E2E testing and browser automation with qa-use CLI. Use when the user needs to run tests, verify features, automate browser interactions, or debug test failures.

qa-use

E2E testing and browser automation for AI-driven development workflows.

Critical Insight: Plugin Commands as Shortcuts

For AI Harnesses (codex, opencode, etc.):

Plugin commands (slash commands like /qa-use:verify) are convenience shortcuts that wrap CLI workflows. Harnesses with only the Bash tool can access ALL functionality via CLI commands documented below.

Pattern throughout this document:

CLI Workflow: Step-by-step CLI commands (works for ALL harnesses)
Plugin Shortcut: Optional slash command (convenience)

Setup & Configuration

Before using any qa-use commands, verify configuration is in place:

# Check current configuration (no-op if already configured)
qa-use setup

# Configure with API key (validates against server)
qa-use setup --api-key <key>

# View full configuration details
qa-use info

Environment Variables (alternative to config file):

Variable	Description
`QA_USE_API_KEY`	API key for authentication
`QA_USE_REGION`	Region: `us` (default) or `auto`
`QA_USE_API_URL`	Override API base URL

Config file: .qa-use.json in the project directory or ~/.qa-use.json in the home directory. Precedence: env vars > project .qa-use.json > ~/.qa-use.json.

If you encounter "API key not configured", 401, or auth errors: Run qa-use setup to check config state. NEVER fabricate or guess API keys.

Core Workflow

1. Browser Control & Session Lifecycle

CLI Workflow:

# Create browser session
qa-use browser create --viewport desktop

# For localhost testing
qa-use browser create --tunnel --no-headless

# Navigate
qa-use browser goto https://example.com

# Snapshot to get element refs (ALWAYS do this before interacting)
qa-use browser snapshot

# Interact by ref
qa-use browser click e3
qa-use browser fill e5 "text"

# Close
qa-use browser close

Plugin Shortcut:

/qa-use:explore https://example.com

(Wraps create + goto + snapshot with autonomous exploration)

Critical: Always run snapshot before your first interaction on a page. Never guess element refs.

Snapshot Diff Feature (use it to avoid unnecessary snapshots): After each action (goto, click, fill, etc.), the browser automatically shows DOM changes:

Summary: "5 elements added, 1 element modified"
Added elements: + [e54] generic "Thanks for agreeing!" (green)
Modified elements: ~ [e18] checkbox "I agree..." with +attrs: checked, active (yellow)
Removed elements: - [e99] button "Submit" (red)

When you can skip a full snapshot: If the diff output from your last action already shows the element ref you need to interact with next, use it directly — no need for an intermediate snapshot. For example, if clicking a button shows + [e54] button "Submit" in the diff, you can click e54 immediately.

When you still need a full snapshot: Run snapshot when you need to find elements that weren't in the diff (e.g., pre-existing elements you haven't interacted with yet), or when the diff was truncated (shows "... and N more changes").

2. Understanding Blocks

What are blocks?

Blocks are atomic recorded interactions from a browser session. They are:

Automatically captured during any browser interaction (click, fill, goto, scroll, etc.)
Stored server-side with the session
Retrieved via qa-use browser get-blocks
The foundation for test generation

Why blocks matter:

Record-once, replay-many: Interactive recording becomes automated test
AI-friendly: Agents can analyze blocks to understand user intent
Version control: Blocks stored with session enable test iteration
Bridge CLI → Tests: Natural workflow from exploration to automation

How blocks work:

# 1. Create session and interact
qa-use browser create --tunnel --no-headless
qa-use browser goto https://example.com
qa-use browser snapshot        # Returns: [ref=e1] button
qa-use browser click e1        # Records as block
qa-use browser fill e5 "text"  # Records as block

# 2. Retrieve blocks (JSON array)
qa-use browser get-blocks
# Returns:
# [
#   {"type": "goto", "url": "...", "timestamp": "..."},
#   {"type": "click", "ref": "e1", "timestamp": "..."},
#   {"type": "fill", "ref": "e5", "value": "text", "timestamp": "..."}
# ]

# 3. Generate test YAML from blocks
qa-use browser generate-test -n "my_test" -o qa-tests/my_test.yaml

# 4. Run generated test
qa-use test run my_test

Plugin Shortcut:

