Agent skill
webapp-testing
Toolkit for interacting with and testing local web applications using Playwright. Supports verifying frontend functionality, debugging UI behavior, capturing browser screenshots, and viewing browser logs. Activate on: Playwright, webapp testing, browser automation, E2E testing, UI testing. NOT for API-only testing without browser, unit tests, or mobile app testing.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/curiositech/some_claude_skills/tree/main/.claude/skills/webapp-testing
Metadata
Additional technical details for this skill
- tags
-
playwright e2e browser automation ui-testing
- category
- Code Quality & Testing
- pairs with
-
[ { "skill": "test-automation-expert", "reason": "Comprehensive testing strategy" }, { "skill": "site-reliability-engineer", "reason": "Validate deployed web apps" } ]
SKILL.md
Web Application Testing
Write native Python Playwright scripts to test local web applications.
When to Use
✅ Use for:
- E2E testing of web applications
- UI automation and interaction testing
- Visual regression testing
- Browser log capture and debugging
- Screenshot capture for verification
- Form submission and validation testing
❌ NOT for:
- API-only testing without a browser (use requests/httpx)
- Unit testing of individual functions
- Mobile app testing (use Appium)
- Load/performance testing (use k6/Locust)
Decision Tree: Choosing Your Approach
User task → Is it static HTML?
├─ Yes → Read HTML file directly to identify selectors
│ ├─ Success → Write Playwright script using selectors
│ └─ Fails/Incomplete → Treat as dynamic (below)
│
└─ No (dynamic webapp) → Is the server already running?
├─ No → Start server first, then run Playwright
│
└─ Yes → Reconnaissance-then-action:
1. Navigate and wait for networkidle
2. Take screenshot or inspect DOM
3. Identify selectors from rendered state
4. Execute actions with discovered selectors
Core Playwright Patterns
Basic Test Structure
from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright
with sync_playwright() as p:
browser = p.chromium.launch(headless=True) # Always headless
page = browser.new_page()
page.goto('http://localhost:5173')
page.wait_for_load_state('networkidle') # CRITICAL for SPAs
# ... your test logic
browser.close()
Reconnaissance-Then-Action Pattern
Step 1: Inspect rendered DOM
page.screenshot(path='/tmp/inspect.png', full_page=True)
content = page.content()
buttons = page.locator('button').all()
Step 2: Identify selectors from inspection results
Step 3: Execute actions using discovered selectors
Selector Strategy (Priority Order)
-
Role-based (best for accessibility):
pythonpage.get_by_role("button", name="Submit") page.get_by_role("textbox", name="Email") -
Text-based (readable, but fragile to copy changes):
pythonpage.get_by_text("Sign In") page.get_by_label("Password") -
Test IDs (stable, explicit):
pythonpage.get_by_test_id("login-button") -
CSS selectors (last resort):
pythonpage.locator(".btn-primary") page.locator("#submit-form")
Common Anti-Patterns
Anti-Pattern: Not Waiting for Network Idle
Symptom: Tests pass locally, fail in CI; elements not found
Problem: Modern SPAs load content dynamically after initial page load
Solution:
# ❌ Wrong
page.goto('http://localhost:3000')
page.click('button') # Element may not exist yet
# ✅ Correct
page.goto('http://localhost:3000')
page.wait_for_load_state('networkidle')
page.click('button')
Anti-Pattern: Hardcoded Waits
Symptom: time.sleep(3) scattered throughout tests
Problem: Slow, unreliable, doesn't adapt to actual page state
Solution:
# ❌ Wrong
time.sleep(5)
page.click('.dynamic-button')
# ✅ Correct
page.wait_for_selector('.dynamic-button', state='visible')
page.click('.dynamic-button')
Anti-Pattern: Inspecting DOM Before JavaScript Executes
Symptom: Empty page content, missing elements in static analysis
Problem: Reading HTML before client-side rendering completes
Solution: Always wait for networkidle on dynamic apps before inspection
Waiting Strategies
# Wait for element to appear
page.wait_for_selector('#my-element')
# Wait for element to be visible
page.wait_for_selector('#my-element', state='visible')
# Wait for element to be hidden
page.wait_for_selector('#my-element', state='hidden')
# Wait for navigation
page.wait_for_url('**/dashboard')
# Wait for network idle (all requests complete)
page.wait_for_load_state('networkidle')
# Custom wait with timeout
page.wait_for_function('document.querySelector(".loaded")')
Screenshot Patterns
# Full page screenshot
page.screenshot(path='/tmp/full.png', full_page=True)
# Element screenshot
page.locator('#header').screenshot(path='/tmp/header.png')
# Before/after comparison
page.screenshot(path='/tmp/before.png')
# ... perform action ...
page.screenshot(path='/tmp/after.png')
Console Log Capture
# Capture all console messages
messages = []
page.on('console', lambda msg: messages.append({
'type': msg.type,
'text': msg.text
}))
# Filter errors only
page.on('console', lambda msg:
print(f'ERROR: {msg.text}') if msg.type == 'error' else None
)
Form Testing
# Fill form fields
page.fill('#email', 'test@example.com')
page.fill('#password', 'secret123')
# Select dropdown
page.select_option('#country', 'US')
# Check checkbox
page.check('#terms')
# Submit form
page.click('button[type="submit"]')
# Verify submission
page.wait_for_url('**/success')
Assertions
from playwright.sync_api import expect
# Element assertions
expect(page.locator('#title')).to_have_text('Welcome')
expect(page.locator('#count')).to_have_text('5')
expect(page.locator('.error')).to_be_hidden()
expect(page.locator('#submit')).to_be_enabled()
# Page assertions
expect(page).to_have_url('http://localhost:3000/dashboard')
expect(page).to_have_title('My App')
Multi-Page Scenarios
# Handle popup windows
with page.expect_popup() as popup_info:
page.click('#open-popup')
popup = popup_info.value
popup.wait_for_load_state()
# Handle new tabs
with context.expect_page() as new_page_info:
page.click('a[target="_blank"]')
new_page = new_page_info.value
Test File Organization
tests/
├── conftest.py # Shared fixtures
├── test_login.py # Login flows
├── test_dashboard.py # Dashboard features
├── test_forms.py # Form submissions
└── screenshots/ # Visual artifacts
Running Tests
# Run single test file
python -m pytest tests/test_login.py
# Run with browser visible (debugging)
PWDEBUG=1 python -m pytest tests/test_login.py
# Generate trace for debugging
python -m pytest --tracing=on tests/test_login.py
Best Practices
- Use
sync_playwright()for synchronous scripts - Always close the browser when done
- Use descriptive selectors: role, text, test-id over CSS
- Add appropriate waits:
wait_for_selector(),wait_for_load_state() - Capture screenshots on failure for debugging
- Keep tests independent - each test should set up its own state
This skill encodes: Playwright best practices | Selector strategies | Wait patterns | Anti-pattern prevention | E2E testing workflows
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