# SpecTestEngine

> SpecTestEngine is an API testing and website visual regression platform.

Automate REST, SOAP, GraphQL and streaming API tests, record browser journeys, compare website screenshots with reviewed baselines, and inspect saved regression evidence. Mixed API/browser flows connect these checks; Sentinel monitoring, snapshots and portable ATF exports support investigation and CI workflows.

Docs contains interactive examples with deterministic mock data. Running tests against your own systems requires sign-in, company/project access and applicable subscription capabilities.

## Reference sources

- [Platform overview](https://ste.software/)
- [Detailed product reference](https://ste.software/llms-full.txt)
- [Machine-readable capability catalog](https://ste.software/product-catalog.json)

## For AI agents acting for a user

- Use MCP, not the browser UI, to create or change STE assets. Read [the agent connection document](https://ste.software/.well-known/ste-agent) first: it states the MCP endpoint, whether the host can register itself (`registration: dynamic`) and the next steps.
- Ask the user before adding the MCP server to your host, then let the host complete the browser sign-in. Never ask for passwords, cookies or tokens and never reuse the user's browser session.
- Call `ste_request_api_access` with the minimum scopes and give the user the returned approval link; they choose the features and duration and press Allow. Then call `ste_connection_status` and continue with native tools.

## Product documentation

- [Visual document diff for failed attachment assertions](https://ste.software/docs/visual-diffs/docs-demo-diff): From a failed saved specification or Flow API step, explicitly create a protected visual review, compare rendered pages, draw regions that may change, and save either an exact baseline or a masked visual assertion. The diagnostic rerun remains failed. Future REST, SOAP, GraphQL, and Flow runs stay local for ordinary hash or fingerprint checks; Browser Engine receives a response document during a normal run only when the saved assertion contains real visual exclusion regions.
- [Project health dashboard](https://ste.software/docs): Dashboard turns the current project's test and monitoring evidence into a concise health view. It is the fastest place to see whether checks are healthy, what changed recently, and which signal deserves investigation next.
- [Craftsman request laboratory](https://ste.software/docs/craftsman): Craftsman is a request-and-session workspace for REST, SOAP, GraphQL, WebSocket/WSS, SSE, gRPC Streaming, and MQTT. Generate Specs converts one completed interaction and its exact observed evidence into a self-contained specification draft.
- [Automation asset workspace](https://ste.software/docs/automation): Automation is the library and composition area for saved testing assets. It does not replace Craftsman or OpenAPI TestGen; it receives their outputs and turns them into reusable runs, flows, browser coverage, and deployable exports.
- [Reusable specification fragments](https://ste.software/docs/automation/fragments): Fragments are typed DSL building blocks that keep repeated request data and response expectations consistent across multiple specifications.
- [Executable REST specifications](https://ste.software/docs/automation/rest-specifications): A REST specification is an executable HTTP contract that combines one request with the status, headers, payload fields, filtering rules, attachments, and cases expected from its response.
- [Executable SOAP specifications](https://ste.software/docs/automation/soap-specifications): A SOAP specification captures an XML service interaction together with namespace-aware response checks, expected faults, security settings, and attachment evidence.
- [Executable GraphQL specifications](https://ste.software/docs/automation/graphql-specifications): A GraphQL specification keeps an operation, variables, request metadata, expected errors, schema behavior, and response data-path assertions in one executable contract.
- [Executable streaming specifications](https://ste.software/docs/automation/streaming-specifications): A Streaming specification describes a finite conversation over WebSocket/WSS, Server-Sent Events, gRPC Streaming, or MQTT and turns its connection, events, ordering, and termination into deterministic evidence with the same expected* vocabulary as the other engines.
- [Reusable browser UI macros](https://ste.software/docs/automation/ui-macros): A UI macro is a browser journey recorded from real interaction and saved as reusable actions. Copy and paste become runtime extraction and fill steps so changing values such as OTP codes are refreshed on every run.
