Test Automator
aiskillstore/marketplace
Master AI-powered test automation with modern frameworks, self-healing tests, and comprehensive quality engineering.
Sequenced launcher that bootstraps QA on a project with no QA in place.
Install QA Start
$ npx skills add petrkindlmann/qa-skills --skill qa-start -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install petrkindlmann/qa-skills qa-start --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/qa-start .claude/skills/qa-start && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "qa-start" agent skill from https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills/tree/main/skills/qa-start into .claude/skills/qa-start/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "qa-start", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills/tree/main/skills/qa-startType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add petrkindlmann/qa-skills --skill qa-start -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install petrkindlmann/qa-skills qa-start --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/qa-start .agents/skills/qa-start && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "qa-start" agent skill from https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills/tree/main/skills/qa-start into .agents/skills/qa-start/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "qa-start", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add petrkindlmann/qa-skills --skill qa-start -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install petrkindlmann/qa-skills qa-start --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/qa-start .cursor/skills/qa-start && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "qa-start" agent skill from https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills/tree/main/skills/qa-start into .cursor/skills/qa-start/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "qa-start", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills.git --path skills/qa-start--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add petrkindlmann/qa-skills --skill qa-start -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install petrkindlmann/qa-skills qa-start --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/qa-start .gemini/skills/qa-start && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "qa-start" agent skill from https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills/tree/main/skills/qa-start into .gemini/skills/qa-start/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "qa-start", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install petrkindlmann/qa-skills qa-startInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add petrkindlmann/qa-skills --skill qa-start -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/qa-start .github/skills/qa-start && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "qa-start" agent skill from https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills/tree/main/skills/qa-start into .github/skills/qa-start/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "qa-start", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add petrkindlmann/qa-skills --skill qa-start -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install petrkindlmann/qa-skills qa-start --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/qa-start .opencode/skills/qa-start && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "qa-start" agent skill from https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills/tree/main/skills/qa-start into .opencode/skills/qa-start/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "qa-start", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
qa-start- GitHub stars
- 165
- Token cost
- ~1.8k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 915 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 45
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Sequenced launcher that bootstraps QA on a project with no QA in place.
- Works in 3 steps: Capture Project Context → Create the Test Strategy → Build the First Test Plan
- : set up QA on a new project
- SKILL.md covers When to Use This, Quick Route, Step 1: Capture Project Context and Step 2: Create the Test Strategy, plus 5 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
QA Start is an agent skill from petrkindlmann/qa-skills. Sequenced launcher that bootstraps QA on a project with no QA in place. Chains qa-project-context → test-strategy → test-planning in one guided run, then points you at automation. Use when: "set up QA on a new project," "QA from scratch," "no QA exists yet," "/qa-start." Not for: onboarding a QA engineer to an existing team with existing tests — use qa-project-bootstrap. Not for: "which skill do I use" with no clear match — use qa-do. Related: qa-project-context, test-strategy, test-planning…
Its SKILL.md is about 1.8k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts. Compatibility notes: Cross-tool. Tested with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI. Reads/writes the user's project root; no network access required.
It sits in Testing & QA, covering Test strategy and QA and bug reports. The repository describes itself as: 50 QA and test-automation skills for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and any Agent Skills Standard runtime. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- : set up QA on a new project
- QA from scratch
- No QA exists yet
- /qa-start. Not for: onboarding a QA engineer to an existing team with existing tests — use qa-project-bootstrap
Example prompts
- “set up QA on a new project,”
- “QA from scratch,”
- “no QA exists yet,”
- “/qa-start”
Requirements
- Compatibility (from SKILL.md): Cross-tool. Tested with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI. Reads/writes the user's project root; no network access required.
Workflow steps
3 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit b3bb61b. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Compatibility
Cross-tool. Tested with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI. Reads/writes the user's project root; no network access required.
From compatibility in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Context cost
QA Start loads about 1.8k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 134 tokens; SKILL.md has 915 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from petrkindlmann/qa-skills at commit b3bb61b, republished under its MIT licence (© petrkindlmann). 915 words, ~1,807 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/qa-start/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- qa-start
- description
- Sequenced launcher that bootstraps QA on a project with no QA in place. Chains qa-project-context → test-strategy → test-planning in one guided run, then points you at automation. Use when: "set up QA on a new project," "QA from scratch," "no QA exists yet," "/qa-start." Not for: onboarding a QA engineer to an existing team with existing tests — use qa-project-bootstrap. Not for: "which skill do I use" with no clear match — use qa-do. Related: qa-project-context, test-strategy, test-planning, qa-project-bootstrap, qa-do.