/qa-use:record start my_test
# ... perform interactions ...
/qa-use:record stop

(Wraps the interactive workflow with AI-powered test generation)

3. Test Management

CLI Workflow:

# Run test by name
qa-use test run login

# Run and save the (non-synced) local test to cloud
qa-use test run login --persist

# Validate syntax
qa-use test validate login

# Show test details
qa-use test info login

# List test runs
qa-use test runs --status failed

Plugin Shortcut:

/qa-use:test-run login

(Convenience shortcut for common test execution)

4. Test Sync Lifecycle

CLI Workflow:

# Pull tests from cloud
qa-use test sync pull

# Push all local tests to cloud
qa-use test sync push --all

# Push specific test
qa-use test sync push --id <uuid>

# Force push (overwrite conflicts)
qa-use test sync push --force

# Compare local vs cloud
qa-use test diff login.yaml

Persist vs Sync:

A local test is synced when its YAML has both an id: and a version_hash: (these are written back by test sync push/pull). --persist on test run and qa-use test sync are related but not the same:

Local file state	`persist`	What happens at run time
Non-synced	`false` (default)	Runs locally; nothing saved to cloud. Re-run with `--persist` or use `test sync push` to persist.
Non-synced	`true`	Test is uploaded as a new cloud entry after the run. Re-running like this creates duplicates — prefer `test sync push` once the file tracks the cloud id.
Synced	`false`	Runs against the cloud-tracked definition; no extra write.
Synced	`true`	Cloud definition is upserted (may overwrite newer cloud edits). Use `test sync push`/`pull` for explicit version control.

Rule of thumb: test sync push/pull is the deliberate path. Reserve --persist (or defaults.persist: true in .qa-use.json) for one-off uploads of brand-new local tests.

No Plugin Shortcut - Use CLI commands directly

Essential Commands

Browser Session Management

Command	Description
`qa-use browser create`	Create remote browser session
`qa-use browser create <url>`	Create session and navigate to URL
`qa-use browser create --tunnel`	Create local browser with API tunnel
`qa-use browser create --no-headless`	Show browser window (tunnel mode only)
`qa-use browser create --viewport <size>`	Set viewport: `desktop`, `tablet`, `mobile`
`qa-use browser create --ws-url <url>`	Connect to existing WebSocket browser
`qa-use browser create --after-test-id <uuid>`	Run a test first, then become interactive
`qa-use browser create --var <key=value>`	Override app config variables (repeatable)
`qa-use browser list`	List active sessions
`qa-use browser status`	Show current session details (app_url, recording_url, etc.)
`qa-use browser close`	Close active session

Sessions auto-persist in ~/.qa-use.json. One active session = no -s flag needed.

Navigation

Command	Description
`qa-use browser goto <url>`	Navigate to URL
`qa-use browser back`	Go back
`qa-use browser forward`	Go forward
`qa-use browser reload`	Reload page

Element Interaction

Command	Description
`qa-use browser click <ref>`	Click element by ref
`qa-use browser click --text "Button"`	Click by semantic description
`qa-use browser fill <ref> "value"`	Fill input field
`qa-use browser type <ref> "text"`	Type with delays (for autocomplete)
`qa-use browser press <key>`	Press key (e.g., `Enter`, `Tab`)
`qa-use browser check <ref>`	Check checkbox
`qa-use browser uncheck <ref>`	Uncheck checkbox
`qa-use browser select <ref> "option"`	Select dropdown option
`qa-use browser hover <ref>`	Hover over element
`qa-use browser scroll down 500`	Scroll by pixels
`qa-use browser scroll-into-view <ref>`	Scroll element into view
`qa-use browser drag <ref> --target <ref>`	Drag element to target
`qa-use browser mfa-totp [ref] <secret>`	Generate TOTP code (optionally fill)
`qa-use browser upload <ref> <file>...`	Upload file(s) to input (base64-encoded, works remote & tunnel)

Inspection & Snapshot Diff

Command	Description
`qa-use browser snapshot`	Get full ARIA tree with element refs (use only when diff output is insufficient)
`qa-use browser url`	Get current URL
`qa-use browser screenshot`	Save screenshot.png
`qa-use browser screenshot file.png`	Save to custom path
`qa-use browser screenshot --base64`	Output base64 to stdout
`qa-use browser evaluate <expression>`	Execute JavaScript in browser context

The snapshot-diff feature automatically displays DOM changes after each browser action:

Added elements: Shown with + prefix and green color — these refs are immediately usable
Modified elements: Shown with ~ prefix and yellow color, including attribute changes (+attrs: checked)
Removed elements: Shown with - prefix and red color — do NOT use these refs

Downloads: When an action triggers a file download (e.g., clicking a download link), the response includes download info: filename, size, and a presigned URL. Use qa-use browser downloads to list all downloads or --save <dir> to save them locally.

