Tauri MCP E2E Testing

CRITICAL: For E2E testing of Tauri applications, ALWAYS use tauri_* MCP tools. NEVER use Chrome DevTools MCP - that's for browser pages only.

Quick Reference

Task	MCP Tool
Connect to app	tauri_driver_session
Take screenshot	tauri_webview_screenshot
Find elements	tauri_webview_find_element
Click/scroll/swipe	tauri_webview_interact
Type text	tauri_webview_keyboard
Wait for element	tauri_webview_wait_for
Execute JS	tauri_webview_execute_js
Get CSS styles	tauri_webview_get_styles
Test IPC commands	tauri_ipc_execute_command
Monitor IPC calls	tauri_ipc_monitor
Read console logs	tauri_read_logs
Manage windows	tauri_manage_window

Prerequisites

1. MCP Bridge Plugin installed in the Tauri app
2. App running in development mode (pnpm tauri:dev)
3. Port 9323 accessible for VMark automation. VMark pins the debug-only Tauri MCP bridge to 127.0.0.1:9323; port 9223 is VMark's own auth-protected MCP server and is not valid for E2E automation.

If connection fails, run tauri_get_setup_instructions to get plugin installation guide.

Core Workflow

1. START SESSION    → Connect to running Tauri app
2. VERIFY STATE     → Screenshot + find elements
3. INTERACT         → Click, type, scroll
4. WAIT             → Wait for expected results
5. VERIFY           → Check IPC, logs, DOM state
6. CLEANUP          → Stop session when done

Session Management

Start Session

// Connect to VMark's automation bridge
tauri_driver_session({ action: 'start', port: 9323 })

// Connect to specific port
tauri_driver_session({ action: 'start', port: 9324 })

// Connect to remote host (mobile testing)
tauri_driver_session({ action: 'start', host: '<device-ip>', port: 9323 })

Check Status

tauri_driver_session({ action: 'status' })
// Returns: connected apps, default app, identifiers

Stop Session

// Stop all sessions
tauri_driver_session({ action: 'stop' })

// Stop specific app
tauri_driver_session({ action: 'stop', appIdentifier: 9323 })

Testing Patterns

Pattern 1: Visual Verification

// 1. Take screenshot to see current state
tauri_webview_screenshot()

// 2. Take screenshot of specific element
tauri_webview_screenshot({ uid: 'editor-content' })

// 3. Save to file for comparison
tauri_webview_screenshot({ filePath: 'dev-docs/archive/test-screenshots/test-screenshot.png' })

Pattern 2: Element Interaction

// 1. Find element first
tauri_webview_find_element({ selector: '.save-button' })

// 2. Click element
tauri_webview_interact({ action: 'click', selector: '.save-button' })

// 3. Double-click
tauri_webview_interact({ action: 'double-click', selector: '.editor' })

// 4. Long-press (touch simulation)
tauri_webview_interact({ action: 'long-press', selector: '.item', duration: 500 })

// 5. Scroll
tauri_webview_interact({ action: 'scroll', selector: '.content', scrollY: 500 })

// 6. Swipe
tauri_webview_interact({
  action: 'swipe',
  fromX: 300, fromY: 400,
  toX: 100, toY: 400,
  duration: 300
})

Pattern 3: Keyboard Input

// Type into focused element
tauri_webview_keyboard({
  action: 'type',
  selector: '.editor-input',
  text: '# Hello World'
})

// Press key
tauri_webview_keyboard({ action: 'press', key: 'Enter' })

// Key with modifiers
tauri_webview_keyboard({
  action: 'press',
  key: 's',
  modifiers: ['Control']  // Ctrl+S
})

// Key combinations
tauri_webview_keyboard({
  action: 'press',
  key: 'z',
  modifiers: ['Meta', 'Shift']  // Cmd+Shift+Z (redo on macOS)
})

Pattern 4: Wait for State

// Wait for element to appear
tauri_webview_wait_for({
  type: 'selector',
  value: '.success-toast',
  timeout: 5000
})

// Wait for text to appear
tauri_webview_wait_for({
  type: 'text',
  value: 'File saved successfully',
  timeout: 3000
})

// Wait for IPC event
tauri_webview_wait_for({
  type: 'ipc-event',
  value: 'file-saved',
  timeout: 5000
})

Pattern 5: IPC Testing

// Start monitoring IPC calls
tauri_ipc_monitor({ action: 'start' })

// Perform action that triggers IPC
tauri_webview_interact({ action: 'click', selector: '.save-button' })

// Get captured IPC calls
tauri_ipc_get_captured({ filter: 'save_file' })

// Execute IPC command directly
tauri_ipc_execute_command({
  command: 'get_document_state',
  args: { id: 'doc-123' }
})

// Emit event to test handlers
tauri_ipc_emit_event({
  eventName: 'file-changed',
  payload: { path: '/test/file.md' }
})

// Stop monitoring
tauri_ipc_monitor({ action: 'stop' })

