Manual Test Session Capture (Manual Tab)
Use the Manual tab to record a manual test session in the browser with step-by-step evidence and a clear pass/fail outcome.
This is for executing and documenting work in the browser—not for generating automation scripts. Use Script Gen when you want a Playwright SmartTest.
When to use manual capture
- A tester is running a planned scenario and you need an auditable record in TestChimp
- You are doing exploratory or ad-hoc testing and want a session titled by objective (no scenario link)
- You want screenshots, notes, or bugs attached to specific steps
- You need to mark the run passed or failed with environment and release context
Capture modes
When you create a manual test record, choose how the session is labeled:
| Mode | Setup | Traceability |
|---|---|---|
| Test a scenario (default) | Select a test-planning scenario (required) | Session links to that scenario for coverage and history |
| Open-ended | Enter an objective (required); scenario dropdown is hidden | Session is stored with the objective as the execution title; no scenario coverage link |
In both modes you can optionally select a git branch if your project has a connected repo.
How to record a session
- Install and sign in with the Chrome extension
- Set environment and release in the extension header (same as for Script Gen)
- Open the Manual tab
- Click Create Manual Test Record
- Choose Test a scenario or Open-ended
- Scenario mode: search and select the scenario you are executing
- Open-ended mode: enter the session objective (e.g. “Checkout flow with expired card”)
- Git branch: select branch context if applicable
- Click Start Capture—the sidebar collapses so you can interact with your app
- Perform the test; each interaction is captured as a step
- Optionally annotate the latest step (see below)
- When finished, click End capture and choose Mark as passed or Mark as failed
- The extension uploads screenshots and creates the manual test record; open View execution to see it in TestChimp
Annotating steps: notes and bugs
While capture is active, use the tabbed pane on the latest step:
Add note
- Enter note text
- Optionally Attach Element or Attach Area to highlight UI on the screenshot
- Click Add Note
Notes are stored on the step and uploaded with the session.
Add bug
- Select screen and state (Atlas vocabulary for your project). Use ➕ Add screen / ➕ Add state if the name is not in the list yet—the extension updates project screen/state tables directly (not the mindmap).
- Fill in title, description, severity, category, and optional assignee
- Optionally attach an element or area on the page (same as notes)
- Click Add Bug
Bugs are deferred to the end of capture (like notes): they are saved on the step in the extension, then created as Bug records in TestChimp when you finish the session. Each bug is tagged with the selected screen/state, linked to the manual execution, and includes step screenshot context when available.
The captured-steps list shows note and bug counts per step (e.g. (2 notes, 1 bug)).
Ending the session
When you click End capture:
- Screenshots for steps with notes or bugs are prioritized for upload (up to the session limit)
- The manual execution record is created with all steps, notes, and bug payloads
- The server creates Bug entities for each step bug and enriches the execution with bug hashes for the viewer
Choose Mark as passed or Mark as failed to set the execution result.
Viewing results in TestChimp
Open View execution (or the link from Past manual recordings) to see the session in the execution viewer:
- Steps with screenshots, notes (chat bubble markers), and bugs (bug icon markers on manual executions only)
- Click a bug marker to see title, description, and View bug (opens the bugs list with that bug highlighted)
- Scenario-linked sessions show the scenario title; open-ended sessions show the objective as the execution name
Open-ended sessions do not appear in scenario coverage rollups (there is no scenario id to link).
Past recordings
The Manual tab lists Past manual recordings for quick access to recent sessions from the extension. Labels use the scenario title or open-ended objective.
Related workflows
- Plan scenarios in Test Planning before scenario-mode capture
- Generate automation from flows via Script Gen
- Author at scale with the TestChimp skill in Claude/Cursor (recommended for bulk test creation)
- Triage bugs filed during capture in the product Bugs view