Use diff output to interact with newly appeared elements directly, without running a full snapshot first.

Test Operations

Command	Description
`qa-use test run <name>`	Run test by name
`qa-use test run --all`	Run all tests
`qa-use test run <name> --tunnel`	Run with local browser tunnel
`qa-use test run <name> --download`	Download assets to `/tmp/qa-use/downloads/`
`qa-use test run <name> --var key=value`	Override variable
`qa-use test validate <name>`	Validate test syntax
`qa-use test list`	List available tests
`qa-use test info <name>`	Show test details (steps, tags, description)
`qa-use test info --id <uuid>`	Show cloud test details by ID
`qa-use test runs [name]`	List test run history
`qa-use test runs --id <uuid>`	Filter runs by test ID
`qa-use test runs --status failed`	Filter runs by status
`qa-use test init`	Initialize test directory
`qa-use test sync pull`	Pull tests from cloud
`qa-use test sync push --all`	Push all local tests to cloud
`qa-use test sync push --id <uuid>`	Push specific test
`qa-use test sync push --force`	Push tests, overwriting conflicts
`qa-use test diff <file>`	Compare local vs cloud test
`qa-use test schema [path]`	View test definition schema

API Operations (Dynamic OpenAPI)

qa-use api dynamically discovers operations from /api/v1/openapi.json and caches metadata locally for offline fallback.

Command	Description
`qa-use api`	Show help and available subcommands
`qa-use api ls`	List available `/api/v1/*` routes from OpenAPI
`qa-use api ls --refresh`	Force refresh OpenAPI cache
`qa-use api ls --offline`	Use cached OpenAPI metadata only
`qa-use api info /api/v1/<route>`	Show route details: parameters, request body, responses
`qa-use api info /api/v1/<route> -X POST`	Show info for specific HTTP method
`qa-use api info /api/v1/<route> --json`	Route info as JSON
`qa-use api examples`	Show usage examples
`qa-use api openapi`	Print OpenAPI spec URL
`qa-use api openapi --raw`	Dump full OpenAPI spec as JSON
`qa-use api /api/v1/tests`	Call endpoint (method inferred when possible)
`qa-use api -X GET /api/v1/test-runs -f limit=5`	GET with query fields
`qa-use api -X POST /api/v1/tests-actions/run --input body.json`	POST with JSON body file
`qa-use api -X GET /api/v1/test-runs/<id>`	Fetch detail endpoint by ID

No Plugin Shortcut - Use CLI commands directly.

Logs & Debugging

Command	Description
`qa-use browser logs console`	View console logs from session
`qa-use browser logs console -s <id>`	View logs from specific/closed session
`qa-use browser logs network`	View network request logs
`qa-use browser logs network -s <id>`	View network logs from specific session
`qa-use browser downloads`	List downloaded files from session
`qa-use browser downloads --save <dir>`	Save downloaded files to local directory
`qa-use browser downloads --json`	Output download info as JSON

Test Generation

Command	Description
`qa-use browser generate-test`	Generate test YAML from recorded session
`qa-use browser generate-test -s <id>`	Generate from specific session
`qa-use browser generate-test -n <name>`	Specify test name
`qa-use browser generate-test -o <path>`	Specify output path
`qa-use browser get-blocks`	Get recorded interaction blocks (JSON)

Waiting

Command	Description
`qa-use browser wait <ms>`	Fixed wait
`qa-use browser wait-for-selector ".class"`	Wait for selector
`qa-use browser wait-for-load`	Wait for page load

Variable Overrides

Use --var to override app config variables at runtime. Common variables:

