daytona-electron-test

name	daytona-electron-test
description	Daytona Electron sandbox testing with CDP/noVNC. Use when the user says test on Daytona, run Electron on Daytona, Daytona dry run, test Electron remotely, reproduce on Daytona, or validate a real desktop flow.

Skill: Daytona Electron Test

Drive the real OpenWork Electron app inside a Daytona sandbox via CDP browser tools. Covers workspace creation, session interaction, settings verification, and bug reproduction.

When to use

• User says "test on Daytona", "run the app on Daytona", "Daytona dry run"
• User wants to reproduce a bug in the real Electron app remotely
• User wants to verify a UI flow end-to-end without local Electron

Fastest path: the script

Run the helper script from the repo root. It creates a Daytona VNC-capable sandbox from the reusable openwork-eval-vnc snapshot when present, checks out the ref, conditionally installs deps, starts XFCE/noVNC, Vite, Electron, and waits for CDP:

bash .devcontainer/test-on-daytona.sh [branch-or-commit]

It prints the CDP and noVNC URLs at the end. Then use browser_list to connect. Refresh the snapshot with bash .devcontainer/create-daytona-openwork-snapshot.sh when dependencies or base setup change. The snapshot excludes node_modules; dependency installs reuse the openwork-eval-pnpm-store volume. For provider flows, create/populate the reusable secrets volume once with bash .devcontainer/setup-daytona-secrets-volume.sh .newtoken; future Daytona sandboxes mount openwork-eval-secrets:/daytona-secrets automatically and source every /daytona-secrets/*.env file before Electron starts.

Related Daytona Skills

• daytona-flow-validator: pass/fail validation with a strict observe -> act -> observe/assert -> evidence loop.
• daytona-cloud-server: Den Web/API, worker proxy, marketplace, cloud auth, and org policy server setup.
• daytona-electron-den: two-sandbox server + Electron validation.
• daytona-chrome-cdp: standalone Chrome in Daytona for web sign-in and OAuth.
• daytona-secrets-volume: provider keys and eval-only secrets in openwork-eval-secrets:/daytona-secrets.
• daytona-recording-artifacts: screenshots, recordings, validation artifacts, before/after videos, and PR evidence.

Daytona Testing Toolbox

• Cloud server: use .devcontainer/test-server-on-daytona.sh for Den Web, Den API, worker proxy, org policies, marketplace, and cloud auth flows.
• Secrets volume: use openwork-eval-secrets:/daytona-secrets for provider keys and eval-only credentials. Add more files with bash .devcontainer/setup-daytona-secrets-volume.sh <local-env> <name>.env.
• Electron sandbox: use .devcontainer/test-on-daytona.sh for the real desktop app, noVNC visual access, and CDP automation on port 9825.
• Artifacts volume: use openwork-eval-artifacts:/daytona-artifacts for screenshots, validation notes, and recordings that survive sandbox deletion.

Validation standard: use daytona-flow-validator. Default proof format is frame-by-frame HTML — named PNGs in a browseable index served on port 8090. Use video only for interactions that need motion (streaming, animations, loading states). See daytona-recording-artifacts for the frame workflow.

Before sharing screenshot URLs, inspect the saved PNG itself per daytona-flow-validator. Do not post screenshots that are covered by native pickers, dialogs, toasts, desktop windows, or unrelated overlays.

When the user asks specifically about server, secrets, recordings, screenshots, or evidence, use the focused skill above instead of relying only on this runbook.

Manual debugging

Do not copy raw Daytona create/start commands into new docs or skills. Keep the single maintained provisioning path in .devcontainer/test-on-daytona.sh and debug by inspecting its logs:

daytona exec <sandbox> -- 'tail -80 /tmp/start-vnc.log'
daytona exec <sandbox> -- 'tail -80 /tmp/vite.log'
daytona exec <sandbox> -- 'tail -80 /tmp/electron.log'

Get URLs

# Electron CDP (automation) -- THIS IS WHAT browser_list CONNECTS TO
daytona preview-url "$SANDBOX" -p 9825

# noVNC (visual access in your browser)
daytona preview-url "$SANDBOX" -p 6080

5. Connect browser tools

browser_list({ browser_url: "<CDP_URL>" })

Should show: [target_id] OpenWork http://localhost:5173/#/welcome

6. Verify it's real Electron (not plain Chromium)

browser_eval({ browser_url: "<CDP_URL>", target_id: "<TARGET_ID>", expression: "navigator.userAgent" })

Must contain Electron/.

