MCP Usage Guide
Master the art of testing through natural language with these common patterns, commands, and best practices.
Getting Started with MCP Commands
Once you have MCP configured, you can start testing immediately using natural language. Here are the most effective patterns:
Basic Command Structure
Simple Test Creation
Create a test to [describe what you want to test]
Test Execution
Run the [test name] test
Status Checking
Check the status of my recent test runs
Common Usage Patterns
1. Exploratory Testing
Newsletter Signup
Create an explorer test to subscribe to the newsletter on https://example.com using the email test@example.com
Product Search
Create a test to search for "blue shoes" on the e-commerce site and verify results appear
Contact Form
Test the contact form on our website - fill it out with sample data and verify submission works
2. User Journey Testing
Complete Checkout Flow
Create a test to simulate a complete purchase: browse products, add to cart, and go through checkout on https://store.example.com
Account Registration
Test user registration flow - create new account with username "testuser" and verify welcome page appears
Login and Dashboard Access
Create a test to log in with existing credentials and verify the user dashboard loads correctly
3. Form Validation Testing
Required Field Validation
Test the login form validation - try submitting with empty fields and verify error messages appear
Email Format Validation
Create a test to verify email validation on the signup form - try invalid email formats and check for errors
Password Strength Testing
Test password requirements on registration form - try weak passwords and verify strength indicators work
Advanced Command Patterns
Test Definition Management
List Existing Tests
Show me all my test definitions
Get Specific Test Details
Show me the details of the "Login Flow Test" definition
Create Reusable Template
Create a reusable test template for checking product page load times on our e-commerce site
Batch Operations
Run Multiple Tests
Run all tests related to authentication
Check Recent Results
Show me the status of all tests run in the last 24 hours
Find Failed Tests
List any tests that failed in the past week
Conditional Testing
Environment-Specific Testing
Create a test to verify the staging environment is working - check homepage loads and login works
Browser-Specific Testing
Test mobile responsiveness - verify the menu works on mobile view
Performance Testing
Create a test to check if the homepage loads within 3 seconds
Natural Language Best Practices
Be Specific and Actionable
✅ Good Examples:
Test the checkout process with a $50 purchase using credit card payment
Verify that the newsletter signup form accepts valid emails and shows confirmation
Create a test to ensure the search function returns relevant results for "laptop"
❌ Avoid Vague Commands:
Test the website
Check if everything works
Make sure the site is good
Include Context and Constraints
Specify Target URLs:
Test the login flow on https://staging.mysite.com/login
Define Success Criteria:
Create a test to add items to cart and verify the cart counter updates correctly
Set Credit Budgets:
Create an explorer test with max 10 credits to test the product recommendation engine
Use Test Data Effectively
Provide Sample Data:
Test registration with username "johndoe", email "john@test.com", and password "TestPass123"
Specify Data Scenarios:
Test the pricing calculator with quantity 5, shipping to California, and premium service selected
Edge Case Testing:
Test form validation with extremely long text inputs and special characters
Common Command Examples
E-commerce Testing
Product Browsing
Create a test to browse the electronics category, filter by price under $100, and view the first product
Shopping Cart
Test adding multiple products to cart, updating quantities, and removing items
Wishlist Functionality
Create a test to add items to wishlist and verify they persist across sessions
Authentication Testing
Login Variations
Test login with valid credentials, invalid password, and non-existent email
Password Reset
Create a test to request password reset and verify email confirmation page appears
Social Login
Test Google login integration and verify user profile loads correctly
Content Management
Article Publishing
Test creating a new blog post with title, content, and featured image
Comment System
Create a test to post a comment and verify it appears after moderation
Search Functionality
Test site search with various keywords and verify relevant results appear
Error Handling and Debugging
When Tests Fail
Get Failure Details
Why did the "Checkout Flow Test" fail?
Check Error Patterns
Show me all recent test failures and their error messages
Retry Failed Tests
Re-run the failed login test from yesterday
Troubleshooting Commands
Environment Verification
Create a simple test to verify https://mysite.com is accessible and loads properly
Element Detection
Test if the login button is visible and clickable on the homepage
Performance Checks
Create a test to measure page load time for the product listing page
Optimization Strategies
Credit Efficiency
Start Conservative
Create a simple test with max 5 credits to verify the contact page loads
Incremental Complexity
Create a comprehensive checkout test with max 15 credits including payment processing
Monitor Usage
Show me my credit usage for explorer tests this month
Test Quality Improvement
Iterative Refinement
Create an improved version of the login test that also checks for welcome message
Success Pattern Replication
Create a test similar to the successful "Newsletter Signup Test" but for email preferences
Failure Analysis
Analyze why authentication tests have been failing and suggest improvements
Integration Workflows
Development Cycle
Feature Testing
Create a test for the new shopping cart feature we just deployed to staging
Regression Prevention
Create tests to verify existing functionality still works after the recent update
Pre-deployment Validation
Run all critical path tests before we push to production
Continuous Integration
Build Verification
Create smoke tests to verify the basic functionality after each deployment
Environment Promotion
Test that staging environment matches production functionality
Release Validation
Create comprehensive tests for the new user dashboard feature
Advanced Techniques
Template-Based Testing
Create Template
Create a reusable test template for e-commerce product page validation
Use Template
Run the "Product Page Validation" template for the new smartphone listing
Template Variations
Create a variation of the login test template that includes 2FA verification
Conditional Logic
Multi-step Validation
Create a test that checks if user is logged in, and if not, logs them in first, then accesses the profile page
Dynamic Content Testing
Test the news feed - verify at least 5 articles appear and each has a title and date
Responsive Design
Create a test to verify the mobile menu appears on small screens and desktop menu on large screens
Collaboration Patterns
Team Communication
Share Results
Show me test results I can share with the product team
Status Updates
Generate a summary of testing activity for this week's standup
Issue Reporting
Create a detailed report of the checkout flow failures for the dev team
Knowledge Sharing
Document Patterns
What are the most effective test patterns for our type of application?
Best Practices
Show me examples of high-success-rate tests I can learn from
Training Examples
Create simple example tests that new team members can use to learn the platform
Next Steps
Ready to become an MCP testing expert?
- Tool Reference - Deep dive into all available MCP tools and parameters
- Setup Troubleshooting - Resolve any configuration issues
- Analytics Integration - Use insights to improve your testing patterns
Start experimenting with these patterns and develop your own testing voice!