E2E Playwright Diagnosis

Overview

This skill provides a systematic procedure for diagnosing and resolving E2E test failures in Playwright. It orchestrates multiple MCP tools (Playwright, Chrome DevTools, Serena) and delegates code corrections to specialized agents, ensuring all tests pass based on actual application behavior.

When to Use

• E2E test failure messages are received
• Playwright tests need root cause analysis
• Test failures require browser reproduction for debugging
• Multiple tests in a file are failing and need systematic resolution

Workflow Decision Tree

Error Message Received
        │
        ▼
┌───────────────────┐
│ 1. Analyze Error  │
│    Extract info   │
└─────────┬─────────┘
          │
          ▼
┌───────────────────┐
│ 2. Locate Test    │
│    Read test file │
└─────────┬─────────┘
          │
          ▼
┌───────────────────┐
│ 3. Prepare Env    │
│    rm .next       │
│    rebuild        │
└─────────┬─────────┘
          │
          ▼
┌───────────────────────────────┐
│ 4. Reproduce in Browser       │
│    MCP Playwright +           │
│    MCP Chrome DevTools        │
└─────────┬─────────────────────┘
          │
          ▼
    Test passes?
     /        \
   Yes         No
    │           │
    ▼           ▼
┌─────────┐  ┌─────────────────┐
│ Run all │  │ Collect info    │
│ tests   │  │ via MCP Serena  │
└────┬────┘  └────────┬────────┘
     │                │
     ▼                ▼
All pass?      ┌─────────────────┐
  /    \       │ Delegate fix to │
Yes     No     │ context-manager │
 │       │     │ → frontend-dev  │
 ▼       ▼     └────────┬────────┘
┌────┐ ┌─────┐          │
│Done│ │Align│          ▼
│    │ │tests│   ┌─────────────────┐
└────┘ │to   │   │ Validate fix    │
       │code │   │ Loop until pass │
       └─────┘   └─────────────────┘

Detailed Procedure

Step 1: Analyze Initial Failure

1. Receive the E2E test error message
2. Analyze the complete error content
3. Extract relevant information:
   • Error type
   • Stack trace
   • Test file name
   • Failed test name

Step 2: Identify Problematic Test

4. Locate the E2E test file mentioned in the error
5. Open the test file
6. Identify the specific test that failed
7. Read:
   • The title (describe / test)
   • The test body
8. Infer which application behavior the test attempts to validate

Step 3: Prepare Environment

9. Remove the

   .next

   folder from the project:

   rm -rf apps/gateway-financeiro/.next
   

10. Execute complete project rebuild to generate a new

    .next

    folder:

    npm run build --workspace=apps/gateway-financeiro
    

Step 4: Reproduce Test in Browser

11. Use MCP Playwright to execute the test in the browser
12. Simultaneously use MCP Chrome DevTools to:
    • Observe the DOM
    • Monitor console errors
    • Track network requests
13. Execute only the test that failed

MCP Playwright tools to use:

• mcp__playwright__browser_navigate

  - Navigate to test URL

• mcp__playwright__browser_snapshot

  - Capture accessibility snapshot

• mcp__playwright__browser_click

  - Interact with elements

• mcp__playwright__browser_type

  - Fill form fields

MCP Chrome DevTools tools to use:

• mcp__chrome-devtools__take_snapshot

  - Capture DOM state

• mcp__chrome-devtools__list_console_messages

  - Check for errors

• mcp__chrome-devtools__list_network_requests

  - Monitor API calls

Step 5: Evaluate Isolated Test Result

14. If the test passes in the browser:

    1. Read all other E2E tests present in the same file
    2. Execute all tests from that file, still via Playwright in the browser
    3. If tests pass isolated but fail in suite → Check for data isolation issues:
       • Verify unique identifiers are generated per test, not per describe block
       • Check backend logs for 409 Conflict or "already exists" errors
       • Look for shared state between tests (cookies, localStorage, database records)

15. If all tests in the file pass:

    • Invoke the

      context-manager

      agent
    • Through it, invoke the

      frontend-nextjs-developer

      agent to:
      • Adjust E2E tests to faithfully reflect the behavior already implemented in the code
      • Consider the code as the source of truth
    • Finalize the process

