Nordic Testing Days 2026

This full-day, hands-on tutorial dives into test automation using the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and AI agents. Participants will first master the MCP architecture, the standardized foundation for AI-driven applications.

The core of the tutorial focuses on Playwright's AI Agents (Planner, Generator, Healer). You will learn to leverage these agents to:

• Intelligently discover and map application test surfaces (Planner).
• Automatically generate executable Playwright code from natural language specifications (Generator).
• Implement self-healing mechanisms to automatically detect and repair broken tests after UI changes (Healer).

The session covers integration techniques, including connecting MCP with GitHub Copilot for an issue-to-implementation workflow, and best practices for production-ready, CI/CD-integrated test suites.

Prerequisites:

• Basic understanding of JavaScript/TypeScript
• Familiarity with web testing concepts
• Node.js 18+ installed
• VS Code or similar IDE

Tutorial Objectives:
By the end of this tutorial, participants will be able to:

1. Understand the Model Context Protocol (MCP) architecture and its role in AI-driven automation
2. Set up and configure MCP Playwright servers in multiple environments
3. Leverage AI agents (Planner, Generator, Healer) for test automation
4. Build intelligent, self-healing test automation frameworks
5. Integrate MCP with GitHub Copilot and other AI tools
6. Implement best practices for production-ready test automation

Tutorial Agenda
Morning Session (9:00 AM - 12:30 PM)

• 9:00 - 9:30 AM: Welcome & Tutorial Introduction
  • Participant introductions and icebreaker
  • Tutorial objectives and expected outcomes
  • Overview of the day's schedule
  • Environment setup verification
• 9:30 - 10:45 AM: Module 1 - Understanding MCP (Model Context Protocol)
  • What is MCP and why it matters
  • The evolution from custom integrations to standardized protocols
  • MCP as the "USB-C for AI applications"
  • MCP Architecture deep dive
    • Client-Server architecture
    • MCP Host, Client, and Server relationships
    • Data layer: JSON-RPC 2.0 protocol
    • Transport layer: stdio, SSE, WebSockets
  • MCP vs traditional approaches (ChatGPT plugins, custom APIs)
  • Real-world use cases and success stories
  • Hands-on Exercise 1:
    • Setting up your first MCP server
    • Configuring Claude Desktop/VS Code with MCP
    • Testing basic MCP connectivity
  • Resources Provided:
    • MCP architecture diagrams
    • Configuration templates
    • Troubleshooting guide
• 10:45 - 11:00 AM: Coffee Break
• 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM: Module 2 - Playwright MCP Fundamentals
  • Introduction to Playwright MCP Server
  • Microsoft's official implementation vs community alternatives
  • Key features: accessibility tree usage, deterministic actions
  • Supported capabilities: vision, PDF handling
  • MCP Server architecture for Playwright
  • Browser automation via MCP protocol
  • Tools, Resources, and Prompts in MCP context
  • Storage modes: persistent vs isolated profiles
  • Demo Session:
    • Installing Playwright MCP: npx @playwright/mcp@latest
    • Configuration options and arguments
    • Connecting MCP to different clients (Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor)
    • Live demonstration of browser automation via MCP
  • Hands-on Exercise 2:
    • Configure Playwright MCP in your development environment
    • Create your first AI-driven browser automation
    • Use natural language prompts to navigate and interact with a demo website
    • Capture and analyze accessibility snapshots
    • Challenge: Automate a simple e-commerce flow (browse → add to cart → checkout) using only natural language prompts through MCP.

Lunch Break (12:30 - 1:30 PM)
Afternoon Session (1:30 PM - 5:00 PM)

• 1:30 - 3:00 PM: Module 3 - Playwright AI Agents
  • Introduction to Playwright Test Agents
  • The three agents: Planner, Generator, Healer
  • Agent workflows and lifecycle
  • Planner Agent: Intelligent test discovery
    • How it explores applications
    • Generating comprehensive test plans
  • Generator Agent: Automated test creation
    • Converting test plans to Playwright code
    • Natural language to code translation
  • Healer Agent: Self-healing tests
    • Detecting and fixing broken tests
    • Automatic locator updates
    • Handling UI changes
  • Demo Session:
    • Setting up Playwright Agents: npx @playwright/test init-agents
    • Live demo: Planner agent exploring a web application
    • Live demo: Generator creating tests from specifications
    • Live demo: Healer fixing failing tests after UI changes
  • Hands-on Exercise 3:
    • Initialize agents in your project
    • Use Planner agent to explore a sample application
    • Generate test specs in Markdown format
    • Convert specs to executable Playwright tests with Generator
    • Introduce breaking changes and use Healer to repair tests
  • Group Activity: Teams work on different sections of an e-commerce application, comparing agent-generated tests vs manually written tests.
• 3:00 - 3:15 PM: Coffee Break
• 3:15 - 5:00 PM: Module 4 - Advanced Integration & Best Practices
  • Integrating MCP with GitHub Copilot Coding Agent
    • How Copilot uses Playwright MCP
    • Verifying code changes in real browsers
    • Issue-to-implementation workflow
  • Advanced MCP features
    • Custom MCP servers for specific needs
    • Multi-tool workflows (MCP + web search + internal tools)
    • Security considerations and sandboxing
  • Best practices for production deployments
    • Test organization and structure
    • Page Object Model with AI-generated tests
    • CI/CD integration (GitHub Actions, Docker)
    • Test data management and fixtures
    • Handling flaky tests with AI assistance