Pattern 6: JavaScript Execution

// Get value from DOM (MUST use IIFE for return values)
tauri_webview_execute_js({
  script: '(() => { return document.querySelector(".editor").textContent; })()'
})

// Check Tauri API available
tauri_webview_execute_js({
  script: '(() => { return typeof window.__TAURI__ !== "undefined"; })()'
})

// Get computed style
tauri_webview_execute_js({
  script: '(() => { return getComputedStyle(document.body).backgroundColor; })()'
})

// Trigger custom event
tauri_webview_execute_js({
  script: 'document.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent("test-event", { detail: { test: true } }))'
})

Debugging

Read Console Logs

// Get recent console logs
tauri_read_logs({ source: 'console', lines: 50 })

// Filter logs
tauri_read_logs({ source: 'console', filter: 'error', lines: 100 })

// Logs since specific time
tauri_read_logs({
  source: 'console',
  since: '2024-01-01T10:00:00Z',
  lines: 50
})

Platform-Specific Logs

// Desktop system logs
tauri_read_logs({ source: 'system', lines: 100 })

// Android logcat
tauri_read_logs({ source: 'android', filter: 'vmark', lines: 100 })

// iOS simulator logs
tauri_read_logs({ source: 'ios', lines: 100 })

Window Management

// List all windows
tauri_manage_window({ action: 'list' })

// Get window info
tauri_manage_window({ action: 'info', windowId: 'main' })

// Resize window for responsive testing
tauri_manage_window({ action: 'resize', width: 800, height: 600 })

// Resize specific window
tauri_manage_window({
  action: 'resize',
  windowId: 'settings',
  width: 400,
  height: 300
})

Get CSS Styles

// Get all computed styles
tauri_webview_get_styles({ selector: '.editor' })

// Get specific properties
tauri_webview_get_styles({
  selector: '.editor',
  properties: ['font-size', 'color', 'background-color']
})

// Get styles from multiple elements
tauri_webview_get_styles({
  selector: '.toolbar button',
  multiple: true,
  properties: ['opacity', 'visibility']
})

Common Test Scenarios

Scenario: File Operations

// 1. Connect
tauri_driver_session({ action: 'start', port: 9323 })

// 2. Open file dialog
tauri_webview_keyboard({ action: 'press', key: 'o', modifiers: ['Control'] })

// 3. Wait for content to load (using IPC)
tauri_ipc_monitor({ action: 'start' })
// ... file selection happens externally or via mocked dialog ...
tauri_ipc_get_captured({ filter: 'read_file' })

// 4. Verify content loaded
tauri_webview_find_element({ selector: '.editor-content' })
tauri_webview_execute_js({
  script: '(() => { return document.querySelector(".editor-content").textContent.length > 0; })()'
})

Scenario: Editor Typing

// 1. Focus editor
tauri_webview_interact({ action: 'click', selector: '.editor' })

// 2. Type content
tauri_webview_keyboard({
  action: 'type',
  selector: '.editor [contenteditable]',
  text: '# Test Document\n\nThis is a test.'
})

// 3. Verify dirty state
tauri_webview_find_element({ selector: '[data-dirty="true"]' })

// 4. Save with Ctrl+S
tauri_webview_keyboard({ action: 'press', key: 's', modifiers: ['Control'] })

// 5. Verify saved
tauri_webview_wait_for({ type: 'selector', value: '[data-dirty="false"]' })

Scenario: Responsive Testing

// Test mobile viewport
tauri_manage_window({ action: 'resize', width: 375, height: 667 })
tauri_webview_screenshot({ filePath: 'dev-docs/archive/test-screenshots/mobile.png' })
tauri_webview_find_element({ selector: '.mobile-menu-button' })

// Test tablet viewport
tauri_manage_window({ action: 'resize', width: 768, height: 1024 })
tauri_webview_screenshot({ filePath: 'dev-docs/archive/test-screenshots/tablet.png' })

// Test desktop viewport
tauri_manage_window({ action: 'resize', width: 1920, height: 1080 })
tauri_webview_screenshot({ filePath: 'dev-docs/archive/test-screenshots/desktop.png' })

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Connection refused	Ensure app is running with pnpm tauri:dev
No elements found	Check selector, take screenshot to verify DOM
IPC not captured	Start monitor BEFORE the action
Timeout on wait	Increase timeout, check if element ever appears
JS returns undefined	Use IIFE syntax: (() => { return value; })()
Plugin not found	Run tauri_get_setup_instructions

Reference Files

Topic	File
Session management	references/session-management.md
Webview testing	references/webview-testing.md
IPC testing	references/ipc-testing.md
Debugging	references/debugging.md

Related Skills

• tauri-app-dev — General Tauri 2.0 patterns (commands, state, plugins, security)
• tauri-v2-integration — VMark-specific IPC patterns (invoke/emit bridges, menu accelerators)
• rust-tauri-backend — VMark Rust backend implementation