visual-testing

name: visual-testing description: > Captures baseline screenshots and compares them to detect visual regressions. Use this skill when the user says "visual test", "screenshot comparison", "check for changes", "visual regression", "compare screens", "capture baseline", "does this look right", "did the UI change", "check the layout", or needs to verify that a UI looks the same as a known-good state.

Visual Testing

You are performing visual regression testing by capturing and comparing screenshots.

1. Capture Baseline Screenshots

When establishing a baseline (the known-good state):

• Use mcp__hijak__screenshot for full-screen baselines.
• Use mcp__hijak__screenshot_window for window-specific baselines (preferred — isolates the target app from desktop clutter).
• Use mcp__hijak__screenshot_region for specific UI areas (e.g., a toolbar, a form, a sidebar).
• Give each baseline a clear, descriptive name that identifies the state (e.g., "login-page-empty-form", "dashboard-with-data", "settings-dialog-general-tab").
• Use mcp__hijak__ocr_window to capture the text content of the baseline as a structured reference.
• Use mcp__hijak__accessibility_tree to capture the element hierarchy of the baseline for structural comparison.

2. Capture Test Screenshots

When checking for regressions against a baseline:

• Reproduce the same conditions as the baseline (same window, same application state, same data if possible).
• Use the same screenshot tool and parameters as the baseline (full screen, window, or region).
• Use mcp__hijak__wait_for_idle before capturing to ensure the UI has fully rendered.

3. Compare Screenshots

Analyze the differences between the baseline and test screenshots:

Visual comparison:

• Examine both screenshots side by side (you can see the images).
• Look for layout shifts, color changes, missing elements, alignment issues, font changes, spacing differences.
• Distinguish between meaningful changes and acceptable variation.

Text comparison:

• Use mcp__hijak__ocr_window on the test screenshot and compare the extracted text against the baseline OCR text.
• Identify added, removed, or changed text.
• Flag text that should be static but has changed.

Structural comparison:

• Use mcp__hijak__accessibility_tree on the test state and compare the element hierarchy against the baseline a11y tree.
• Identify added, removed, or reordered elements.
• Check for changed element properties (title, value, enabled state).

4. Handle Dynamic Content

Some areas of the UI change between runs and should not be flagged as regressions:

• Timestamps and dates: Expect these to differ; focus on format consistency rather than exact values.
• User-specific data: Names, avatars, counts that vary per user or session.
• Animations and cursors: Blinking cursors, loading spinners, animated elements.
• Random/generated content: UUIDs, session IDs, tokens visible in developer UIs.

When comparing, mentally mask these dynamic regions and focus on the stable structural and visual elements.

5. Report Results

For each comparison, provide a clear verdict:

Pass:

• "No visual regressions detected. The UI matches the baseline."
• Note any acceptable dynamic content differences that were excluded.

Fail:

• Describe each regression found with specific details:
  • What changed (element, area, property).
  • Where on screen (coordinates, element description).
  • How it changed (old value vs. new value, moved from X to Y, element missing).
• Include the relevant screenshots as evidence.
• Classify the severity:
  • Critical: Layout broken, elements overlapping, content missing, functionality obscured.
  • Major: Significant visual change (color, spacing, alignment) affecting usability.
  • Minor: Small cosmetic differences (1-2px shifts, slight color variation).

6. Iterative Testing

For multi-state visual testing:

• Navigate the application through its various states (empty, loading, populated, error, etc.).
• Capture baselines for each state.
• After code changes, re-run the same state sequence and compare each state against its baseline.
• Use mcp__hijak__wait_for_element, mcp__hijak__wait_for_text, or mcp__hijak__wait_for_idle between states to ensure proper rendering before capture.