e2e-testing

name	e2e-testing
description	Use for end-to-end testing of critical user journeys, especially browser-driven flows. Focus on stable, maintainable Playwright-style testing patterns and evidence collection.
risk	safe
source	codex-max
origin	ECC-adapted
date_added	2026-04-19

E2E Testing

Overview

Use e2e-testing when a task requires validating a user journey across the full stack, not just unit or integration boundaries. The emphasis is on stable scenarios, maintainable structure, and useful artifacts when failures happen.

Use when

• Testing critical browser flows
• Verifying auth, checkout, onboarding, search, or dashboard journeys end-to-end
• Adding Playwright-style tests
• Defining where E2E fits relative to unit and integration coverage
• Capturing traces, screenshots, or video for full-stack verification

Core principles

• Test user-visible behavior, not implementation details
• Keep scenarios focused and business-relevant
• Prefer stable locators and explicit conditions over arbitrary sleeps
• Collect useful failure artifacts
• Reserve E2E for critical paths; do not use it to replace lower-level tests

Recommended workflow

1. Define the journey

State:

• start state
• user actions
• expected visible result
• data or environment dependencies

2. Structure the test suite

Prefer:

• dedicated E2E directory
• shared fixtures for login/data setup
• page object or helper abstraction where it reduces duplication

3. Stabilize the test

Use:

• stable selectors
• explicit waits for the correct condition
• retries only as a last resort
• screenshots/traces/videos on failure

4. Report evidence

When an E2E run matters, keep:

• test outcome
• failing step if any
• artifact location if generated

Output contract

When this skill is used, the result should include:

• Journey under test
• Coverage scope
• Test structure recommendation
• Stability considerations
• Artifacts/evidence strategy

Related skills

• test-driven-development — for lower-level behavior-first implementation before E2E
• verification-before-completion — for evidence-based completion claims
• task-router-lite — routes here when the task is primarily E2E or user-journey verification