Variable	Description
`base_url`	Base URL for the app (e.g., preview deployment URL)
`login_url`	Login page URL
`login_username`	Username/email for authentication
`login_password`	Password for authentication

Example with ephemeral preview URL:

qa-use browser create --after-test-id <login-test-uuid> \
  --var base_url=https://preview-123.example.com \
  --var login_url=https://preview-123.example.com/auth/login

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Feature Verification

CLI Workflow:

# 1. Search for existing test
qa-use test list | grep "login"

# 2. Run test
qa-use test run login

# 3. Debug failures
qa-use browser logs console

Plugin Shortcut:

/qa-use:verify "login works with valid credentials"

(Wraps the above CLI workflow with AI-powered test discovery and analysis)

Pattern 2: Record & Generate Test

CLI Workflow:

# 1. Create session
qa-use browser create --tunnel --no-headless

# 2. Navigate and interact
qa-use browser goto https://example.com
qa-use browser snapshot
qa-use browser click e1
qa-use browser fill e5 "test"

# 3. Generate test from blocks
qa-use browser get-blocks
qa-use browser generate-test -n "my_test"

# 4. Run test
qa-use test run my_test

Plugin Shortcut:

/qa-use:record start my_test
# ... perform interactions ...
/qa-use:record stop

Pattern 3: Authenticated Exploration

CLI Workflow:

# Create session that runs login test first
qa-use browser create --after-test-id <login-test-uuid>

# Session now authenticated, explore
qa-use browser goto /dashboard
qa-use browser snapshot

Plugin Shortcut:

/qa-use:explore /dashboard

(Automatically handles auth detection and session creation)

Pattern 4: Edit Existing Test

CLI Workflow:

# 1. Open test file in editor
vim qa-tests/login.yaml

# 2. Validate syntax
qa-use test validate login

# 3. Run to verify
qa-use test run login

Plugin Shortcut:

/qa-use:record edit login

(AI-assisted editing with validation)

Pattern 5: Using Snapshot Diff to Avoid Unnecessary Snapshots

CLI Workflow:

# Create session and navigate
qa-use browser create --tunnel --no-headless
qa-use browser goto https://evals.desplega.ai/checkboxes

# goto shows diff — initial page load shows all elements:
# Changes: 45 elements added
# + [e18] checkbox "I agree to the terms and conditions"
# + [e19] generic "I agree to the terms and conditions"

# ✅ Use ref from diff directly — no snapshot needed!
qa-use browser click e18

# Diff shows what changed:
# Changes: 5 elements added, 1 element modified
# + [e54] generic "Thanks for agreeing!"
# + [e55] link "Terms and Conditions"
# ~ [e18] checkbox "I agree to the terms and conditions"
#     +attrs: active, checked

# ✅ Can click e55 directly from diff output — no snapshot needed!
qa-use browser click e55

# ❌ Need to find an element NOT in the diff? Now run snapshot:
qa-use browser snapshot

Key principle: Use diff output as your primary source of element refs after actions. Only fall back to snapshot when you need to find elements that weren't in the diff.

Benefits:

Fewer API calls = faster automation
Diff refs are always fresh (just returned from the server)
Instantly see what changed (new elements, attribute changes, removals)

No Plugin Shortcut - Automatic feature in all browser commands

CI/CD Integration

Running Tests in CI

Environment Variables:

export QA_USE_API_KEY="your-api-key"
export QA_USE_REGION="us"  # Optional: "us" or "auto"

Basic Test Execution:

# Run all tests
qa-use test run --all

# Run specific tag
qa-use test run --tag smoke

# Exit codes: 0 = pass, 1 = fail

GitHub Actions Example

name: QA Tests
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: '20'
      - name: Install qa-use
        run: npm install -g @desplega.ai/qa-use
      - name: Run tests
        run: qa-use test run --all
        env:
          QA_USE_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.QA_USE_API_KEY }}

Test Artifacts

Screenshots:

Automatically saved on failure
Location: /tmp/qa-use/downloads/ (local) or cloud (remote)

Logs:

Console logs: qa-use browser logs console -s <session-id>
Network logs: qa-use browser logs network -s <session-id>

Advanced Topics

Localhost Testing (Tunnel Mode)

When to use tunnel mode:

