home / skills / everyinc / compound-engineering-plugin / test-browser
This skill runs end-to-end browser tests on pages affected by a PR or branch using the agent-browser CLI.
npx playbooks add skill everyinc/compound-engineering-plugin --skill test-browserReview the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.
---
name: test-browser
description: Run browser tests on pages affected by current PR or branch
argument-hint: "[PR number, branch name, 'current', or --port PORT]"
---
# Browser Test Command
<command_purpose>Run end-to-end browser tests on pages affected by a PR or branch changes using agent-browser CLI.</command_purpose>
## CRITICAL: Use agent-browser CLI Only
**DO NOT use Chrome MCP tools (mcp__claude-in-chrome__*).**
This command uses the `agent-browser` CLI exclusively. The agent-browser CLI is a Bash-based tool from Vercel that runs headless Chromium. It is NOT the same as Chrome browser automation via MCP.
If you find yourself calling `mcp__claude-in-chrome__*` tools, STOP. Use `agent-browser` Bash commands instead.
## Introduction
<role>QA Engineer specializing in browser-based end-to-end testing</role>
This command tests affected pages in a real browser, catching issues that unit tests miss:
- JavaScript integration bugs
- CSS/layout regressions
- User workflow breakages
- Console errors
## Prerequisites
<requirements>
- Local development server running (e.g., `bin/dev`, `rails server`, `npm run dev`)
- agent-browser CLI installed (see Setup below)
- Git repository with changes to test
</requirements>
## Setup
**Check installation:**
```bash
command -v agent-browser >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "Installed" || echo "NOT INSTALLED"
```
**Install if needed:**
```bash
npm install -g agent-browser
agent-browser install # Downloads Chromium (~160MB)
```
See the `agent-browser` skill for detailed usage.
## Main Tasks
### 0. Verify agent-browser Installation
Before starting ANY browser testing, verify agent-browser is installed:
```bash
command -v agent-browser >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "Ready" || (echo "Installing..." && npm install -g agent-browser && agent-browser install)
```
If installation fails, inform the user and stop.
### 1. Ask Browser Mode
<ask_browser_mode>
Before starting tests, ask user if they want to watch the browser:
Use AskUserQuestion with:
- Question: "Do you want to watch the browser tests run?"
- Options:
1. **Headed (watch)** - Opens visible browser window so you can see tests run
2. **Headless (faster)** - Runs in background, faster but invisible
Store the choice and use `--headed` flag when user selects "Headed".
</ask_browser_mode>
### 2. Determine Test Scope
<test_target> $ARGUMENTS </test_target>
<determine_scope>
**If PR number provided:**
```bash
gh pr view [number] --json files -q '.files[].path'
```
**If 'current' or empty:**
```bash
git diff --name-only main...HEAD
```
**If branch name provided:**
```bash
git diff --name-only main...[branch]
```
</determine_scope>
### 3. Map Files to Routes
<file_to_route_mapping>
Map changed files to testable routes:
| File Pattern | Route(s) |
|-------------|----------|
| `app/views/users/*` | `/users`, `/users/:id`, `/users/new` |
| `app/controllers/settings_controller.rb` | `/settings` |
| `app/javascript/controllers/*_controller.js` | Pages using that Stimulus controller |
| `app/components/*_component.rb` | Pages rendering that component |
| `app/views/layouts/*` | All pages (test homepage at minimum) |
| `app/assets/stylesheets/*` | Visual regression on key pages |
| `app/helpers/*_helper.rb` | Pages using that helper |
| `src/app/*` (Next.js) | Corresponding routes |
| `src/components/*` | Pages using those components |
Build a list of URLs to test based on the mapping.
</file_to_route_mapping>
### 4. Detect Dev Server Port
<detect_port>
Determine the dev server port using this priority order:
**Priority 1: Explicit argument**
If the user passed a port number (e.g., `/test-browser 5000` or `/test-browser --port 5000`), use that port directly.
