-target: local
mode: --bail-on-first-red
| Verdict | Action |
|---|
green | Done. Aw-Target is scaffolded and validated. |
red | Show the diagnostic blob. Loop back to Phase B with the specific failure. |
inconclusive | Auth strategy is manual โ expected. Aw-Target is written, authed specs will be skipped. |
Dry-run example
Here is what a first-run session looks like for a Next.js project:
[A] Detecting project configuration...
โ Base URL: http://localhost:3000 (from .env.local: NEXT_PUBLIC_URL)
โ Auth: next-auth detected at /api/auth/[...nextauth]
? No test backdoor found. Will ask.
โ Seed script: pnpm run db:seed:aw (from package.json)
[B] A few questions:
1. Confirm base URL: http://localhost:3000 (detected) [enter to confirm]
2. Auth strategy: I found next-auth. Do you have a bootstrap command that
logs in and captures storage state? (e.g. `pnpm run auth:bootstrap`)
If not, I can set auth.strategy: manual.
3. Test user email + role?
User: [confirmed base URL] [provides: pnpm run auth:bootstrap] [test+aw@example.com, admin]
[C] Probing...
Running: pnpm run auth:bootstrap (timeout: 30s)
โ .auth/local.json written (12kb)
Loading http://localhost:3000/ ... โ HTTP 200, title: "Dashboard"
[D] Writing aw-target:
Creating .claude/aw-targets/local.yml ...
[shows YAML preview]
Adding .auth/ to .gitignore
Confirm? [y/N] y
โ .claude/aw-targets/local.yml written
[E] Smoke spec...
Running aw-tester smoke spec...
verdict: green
โ Aw-Target validated. aw-tester is ready.
Re-run example
[Re-run detected] .claude/aw-targets/local.yml exists.
Validating...
โ base_url: http://localhost:3000 โ reachable
โ auth.storage_state: .auth/local.json โ missing (deleted or expired)
โ fixtures.seed: pnpm run db:seed:aw โ script exists
One field needs attention: auth storage state is missing.
[C] Re-running auth bootstrap...
Running: pnpm run auth:bootstrap (timeout: 30s)
โ .auth/local.json written (12kb)
[D] No changes to aw-target.yml needed.
[E] Smoke spec... verdict: green
โ Aw-Target re-validated.
Aw-Target file location
| File | Path | Committed? |
|---|
| Aw-Target definition | .claude/aw-targets/local.yml | Yes |
| Bootstrap script (strategy a or b) | scripts/auth-bootstrap-headful.mjs or scripts/auth-bootstrap-credentials.mjs | Yes |
| Auth storage state | .auth/local.json | No โ gitignored |
| Credentials (strategy b) | E2E_EMAIL / E2E_PASSWORD env vars (e.g. .env.local) | No โ gitignored |
The aw-target file and bootstrap script are committed so teammates can use the
same flow. The auth storage state and credentials are gitignored โ they
contain secrets.
Auth flow templates
aw-setup ships two ready-to-copy bootstrap scripts under
templates/. Both produce the same artifact (a Playwright
storageState JSON) but get there differently:
(a) Interactive headful capture โ auth-bootstrap-headful.template.mjs
What it does. Launches a headful Chromium pointed at AUTH_LOGIN_URL,
prints "log in then close the window" to stderr, and saves storage state
when either:
- the page URL matches
AUTH_POST_LOGIN_URL_PATTERN (if provided), or
- the user closes the browser window (via a
browser.on('disconnected')
handler โ the save is idempotent).
When to pick this. SSO, OAuth, passwordless flows, anything that's hard
to script. Also a fine default for first-time setup โ log in once, reuse the
session for days. To refresh, run the script again.
Env contract.
| Var | Required | Purpose |
|---|
AUTH_LOGIN_URL | Yes | The page to open |
AUTH_STORAGE_STATE | Yes | Output path (./.auth/<name>.json) |
AUTH_POST_LOGIN_URL_PATTERN | No | JS regex source; auto-save + close when matched |
AUTH_TIMEOUT_MS | No | Max wait for the pattern (default 10 min) |
Bootstrap command in aw-target.yml:
auth:
strategy: storage-state
storage_state: ./.auth/local.json
refresh:
when: missing-or-expired
command: |
AUTH_LOGIN_URL=http://localhost:3000/login \
AUTH_STORAGE_STATE=./.auth/local.json \
AUTH_POST_LOGIN_URL_PATTERN='/dashboard' \
node scripts/auth-bootstrap-headful.mjs
timeout_seconds: 600
(b) Automated credentials โ auth-bootstrap-credentials.template.mjs
What it does. Headless Chromium logs in by filling a plain HTML form with
E2E_EMAIL / E2E_PASSWORD, waits for AUTH_POST_LOGIN_URL_PATTERN, and
saves storage state. The locator block at the top of the script is marked
>>> CUSTOMIZE <<< because every project's login form has different labels.
When to pick this. Plain HTML email+password form, no MFA / CAPTCHA, you
want unattended refreshes (CI, scheduled re-auth, mass test execution).
Skip this if your login is SSO, OAuth-redirect, magic-link, or has
required MFA โ those need (a).
Env contract.
| Var | Required | Purpose |
|---|
AUTH_LOGIN_URL | Yes | The page that hosts the login form |
AUTH_STORAGE_STATE | Yes | Output path (./.auth/<name>.json) |
AUTH_POST_LOGIN_URL_PATTERN | Yes | JS regex source matched after submit |
E2E_EMAIL | Yes | The test user's email/username |
E2E_PASSWORD | Yes | The test user's password (env var, never committed) |
AUTH_TIMEOUT_MS | No | Max wait for the post-login URL (default 30s) |
Bootstrap command in aw-target.yml:
auth:
strategy: storage-state
storage_state: ./.auth/local.json
refresh:
when: missing-or-expired
command: |
AUTH_LOGIN_URL=http://localhost:3000/login \
AUTH_STORAGE_STATE=./.auth/local.json \
AUTH_POST_LOGIN_URL_PATTERN='/dashboard' \
node scripts/auth-bootstrap-credentials.mjs
timeout_seconds: 60
Then declare the credentials env vars in .env.local (gitignored) or your
CI secret store:
export E2E_EMAIL="test+aw@example.com"
export E2E_PASSWORD="<from-1password-or-similar>"
Which one wins for your project?
A quick decision aid (the same logic aw-setup uses in Phase B):
Is the login form plain HTML (email + password + submit, no redirects)?
โโ Yes โ Can you store the password in a CI secret / .env.local safely?
โ โโ Yes โ (b) Automated credentials
โ โโ No โ (a) Interactive headful capture
โโ No (SSO, OAuth, magic link, MFA) โ (a) Interactive headful capture
Both flows produce the same .auth/<name>.json โ aw-tester does not care
which one created it. You can switch later by re-running /aw-setup and
picking a different strategy; aw-setup detects the change and offers to
rewrite the bootstrap script + the refresh.command line in lockstep.
Compatibility notes
- No dependency on
playwright.config.ts โ aw-setup probes via npx playwright@latest.
- No dependency on
aw-tester being installed โ aw-setup brings its own probe.
- If
playwright is already installed locally, aw-setup uses the local binary;
otherwise it falls back to npx playwright@latest.
- The bootstrap scripts (
scripts/auth-bootstrap-*.mjs) import { chromium } from 'playwright',
so they need Playwright available at runtime. aw-tester's pinned binary
resolution covers this transparently (see templates/aw-tester.agent.md)
โ if no project install is found, the cached branch-local install is reused.
Definition of done
