QA Only

QA Only

Runs web app QA tests and generates structured health score report with screenshots

Category: development Source: garrytan/gstack

What Is This?

Overview

QA Only is a report-focused testing skill designed for web application quality assurance workflows. It systematically examines a running web application, captures screenshots, documents reproduction steps, and produces a structured report complete with a health score. The key distinction from a full QA cycle is that this skill never modifies any code. It observes, documents, and reports, leaving all remediation decisions to the developer.

This approach is valuable when stakeholders need an honest, unbiased snapshot of application quality without the risk of automated fixes introducing new issues. The skill integrates with Bash, Read, and Write tools to navigate the application, gather evidence, and compile findings into a consistent, shareable format. Every bug entry includes the steps required to reproduce it, making handoff to a development team straightforward.

When a user asks to "just report bugs," "run a QA report only," or "test but don't fix," this skill activates automatically. It is the appropriate choice whenever code integrity must be preserved during the testing phase, or when a separate review process governs what changes are permitted to enter the codebase.

Who Should Use This

  • QA engineers who need to produce formal bug reports without touching source code
  • Project managers who want an objective health assessment before a release decision
  • Developers who need a documented baseline of existing issues before starting a refactor
  • Auditors and reviewers who require evidence-based reports for compliance or sign-off processes

Why Use It?

Problems It Solves

  • Eliminates the risk of automated fixes breaking working functionality during a reporting phase
  • Removes ambiguity in bug reports by pairing every issue with concrete reproduction steps and screenshots
  • Provides a consistent health score that makes it easy to compare application quality across builds or sprints
  • Separates the concerns of discovery and remediation, allowing different team members or processes to own each phase
  • Reduces the time spent manually writing structured bug reports by automating evidence collection

Core Highlights

  • Produces a structured report with a numeric health score for the tested application
  • Captures screenshots at each identified failure point for visual evidence
  • Documents step-by-step reproduction instructions for every reported bug
  • Never writes or modifies application code, ensuring zero unintended side effects
  • Works with Bash commands to interact with and navigate the running application
  • Uses Read and Write tools to gather context and persist the final report
  • Designed to complement the full /qa skill, which handles the complete test-fix-verify loop
  • Activates proactively when user intent signals a report-only workflow

How to Use It?

Basic Usage

Invoke the skill by describing your intent clearly in the prompt. The following examples trigger the report-only mode:

"Run a QA report on the app running at localhost:3000. Do not fix anything."
"Just report bugs. Do not make any code changes."
"QA report only for the checkout flow."

The skill will launch the application interaction sequence, collect findings, and write the report to a file such as qa-report.md in the project root.

Specific Scenarios

Pre-release audit: Before a scheduled deployment, run QA Only against the staging environment to produce a sign-off document. The health score gives stakeholders a single number to evaluate against a release threshold.

Contractor deliverable: When hired to assess an existing codebase, use QA Only to generate a professional bug report without altering the client's code. The output serves as the formal deliverable.

Real-World Examples

A team running a Node.js application can trigger the skill with a Bash command sequence that starts the dev server and passes the local URL for testing:

npm run dev &
## Then prompt: "QA report only on localhost:5173, no fixes"

A CI pipeline can include a reporting step that calls the skill and archives the resulting qa-report.md as a build artifact for later review.

When to Use It?

Use Cases

  • Generating a bug report before a sprint planning session
  • Producing documentation for a client handoff or project audit
  • Establishing a quality baseline before beginning a large refactor
  • Running a non-destructive test pass on a production mirror environment
  • Satisfying a compliance requirement that mandates separation of testing and remediation
  • Reviewing a pull request for issues without allowing automated changes to the branch
  • Creating a historical record of application quality at a specific point in time

Important Notes

Requirements

  • A running instance of the web application must be accessible, typically on a local port or staging URL
  • Bash tool access is required for application interaction and navigation commands
  • Write tool access is required to persist the final report file to disk