Creating a workspace through the UI

Prepare the directory first

daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- "bash -lc 'mkdir -p /workspace/hello'"

Drive the modal

1. Click "Get started":

(function() { var btns = document.querySelectorAll('button'); for (var i = 0; i < btns.length; i++) { if (btns[i].textContent.indexOf('Get started') !== -1) { btns[i].click(); return 'clicked'; } } return 'not found'; })()

2. Click "Local workspace":

(function() { var btns = document.querySelectorAll('button'); for (var i = 0; i < btns.length; i++) { if (btns[i].textContent.indexOf('Local workspace') !== -1) { btns[i].click(); return 'clicked'; } } return 'not found'; })()

3. Inject folder path (bypasses the native file picker that can't work headless):

JSON.stringify((function() {
  function findFiber(el) {
    var key = Object.keys(el).find(function(k) { return k.startsWith('__reactFiber$'); });
    return key ? el[key] : null;
  }
  var all = document.querySelectorAll('span,div,p');
  var p = null;
  for (var i = 0; i < all.length; i++) {
    if (all[i].textContent.indexOf('No folder') !== -1) { p = all[i]; break; }
  }
  if (!p) return {err: 'no placeholder'};
  var fiber = findFiber(p);
  while (fiber) {
    var name = (fiber.elementType && fiber.elementType.name) || (fiber.type && fiber.type.name) || '';
    if (name === 'CreateWorkspaceModal') break;
    fiber = fiber.return;
  }
  if (!fiber) return {err: 'no fiber'};
  var hook = fiber.memoizedState;
  while (hook) {
    if (hook.queue && hook.queue.dispatch) {
      hook.queue.dispatch({ key: 'selectedFolder', value: '/workspace/hello' });
      hook.queue.dispatch({ key: 'pickingFolder', value: false });
      return {ok: true};
    }
    hook = hook.next;
  }
  return {err: 'no dispatch'};
})())

The reducer uses { key, value } actions. NOT direct state replacement.

4. Click "Create Workspace":

(function() { var btns = document.querySelectorAll('button'); for (var i = 0; i < btns.length; i++) { if (btns[i].textContent.trim() === 'Create Workspace' && !btns[i].disabled) { btns[i].click(); return 'clicked'; } } return 'not found'; })()

5. Wait 10-12s. Verify:
   • URL contains #/workspace/ws_
   • Status bar shows "OpenWork Ready"
   • opencode process running: daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- "bash -lc 'ps aux | grep opencode | grep -v grep'"

Native Linux dialogs

If the current app path opens a native Linux dialog instead of the React modal, use daytona-flow-validator's Linux desktop automation guidance. Drive GTK file pickers and OS dialogs with xdotool/wmctrl, then verify the dialog closed with wmctrl -l, assert app state with CDP, and inspect the captured screenshot before sharing evidence.

UI automation selector map

Before guessing selectors, check the owning component. Prefer ARIA labels, button text, and input placeholders over brittle CSS classes. Use React fiber only when bypassing native file pickers.

