Getting Started with ARGUS¶
Your First Test in Under 5 Minutes
Welcome to Argus¶
Argus is an AI-powered autonomous testing platform that lets you create and run E2E tests using plain English. No coding required.
This guide will help you: 1. Create your first project 2. Run your first test 3. Explore key features 4. Choose your deployment mode
Table of Contents¶
- Quick Start (5 Minutes)
- Account Setup
- Creating Your First Project
- Running Your First Test
- Understanding Test Results
- Auto-Discovery: Generate Tests Automatically
- Choosing Your Deployment Mode
- Setting Up Integrations
- Next Steps
Quick Start (5 Minutes)¶
The Fastest Way to Your First Test¶
# 1. Sign up at argus.dev (free tier available)
# 2. Create a new project with your app URL
# 3. Write a test in plain English:
"Go to the homepage and verify the login button is visible"
# 4. Click Run - That's it!
Argus handles everything else: browser automation, assertions, screenshots, and reporting.
Account Setup¶
Step 1: Sign Up¶
- Go to argus.dev
- Click "Get Started Free"
- Sign up with:
- GitHub
- Email/Password
Step 2: Verify Your Email¶
If you signed up with email, check your inbox for a verification link.
Step 3: Complete Your Profile¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Welcome to Argus! │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Your Name: [________________________] │
│ │
│ Company: [________________________] (optional) │
│ │
│ Role: [ Developer ▼ ] │
│ │
│ How did you [ Search Engine ▼ ] │
│ hear about us? │
│ │
│ [ Continue → ] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Creating Your First Project¶
Step 1: Click "New Project"¶
From your dashboard, click the "+ New Project" button.
Step 2: Enter Project Details¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Create New Project │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Project Name: [My First Project___________] │
│ │
│ App URL: [https://myapp.com__________] │
│ │
│ Description: [Testing my web application_] (optional) │
│ │
│ Environment: ○ Production │
│ ● Staging │
│ ○ Development │
│ │
│ [ Create Project → ] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Tips: - Use your staging/dev environment for testing (not production) - The URL should be accessible from the internet - For localhost testing, see Local Development Testing
Step 3: Project Created!¶
You'll see your new project dashboard:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ My First Project [ Settings ⚙️ ] │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ App URL: https://myapp.com │
│ Tests: 0 | Last Run: Never | Status: Ready │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ 🎯 Ready to create your first test! │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ [ + Create Test ] [ 🔍 Auto-Discover ] │ │
│ │ │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Running Your First Test¶
Option A: Write a Test in Plain English (Recommended)¶
Click "+ Create Test" and describe what you want to test:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Create New Test │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Test Name: [Homepage Login Button Test____] │
│ │
│ Describe your test in plain English: │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Go to the homepage and verify that: │ │
│ │ - The page title contains "Welcome" │ │
│ │ - The login button is visible │ │
│ │ - The signup link exists │ │
│ │ │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ [ Create & Run → ] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Example test descriptions:
| What You Type | What Argus Does |
|---|---|
| "Login with email test@example.com and password demo123" | Fills login form, submits, verifies success |
| "Add a product to the shopping cart" | Navigates to product, clicks add to cart, verifies |
| "Search for 'laptop' and verify results appear" | Uses search box, waits for results, validates |
| "Fill out the contact form and submit" | Fills all fields, submits, checks confirmation |
Option B: Use the AI Chat Interface¶
Click the Chat icon to describe tests conversationally:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Argus AI Assistant [ × ] │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 🤖 Hi! I can help you create tests. What would you │
│ like to test today? │
│ │
│ 👤 I want to test the checkout flow │
│ │
│ 🤖 I'll create a checkout flow test for you. Let me │
│ ask a few questions: │
│ │
│ 1. Do users need to be logged in? │
│ 2. What payment methods should I test? │
│ 3. Should I verify the confirmation email? │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Type your message... [Send] │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Option C: Record a Test (Coming Soon)¶
Use our browser extension to record your actions and convert them to tests.
