Table of Contents

Running and debugging

The CLI gives you a predictable loop for validation, plan inspection, execution, diagnostics, and report review.

Results panel

Core command sequence

dotnet run --project src\Cress.Cli\Cress.Cli.csproj -- validate
dotnet run --project src\Cress.Cli\Cress.Cli.csproj -- doctor
dotnet run --project src\Cress.Cli\Cress.Cli.csproj -- discover
dotnet run --project src\Cress.Cli\Cress.Cli.csproj -- run --report html,json,junit

Use plan mode before full execution

If you want to inspect what Cress will do without executing the drivers:

dotnet run --project src\Cress.Cli\Cress.Cli.csproj -- run --dry-run --json

This is the fastest way to confirm flow selection, profile choice, and plan shape before you pay for a full browser or desktop run.

Useful execution patterns

Run a specific flow

dotnet run --project src\Cress.Cli\Cress.Cli.csproj -- run flows\example\example-flow.flow.yaml

Run by tag

dotnet run --project src\Cress.Cli\Cress.Cli.csproj -- run --tag smoke --profile ci

Continue after a failure

dotnet run --project src\Cress.Cli\Cress.Cli.csproj -- run --continue-on-failure --report html,json

Read the evidence in the right order

  1. CLI summary for run ID and artifact path
  2. Studio results panel for screenshots and traces
  3. generated HTML report for stakeholder-friendly detail
  4. JSON or JUnit output for CI and tooling integration

Commands for investigation

Command Use it for
cress doctor environment readiness, project discovery, driver health
cress discover seeing which flows, steps, fixtures, and capabilities were found
cress report summarize summarizing a selected run
cress metrics run history and trend aggregation
cress flake-report spotting flaky flows and steps
cress doc generate producing a shareable HTML living document

Common failure patterns

The project is not found

Run from inside the project tree or pass the target project path to the relevant command.

The driver is configured but unavailable

Use doctor and discover drivers to confirm the runtime implementation and config are aligned.

The flow passes locally but not in CI

Review:

  • profile differences
  • locator stability
  • startup and wait assumptions
  • evidence mode and screenshot coverage

The failure is hard to diagnose

Increase the evidence richness early in the flow lifecycle and keep reports published from CI as artifacts.