Troubleshooting Step Execution Failures

When an automated test fails during execution, TestOwl captures high-resolution screenshots, execution logs, and full video recordings to help you pinpoint the root cause immediately.

Step timed out waiting for element

The most common execution failure is a timeout when TestOwl attempts to interact with an element that has not yet rendered or has been relocated in the DOM.

Diagnostic checklist:

1. 1
   Inspect the step screenshot: Click on the failed step in the Run Report to view the exact browser state at the moment of failure.
2. 2
   Review Self-Healing logs: If the application UI changed, check whether TestOwl's self-healing engine attempted to match alternate locators. If the confidence score was below the safety threshold, the runner aborted to prevent accidental misclicks.
3. 3
   Check for asynchronous network delays: If the target element depends on an API request or client-side hydration, add a Wait for Element or Wait for Network Idle step before the interaction.
4. 4
   Inspect viewport dimensions: Responsive elements often collapse into hamburger menus or hide on smaller viewports. Ensure your Environment viewport matches the dimensions used during recording.

Assertion mismatches and dynamic data

If an assertion step fails (for example, verifying order confirmation text or account balance):

• Stale test data: Verify whether the test expects static values that change with every execution (such as current timestamps or order IDs). Use Variables & Test Data or regex patterns in assertions rather than hardcoded strings.
• Race conditions: Ensure animations or modal transitions have completed before evaluating text assertions.

Authentication and session drops

If a test case fails on downstream steps due to being redirected back to the login screen:

• Session timeout: Verify that auth cookies or JWT tokens have not expired.
• Reusable Auth Flow: Structure login steps into a reusable Flow and reference it as the first step of each test case.
• Secrets masking: Ensure sensitive credentials stored in Secrets are correctly mapped to input fields.

Analyzing run artifacts

Every execution generates detailed diagnostic data:

• Video Playback: Watch the entire execution journey to observe unexpected popups, banners, or timing glitches.
• Console Logs: Review browser JavaScript exceptions and network request statuses (4xx, 5xx).
• Execution Metadata: Inspect execution duration, environment parameters, and browser version.

Learn more about reading reports in our Reading Reports Guide.