Skip to main content
Bugster is a full platform that connects your local development environment with a collaborative web app. The web app is the source of truth for your test suite, while the CLI lets developers pull tests locally, edit them with coding agents, and push changes back. This guide covers the complete workflow, from creating your first test to running suites across environments, and includes a migration path for existing CLI users.

​
How Bugster Works

Bugster has two interfaces that work together:
InterfaceWho it’s forWhat it does
Web AppEveryone (QA, product, developers)Create tests, organize suites, schedule runs, watch live execution, manage environments
CLIDevelopersPull tests locally, edit with coding agents, run tests, push changes back
The web app is the single source of truth. Multiple team members can create and edit tests from either interface, and everything stays in sync through bugster push and bugster pull.

​
Creating Tests

You have three approaches to creating tests, depending on your role and preference.

​
Option 1: Coding Agents (CLI)

Developers can use Cursor or Claude Code to create and edit tests in YAML format with human-readable instructions. The workflow is:
1

Pull your test suite

Bring the latest tests from Bugster into your local environment:
bugster pull
This creates (or updates) the .bugster/ folder with all tests, configuration, and metadata.
2

Create or edit tests with your coding agent

Your coding agent can read and modify tests in the .bugster/ folder. Tests are YAML files with natural language instructions that any developer can understand.
@bugster-generate Create a test for the checkout flow

@bugster-update Update the login test to handle MFA
Install the coding agent rules first with bugster plugin --agent cursor or bugster plugin --agent claude. See the full setup in the Cursor integration guide or Claude Code integration guide.
3

Run tests locally

Validate your tests before pushing:
bugster run
You can also run a quick one-off test in natural language:
bugster run --quick "Verify the signup form validates email format"
4

Push changes

Sync your local test changes back to Bugster so they appear in the web app:
bugster push

​
Option 2: Web App

QA engineers, product managers, and anyone on the team can create tests directly in the web app without touching a terminal. The web app includes an embedded browser so you can watch tests execute in real time. There are three ways to create tests in the web app:
Describe what you want to test in plain English, just like asking an assistant. Bugster’s AI agent interprets your intent and generates the test.Example prompt:
Test that a new user can sign up with email, verify their account, and see the onboarding wizard.
For more control, specify the task, steps, and expected result explicitly. This gives the agent precise guidance on what to do and what to verify.Example:
  • Task: Verify the password reset flow
  • Steps:
    1. Navigate to the login page
    2. Click “Forgot password”
    3. Enter a registered email address
    4. Submit the form
  • Expected result: A confirmation message appears saying “Reset link sent to your email”
If you already have a test suite in another test management platform (TestRail, Zephyr, qase, etc.), you can migrate your existing tests into Bugster. Reach out to the team and we can help you import your suite.

​
Option 3: CLI Quick Tests

Run one-off tests directly from the terminal using natural language, without creating a YAML file: 
bugster run --quick "Check that the pricing page loads and shows three plan options"
This is useful for quick validation during development. See the local development guide for more patterns.

​
Test Suites

Group related tests into suites for organized execution. Suites let you:
  • Run tests together as a logical group (e.g., “Checkout flow”, “Admin panel”)
  • Schedule runs on a recurring basis (daily, hourly, or custom)
  • Trigger from CI/CD to run automatically on every deploy or pull request
  • Track results across runs to spot regressions over time
Create and manage suites from the web app dashboard. Any test created from either the CLI or the web app can be added to a suite.

​
Multi-App & Multi-Environment

Bugster supports testing flows that span multiple applications and environments.
ConceptWhat it means
AppsDifferent web applications in your organization (e.g., customer portal, admin dashboard)
EnvironmentsDeployment targets for each app (e.g., staging, production, local)
Define your apps and environments in the web app under Settings, then switch between them when running tests. This lets you:
  • Run the same suite against staging before promoting to production
  • Test cross-app flows that navigate between different URLs
  • Maintain separate credentials per environment

​
CLI and Web App Sync

The push and pull commands keep your local .bugster/ folder and the web app in sync. This enables a collaborative workflow where multiple team members work on the same test suite.
  • bugster pull downloads the latest suite from the web app into your local .bugster/ folder
  • bugster push uploads your local changes back to the web app
  • Tests created in the web app appear locally after a pull
  • Tests created or edited locally with coding agents appear in the web app after a push
Always pull before making local changes to avoid overwriting updates from other team members.
The .bugster/ folder can be added to .gitignore if you prefer not to commit tests to your repository. Since the web app is the source of truth, every developer can pull the latest suite with bugster pull at any time.

​
Migration Guide for Existing Users

If you’re already using Bugster CLI, migrating to the full platform takes about 5 minutes.
1

Update the CLI

Update to the latest version:
curl -fsSL https://cli.bugster.dev/install | sh
See the installation guide for details.
2

Push your tests to the web app

Sync your existing local tests to the Bugster web app:
bugster push
All your YAML tests from .bugster/tests/ now appear in the web app dashboard.
Verify your tests appear in the web app by opening the dashboard.
3

Set up Apps & Environments

Go to Settings in the web app and configure your apps and environments. Define at least one app with its base URL and one environment (e.g., staging).
4

Add testing credentials

If you haven’t already, add your testing credentials in the web app under Settings. This ensures tests running from the web app can authenticate.
If you already have credentials in your local config.yaml, they’ll continue to work for CLI runs. Add them to the web app as well for web-based execution.
5

You're done

Your tests are now synced. You can continue using the CLI with coding agents, create tests in the web app, organize suites, and schedule runs.

​
Integrate Bugster CLI

If you’re new to Bugster and want to start from the CLI, here’s how to connect it to your development environment:
1

Install the CLI

curl -fsSL https://cli.bugster.dev/install | sh
2

Authenticate

This opens a browser window for authentication, then pulls your .bugster/ folder with all tests and creates rules for your coding agents.
bugster auth
3

Initialize your project

Link Bugster to this project and set up your local test suite:
bugster init --project-id your-project-id
4

Install coding agent rules

This installs Bugster-specific rules into your coding agent so it knows how to create and edit tests following the correct YAML structure and best practices.
bugster plugin --agent cursor   # or --agent claude
Once installed, your coding agent can read and modify tests in the .bugster/ folder. Just ask it to create or update tests as needed. See the Cursor integration guide or Claude Code integration guide for usage details.
5

Run, pull, and push

bugster run     # Execute tests locally
bugster pull    # Bring the latest suite from the web app
bugster push    # Sync local changes back to the web app

​
Next Steps

Cursor Integration

Set up Cursor as your test generation assistant

Claude Code Integration

Set up Claude Code for test generation

CI/CD Integration

Run tests automatically on every deploy