- compatibility
- Cross-tool. Tested with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI. Reads/writes the user's project root; no network access required.
- license
- MIT
- metadata.author
- kindlmann
- metadata.version
- 2.0
- metadata.category
- foundation
- metadata.argument-hint
- optional path to existing repo (e.g. './apps/web') if running from a monorepo root
<objective>
A sequenced launcher for bootstrapping QA where none exists. It contains no QA guidance itself — it chains three skills in the correct order so engineers don't jump to writing tests before deciding what to test or why. Run `qa-project-context` → `test-strategy` → `test-planning` and you end with a context file, a strategy document, and a first test plan: a complete QA foundation.
</objective>When to Use This
Reach for qa-start whenever the answer to "where do we start with QA?" is unclear and no QA foundation exists yet:
- A brand-new project with no test infrastructure.
- Joining an existing codebase that has no QA setup at all — old code, but quality work was never formalized. Still
qa-start, notqa-project-bootstrap(that one is for joining a team that already has tests). - Rebooting QA after neglect — tests deleted, coverage collapsed, no strategy. You are rebooting QA from the foundation up.
If the codebase already has a real test suite and you are a QA engineer ramping onto the team, use qa-project-bootstrap instead.
Quick Route
Pick your entry point — skip any step whose artifact already exists.
| Situation | Start at |
|---|---|
| No QA at all (no context file, no strategy, no plan) | Step 1 |
.agents/qa-project-context.md already populated | Skip Step 1 — invoke test-strategy (Step 2) |
| Context file AND strategy document both exist | Skip Steps 1 and 2 — invoke test-planning (Step 3) |
| All three done — what next? | After Step 3 |
| A QA engineer ramping onto an existing team with existing tests | Not this skill — see qa-project-bootstrap |
Step 1: Capture Project Context
Skill: qa-project-context
Creates .agents/qa-project-context.md in your project root. That file records your tech stack, test frameworks, CI/CD pipeline, environments, coverage goals, risk areas, and team structure. Every later skill reads it, so it never asks you the same questions twice.
What to do: Invoke qa-project-context and work through its discovery questions. The skill walks each section interactively, discovers what it can from the repo, and writes the file.
Done when: .agents/qa-project-context.md exists in your project root with all sections filled in. It is the source of truth for everything that follows.
Step 2: Create the Test Strategy
Skill: test-strategy
Produces a strategy document defining how the project approaches quality: the test pyramid (what proportion of unit, integration, and E2E tests fits your product), entry and exit criteria, tool selection, environment coverage, and quality gates for CI and release.
What to do: Invoke test-strategy once Step 1 is complete. It reads the context file automatically and will not re-ask anything answered there.
Done when: You have a strategy document (e.g. strategy.md) covering test-pyramid rationale, tool choices with justification, quality gates for CI and release, and entry/exit criteria per test type. One page of clear decisions beats a sprawling template.
Step 3: Build the First Test Plan
Skill: test-planning
Translates the strategy into an actionable plan for the first sprint or release. Maps features to test cases, assigns effort, and decides what gets covered first versus deferred.
What to do: Invoke test-planning after Step 2. It consumes the strategy from Step 2 and the context from Step 1. Provide the feature list or sprint scope when prompted.
Done when: You have a test plan (e.g. plan.md) with features mapped to test cases, coverage priorities set, effort estimated, and scope boundaries clear. This is the artifact your team executes against.
Show full SKILL.md (366 more words)Show less
After Step 3
You now hold the foundation: context, strategy, and a first plan. Next actions depend on your stack — this launcher is not the final step.
