Expect

Expect — Diff-Aware AI Browser Testing

Analyze git changes, generate targeted test plans, and execute them via AI-driven browser automation.

Note: If disableSkillShellExecution is enabled (CC 2.1.91), the agent-browser install check won't run. Verify it's installed: npx agent-browser --version.

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expect                              # Auto-detect changes, test affected pages
expect -m "test the checkout flow"  # Specific instruction
expect --flow login                 # Replay a saved test flow
expect --target branch              # Test all changes on current branch vs main
expect -y                           # Skip plan review, run immediately

Core principle: Only test what changed. Git diff drives scope — no wasted cycles on unaffected pages.

Argument Resolution

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ARGS = "[-m <instruction>] [--target unstaged|branch|commit] [--flow <slug>] [-y]"

# Parse from full argument string
import re
raw = ""  # Full argument string from CC

INSTRUCTION = None
TARGET = "unstaged"  # Default: test unstaged changes
FLOW = None
SKIP_REVIEW = False

# Extract -m "instruction"
m_match = re.search(r'-m\s+["\']([^"\']+)["\']|-m\s+(\S+)', raw)
if m_match:
    INSTRUCTION = m_match.group(1) or m_match.group(2)

# Extract --target
t_match = re.search(r'--target\s+(unstaged|branch|commit)', raw)
if t_match:
    TARGET = t_match.group(1)

# Extract --flow
f_match = re.search(r'--flow\s+(\S+)', raw)
if f_match:
    FLOW = f_match.group(1)

# Extract -y
if '-y' in raw.split():
    SKIP_REVIEW = True

STEP 0: MCP Probe + Prerequisite Check

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# memory is alwaysLoad in .mcp.json (CC 2.1.121+, #1541) — probe below kept as fallback for older CC:
ToolSearch(query="select:mcp__memory__search_nodes")

# Verify agent-browser is available (Rust-native, no Playwright)
Bash("command -v agent-browser || npx agent-browser --version")
# If missing: "Install agent-browser: npm i -g agent-browser"

# Load agent-browser's version-matched workflow guide (ships with the CLI).
# NOT `skills get agent-browser` — that resolves but returns only the thin
# top-level router; `core --full` is the actual 2,800+ line command reference.
Bash("agent-browser skills get core --full")

CRITICAL: Task Management

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# 1. Create main task IMMEDIATELY
TaskCreate(
  subject="Expect: test changed code",
  description="Diff-aware browser testing pipeline",
  activeForm="Running diff-aware browser tests"
)

# 2. Create subtasks for each pipeline phase
TaskCreate(subject="Check fingerprint (skip if unchanged)", activeForm="Checking fingerprint")  # id=2
TaskCreate(subject="Scan git diff and classify changes", activeForm="Scanning diff")            # id=3
TaskCreate(subject="Map changes to routes/URLs", activeForm="Mapping routes")                   # id=4
TaskCreate(subject="Generate AI test plan", activeForm="Generating test plan")                   # id=5
TaskCreate(subject="Execute tests via agent-browser", activeForm="Executing browser tests")     # id=6
TaskCreate(subject="Compile test report", activeForm="Compiling report")                        # id=7

# 3. Set dependencies for sequential phases
TaskUpdate(taskId="3", addBlockedBy=["2"])  # Diff scan needs fingerprint check
TaskUpdate(taskId="4", addBlockedBy=["3"])  # Route map needs diff results
TaskUpdate(taskId="5", addBlockedBy=["4"])  # Test plan needs route map
TaskUpdate(taskId="6", addBlockedBy=["5"])  # Execution needs test plan
TaskUpdate(taskId="7", addBlockedBy=["6"])  # Report needs execution results

# 4. Update status as you progress
TaskUpdate(taskId="2", status="in_progress")  # When starting
TaskUpdate(taskId="2", status="completed")    # When done — repeat for each subtask

Pipeline Overview

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Git Diff → Route Map → Fingerprint Check → Test Plan → Execute → Report

Phase 1: Fingerprint Check

Check if the current changes have already been tested:

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Read(".expect/fingerprints.json")  # Previous run hashes
# Compare SHA-256 of changed files against stored fingerprints
# If match: "No changes since last test run. Use --force to re-run."
# If no match or --force: continue to Phase 2

Load: Read("references/fingerprint.md")

Phase 2: Diff Scan

Analyze git changes based on --target:

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if TARGET == "unstaged":
    diff = Bash("git diff")
    files = Bash("git diff --name-only")
elif TARGET == "branch":
    diff = Bash("git diff main...HEAD")
    files = Bash("git diff main...HEAD --name-only")
elif TARGET == "commit":
    diff = Bash("git diff HEAD~1")
    files = Bash("git diff HEAD~1 --name-only")

Classify each changed file into 3 levels:

1. Direct — the file itself changed
2. Imported — a file that imports the changed file
3. Routed — the page/route that renders the changed component

Load: Read("references/diff-scanner.md")

Phase 3: Route Map

Map changed files to testable URLs using .expect/config.yaml:

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# .expect/config.yaml
base_url: http://localhost:3000
route_map:
  "src/components/Header.tsx": ["/", "/about", "/pricing"]
  "src/app/auth/**": ["/login", "/signup", "/forgot-password"]
  "src/app/dashboard/**": ["/dashboard"]

If no route map exists, infer from Next.js App Router / Pages Router conventions.

Load: Read("references/route-map.md")

Phase 4: Test Plan Generation

Build an AI test plan scoped to the diff, using the scope strategy for the current target:

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scope_strategy = get_scope_strategy(TARGET)  # See references/scope-strategy.md

prompt = f"""
{scope_strategy}

Changes: {diff_summary}
Affected pages: {affected_urls}
Instruction: {INSTRUCTION or "Test that the changes work correctly"}

Generate a test plan with:
1. Page-level checks (loads, no console errors, correct content)
2. Interaction tests (forms, buttons, navigation affected by the diff)
3. Visual regression (compare ARIA snapshots if saved)
4. Accessibility (axe-core scan on affected pages)
"""

If --flow specified, load saved flow from .expect/flows/{slug}.yaml instead of generating.

If NOT --y, present plan to user via AskUserQuestion for review before executing.

Load: Read("references/test-plan.md")

Phase 5: Execution

agent-browser Quick Primer

Floor is >= 0.31.1 (0.27.1 is documented broken on prod pages); current tested release is 0.38.1 (see upstream-version-tested). Commands below hold across this range. 0.30+ adds agent-browser read (agent-readable text extraction) and the --restore / --namespace session-restore workflow for stable, isolated browser state across agent runs. 0.33.0 adds agent-browser a11y [url], an embedded axe-core audit (WCAG tag filtering, selector scoping, iframe-aware text/JSON output) available as both a CLI command and an MCP tool. 0.34.0 adds persistent session-to-tab binding for shared Chrome sessions, with --pin-tab making the binding strict so an externally closed tab yields a stable tab_gone error. 0.35.0 adds --ca-cert <path> for a trusted local CA behind an SSL-inspecting proxy (Linux-only; the targeted alternative to --ignore-https-errors). 0.35.1 changes behaviour the Diff row below relies on: diff snapshot now resets ref numbering per diff and invalidates refs across navigations, so refs captured before a navigation must be re-read rather than reused. 0.36.0 adds experimental WebMCP tool discovery (webmcp list/invoke/result/cancel, brief untrusted catalog summaries on open). 0.37.0 makes record capture the active page at 30 fps and inherits session setup into new tabs. 0.38.0 adds snapshot --delta (full baseline, then unchanged or a compact structural change), screenshot --if-changed --threshold, persistent refs that survive same-document DOM changes, --human / --input-mode pointer realism, and auth login --no-navigate. Full command surface: references/upstream.md and agent-browser skills get core --full.

Run the test plan

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expect_task = Agent(
  subagent_type="ork:expect-agent",
  prompt=f"""Execute this test plan:
  {test_plan}

  For each step:
  1. Navigate to the URL
  2. Execute the test action
  3. Take a screenshot on failure
  4. Report PASS/FAIL with evidence
  """,
  run_in_background=True,
  model="sonnet",
  max_turns=50
)

# Stream agent-browser progress line-by-line instead of polling (CC 2.1.98+)
# Each stdout line from agent-browser arrives as a notification — useful for
# catching a failing step early rather than waiting for the full plan.
# Full pattern: Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/chain-patterns/references/monitor-patterns.md")
Monitor(pid=expect_task.agent_id)

# For long test plans (>3 min typical), notify on completion — requires
# Remote Control + "Push when Claude decides" config (CC 2.1.110+).
# Skip silently if the user doesn't have Remote Control enabled.
if test_plan_duration_estimate > 180:
    PushNotification(
        message=f"ork:expect complete — {passed}/{total} steps passed on {len(affected_urls)} pages",
        status="proactive"
    )

Load: Read("references/execution.md")