Control	Stable selector/search	Source file
Settings button	button[aria-label="Settings"]	apps/app/src/react-app/domains/session/chat/status-bar.tsx
Back to app	button text Back to app	apps/app/src/react-app/domains/settings/shell/settings-shell.tsx
New task	button[aria-label="New task"]	apps/app/src/react-app/domains/session/sidebar/app-sidebar.tsx
Run task	button text Run task	apps/app/src/react-app/domains/session/surface/composer/composer.tsx
Model selector	button[aria-label="Change model"]	apps/app/src/react-app/domains/session/surface/composer/composer.tsx
Composer editor	[contenteditable="true"][data-lexical-editor="true"]	apps/app/src/react-app/domains/session/surface/composer/editor.tsx
AI Providers tab	button text AI Providers	apps/app/src/react-app/domains/settings/shell/settings-page.tsx
Connect provider	button text Connect provider	apps/app/src/react-app/domains/settings/pages/ai-view.tsx
Provider search	input[placeholder="Filter providers by name or ID"]	apps/app/src/react-app/domains/connections/provider-auth/provider-auth-modal.tsx
Manual key option	button containing Manually enter API Key	provider-auth-modal.tsx
API key input	input[type="password"][placeholder="sk-..."]	provider-auth-modal.tsx
Save key	button text Save key	provider-auth-modal.tsx

Reusable click helpers:

// Click exact button text.
(function(text) { var b = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('button')).find(function(el) { return el.textContent.trim() === text && !el.disabled; }); if (!b) return 'not found: ' + text; b.click(); return 'clicked: ' + text; })('AI Providers')

// Click an ARIA-labeled button/link.
(function(label) { var el = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('button,a')).find(function(node) { return node.getAttribute('aria-label') === label && !node.disabled; }); if (!el) return 'not found: ' + label; el.click(); return 'clicked: ' + label; })('Settings')

// Set a React-controlled input.
(function(selector, value) { var input = document.querySelector(selector); if (!input) return 'not found: ' + selector; Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(HTMLInputElement.prototype, 'value').set.call(input, value); input.dispatchEvent(new InputEvent('input', { bubbles: true, inputType: 'insertText', data: value })); return 'set: ' + selector; })('input[placeholder="Filter providers by name or ID"]', 'openai')

// Paste text into the Lexical composer. Prefer this over execCommand in Electron/CDP.
(function(text) { var editor = document.querySelector('[contenteditable="true"][data-lexical-editor="true"]'); if (!editor) return 'no editor'; editor.focus(); var data = new DataTransfer(); data.setData('text/plain', text); editor.dispatchEvent(new ClipboardEvent('paste', { bubbles: true, cancelable: true, clipboardData: data })); return editor.innerText; })('Reply with exactly: Daytona UI key OK')

Connect OpenAI through the UI

Use this when the user provides a temporary key and asks to test real model sessions. Do not write the key into docs or repo files.

1. Open Settings using button[aria-label="Settings"].
2. Click AI Providers.
3. Click Connect provider.
4. Set input[placeholder="Filter providers by name or ID"] to openai.
5. Click the provider row containing OpenAI and openai.
6. Click Manually enter API Key.
7. Set input[type="password"][placeholder="sk-..."] to the key.
8. Click Save key.
9. Verify text includes 2 providers connected, OpenAI, and Disconnect.
10. Click Pick a new default?, expand OpenAI, select Default model, and click GPT-5.5gpt-5.5.
11. Return to app, create a session, paste a prompt into the composer, and click Run task.

Expected successful session message metadata: provider openai, model gpt-5.5, variant medium.

Session interaction

Prerequisites: API key for real LLM sessions

To test real sessions (not just UI flow), the opencode sidecar needs an LLM provider key. The easiest is OpenAI:

daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- "bash -lc 'cd /workspace/hello && node -e \"
  const fs = require(\\\"fs\\\");
  const p = \\\"opencode.jsonc\\\";
  let c = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(p, \\\"utf8\\\").replace(/^\\\\/\\\\/.*$/gm, \\\"\\\"));
  c.provider = c.provider || {};
  c.provider.openai = { options: { apiKey: process.env.KEY } };
  fs.writeFileSync(p, JSON.stringify(c, null, 2));
\" '"

Set KEY=sk-proj-... in the command above. After writing the config, you must restart all services (see "Injecting API keys" section below) for opencode to pick up the new provider.

To switch models in the UI, click the model name in the bottom bar (e.g. "Big Pickle") and select the desired model (e.g. GPT-5.5).

