E2E Behavior Validation for Frontend Modifications

Core Principle: Test Product Behavior, Not UI States

CRITICAL: Tests must verify that product features WORK correctly, not just that UI elements render.

What NOT to test (UI States):

• ❌ "Dropdown opens when clicked"
• ❌ "Modal appears after button click"
• ❌ "Loading spinner shows during request"
• ❌ "Form fields are visible"
• ❌ "Sidebar collapses"

What TO test (Product Behavior):

• ✅ "Selecting an LLM provider configures the agent to use that provider"
• ✅ "Creating a new agent persists it and shows in the agents list"
• ✅ "Running a tool with parameters returns the expected output"
• ✅ "Chat messages stream correctly and maintain conversation context"
• ✅ "Workflow execution triggers tools in the correct order"

Prerequisites

Requires Playwright MCP server. If the browser_navigate tool is unavailable, instruct the user to add it:

claude mcp add playwright -- npx @playwright/mcp@latest

Step 1: Understand the Feature Intent

Before writing ANY test, answer these questions:

1. What user problem does this feature solve?
2. What is the expected outcome when the feature works correctly?
3. What data flows through the system? (user input → API → state → UI)
4. What should persist after page reload?
5. What downstream effects should this action have?

Document these answers as comments in your test file.

Step 2: Build and Start

pnpm build:cli
cd packages/playground/e2e/kitchen-sink && pnpm dev

Verify server at http://localhost:4111

Step 3: Map Feature to Behavior Tests

Feature-to-Test Mapping Guide

Feature Category	What to Test	Example Assertion
Agent Configuration	Config changes affect agent behavior	Send message → verify response uses selected model
LLM Provider Selection	Selected provider is used in requests	Intercept API call → verify provider in request payload
Tool Execution	Tool runs with correct params & returns result	Execute tool → verify output matches expected transformation
Workflow Execution	Steps execute in order, data flows between steps	Run workflow → verify each step's output feeds next step
Chat/Streaming	Messages persist, context maintained across turns	Multi-turn conversation → verify context awareness
MCP Server Tools	Server tools are callable and return data	Call MCP tool → verify response structure and content
Memory/Persistence	Data survives page reload	Create item → reload → verify item exists
Error Handling	Errors surface correctly to user	Trigger error condition → verify error message + recovery

Step 4: Write Behavior-Focused Tests

Test Structure Template

import { test, expect, Page } from '@playwright/test';
import { resetStorage } from '../__utils__/reset-storage';
import { selectFixture } from '../__utils__/select-fixture';
import { nanoid } from 'nanoid';

/**
 * FEATURE: [Name of feature]
 * USER STORY: As a user, I want to [action] so that [outcome]
 * BEHAVIOR UNDER TEST: [Specific behavior being validated]
 */

test.describe('[Feature Name] - Behavior Tests', () => {
  let page: Page;

  test.beforeEach(async ({ browser }) => {
    const context = await browser.newContext();
    page = await context.newPage();
  });

  test.afterEach(async () => {
    await resetStorage(page);
  });

  test('should [verb describing behavior] when [trigger condition]', async () => {
    // ARRANGE: Set up preconditions
    // - Navigate to the feature
    // - Configure any required state
    // ACT: Perform the user action that triggers the behavior
    // ASSERT: Verify the OUTCOME, not the UI state
    // - Check data persistence
    // - Verify downstream effects
    // - Confirm API calls made correctly
  });
});

Behavior Test Patterns

Pattern 1: Configuration Affects Behavior

test('selecting LLM provider should use that provider for agent responses', async () => {
  // ARRANGE
  await page.goto('/agents/my-agent/chat');

  // Intercept API to verify provider
  let capturedProvider: string | null = null;
  await page.route('**/api/chat', route => {
    const body = JSON.parse(route.request().postData() || '{}');
    capturedProvider = body.provider;
    route.continue();
  });