- [Mixed API and browser flows](https://ste.software/docs/automation/flows): Flows connect saved API specifications, UI macros, and browser actions into an ordered scenario with shared runtime context and step-by-step evidence.
- [Portable ATF test exports](https://ste.software/docs/automation/atf-exports): ATF Export turns an explicit selection of saved specifications and flows into a portable source project. One-time exports and reusable CI profiles return an archive only after the exact generated project passes bounded compile validation.
- [Visual test flow workspace](https://ste.software/docs/flows): The Flows workspace is the complete builder and execution view for ordered API and browser scenarios, shared context, batch runs, regeneration, and watched browser evidence.
- [Sentinel observability](https://ste.software/docs/observability): Sentinel turns URL probes, saved specifications, and flows into scheduled health checks with latency history, retries, routing rules, and incident notifications isolated to the active company and project.
- [Browser Recorder](https://ste.software/docs/browser-lab): Browser Recorder streams remote Chromium over WebRTC for native pointer, keyboard, smooth 30 FPS scrolling, tabs, clipboard, and OTP interaction while Java records a deterministic macro. Saved Draft, Watch, and Flow runs execute in isolated Playwright workers and retain bounded evidence.
- [Snapshot Timeline](https://ste.software/docs/snapshots): Snapshot Timeline freezes the flows in a completed batch. definitionHash tracks changes to the tests themselves; behaviorHash tracks changes to the responses and run results produced by REST, SOAP, GraphQL, and Browser steps.
- [OpenAPI TestGen](https://ste.software/docs/openapi-testgen): OpenAPI TestGen treats an OpenAPI YAML or JSON document as the source of truth and generates broad REST specification coverage across its operations, including optional negative cases and connected flow drafts.
- [MCP tools for AI agents](https://ste.software/docs/mcp): The MCP integration exposes approved project-scoped testing tools to an AI agent so it can discover capabilities, create or run assets, and return structured evidence without receiving unrestricted platform access.
- [SpecTestEngine DSL reference](https://ste.software/docs/dsl): The DSL reference documents every supported field for REST, SOAP, GraphQL, WebSocket/WSS, SSE, gRPC Streaming, MQTT, Browser macros, flows, and fragments with complete JSON and YAML examples, rejected fixtures, and an autocomplete playground.
- [Public API and SDK reference](https://ste.software/docs/sdk): The SDK reference is generated from the curated public OpenAPI contract and documents supported integration operations, authentication, schemas, and verified client archives without exposing internal service boundaries.
- [Project administration](https://ste.software/docs/project): Project administration controls membership, invitations, roles, permissions, integrations, audit context, and whether a project requires a configured company SSO connection.
- [Profile and active sessions](https://ste.software/docs/profile): Profile shows the current identity, project memberships, effective context, active sessions, and safe account-security entry points without exposing the identity-provider console.
- [Security, recovery and company SSO](https://ste.software/docs/security): Security combines personal authentication controls with company-scoped identity policy. Members manage factors, sessions, and recovery while authorized company administrators configure trusted SSO connections without exposing the identity-provider console.
- [Subscription and capabilities](https://ste.software/docs/billing): Subscription documentation explains how plans, entitlements, quotas, and enabled product capabilities affect what a company can use.
- [Create a SpecTestEngine workspace](https://ste.software/docs/create-workspace): A project is the collaboration and data boundary for specifications, flows, monitoring, browser macros, snapshots, members, and integration access.

## Important distinctions

- Craftsman Generate Specs is request-first: it converts one executed request and its observed response into a focused specification draft.
- OpenAPI TestGen is contract-first: it expands a complete OpenAPI document into broad REST specification coverage and optional flow drafts.
- Automation is the asset workspace: it stores, edits, runs, composes, and exports fragments, specifications, UI macros, and flows.
- Website visual regression compares browser screenshots with a reviewed baseline; exclusion regions can separate expected dynamic content from regressions.
- Document visual diff compares PDF or image response attachments. It is distinct from website screenshot comparison.
- Snapshot Timeline compares saved test definitions and behavior; it is not the browser screenshot baseline.