Type in the Lexical composer

(function() {
  var editor = document.querySelector('[contenteditable=true]');
  if (!editor) return 'no editor';
  editor.focus();
  document.execCommand('selectAll', false, null);
  document.execCommand('insertText', false, 'YOUR PROMPT HERE');
  return 'typed';
})()

MUST use document.execCommand('insertText', ...). Direct textContent = or innerHTML = does NOT trigger Lexical state updates.

Click Run task

(function() { var btns = document.querySelectorAll('button'); for (var i = 0; i < btns.length; i++) { if (btns[i].textContent.indexOf('Run task') !== -1 && !btns[i].disabled) { btns[i].click(); return 'clicked'; } } return 'not found'; })()

Check response

document.body.innerText.substring(0, 3000)

Settings navigation

Open settings (gear icon):

(function() { var el = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('button,a')).find(function(node) { return node.getAttribute('aria-label') === 'Settings'; }); if (!el) return 'not found'; el.click(); return 'clicked'; })()

Navigate to a panel (e.g. AI Providers):

(function() { var btn = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('button')).find(function(el) { return el.textContent.trim() === 'AI Providers'; }); if (!btn) return 'not found'; btn.click(); return 'clicked'; })()

Back to app:

(function() { var btn = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('button')).find(function(el) { return el.textContent.trim() === 'Back to app'; }); if (!btn) return 'not found'; btn.click(); return 'clicked'; })()

Window management (minimize/restore testing)

Install xdotool first:

daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- "bash -lc 'apt-get update && apt-get install -y xdotool'"

Then:

# Minimize
daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- "bash -lc 'DISPLAY=:99 xdotool search --name OpenWork windowminimize'"

# Restore
daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- "bash -lc 'DISPLAY=:99 xdotool search --name OpenWork windowactivate'"

API keys and eval secrets

Do not edit workspace config or print keys. Create/populate the reusable Daytona volume once from the repo root:

bash .devcontainer/setup-daytona-secrets-volume.sh .newtoken
bash .devcontainer/setup-daytona-secrets-volume.sh .anthropic anthropic.env

Every Daytona eval sandbox mounts openwork-eval-secrets:/daytona-secrets and /opt/openwork-daytona/start-daytona-electron.sh sources every /daytona-secrets/*.env file before Electron starts. Keep provider keys, test OAuth credentials, and other eval-only secrets there instead of workspace files. If you update the volume while a sandbox is already running, restart Electron so the env is reloaded:

# Step 1: kill Electron/runtime children
daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- "bash -lc 'pkill -f electron || true; pkill -f electron-dev || true; pkill -f opencode || true'"

# Step 2: wait, then restart Electron (separate exec call)
sleep 3
daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- "bash -lc 'cd /workspace && bash /opt/openwork-daytona/start-daytona-electron.sh --detach'"

GOTCHA: Do NOT chain pkill and the restart in the same daytona exec call. pkill -f electron sends SIGTERM to the exec session itself (because the command string matches). The restart never runs. Always use two separate daytona exec calls with a sleep between them.

Ports reference

Service	Port	Description
noVNC	6080	See the Electron app visually
Vite HMR	5173	React UI hot reload
CDP	9825	Chrome DevTools Protocol for automation
Den Web	3005	Admin dashboard (needs MySQL)
Den API	8788	Control plane (needs MySQL)

Two-sandbox Den + Electron marketplace evals

Use daytona-electron-den when testing Cloud Marketplace, desktop policies, or org-managed extension flows end-to-end. Keep this section as a quick reference only.

