Record
Record a test by driving a browser on your local machine
The Record page is available in the desktop app only. It opens a real browser window, captures every interaction you make, and converts those interactions into test steps.
Prerequisites
Before you can record, install the following on your machine. Expand the Prerequisites section on the page for copy-ready commands.
- Node.js 22+ — required to run Playwright.
- SmoothDeploy Playwright npm package — install globally with the command shown on the Downloads page.
- Browser binary — at minimum Chromium. Install it with
playwright install chromium --with-deps.
Starting a Recording
Open the Record page from any of these places in the desktop app:
- New test dialog — when creating a test, a link to the Record page appears.
- Test editor — a Record button in the steps panel opens the recorder; steps are inserted into the current test.
- Tests table — a Record test icon button in the toolbar opens the recorder. When the project has no tests yet, the empty state shows a Record button.
Click Start Recording. The app launches a Chromium browser window. The connection status badge changes from Disconnected to Connected.
Every action you take in the browser — navigating to a URL, clicking, typing, selecting — appears in the step list in real time. Typing into the same field updates the previous step in place rather than adding a new step.
Closing the browser window ends the session and returns the status to Disconnected.
Reviewing and Importing Steps
Once at least one action has been recorded, a Recorded Actions card appears below the recording controls. You can reorder steps by dragging.
Three import buttons are available depending on context:
- Create New Test — shown when the recorder was not opened from an existing test. Navigates to the new-test form with the recorded steps pre-filled.
- Replace Test — shown when the recorder was opened for an existing test. Replaces that test's steps with the recorded steps and navigates to the test editor.
- Insert at position: N — shown when the recorder was opened from an existing test at a specific insertion point. Inserts the recorded steps at position N within the existing test and navigates to the test editor.