name: control-ui-e2e

description: Use when testing, fixing, or extending the OpenClaw Control UI GUI with Vitest + Playwright end-to-end checks, mocked Gateway WebSocket flows, mocked dashboard runs, screenshots/videos, or agent-verifiable browser proof.

Control UI E2E

Use this for Control UI changes that need a real browser flow with deterministic Gateway data.

Test Shape

• Use ui/src/**/*.e2e.test.ts for full GUI flows.
• Use ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-e2e.ts to start the Vite Control UI and install a mocked Gateway WebSocket.
• Keep scenarios deterministic. Do not use live provider keys, real channel credentials, or a real Gateway unless the user explicitly asks for live proof.
• Prefer existing .browser.test.ts or unit tests for narrow rendering logic; use this E2E lane when the proof should cover routing, app boot, Gateway handshake, requests, and visible UI behavior together.

Commands

• Target one E2E test in a Codex worktree:

node scripts/run-vitest.mjs run --config test/vitest/vitest.ui-e2e.config.ts --configLoader runner ui/src/ui/e2e/chat-flow.e2e.test.ts

• Run the whole local lane in a normal checkout:

pnpm test:ui:e2e

If dependencies are missing in a Codex worktree, install once with pnpm install; for broad GUI proof or dependency-heavy checks, use Testbox/Crabbox instead of running a wide local pnpm lane.

Visual Proof Default

When running mocked Control UI/dashboard validation for a user-facing feature, produce visual proof by default unless the user explicitly opts out.

• Keep the Vitest E2E assertions deterministic; do not commit generated screenshots or videos.
• After or alongside the focused E2E test, run the mocked Control UI app when available, for example pnpm dev:ui:mock -- --port <port>.
• Drive Chromium with Playwright against the local mock URL and capture a video plus screenshots for each meaningful state: initial view, interaction input, result state, and final/paginated/selected state.
• Use browser.newContext({ recordVideo: { dir, size }, viewport }), page.screenshot({ path }), and close the context before reporting the video path.
• Put artifacts under .artifacts/control-ui-e2e/<short-feature-name>/ or another clearly named local temp directory, and report the absolute paths in the final answer.
• Treat recording as validation, not only demo capture. If the recorder fails or shows surprising behavior, stop, fix the behavior, add or update a regression test, then rerecord.
• If visual proof is blocked, state the exact blocker and still report the textual E2E evidence.

Mock Pattern

Start the app server, install the mock before page.goto, then assert both Gateway traffic and visible UI:

const server = await startControlUiE2eServer();
const page = await context.newPage();
const gateway = await installMockGateway(page, {
  historyMessages: [{ role: "assistant", content: [{ type: "text", text: "Ready." }] }],
});

await page.goto(`${server.baseUrl}chat`);
await page.locator(".agent-chat__composer-combobox textarea").fill("hello");
await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Send message" }).click();

const request = await gateway.waitForRequest("chat.send");
await gateway.emitChatFinal({ runId: String(request.params.idempotencyKey), text: "Done." });
await page.getByText("Done.").waitFor();

Extend installMockGateway with typed scenario options or method responses when a new flow needs more Gateway surface.

Standalone Recording

When recording an already-running mocked Control UI URL, use a temporary Playwright script or playwright test spec and keep the recording flow focused:

• Open the mock URL, interact through stable data-* selectors or user-facing role selectors, and wait on asserted states instead of relying on fixed sleeps.
• Assert both visible UI state and mocked Gateway traffic for request-driven flows. For example, verify the expected count/row is visible and that sessions.list was called with the expected search, offset, and limit.
• Use short sleeps only after assertions to make the captured video readable.
• Store the generated video under .artifacts/control-ui-e2e/<feature>/; do not commit it.