1. Start the Den server sandbox:

bash .devcontainer/test-server-on-daytona.sh <branch-or-commit>

2. Seed the server sandbox with demo org, marketplace, and plugin data. The seed must use the same encryption key as .devcontainer/start-daytona-server.sh, and @openwork/email must be built before the seed imports Den email helpers:

daytona exec <server-sandbox> -- 'cd /workspace && pnpm --filter @openwork/email build && cd /workspace/ee/apps/den-api && OPENWORK_DEV_MODE=1 DATABASE_URL=mysql://root:password@127.0.0.1:3306/openwork_den DEN_DB_ENCRYPTION_KEY=daytona-den-db-encryption-key-please-change-1234567890 BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=local-dev-secret-not-for-production-use!! BETTER_AUTH_URL=http://localhost:3005 pnpm exec tsx scripts/seed-demo-org.ts --reset'

3. Start Electron against the printed Den Web/API URLs:

bash .devcontainer/test-on-daytona.sh <branch-or-commit> --den-base-url <DEN_WEB_URL> --den-api-base-url <DEN_API_URL> --record-video --recording-name <name>

4. Sign in from Electron using the seeded demo account. Create a desktop handoff grant from the Den API, paste the openwork://den-auth?... URL into Cloud Account -> Paste sign-in code, and choose Acme Robotics:

TOKEN=$(curl -s -X POST '<DEN_API_URL>/api/auth/sign-in/email' -H 'content-type: application/json' --data '{"email":"[e-mail]","password":"OpenWorkDemo123!"}' | node -e 'let s="";process.stdin.on("data",c=>s+=c);process.stdin.on("end",()=>process.stdout.write(JSON.parse(s).token))')
curl -s -X POST '<DEN_API_URL>/v1/auth/desktop-handoff' -H "authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" -H 'content-type: application/json' --data '{"desktopScheme":"openwork"}'

5. Open Settings -> Extensions -> Marketplace and run the marketplace install, remove, search, and filter flows against the seeded marketplace packages.

Troubleshooting

OOM during pnpm install or Vite esbuild crash (EPIPE): You used --memory 1 (default). Always --memory 8.

Electron exits with "Running as root without --no-sandbox": The devcontainer sets ELECTRON_DISABLE_SANDBOX=1. If running Electron manually, pass --no-sandbox or set the env var.

Generic DBus errors in Electron logs: DBus warnings are expected in Daytona/Linux containers. They are not fatal if you also see DevTools listening on ws://127.0.0.1:9825/... and an OpenWork window in noVNC.

GPU process errors in Electron logs: Exiting GPU process due to errors during initialization is common under Xvfb. It is not fatal if Chromium falls back and the window appears. If CDP never prints DevTools listening, check /tmp/electron.log and restart Electron.

"bun: not found" during dev:electron: The sidecar prep script uses bun. The devcontainer Dockerfile installs it globally. If you built a custom Dockerfile, add RUN npm install -g bun.

"xauth command not found": apt-get install -y xauth (already in the devcontainer Dockerfile).

CDP shows no targets after 60s: Check /tmp/electron.log and /tmp/vite.log:

daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- "bash -lc 'tail -80 /tmp/electron.log'"
daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- "bash -lc 'tail -80 /tmp/vite.log'"

The app log line [openwork] Electron CDP exposed at http://127.0.0.1:9825 means OpenWork requested CDP. The real success marker is Chromium's own line: DevTools listening on ws://127.0.0.1:9825/devtools/browser/....

opencode sidecar not restarting after kill: The Electron runtime manager does NOT auto-detect sidecar death. You must restart the entire Electron process.

daytona exec with pkill kills the exec session: The process pattern match hits the exec wrapper. Always split kill and restart into separate daytona exec calls.

Blank Electron window (empty <div id="root"></div>): Vite crashed (check /tmp/vite.log). Usually memory pressure. Verify free -m shows >2 GB available.

noVNC URL says sandbox not found: Preview URLs are not stable. Regenerate the URL:

daytona preview-url "$SANDBOX" -p 6080

Electron starts twice or CDP says address already in use: Kill the old Electron process before restarting:

daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- "bash -lc 'pkill -f electron || true; pkill -f electron-dev || true'"

Recording before/after comparisons

Use this workflow to capture a BEFORE recording on the current branch, switch to a feature branch on the same sandbox, and capture an AFTER recording. Both recordings are saved to the persistent openwork-eval-artifacts volume and survive sandbox deletion.

