opendevbrowser-form-testing

name	opendevbrowser-form-testing
description	This skill should be used when the user asks to "test a form", "verify validation", "check submission behavior", "test multi-step forms", or "debug form errors" with OpenDevBrowser.
version	2.0.0

Form Testing Skill

Use this skill for robust form automation across dynamic, multi-step, challenge-protected, and accessibility-critical flows.

Pack Contents

• artifacts/form-workflows.md
• assets/templates/validation-matrix.json
• assets/templates/challenge-decision-tree.json
• assets/templates/a11y-assertions.md
• assets/templates/multi-step-state.json
• scripts/run-form-workflow.sh
• scripts/validate-skill-assets.sh
• Shared robustness matrix: ../opendevbrowser-best-practices/artifacts/browser-agent-known-issues-matrix.md

Fast Start

./skills/opendevbrowser-form-testing/scripts/validate-skill-assets.sh
./skills/opendevbrowser-form-testing/scripts/run-form-workflow.sh validation
./skills/opendevbrowser-form-testing/scripts/run-form-workflow.sh multi-step
./skills/opendevbrowser-form-testing/scripts/run-form-workflow.sh challenge-checkpoint

Supporting Surfaces

• Use browser replay (screencast-start / screencast-stop) when transient validation, step transitions, or challenge timing need temporal evidence.
• Use desktop observation only for read-only evidence around OS-owned dialogs such as file choosers or sibling desktop prompts.
• Use --challenge-automation-mode off|browser|browser_with_helper for bounded browser-scoped computer use on submit or challenge branches; it is not desktop automation.

Core Rules

• Snapshot first, then act.
• Keep one field mutation per decision loop in failure analysis.
• Re-snapshot after each invalid submit to avoid stale refs.
• Verify both UX and network behavior for each submission branch.
• Use low-level pointer controls when a deterministic challenge or slider gate is part of the approved test path, then re-snapshot before continuing.
• Keep challenge retries bounded and honor Retry-After when 429 pressure appears.

Session Reuse by Mode

• extension reuses the attached live tab or profile state; it does not run system cookie bootstrap.
• managed attempts readable system Chrome-family cookie bootstrap before first navigation.
• cdpConnect attempts readable system Chrome-family cookie bootstrap before first navigation.
• Use cookie-import only when you intentionally need to add or override cookies after session creation.
• Canonical direct-run release evidence policy lives in ../opendevbrowser-best-practices/SKILL.md.

Parallel Multitab Alignment

• Apply shared concurrency policy from ../opendevbrowser-best-practices/SKILL.md ("Parallel Operations").
• Validate form workflows in managed, extension, and cdpConnect paths before parity sign-off.
• Keep one session per worker and avoid alternating target-use inside one command stream.

Robustness Coverage (Known-Issue Matrix)

Matrix source: ../opendevbrowser-best-practices/artifacts/browser-agent-known-issues-matrix.md

• ISSUE-01: stale refs after dynamic validation rerenders
• ISSUE-02: iframe challenge or embedded payment/auth forms
• ISSUE-05: anti-bot checkpoint loops on submit
• ISSUE-06: rate-limit/backoff behavior
• ISSUE-08: restricted origin or unsupported test surface

Form Coverage Matrix

Cover at least:

• required/optional fields
• format/pattern constraints
• numeric and length boundaries
• dependent and conditional sections
• disabled/enabled transitions
• server-side rejection paths

Use the matrix template in assets/templates/validation-matrix.json.

Validation area	Minimal assertion	Evidence capture
Required vs optional	Empty required field blocks submit; optional field allows submit	snapshot, inline error text, submit request status
Format and pattern	Invalid format shows field error and keeps form invalid	dom_get_text, get_attr aria-invalid, request payload
Numeric and length bounds	Min/max boundaries are enforced consistently client+server	field value checks, server response body
Conditional sections	Dependent fields appear/disappear with correct state reset	before/after snapshots, visibility checks
Disabled/enabled transitions	Submit only enables when constraints are satisfied	is_enabled, transition snapshots
Server-side rejection	Backend validation errors map to correct field/global errors	network_poll, rendered error copy

Canonical Validation Flow

opendevbrowser_snapshot sessionId="<session-id>" format="actionables"
opendevbrowser_type sessionId="<session-id>" ref="<field-ref>" text=""
opendevbrowser_click sessionId="<session-id>" ref="<submit-ref>"
opendevbrowser_snapshot sessionId="<session-id>" format="outline"
opendevbrowser_dom_get_text sessionId="<session-id>" ref="<error-ref>"

Accessibility Assertions

Validate error handling semantics:

• error text bound to invalid field
• aria-invalid="true" when invalid
• keyboard focus on first invalid field when applicable
• labels/instructions remain programmatically associated

opendevbrowser_get_attr sessionId="<session-id>" ref="<field-ref>" name="aria-invalid"
opendevbrowser_get_attr sessionId="<session-id>" ref="<field-ref>" name="aria-describedby"

Anti-Bot and Challenge Branches

For forms guarded by challenge providers:

1. Detect challenge widget/frame state.
2. If the environment exposes a deterministic slider/test gate, complete it with low-level pointer controls and re-snapshot.
3. Otherwise mark a manual checkpoint in the run log.
4. Complete challenge manually or by approved test key in non-production.
5. Resume from fresh snapshot and continue validation.

Do not implement challenge bypass behavior.

Loop guardrail:

• Stop after 2 repeated challenge checkpoints without forward progress.
• Capture network evidence and escalate as blocker.

Multi-Step and Conditional Forms

For wizard flows:

1. validate current step
2. submit and wait for next-step container ref
3. assert state carryover from prior step
4. finalize and validate confirmation payload

Use assets/templates/multi-step-state.json to track progression.

Network Correlation

Always poll and inspect submit requests:

opendevbrowser_network_poll sessionId="<session-id>" max=50

Flag mismatch cases:

• UI shows success but network fails
• UI hides server validation errors
• repeated 429/403 challenge pressure on submit endpoint

References

• Playwright best practices: https://playwright.dev/docs/best-practices
• WCAG 2.2 (Input assistance + accessible authentication): https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/
• Cloudflare Turnstile testing: https://developers.cloudflare.com/turnstile/tutorials/testing/
• reCAPTCHA v2 test keys: https://developers.google.com/recaptcha/docs/faq
• hCaptcha test keys: https://docs.hcaptcha.com/