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Preparation Test

A Preparation Test lets one test in a group log in (or perform any setup), save the resulting browser session, and have every other test in the same group reuse that session. This avoids re-running login steps in dozens of dependent tests and keeps your suite fast.

How it works

  • Pick one test in a group and mark it as the Preparation Test.
  • Whenever the group is run (manually via Run all, on a schedule, or via webhook), the prep test runs first.
  • After the prep test completes successfully, its final browser session is written to a one-shot Kernel profile that's scoped to that single batch.
  • Web tests later in the same batch open their browser with that profile attached read-only, so they start already logged in.
  • Non-web tests still stay in the same prep-first batch ordering, but they do not load the saved browser session.
  • Once every test in the batch finishes, the profile is deleted automatically.

Each batch gets its own isolated session, so:

  • The prep test always starts from a clean slate — no state leaks in from a previous run.
  • Two batches can run in parallel without colliding on the same session.
  • Nothing is left behind to grow over time.

If the prep test fails, the dependent tests in that batch are cancelled and the profile is still cleaned up.

Solo runs of dependent tests

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On this page

How it worksSolo runs of dependent testsSet the preparation testHow the group is shown

Running a dependent test on its own (the Run button on a single test view, or hitting the test's API endpoint) automatically runs the group's preparation test first and then this test, so you always iterate against the same post-login state the group run would produce. The prep test and its session profile are scoped to that single run and cleaned up when the test finishes.

When a test belongs to multiple groups that each have a preparation test, the Preparation card above the step flow includes a group selector. Picking a group switches which prep flow the next Run click will execute. If no selection is made, we prefer the first non-default group with a preparation test configured; the default group is only used as a fallback. Running the prep test itself on its own does not trigger an extra prep pass — it just runs the test directly.

Set the preparation test

Set or change the preparation test from the Configure Trigger panel on the Tests tab: click Configure Trigger on the group, open the Preparation Test section, pick the test that should save the session, or choose No preparation test to clear it. Changes take effect when you press Save.

On a test's own page, the Preparation card above the step flow shows the currently configured prep test (if any) and links out to it, so you can inspect the setup that runs before your test without leaving the iteration loop.

How the group is shown

Once a prep test is set, both the Tests tab and the Results tab render the group as three sections:

  • A Preparation step header above the prep test row.
  • The prep test itself.
  • A Tests using session divider, followed by every consumer test.

Consumer tests show a small key icon next to their name; hovering reveals which test owns the session being reused.