Step 1: Start the sandbox with BEFORE recording

bash .devcontainer/test-on-daytona.sh dev --record-video --recording-name my-feature-before

Save the sandbox name from the output (e.g. SANDBOX=openwork-test-20260601-165424).

Step 2: Drive the BEFORE flow

Use browser tools to navigate the app and demonstrate the current behavior. The display is being recorded the entire time.

Step 3: Stop the BEFORE recording

daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- 'bash .devcontainer/stop-daytona-recording.sh'

Step 4: Switch to the feature branch

daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- "bash -lc 'cd /workspace && git fetch origin feat/my-branch:feat/my-branch && git checkout feat/my-branch'"

Vite HMR picks up the changes automatically. Wait a few seconds, then reset any app state needed (e.g. onboarding flag):

// In browser_eval:
const raw = localStorage.getItem("openwork.preferences");
const prefs = raw ? JSON.parse(raw) : {};
prefs.hasCompletedOnboarding = false;
localStorage.setItem("openwork.preferences", JSON.stringify(prefs));
location.reload();

Step 5: Start the AFTER recording

daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- "bash -lc 'cd /workspace && DISPLAY=:99 .devcontainer/start-daytona-recording.sh --detach --output /daytona-artifacts/recordings/my-feature-after.mp4'"

Step 6: Drive the AFTER flow

Use browser tools to demonstrate the new behavior. Same steps as BEFORE, but validate with daytona-flow-validator before calling the recording successful.

Step 7: Stop the AFTER recording

daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- 'bash .devcontainer/stop-daytona-recording.sh'

Step 8: Get recording URLs

Both recordings are on the persistent artifacts volume, served via the Python HTTP server on port 8090:

ARTIFACTS_URL=$(daytona preview-url "$SANDBOX" -p 8090 2>/dev/null | grep -v "^time=")
echo "BEFORE: ${ARTIFACTS_URL}/recordings/my-feature-before.mp4"
echo "AFTER:  ${ARTIFACTS_URL}/recordings/my-feature-after.mp4"

Include these URLs in your PR description.

Screenshot validation checkpoints

Use screenshots for fast validation while driving the UI. They complement, but do not replace, CDP assertions or recordings.

daytona exec "$SANDBOX" -- 'bash .devcontainer/capture-daytona-screenshot.sh'

Screenshots are saved to /daytona-artifacts/screenshots when the artifacts volume is mounted. Get the download URL from port 8090:

ARTIFACTS_URL=$(daytona preview-url "$SANDBOX" -p 8090 2>/dev/null | grep -v "^time=")
echo "${ARTIFACTS_URL}/screenshots/<filename>.png"

Use this pattern for each critical UI state: run a CDP assertion, capture a screenshot, then continue the recording.

Key recording commands reference

Action	Command
Start recording (from test-on-daytona.sh)	--record-video --recording-name NAME
Start recording (mid-sandbox)	daytona exec $SANDBOX -- "bash -lc 'cd /workspace && DISPLAY=:99 .devcontainer/start-daytona-recording.sh --detach --output /daytona-artifacts/recordings/NAME.mp4'"
Stop recording	daytona exec $SANDBOX -- 'bash .devcontainer/stop-daytona-recording.sh'
List recordings	daytona exec $SANDBOX -- 'ls -lah /daytona-artifacts/recordings/'
Capture screenshot	daytona exec $SANDBOX -- 'bash .devcontainer/capture-daytona-screenshot.sh'
Get download URL	daytona preview-url $SANDBOX -p 8090 then append /recordings/NAME.mp4

Notes

• Recordings are stored on the openwork-eval-artifacts Daytona volume (5 GB, reusable across sandboxes). They persist after daytona delete.
• The start-daytona-recording.sh script records to a temp file first, then copies to the artifacts volume on stop — this avoids NFS write issues.
• Always use stop-daytona-recording.sh to stop. It sends SIGINT so ffmpeg finalizes the mp4 container properly. SIGKILL produces a corrupt file.
• Default resolution is 1920x1080 at 15fps. Override with --size 1280x800 --fps 10 for smaller files.

Teardown

daytona delete "$SANDBOX"