Understanding Test Results¶
Test Execution View¶
When your test runs, you'll see real-time progress:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Test: Homepage Login Button Test ▶️ Running... │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Steps: │
│ ✅ 1. Navigate to https://myapp.com │
│ ✅ 2. Wait for page to load │
│ ✅ 3. Verify page title contains "Welcome" │
│ 🔄 4. Check login button is visible │
│ ⏳ 5. Verify signup link exists │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ [ Live Screenshot ] │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ Shows current browser state │ │
│ │ │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ Duration: 3.2s | AI Cost: $0.02 │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Test Results Summary¶
After completion:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ✅ Test Passed │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Homepage Login Button Test │
│ │
│ Duration: 4.8 seconds │
│ Steps: 5/5 passed │
│ Screenshots: 3 captured │
│ AI Cost: $0.03 │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ Screenshot 1│ │ Screenshot 2│ │ Screenshot 3│ │
│ │ Start │ │ Middle │ │ End │ │
│ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │
│ │
│ [ View Details ] [ Re-run ] [ Edit Test ] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
When Tests Fail¶
If a test fails, Argus shows you exactly what went wrong:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ❌ Test Failed │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Failed Step: Check login button is visible │
│ │
│ Error: Element not found: button#login-btn │
│ │
│ 🔧 Self-Healing Suggestion: │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Found similar element: button[data-testid="login"] │ │
│ │ Confidence: 94% │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ [ Apply Fix ] [ Ignore ] [ Report Bug ] │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ Screenshot at failure: │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ [ Screenshot showing current page state ] │ │
│ │ │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Auto-Discovery: Generate Tests Automatically¶
Let Argus crawl your app and generate tests for you.
Step 1: Click "Auto-Discover"¶
From your project dashboard, click "🔍 Auto-Discover"
Step 2: Configure Discovery¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Auto-Discovery Settings │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Starting URL: [https://myapp.com____________] │
│ │
│ Discovery Depth: [ Medium (20 pages) ▼ ] │
│ │
│ Options: │
│ ☑️ Include login flows │
│ ☑️ Test form submissions │
│ ☑️ Check broken links │
│ ☐ Test file uploads │
│ │
│ Exclude URLs: [/admin/*, /api/*___________] │
│ │
│ [ Start Discovery → ] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 3: Review Generated Tests¶
Argus will crawl your app and suggest tests:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Discovery Complete! Found 12 test suggestions │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Pages Crawled: 18 │
│ Forms Found: 4 │
│ User Flows Detected: 6 │
│ │
│ Suggested Tests: │
│ │
│ ☑️ Homepage loads correctly │
│ ☑️ Login form submission │
│ ☑️ Registration flow │
│ ☑️ Search functionality │
│ ☑️ Add to cart flow │
│ ☑️ Checkout process │
│ ☐ Newsletter signup (optional) │
│ ☐ Contact form submission (optional) │
│ │
│ [ Select All ] [ Create Selected Tests → ] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Choosing Your Deployment Mode¶
Argus offers three deployment modes. You can start with DOM-Only (no setup required) and upgrade later.
Quick Comparison¶
| Mode | Code Access | Healing Accuracy | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| DOM-Only | None | 90-95% | Instant |
| Git-Aware | Read-only | 99.9% | 5 minutes |
| Self-Hosted | On-premise | 99.9% | Days/Weeks |
DOM-Only Mode (Default)¶
No setup required. This is the default mode when you create a project.
✅ Best for: - Getting started quickly - Testing third-party apps - Privacy-conscious teams - Agencies testing client apps
Git-Aware Mode (Recommended for Teams)¶
Connect your repository for maximum healing accuracy.
Setup:
- Go to Project Settings > Integrations
- Click "Connect Repository"
- Select your Git provider (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket)
- Authorize read-only access
- Select your repository
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Connect Repository │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Select Provider: │
│ │
│ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ │
│ │ GitHub │ │ GitLab │ │Bitbucket │ │
│ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ │
│ │
│ ⓘ We only request READ-ONLY access. │
│ Your code is never stored permanently. │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
✅ Best for: - Development teams - Frequent refactoring - Maximum test reliability
Self-Hosted Mode (Enterprise)¶
Contact sales@argus.dev for on-premise deployment.
