Fix Flaky Test Command

Description

Analyze and fix flaky (intermittently failing) Playwright tests. Identifies race conditions, improves waiting strategies, and ensures test stability.

Usage

/fix-flaky [test-name]

Parameters

• test-name - Name or path of the flaky test (required)

Examples

/fix-flaky dashboard.spec.ts

/fix-flaky "should load user profile"

/fix-flaky tests/checkout.spec.ts:42

Instructions for Claude

When this command is invoked:

1. Invoke the test-debugger and test-maintainer skills for analysis

2. Gather information:

   • Test file and name
   • Failure pattern (how often it fails)
   • Error messages when it fails
   • Environment (local vs CI)
   • Which step usually fails

3. Identify flakiness causes:

   • Race conditions
   • Missing waits
   • Hardcoded timeouts
   • Network dependencies
   • Test isolation issues
   • Environment differences

4. Common fixes:

   • Add explicit waits before interactions
   • Replace waitForTimeout() with proper waits
   • Wait for network to settle
   • Wait for specific API responses
   • Increase timeouts for slow operations
   • Improve test isolation
   • Add retry configuration

5. Apply improvements:

   • Update test code
   • Add proper waits
   • Fix race conditions
   • Ensure test isolation
   • Configure retries if needed

6. Verify stability:

   • Run test multiple times (10+ times)
   • Test in different environments
   • Check in CI environment
   • Monitor for continued flakiness

Error Handling

• If test not found, ask for correct path
• If can't reproduce failure, ask for more details
• If multiple issues, fix most impactful first
• Warn if test design is fundamentally flaky

Notes

• Flakiness is usually caused by timing issues
• Never use waitForTimeout() - use explicit waits
• Wait for network/animations to complete
• Ensure tests are isolated and don't share state
• Run tests 10+ times to verify fix
• Consider enabling retries for legitimately slow operations