How to Report an Issue in TestOwl

When something doesn't behave as expected in TestOwl—whether a test step times out intermittently, an environment preset fails to initialize, or a report visual fails to load—reporting the issue provides our engineering team with the diagnostics needed to resolve it quickly.

If you are exploring automated QA workflows or evaluating migration paths, explore our no-code automation guide.

Difference between a test failure and a platform issue

Before filing a platform issue, ensure the failure originates from TestOwl itself rather than your application under test:

• Application Defect: If TestOwl accurately captured that a button on your staging website was disabled, hidden, or returned an HTTP 500 status, TestOwl did its job—it caught a regression in your application!
• Platform Issue: If the TestOwl recorder freezes, cloud execution fails before launching the browser, or reports display blank screens, this is a platform issue that our engineers need to fix.

Step-by-step: How to gather diagnostic data

To diagnose an automated testing issue, our engineers rely on specific execution traces:

1. 1
   Locate the Run in Run History: Navigate to Run History in your project sidebar and click the specific run that encountered the issue.
2. 2
   Copy the Run ID and URL: Copy the full URL from your browser address bar (e.g., https://app.testowl.ai/projects/p-12/runs/r-9810). The unique Run ID allows our team to look up backend container logs.
3. 3
   Identify the Failing Step Number: Note the exact step number and step type (e.g., Step 7: "Click button#submit-order").
4. 4
   Download the Run Artifacts: Click Export on the run report page to download the run summary, failure screenshot, and browser console output.
5. 5
   Check Environment Details: Review the Environment configuration—browser engine, viewport, and network settings.

Submitting the issue report

You can submit an issue report directly through the app or by emailing our engineering triage desk:

• In-App Issue Reporter: Click Help > Report an Issue in the bottom sidebar. Fill out the guided form with the Run URL pre-populated.
• Email Report: Email issues@testowl.ai with your project ID and execution details.

Worked example: High-quality issue report

Title: Cloud run fails with "Target closed" during file upload step in Chrome 124
Project: Documents Portal (proj_4401)
Affected Run: https://app.testowl.ai/projects/proj_4401/runs/run_23091
Environment: Google Chrome 124, Desktop Viewport 1440x900, Cloud Runner US-West
Steps to Reproduce:

1. 1
   Open Test Case "Upload Customer PDF Agreement".
2. 2
   Step 4 executes: "Upload file contract.pdf (1.2 MB) to input[type='file']".
3. 3
   In Local Execution (Desktop App), the step succeeds in 420ms.
4. 4
   In Cloud Execution, the step hangs for 30s and fails with: Error: Protocol error (Page.handleFileChooser): Target closed.
   Attached Artifacts: Downloaded run log run_23091_console.log and screenshot showing file picker dialogue overlay.

How issue reports are tracked and resolved

1. 1
   Automated Confirmation: Once submitted, you receive an automated acknowledgment containing your unique tracking ticket (e.g., TOWL-5812).
2. 2
   Engineering Triage: A QA engineer reproduces the behavior in an isolated sandbox within 4 hours.
3. 3
   Fix Deployment: Cloud platform fixes and runner container patches are deployed continuously without requiring action on your part. For desktop app updates, a new release notification appears in the app banner.
4. 4
   Ticket Resolution: Once verified, the engineer updates your ticket with the resolution summary and invites you to re-trigger the affected test suite.

Common problems when reporting issues

• "My test is flaky, passing sometimes and failing others." Flakiness is frequently caused by animated DOM elements or asynchronous network responses. Check whether adding an explicit "Wait for Element to be Visible" step stabilizes the test before submitting a platform bug.
• "I cannot attach a 50 MB video file." TestOwl cloud runs already store the execution video in our cloud storage. You only need to share the Run URL; our engineers can inspect the video directly without manual uploads.