  // ACT: Select a different provider
  await page.getByTestId('provider-selector').click();
  await page.getByRole('option', { name: 'OpenAI' }).click();

  // Send a message to trigger the agent
  await page.getByTestId('chat-input').fill('Hello');
  await page.getByTestId('send-button').click();

  // ASSERT: Verify the selected provider was used
  await expect.poll(() => capturedProvider).toBe('openai');
});

Pattern 2: Data Persistence

test('created agent should persist after page reload', async () => {
  // ARRANGE
  await page.goto('/agents');
  const agentName = `Test Agent ${nanoid()}`;

  // ACT: Create new agent
  await page.getByTestId('create-agent-button').click();
  await page.getByTestId('agent-name-input').fill(agentName);
  await page.getByTestId('save-agent-button').click();

  // Wait for creation to complete
  await expect(page.getByText(agentName)).toBeVisible();

  // ASSERT: Verify persistence
  await page.reload();
  await expect(page.getByText(agentName)).toBeVisible({ timeout: 10000 });
});

Pattern 3: Tool Execution Produces Correct Output

test('weather tool should return formatted weather data', async () => {
  // ARRANGE
  await selectFixture(page, 'weather-success');
  await page.goto('/tools/weather-tool');

  // ACT: Execute tool with parameters
  await page.getByTestId('param-city').fill('San Francisco');
  await page.getByTestId('execute-tool-button').click();

  // ASSERT: Verify OUTPUT content, not just that output appears
  const output = page.getByTestId('tool-output');
  await expect(output).toContainText('temperature');
  await expect(output).toContainText('San Francisco');

  // Verify structured data if applicable
  const outputText = await output.textContent();
  const outputData = JSON.parse(outputText || '{}');
  expect(outputData).toHaveProperty('temperature');
  expect(outputData).toHaveProperty('conditions');
});

Pattern 4: Workflow Step Chaining

test('workflow should pass data between steps correctly', async () => {
  // ARRANGE
  await selectFixture(page, 'workflow-multi-step');
  const sessionId = nanoid();
  await page.goto(`/workflows/data-pipeline?session=${sessionId}`);

  // ACT: Trigger workflow execution
  await page.getByTestId('workflow-input').fill('test input data');
  await page.getByTestId('run-workflow-button').click();

  // ASSERT: Verify each step received correct input from previous step
  // Wait for completion
  await expect(page.getByTestId('workflow-status')).toHaveText('completed', { timeout: 30000 });

  // Check step outputs show data transformation chain
  const step1Output = await page.getByTestId('step-1-output').textContent();
  const step2Output = await page.getByTestId('step-2-output').textContent();

  // Verify step 2 received step 1's output as input
  expect(step2Output).toContain(step1Output);
});

Pattern 5: Streaming Chat with Context

test('chat should maintain conversation context across messages', async () => {
  // ARRANGE
  await selectFixture(page, 'contextual-chat');
  const chatId = nanoid();
  await page.goto(`/agents/assistant/chat/${chatId}`);

  // ACT: Multi-turn conversation
  await page.getByTestId('chat-input').fill('My name is Alice');
  await page.getByTestId('send-button').click();
  await expect(page.getByTestId('assistant-message').last()).toBeVisible({ timeout: 20000 });

  await page.getByTestId('chat-input').fill('What is my name?');
  await page.getByTestId('send-button').click();

  // ASSERT: Verify context was maintained
  const response = page.getByTestId('assistant-message').last();
  await expect(response).toContainText('Alice', { timeout: 20000 });
});

Pattern 6: Error Recovery

test('should show actionable error and allow retry when API fails', async () => {
  // ARRANGE: Set up failure fixture
  await selectFixture(page, 'api-failure');
  await page.goto('/tools/flaky-tool');

  // ACT: Trigger the error
  await page.getByTestId('execute-tool-button').click();