**Priority 2: CLAUDE.md / project instructions**
```bash
# Check CLAUDE.md for port references
grep -Eio '(port\s*[:=]\s*|localhost:)([0-9]{4,5})' CLAUDE.md 2>/dev/null | grep -Eo '[0-9]{4,5}' | head -1
```
**Priority 3: package.json scripts**
```bash
# Check dev/start scripts for --port flags
grep -Eo '\-\-port[= ]+[0-9]{4,5}' package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -Eo '[0-9]{4,5}' | head -1
```
**Priority 4: Environment files**
```bash
# Check .env, .env.local, .env.development for PORT=
grep -h '^PORT=' .env .env.local .env.development 2>/dev/null | tail -1 | cut -d= -f2
```
**Priority 5: Default fallback**
If none of the above yields a port, default to `3000`.
Store the result in a `PORT` variable for use in all subsequent steps.
```bash
# Combined detection (run this)
PORT="${EXPLICIT_PORT:-}"
if [ -z "$PORT" ]; then
PORT=$(grep -Eio '(port\s*[:=]\s*|localhost:)([0-9]{4,5})' CLAUDE.md 2>/dev/null | grep -Eo '[0-9]{4,5}' | head -1)
fi
if [ -z "$PORT" ]; then
PORT=$(grep -Eo '\-\-port[= ]+[0-9]{4,5}' package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -Eo '[0-9]{4,5}' | head -1)
fi
if [ -z "$PORT" ]; then
PORT=$(grep -h '^PORT=' .env .env.local .env.development 2>/dev/null | tail -1 | cut -d= -f2)
fi
PORT="${PORT:-3000}"
echo "Using dev server port: $PORT"
```
</detect_port>
### 5. Verify Server is Running
<check_server>
Before testing, verify the local server is accessible using the detected port:
```bash
agent-browser open http://localhost:${PORT}
agent-browser snapshot -i
```
If server is not running, inform user:
```markdown
**Server not running on port ${PORT}**
Please start your development server:
- Rails: `bin/dev` or `rails server`
- Node/Next.js: `npm run dev`
- Custom port: `/test-browser --port <your-port>`
Then run `/test-browser` again.
```
</check_server>
### 6. Test Each Affected Page
<test_pages>
For each affected route, use agent-browser CLI commands (NOT Chrome MCP):
**Step 1: Navigate and capture snapshot**
```bash
agent-browser open "http://localhost:${PORT}/[route]"
agent-browser snapshot -i
```
**Step 2: For headed mode (visual debugging)**
```bash
agent-browser --headed open "http://localhost:${PORT}/[route]"
agent-browser --headed snapshot -i
```
**Step 3: Verify key elements**
- Use `agent-browser snapshot -i` to get interactive elements with refs
- Page title/heading present
- Primary content rendered
- No error messages visible
- Forms have expected fields
**Step 4: Test critical interactions**
```bash
agent-browser click @e1 # Use ref from snapshot
agent-browser snapshot -i
```
**Step 5: Take screenshots**
```bash
agent-browser screenshot page-name.png
agent-browser screenshot --full page-name-full.png # Full page
```
</test_pages>
### 7. Human Verification (When Required)
<human_verification>
Pause for human input when testing touches:
| Flow Type | What to Ask |
|-----------|-------------|
| OAuth | "Please sign in with [provider] and confirm it works" |
| Email | "Check your inbox for the test email and confirm receipt" |
| Payments | "Complete a test purchase in sandbox mode" |
| SMS | "Verify you received the SMS code" |
| External APIs | "Confirm the [service] integration is working" |
Use AskUserQuestion:
```markdown
**Human Verification Needed**
This test touches the [flow type]. Please:
1. [Action to take]
2. [What to verify]
Did it work correctly?