- First automated tests: Use
playwright-automationorcypress-automationto write the first E2E tests against your highest-risk flows. - CI integration: Use
ci-cd-integrationto get tests running on every pull request. - Tracking quality: Use
qa-metricsonce the suite runs to define what health looks like and how to measure it over time.
qa-start vs qa-project-bootstrap vs qa-do
The single most common routing confusion, answered in one place:
qa-start— bootstrap QA where none exists. New project, or QA was deleted and you are rebooting it. Sequence: context → strategy → first plan. Output is the QA foundation.qa-project-bootstrap— a 30-day ramp for a QA engineer joining an existing team with existing tests. Covers team processes, onboarding timeline, and an audit of the test suite already in place. Use it after a foundation exists, not to create one.qa-do— last-resort router for "which skill do I use?" when nothing clearly matches. If you already know you have no QA, skip it and runqa-start.
A brand-new project with no QA — even on an old codebase — is always qa-start, never qa-project-bootstrap.
Pin as a Manual Command
Re-run anytime from the Claude Code /skills menu.
To pin this skill as a manual-only command, add disable-model-invocation: true to the frontmatter, or set it via skillOverrides in .claude/settings.local.json.
Caveat: in some Claude Code builds
disable-model-invocation: truealso suppresses the manual slash command (ref anthropics/claude-code#26251). If you still want to invoke/qa-startby hand, set theskillOverridesstate touser-invocable-onlyinstead.
Related Skills
- qa-project-context — Step 1. Captures project setup, tech stack, and quality goals into
.agents/qa-project-context.md. - test-strategy — Step 2. Defines the testing approach, pyramid, tools, and quality gates.
- test-planning — Step 3. Builds the first test plan with features mapped to test cases.
- qa-project-bootstrap — go here instead when a QA engineer is ramping onto an existing team with existing tests; this skill creates the foundation, bootstrap onboards onto one.
- qa-do — last-resort router when no skill clearly matches; not needed if you already know there is no QA.
- playwright-automation / cypress-automation — after the plan, write the first E2E tests against your highest-risk flows.
© petrkindlmann, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in skills/qa-start of petrkindlmann/qa-skills.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit b3bb61b
Compare with similar skills
QA Start next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QA Start this skillpetrkindlmann/qa-skills | 165 | — | ~1.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Test Automatoraiskillstore/marketplace | 430 | 9 repos | ~2.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| QA LeadIbrahim-3d/orchestrator-supaconductor | 380 | — | ~2.5k | Automated safety check: Pass | AGPL-3.0 | |
| Testing QAaiskillstore/marketplace | 430 | 3 repos | ~1.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Test Strategyavelikiy/great_cto | 103 | — | ~1k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| QA Engineerdralgorhythm/claude-agentic-framework | 125 | — | ~631 | Automated safety check: Pass | None |
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Questions about QA Start
What does QA Start do?
Sequenced launcher that bootstraps QA on a project with no QA in place. QA Start is an agent skill from petrkindlmann/qa-skills. Sequenced launcher that bootstraps QA on a project with no QA in place.
When should I use QA Start?
QA Start fits situations like: : set up QA on a new project; QA from scratch; no QA exists yet; /qa-start. Not for: onboarding a QA engineer to an existing team with existing tests — use qa-project-bootstrap.
How do I install QA Start in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add petrkindlmann/qa-skills --skill qa-start -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/qa-start in petrkindlmann/qa-skills) into .claude/skills/qa-start in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install QA Start in Codex?
Run `npx skills add petrkindlmann/qa-skills --skill qa-start -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/qa-start in petrkindlmann/qa-skills) into .agents/skills/qa-start in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use QA Start in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add petrkindlmann/qa-skills --skill qa-start -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/qa-start, .gemini/skills/qa-start, .github/skills/qa-start and .opencode/skills/qa-start in your project.
What does QA Start need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: QA Start is instructions for the agent only. Compatibility (from SKILL.md): Cross-tool. Tested with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI. Reads/writes the user's project root; no network access required..
Does QA Start access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is QA Start safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does QA Start use?
QA Start is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does QA Start use?
About 1.8k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 7.2k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to QA Start?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with QA Start: Test Automator (aiskillstore/marketplace, 430 stars), QA Lead (Ibrahim-3d/orchestrator-supaconductor, 380 stars), Testing QA (aiskillstore/marketplace, 430 stars) and Test Strategy (avelikiy/great_cto, 103 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains QA Start?
petrkindlmann (a GitHub user) maintains it in petrkindlmann/qa-skills, which has 165 GitHub stars. The repository holds 45 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on June 10, 2026.
Source: petrkindlmann/qa-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.