Step 6: When Test Cannot Be Reproduced in Browser

16. If Playwright + Chrome DevTools cannot reproduce the error in the browser:
    1. Use MCP Serena to navigate the project
    2. Collect maximum possible information:
       • Execution logs
       • Server logs
       • Playwright logs
    3. Execute only non-committable commands:
       • Project rebuild
       • Docker container rebuild
       • Log inspection
    4. Do not alter any code or test files

MCP Serena tools to use:

• mcp__serena__search_for_pattern

  - Search for error patterns in logs

• mcp__serena__find_symbol

  - Locate relevant code symbols

• mcp__serena__get_symbols_overview

  - Understand file structure

Step 7: Delegate Code Correction

17. Invoke the

    context-manager

    agent via Task tool:

    subagent_type: "context-manager"
    

18. Through it, invoke the

    frontend-nextjs-developer

    agent
19. Provide the agent with:
    • Error context
    • Collected logs
    • Expected behavior
20. Await response confirming the code bug was fixed

Step 8: Validate Correction After Code Change

21. After fix confirmation:

    1. Remove the

       .next

       folder again
    2. Execute project rebuild
    3. Execute only one test from the affected file

22. If the test passes:

    • Execute the remaining tests from the same file

23. If the test does not pass:

    • Use again:
      • MCP Playwright
      • MCP Chrome DevTools
    • Execute the test in the browser
    • Collect new information

Step 9: Validation Loop

24. Repeat steps 21 to 23 until:
    • All tests in the file pass successfully
    • No remaining E2E failures related to the original error

Termination Condition

25. Terminate the process only when:
    • All E2E tests in the affected file are passing
    • Test behavior is aligned with the actual application behavior

Important Notes

• Code is the source of truth: If the application behaves correctly but tests fail, adjust the tests
• Do not modify code during investigation: Only collect information until Step 7
• Always rebuild after changes: The

  .next

  folder must be regenerated after any code change
• Use browser reproduction first: Visual debugging often reveals issues faster than log analysis
• Delegate appropriately: Code fixes go to

  frontend-nextjs-developer

  , not handled directly by this skill

Quick Troubleshooting Checklist

When tests fail, check these common issues first:

1. Backend validation errors (400) → Check API logs for "Bad Request" - often timeout masks schema mismatch (e.g., enum values, unexpected fields)
2. Manual testing works, tests fail → Test in browser first; if app works, issue is in tests or contracts, not code
3. Timeout on form submit → Check global timeout

   playwright.config.ts

   (30s minimum); verify backend accepts request schema
4. Strict mode violation → Multiple elements match selector; add

   .first()

   or scope to container (e.g.,

   dialog.locator()

   )
5. Stale locators after re-render → Use inline

   .nth()

   selectors instead of storing references; re-query DOM after state changes
6. Dropdown not opening/selecting → Add

   waitForTimeout(500)

   after

   .click()

   ; use

   waitForLoadState('networkidle')

   for async data
7. Build cache stale →

   rm -rf .next && npm run build

   , then restart Docker containers (

   docker restart administramos-gateway-financeiro

   )
8. Redirect loops → Middleware must use

   request.headers.get('host')

   not

   request.nextUrl.href

   (localhost vs public domain)
9. Missing JS chunks (404) → Rebuild Next.js and restart container; browser may cache old build references
10. Element not found → Use

    browser_snapshot

    to see actual DOM; shadcn components often use portals (render outside parent)
11. Timeout on element interaction (manual test works, logs show success) → Selector uses

    .filter({ hasText: /pattern/ })

    but element text is dynamic (e.g., "Loading...", "Select option"). Use

    getByRole('role', { name: 'Label' })

    to match accessible name from label, not visible text
12. 409 Conflict when creating records (passes isolated, fails in suite) → Unique identifier generated once at describe level, causing duplicate keys when multiple tests create records. Generate unique ID inside each test function that creates data:

    const uniqueId = \

    E2E-${Date.now()}`;`. Discovery: Backend logs show "already exists" or duplicate key error
13. Submit button clicked but form not submitted (no navigation, no errors) → Form validation not complete before submit, or button briefly disabled. Add

    waitForTimeout(500)

    after filling last field, verify button not disabled before clicking:

    await expect(button).not.toBeDisabled()

    . Discovery: Screenshot shows filled form, button present but no action occurred