1. Yes - continue testing
2. No - describe the issue
```
</human_verification>
### 8. Handle Failures
<failure_handling>
When a test fails:
1. **Document the failure:**
- Screenshot the error state: `agent-browser screenshot error.png`
- Note the exact reproduction steps
2. **Ask user how to proceed:**
```markdown
**Test Failed: [route]**
Issue: [description]
Console errors: [if any]
How to proceed?
1. Fix now - I'll help debug and fix
2. Create todo - Add to todos/ for later
3. Skip - Continue testing other pages
```
3. **If "Fix now":**
- Investigate the issue
- Propose a fix
- Apply fix
- Re-run the failing test
4. **If "Create todo":**
- Create `{id}-pending-p1-browser-test-{description}.md`
- Continue testing
5. **If "Skip":**
- Log as skipped
- Continue testing
</failure_handling>
### 9. Test Summary
<test_summary>
After all tests complete, present summary:
```markdown
## Browser Test Results
**Test Scope:** PR #[number] / [branch name]
**Server:** http://localhost:${PORT}
### Pages Tested: [count]
| Route | Status | Notes |
|-------|--------|-------|
| `/users` | Pass | |
| `/settings` | Pass | |
| `/dashboard` | Fail | Console error: [msg] |
| `/checkout` | Skip | Requires payment credentials |
### Console Errors: [count]
- [List any errors found]
### Human Verifications: [count]
- OAuth flow: Confirmed
- Email delivery: Confirmed
### Failures: [count]
- `/dashboard` - [issue description]
### Created Todos: [count]
- `005-pending-p1-browser-test-dashboard-error.md`
### Result: [PASS / FAIL / PARTIAL]
```
</test_summary>
## Quick Usage Examples
```bash
# Test current branch changes (auto-detects port)
/test-browser
# Test specific PR
/test-browser 847
# Test specific branch
/test-browser feature/new-dashboard
# Test on a specific port
/test-browser --port 5000
```
## agent-browser CLI Reference
**ALWAYS use these Bash commands. NEVER use mcp__claude-in-chrome__* tools.**
```bash
# Navigation
agent-browser open <url> # Navigate to URL
agent-browser back # Go back
agent-browser close # Close browser
# Snapshots (get element refs)
agent-browser snapshot -i # Interactive elements with refs (@e1, @e2, etc.)
agent-browser snapshot -i --json # JSON output
# Interactions (use refs from snapshot)
agent-browser click @e1 # Click element
agent-browser fill @e1 "text" # Fill input
agent-browser type @e1 "text" # Type without clearing
agent-browser press Enter # Press key
# Screenshots
agent-browser screenshot out.png # Viewport screenshot
agent-browser screenshot --full out.png # Full page screenshot
# Headed mode (visible browser)
agent-browser --headed open <url> # Open with visible browser
agent-browser --headed click @e1 # Click in visible browser
# Wait
agent-browser wait @e1 # Wait for element
agent-browser wait 2000 # Wait milliseconds
```
This skill runs end-to-end browser tests on pages affected by the current PR or branch using the agent-browser CLI. It detects changed files, maps them to routes, starts or verifies the dev server, and exercises pages in headed or headless mode to catch integration, layout, and runtime issues. It always uses agent-browser commands and never the Chrome MCP tools.
The skill determines test scope from a PR number, branch name, or current diff against main, then maps changed files to a list of routes to test. It detects the development server port, verifies the server is running, and uses agent-browser to open pages, capture snapshots, interact with elements, and take screenshots. Failures are documented, human verification steps are prompted when required, and a concise test summary is produced.
Why must I use agent-browser and not Chrome MCP tools?
agent-browser is a Bash-based CLI that runs headless Chromium and produces the expected snapshots, refs, and interaction workflow. Using Chrome MCP tools breaks the command contract and is unsupported.
How do I pick headed vs headless?
Choose Headed if you need to watch interactions or debug visually. Select Headless for faster, automated runs where you don’t need to see the browser.