✅ Best for: - Regulated industries - Strict data residency requirements - Air-gapped environments
Setting Up Integrations¶
CI/CD Integration¶
GitHub Actions¶
# .github/workflows/argus-tests.yml
name: Argus E2E Tests
on:
push:
branches: [main]
pull_request:
branches: [main]
jobs:
test:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- name: Run Argus Tests
uses: argus-testing/github-action@v1
with:
api-key: ${{ secrets.ARGUS_API_KEY }}
project-id: ${{ secrets.ARGUS_PROJECT_ID }}
GitLab CI¶
# .gitlab-ci.yml
argus-tests:
stage: test
image: argus/cli:latest
script:
- argus run --project $ARGUS_PROJECT_ID
variables:
ARGUS_API_KEY: $ARGUS_API_KEY
Slack Notifications¶
- Go to Project Settings > Notifications
- Click "Connect Slack"
- Select your channel
- Choose notification triggers:
- ☑️ Test failures
- ☑️ Daily summary
- ☐ All test runs
GitHub PR Comments¶
- Go to Project Settings > Integrations
- Enable "GitHub PR Comments"
- Argus will automatically comment on PRs with test results
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 🤖 Argus Test Results │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ✅ 12 tests passed │
│ ⚠️ 1 test healed automatically │
│ ❌ 0 tests failed │
│ │
│ Duration: 45s | Cost: $0.28 │
│ │
│ [View Full Report →] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Testing Localhost¶
To test applications running on localhost:
Option 1: Use Argus CLI (Recommended)¶
# Install CLI
npm install -g @argus/cli
# Start tunnel
argus tunnel --port 3000
# Your app is now accessible at:
# https://your-project.argus.dev
Option 2: Use ngrok¶
Option 3: Deploy to Staging¶
Use a staging environment URL instead of localhost.
IDE Integration (MCP)¶
Use Argus directly in your AI-powered IDE.
VS Code / Cursor / Windsurf Setup¶
- Install the Argus MCP extension
- Add to your MCP config:
{
"mcpServers": {
"argus": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["@argus/mcp-server"],
"env": {
"ARGUS_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
}
}
}
}
- Use Argus commands in your IDE:
> argus_discover - Find interactive elements on a page
> argus_test - Run a test from description
> argus_generate - Generate test from user story
> argus_health - Check API status
Common First-Time Issues¶
"My test can't find the login button"¶
Solution: Be more specific in your description:
"The test is too slow"¶
Solution: Tests include AI processing time. Typical tests take 5-15 seconds. For faster execution, use the Starter plan or above.
"I can't test my localhost app"¶
Solution: Use argus tunnel or deploy to a staging environment. See Testing Localhost.
"Self-healing suggested wrong element"¶
Solution: 1. Click "Report Issue" on the healing suggestion 2. Manually specify the correct selector 3. Argus learns from your feedback
"My test passes locally but fails in Argus"¶
Common causes: - Different screen resolution (Argus uses 1920x1080) - Missing test data in staging environment - Authentication tokens not set up
Next Steps¶
1. Create More Tests¶
Start building your test suite: - Critical paths - Login, checkout, core features - User journeys - Complete workflows - Edge cases - Error handling, validation
2. Set Up CI/CD¶
Integrate Argus into your deployment pipeline: - Run tests on every PR - Block deploys on test failures - Get Slack notifications
3. Enable Git-Aware Mode¶
If you haven't already, connect your repository for 99.9% healing accuracy.
4. Explore Advanced Features¶
| Feature | Where to Find |
|---|---|
| Visual Regression Testing | Project > Visual |
| API Testing | Project > API Tests |
| Database Validation | Project > DB Tests |
| Performance Metrics | Project > Quality |
| Accessibility Testing | Project > Quality |
5. Invite Your Team¶
Go to Settings > Team to invite colleagues.
Getting Help¶
Documentation¶
- Full docs: docs.argus.dev
- API reference: docs.argus.dev/api
- FAQ: docs.argus.dev/faq
Support¶
- Community Discord: discord.gg/argus
- Email: support@argus.dev
- In-app chat: Click the chat icon in the dashboard
Video Tutorials¶
Quick Reference Card¶
Test Description Cheat Sheet¶
| Action | Example Description |
|---|---|
| Navigate | "Go to the products page" |
| Click | "Click the Submit button" |
| Type | "Type 'hello' in the search box" |
| Select | "Select 'Large' from the size dropdown" |
| Verify text | "Verify the page shows 'Success'" |
| Verify element | "Verify the cart icon is visible" |
| Wait | "Wait for the loading spinner to disappear" |
| Scroll | "Scroll to the footer" |
| Screenshot | "Take a screenshot of the current page" |
Keyboard Shortcuts (Dashboard)¶
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
N | New test |
R | Run selected test |
D | Open discovery |
S | Open settings |
? | Show help |
Welcome to Argus! 🎯
You're ready to start testing. If you have questions, our team is here to help.
Last Updated: January 2026