  // ASSERT: Error is shown with recovery option
  await expect(page.getByTestId('error-message')).toContainText('failed');
  await expect(page.getByTestId('retry-button')).toBeVisible();

  // Switch to success fixture and retry
  await selectFixture(page, 'api-success');
  await page.getByTestId('retry-button').click();

  // Verify recovery worked
  await expect(page.getByTestId('tool-output')).toBeVisible({ timeout: 10000 });
  await expect(page.getByTestId('error-message')).not.toBeVisible();
});

Step 5: Update Existing Tests

When a test file already exists:

1. Read the existing tests to understand current coverage
2. Identify if tests are UI-focused or behavior-focused
3. Refactor UI-focused tests to verify behavior instead:

Refactoring Example

BEFORE (UI-focused):

test('dropdown opens when clicked', async () => {
  await page.getByTestId('model-dropdown').click();
  await expect(page.getByRole('listbox')).toBeVisible();
});

AFTER (Behavior-focused):

test('selecting model from dropdown updates agent configuration', async () => {
  // Open dropdown and select model
  await page.getByTestId('model-dropdown').click();
  await page.getByRole('option', { name: 'GPT-4' }).click();

  // Verify the selection persists and affects behavior
  await page.reload();
  await expect(page.getByTestId('model-dropdown')).toHaveText('GPT-4');

  // Optionally: verify the model is used in actual requests
  // (via request interception or checking response metadata)
});

Step 6: Kitchen-Sink Fixtures for Behavior Testing

Fixtures should represent realistic scenarios, not just mock data:

Fixture Naming Convention

<feature>-<scenario>.fixture.ts

Examples:
- agent-with-tools.fixture.ts
- chat-multi-turn-context.fixture.ts
- workflow-parallel-execution.fixture.ts
- tool-validation-error.fixture.ts
- mcp-server-timeout.fixture.ts

Fixture Content Requirements

Each fixture must define:

1. Scenario description (what behavior it enables testing)
2. Expected outcomes (what assertions should pass)
3. Edge cases covered (error states, empty states, etc.)

// fixtures/agent-provider-switch.fixture.ts
export const agentProviderSwitch = {
  name: 'agent-provider-switch',
  description: 'Tests that switching LLM providers changes agent behavior',

  // Mock responses for different providers
  responses: {
    openai: { content: 'Response from OpenAI', model: 'gpt-4' },
    anthropic: { content: 'Response from Anthropic', model: 'claude-3' },
  },

  expectedBehavior: {
    // When provider is switched, subsequent messages use new provider
    providerSwitchAffectsNextMessage: true,
    // Provider selection persists across page reload
    providerPersistsOnReload: true,
  },
};

Step 7: Run and Validate

cd packages/playground && pnpm test:e2e

Test Quality Checklist

Before considering tests complete, verify:

• Each test has a clear user story comment
• Tests verify OUTCOMES, not intermediate UI states
• Tests would FAIL if the feature broke (not just if UI changed)
• Persistence is verified via page.reload() where applicable
• Error scenarios are covered
• Tests use appropriate timeouts for async operations
• Fixtures represent realistic usage scenarios

Quick Reference

Step	Command/Action
Build	pnpm build:cli
Start	cd packages/playground/e2e/kitchen-sink && pnpm dev
App URL	http://localhost:4111
Routes	@packages/playground/src/App.tsx
Run tests	cd packages/playground && pnpm test:e2e
Test dir	packages/playground/e2e/tests/
Fixtures	packages/playground/e2e/kitchen-sink/fixtures/

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

❌ Don't	✅ Do Instead
Test that modal opens	Test that modal action completes and persists
Test that button is clickable	Test that clicking button produces expected result
Test loading spinner appears	Test that loaded data is correct
Test form validation message shows	Test that invalid form cannot submit AND valid form succeeds
Test dropdown has options	Test that selecting option changes system behavior
Test sidebar navigation works	Test that navigated page has correct data/functionality
Assert element is visible	Assert element contains expected data/state