Phase 6: Report

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expect Report
═══════════════════════════════════════
Target: unstaged (3 files changed)
Pages tested: 4
Duration: 45s

Results:
  ✓ /login — form renders, submit works
  ✓ /signup — validation triggers on empty fields
  ✗ /dashboard — chart component crashes (TypeError)
  ✓ /settings — preferences save correctly

3 passed, 1 failed

Artifacts:
  .expect/reports/2026-03-26T16-30-00.json
  .expect/screenshots/dashboard-error.png

Load: Read("references/report.md")

Saved Flows

Reusable test sequences stored in .expect/flows/:

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# .expect/flows/login.yaml
name: Login Flow
steps:
  - navigate: /login
  - fill: { selector: "#email", value: "test@example.com" }
  - fill: { selector: "#password", value: "password123" }
  - click: button[type="submit"]
  - assert: { url: "/dashboard" }
  - assert: { text: "Welcome back" }

Run with: expect --flow login

Auto-trigger after UI edits (M125 #2)

When the dev stack is live (dev), saving any .tsx, .jsx, .css, or .scss file (and Next.js route files like app/**/page.tsx, pages/**/*.tsx) emits a nudge to run expect <route>. The hook (posttool/ui-change-detector) is default-on and:

• skips silently if dev hasn't booted (no agent-browser session to attach to);
• enforces a 30-second cooldown per route to prevent spam on rapid saves;
• honors .claude/state/expect-skip.<sessionId> as a per-session opt-out (write any content);
• honors ORK_EXPECT_AUTO=0 for an env-level kill switch.

Route resolution: app/dashboard/page.tsx → /dashboard, pages/settings.tsx → /settings, component / global-style edits → / (home as proxy). Route groups like app/(marketing)/pricing/page.tsx strip to /pricing.

ARIA snapshot recording (M125 #6)

After a passing run, the posttool/expect/snapshot-recorder hook persists the captured ARIA tree to .claude/state/expect-snapshots/<route-slug>/<parent-commit>.json. Subsequent expect <route> --diff runs compare against the most recent prior snapshot for that route — surfaces structural regressions (added/removed buttons, label changes, hierarchy shifts) without needing a baseline screenshot.

For the snapshot recorder to fire, the expect run output must contain RUN_COMPLETED|passed, ROUTE|<route>, and ARIA|<json-summary> tags. The agent-browser-driven flow already emits these.

Jev step judge (opt-in, three modes)

ORK_EXPECT_JEV selects the mode. Unset or falsey is off, and off means zero network. shadow (also selected by a truthy ORK_EXPECT_JEV_SHADOW for compatibility) logs one Jev request per step beside the agent's pick: a Choice over the bounded legal-action set built from the interactive ARIA elements, plus three verify Nouls, with probabilities and per-step agreement in the report. 1 or act lets the Jev pick drive the step instead, failing closed to the agent's own pick on any error, timeout, empty or malformed answer, or a confidence below act_confidence_floor. Tunables live in .expect/config.yaml jev_shadow:. Load: Read("references/jev-shadow.md")

When NOT to Use

• Unit tests — use cover instead
• API-only changes — no browser UI to test
• Generated files — skip build artifacts, lock files
• Docs-only changes — unless you want to verify docs site rendering

Quality Bar

Done means all of these hold:

• Test-plan scope is derived from the git diff for the chosen --target — no unaffected page appears in the plan.
• Every changed file maps to at least one tested route (via .expect/config.yaml or inferred convention) OR is explicitly excluded as API-only, generated, or docs-only.
• Fingerprint check runs first; a diff unchanged since the last run skips execution instead of re-testing.
• Unless -y is passed, the plan is presented for review before any browser action runs.
• Each executed step reports PASS or FAIL with evidence (screenshot on failure), and the report's pass/fail totals match the steps actually run.
• The report's exit code is non-zero whenever any step failed.

Budget: at most 30 minutes total and 5 minutes per page (a slower page is skipped, per references/test-plan.md; defaults, .expect/config.yaml overrides), 50 executor turns (max_turns=50), one sequential ork:expect-agent, never parallel browsers (rules/no-parallel-browsers.md); stop and report partial results at the finish line or the first cap, whichever comes first.

Related Skills

• agent-browser — Browser automation engine (required dependency)
• ork:cover — Test suite generation (unit/integration/e2e)
• ork:verify — Grade existing test quality
• testing-e2e — Playwright patterns and best practices

References

Load on demand with Read("references/<file>"):

Version: 1.0.0 (March 2026) — Initial scaffold, M99 milestone