Testing localhost (http://localhost:3000)?
  ├─ YES → Use --tunnel
  │   └─ qa-use browser create --tunnel [--no-headless]
  │       (Starts local Playwright, creates localtunnel, keeps running)
  │
  └─ NO (Public URL) → Use remote browser (default)
      └─ qa-use browser create
          (Uses desplega.ai cloud browser via WebSocket)

The --tunnel flag is a binary choice:

Local tunnel mode: Playwright on your machine + localtunnel
Remote mode: WebSocket URL to cloud-hosted browser

For test execution:

# Local app
qa-use test run my_test --tunnel [--headful]

# Public app
qa-use test run my_test

Plugin shortcuts handle tunnel detection automatically:

/qa-use:explore http://localhost:3000
/qa-use:record start local_test

See references/localhost-testing.md for troubleshooting.

Session Persistence

Sessions are stored in ~/.qa-use.json and have:

TTL: 30 minutes (default)
Auto-resolve: One active session = no -s flag needed
Cleanup: Automatic on timeout or explicit browser close

Block Limitations

What's captured:

goto, click, fill, type, check, uncheck, select, hover
scroll, scroll-into-view, drag, upload, press

What's NOT captured:

Assertions (must be added manually)
Waits (inferred from timing, may need adjustment)
Complex interactions (multi-drag, hover sequences)

Manual editing: Edit generated YAML to add assertions and refine selectors.

WebSocket Sessions

Sharing sessions across processes:

# Process 1: Create session
qa-use browser create --tunnel
# Output: ws://localhost:12345/browser/abc123

# Process 2: Connect to session
qa-use browser goto https://example.com --ws-url ws://localhost:12345/browser/abc123

Deep-Dive References

Access any reference at runtime via the CLI: qa-use docs <topic>

Topic	CLI Command	Description
browser-commands.md	`qa-use docs browser-commands`	Complete browser CLI reference with all flags
test-format.md	`qa-use docs test-format`	Full test YAML specification
localhost-testing.md	`qa-use docs localhost-testing`	Tunnel setup for local development
failure-debugging.md	`qa-use docs failure-debugging`	Failure classification and diagnostics
ci.md	`qa-use docs ci`	CI/CD integration patterns and examples

Use qa-use docs --list to discover all available topics and templates.

Templates

Template	Description
basic-test.yaml	Simple navigation and assertion
auth-flow.yaml	Login flow with credentials
form-test.yaml	Form submission with validation

Test Format Overview

name: Login Test
description: Validates login functionality with valid credentials
tags:
  - smoke
  - auth
app_config: <app-config-id>
variables:
  email: [email protected]
  password: secret123
depends_on: setup-test  # Optional
steps:
  - action: goto
    url: /login
  - action: fill
    target: email input
    value: $email
  - action: click
    target: login button
  - action: to_be_visible
    target: dashboard

See references/test-format.md for complete specification.

Common Mistakes

❌ Wrong	✅ Correct
`browser navigate <url>`	`browser goto <url>`
`browser destroy`	`browser close`
`browser close <session-id>`	`browser close`
Guessing element refs	Use refs from diff output or `snapshot`
Running `snapshot` after every action	Use diff output; only `snapshot` when needed
Testing localhost without `--tunnel`	Use `--tunnel` flag
`test sync --pull`	`test sync pull` (subcommand, not flag)
`test sync --push`	`test sync push` (subcommand, not flag)

Troubleshooting

When stuck or encountering unexpected errors, use the built-in documentation:

# Check configuration state
qa-use setup

# Browse main documentation
qa-use docs

# List all available topics
qa-use docs --list

# Access specific topic
qa-use docs <topic>

Situation	Command
Auth / API key errors	`qa-use setup` then `qa-use docs`
Unknown browser command	`qa-use docs browser-commands`
Test failures	`qa-use docs failure-debugging`
Localhost / tunnel issues	`qa-use docs localhost-testing`
Test YAML syntax	`qa-use docs test-format`
CI/CD setup	`qa-use docs ci`

Key rules:

ALWAYS consult qa-use docs before improvising workarounds
NEVER fabricate API keys, tokens, URLs, or credentials
If qa-use setup shows no config, report it — don't guess

npx Alternative

All commands use qa-use assuming global install. For one-off use:

npx @desplega.ai/qa-use browser <command>