| name | test-states |
| description | Test UI states and dynamic behavior including loading, empty, error, overlay, and animation states. Use when user wants to test modals, toasts, loading spinners, empty states, error handling, or animations. |
| allowed-tools | Bash(playwright-cli:*) Bash(npx:*) Bash(mkdir:*) |
UI States & Dynamic Behavior
Run 35 test cases across 4 parallel agents covering loading states, empty/error states, overlays, and animations.
Setup
URL="${ARGUMENTS:-http://localhost:3000}"
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
OUTDIR="test-results/test-states/$TIMESTAMP"
mkdir -p "$OUTDIR/screenshots" "$OUTDIR/snapshots" "$OUTDIR/traces"
Parallel Execution — 4 Subagents
Agent 1: Loading (-s=states-loading)
Tests loading, skeleton, and transition states.
playwright-cli -s=states-loading open "$URL"
playwright-cli -s=states-loading tracing-start
Test Cases:
| TC | Test | How to Check |
|---|
| TC-ST1 | Loading spinner appears during async ops | run-code to intercept network requests (delay responses), check for spinner/loading indicator |
| TC-ST2 | Skeleton screens render before data loads | run-code to intercept API calls (delay response), check for skeleton CSS (animated pulse/shimmer) |
| TC-ST3 | No FOUC (Flash of Unstyled Content) | run-code to observe page load, check if unstyled flash occurs (watch for style recalculation) |
| TC-ST4 | No layout shift when content loads | run-code to measure CLS during page load via PerformanceObserver |
| TC-ST5 | Progressive loading — above-fold first | run-code to check if above-fold images/content load before below-fold |
| TC-ST6 | Optimistic UI — updates before server response | run-code to intercept a mutation request (delay it), check if UI updates immediately |
| TC-ST7 | Loading states on buttons (prevent double-click) | Click a submit button, check if it shows loading state / becomes disabled |
playwright-cli -s=states-loading tracing-stop
playwright-cli -s=states-loading close
Agent 2: Empty/Error (-s=states-empty)
Tests empty states, error states, and edge cases.
playwright-cli -s=states-empty open "$URL"
playwright-cli -s=states-empty tracing-start
Test Cases:
| TC | Test | How to Check |
|---|
| TC-ST8 | Empty state shown for empty lists/tables | run-code to mock API returning empty array, check for empty state UI |
| TC-ST9 | Empty state has helpful CTA | When empty state shown, check for action button/link (e.g., "Add your first item") |
| TC-ST10 | 404 page exists and is helpful | Navigate to $URL/nonexistent-page-xyz-404, verify custom 404 page with navigation back |
| TC-ST11 | 500 error page exists (no stack trace) | run-code to mock API returning 500, check error page doesn't show stack trace |
| TC-ST12 | Network error state (offline/timeout) | run-code to set page offline mode, trigger action, check for error UI |
| TC-ST13 | Permission denied state | run-code to mock API returning 403, check for appropriate UI |
| TC-ST14 | Session expired state + redirect | run-code to mock API returning 401, check for redirect to login or session expired message |
| TC-ST15 | Partial failure — some items load, some don't | run-code to mock mixed success/failure responses, verify partial UI renders |
playwright-cli -s=states-empty tracing-stop
playwright-cli -s=states-empty close
Agent 3: Overlays (-s=states-overlay)
Tests modals, toasts, tooltips, and dropdowns.
playwright-cli -s=states-overlay open "$URL"
playwright-cli -s=states-overlay tracing-start
playwright-cli -s=states-overlay snapshot --filename="$OUTDIR/snapshots/overlay-initial.yaml"
Test Cases:
| TC | Test | How to Check |
|---|
| TC-ST16 | Modal opens/closes correctly | Find and click modal trigger, verify modal appears. Click close, verify dismissed |
| TC-ST17 | Modal traps focus (Tab cycles within) | Open modal, Tab repeatedly, verify focus stays within modal via run-code checking activeElement |
| TC-ST18 | Modal closes on Escape | Open modal, press Escape, verify modal dismissed |
| TC-ST19 | Modal closes on backdrop click | Open modal, click outside modal content area, verify dismissed |
| TC-ST20 | Body scroll locked when modal open | Open modal, run-code to check document.body.style.overflow is hidden |
| TC-ST21 | Multiple modals stack correctly | If multiple modals possible: open two, verify z-index stacking, top modal is interactive |
| TC-ST22 | Toast/notification appears + auto-dismisses | Trigger toast (e.g., form submit), verify it appears then disappears after timeout |
| TC-ST23 | Multiple toasts stack (don't overlap) | Trigger multiple toasts, verify they stack vertically without overlapping |
| TC-ST24 | Tooltip shows on hover + keyboard focus | hover over tooltip trigger, verify tooltip appears. Tab to it, verify also appears |
| TC-ST25 | Dropdown closes on outside click | Open dropdown, click outside it, verify it closes |
| TC-ST26 | Dropdown closes on Escape | Open dropdown, press Escape, verify it closes |
| TC-ST27 | Context menu doesn't go off-screen | run-code to find context menus/dropdowns near edges, verify they reposition to stay in viewport |
playwright-cli -s=states-overlay tracing-stop
playwright-cli -s=states-overlay close
Agent 4: Animation (-s=states-animation)
Tests animations, transitions, and motion.
playwright-cli -s=states-animation open "$URL"
playwright-cli -s=states-animation tracing-start
Test Cases:
| TC | Test | How to Check |
|---|
| TC-ST28 | Animations are smooth (no jank) | run-code with requestAnimationFrame to measure frame timing, flag >16ms gaps |
| TC-ST29 | prefers-reduced-motion disables animations | run-code: page.emulateMedia({reducedMotion:'reduce'}), verify animations disabled via computed transition/animation styles |
| TC-ST30 | Transitions complete (not stuck mid-animation) | run-code to observe transition elements, verify they reach final state |
| TC-ST31 | Hover effects work | hover over interactive elements, run-code to check style changes (color, background, transform) |
| TC-ST32 | Active/pressed states visible on buttons | run-code to simulate mousedown on buttons, check for active state styles |
| TC-ST33 | Scroll-triggered animations fire | run-code to scroll page, check if animation classes are added to elements entering viewport |
| TC-ST34 | Page transitions in SPA (not abrupt) | Navigate between pages, check for transition effects (fade, slide) rather than abrupt replacement |
| TC-ST35 | Micro-interactions smooth | Find toggle switches/checkboxes, interact, check for smooth animation via run-code |
playwright-cli -s=states-animation tracing-stop
playwright-cli -s=states-animation close
Report Generation
After all 4 agents complete, merge results into $OUTDIR/report.md following the standard report format.
Group results by agent category:
- Loading (TC-ST1 through TC-ST7)
- Empty/Error (TC-ST8 through TC-ST15)
- Overlays (TC-ST16 through TC-ST27)
- Animation (TC-ST28 through TC-ST35)
Cleanup
playwright-cli -s=states-loading close 2>/dev/null
playwright-cli -s=states-empty close 2>/dev/null
playwright-cli -s=states-overlay close 2>/dev/null
playwright-cli -s=states-animation close 2>/dev/null
