Smoke testing

Smoke Testing Skill

Run pre-configured smoke tests for common user flows. Quick validation that critical functionality works.

What is Smoke Testing?

Smoke testing is a quick sanity check to ensure basic functionality works before deeper testing. The name comes from electronics - if you turn on a circuit and smoke comes out, you know something is wrong without further testing.

When to Use

• Before releases to catch obvious breaks
• After deployments to verify functionality
• In CI/CD pipelines for quick validation
• Before detailed user testing sessions

Built-in Presets

login

Purpose: Verify authentication works

Steps:

1. Find login link or button on page
2. Navigate to login page
3. Locate email/username and password fields
4. Enter test credentials (use [email protected] / testpassword123)
5. Submit the form
6. Verify login succeeded (dashboard, user menu, etc.)

Failure Indicators:

• No login link found
• Form submission error
• Redirect back to login
• Error message displayed

signup

Purpose: Verify registration works

Steps:

1. Find signup/register link
2. Navigate to registration page
3. Fill required fields (name, email, password)
4. Submit registration
5. Verify account created (welcome page, confirmation)

Test Data:

• Name: Test User
• Email: test-{timestamp}@example.com
• Password: TestPassword123!

checkout

Purpose: Verify purchase flow initiates

Steps:

1. Browse to find any product
2. Click add to cart button
3. Navigate to cart
4. Click checkout/proceed button
5. Verify checkout page loads

Does NOT:

• Complete payment (use /stripe-test for that)
• Fill payment details
• Submit orders

navigation

Purpose: Verify site navigation works

Steps:

1. Identify main navigation (header menu)
2. List navigation items
3. Visit first 5 unique sections
4. Verify each page loads
5. Check for navigation back to home

Checks:

• All nav links work (no 404s)
• Pages have content
• No dead ends (can always navigate away)

search

Purpose: Verify search works

Steps:

1. Find search input (header, sidebar, etc.)
2. Enter a generic search term ("test", "product", etc.)
3. Submit search
4. Verify results page loads
5. Click first result
6. Verify result page loads

Checks:

• Search is discoverable
• Results are returned
• Results are clickable

Preset File Format

{
  "name": "preset-name",
  "description": "What this preset tests",
  "defaultPersona": "persona-id",
  "tasks": [
    "First task description",
    "Second task description",
    "Third task description"
  ],
  "successCriteria": [
    "What indicates success",
    "Another success indicator"
  ],
  "timeout": 120,
  "testData": {
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "password": "testpassword123"
  }
}

Execution Logic

Task Execution

For each task in tasks array:

1. Announce task (unless --quiet)
2. Execute using persona's timing
3. Capture evidence:
   - Screenshot on success
   - Screenshot + error details on failure
4. Record status: PASS / FAIL / SKIP
5. If FAIL and not --continue-on-error: stop

Status Determination

PASS: All success criteria met FAIL: Any task fails or criteria unmet SKIP: Step skipped due to earlier failure

Timing

• Use persona's timing for realism
• In --quiet mode: minimal delays
• Timeout per step: 30 seconds default
• Total timeout: from preset's timeout field

Report Format

Standard Report

# Smoke Test Report: [preset]

## Configuration
- **URL**: [url]
- **Preset**: [preset]
- **Persona**: [name] ([id])
- **Date**: [timestamp]

## Results

| Step | Status | Duration | Notes |
|------|--------|----------|-------|
| [Task 1] | PASS | 2.3s | - |
| [Task 2] | PASS | 1.8s | - |
| [Task 3] | FAIL | 5.0s | Element not found |

## Summary
- **Overall**: FAIL
- **Steps Passed**: 2/3
- **Duration**: 9.1s

## Failure Details

### Step 3: [Task 3]
- **Error**: Element not found
- **Expected**: Submit button visible
- **Actual**: Page showed error message

![Failure Screenshot](screenshots/smoke-fail-step3.png)

## Recommendations
1. Check if [specific element] exists on the page
2. Verify [specific functionality]

Quiet Mode Report

Smoke Test: login @ https://example.com
Persona: busy-executive

[1/5] Find login.......... PASS (1.2s)
[2/5] Navigate............ PASS (0.8s)
[3/5] Enter credentials... PASS (2.1s)
[4/5] Submit form......... FAIL (5.0s)
      Error: Form validation failed

Result: FAIL (3/5 steps)
Duration: 9.1s

Custom Presets

Users can create custom presets in .claude/smoke-presets/:

.claude/
└── smoke-presets/
    ├── onboarding.json
    ├── checkout-guest.json
    └── admin-login.json

Loading Order

1. Check .claude/smoke-presets/{preset}.json (project custom)
2. Check skills/smoke-testing/presets/{preset}.json (built-in)
3. Error if not found

Integration with Other Commands

After Smoke Test

# If smoke test passes, run detailed testing
/smoke-test --url https://example.com --preset checkout --quiet
# If passed:
/user-test --url https://example.com --persona comparison-shopper --tasks "complete purchase" --stripe

CI/CD Pipeline

# Run all smoke tests
/smoke-test --url $DEPLOY_URL --preset login --quiet
/smoke-test --url $DEPLOY_URL --preset navigation --quiet
/smoke-test --url $DEPLOY_URL --preset search --quiet

# If all pass, run full suite
/user-test --url $DEPLOY_URL --personas "genz-digital-native,boomer-tech-averse" --quiet

Best Practices

1. Run smoke tests first: Before detailed testing
2. Use appropriate presets: Match preset to site type
3. Custom presets for critical flows: Define your must-work paths
4. CI/CD integration: Use --quiet for automation
5. Don't over-test: Smoke tests should be fast (<2 min each)