Teaching Claude to QA a mobile app
4 hours ago
- #Automated Testing
- #Solo Development
- #Mobile Development
- Building Zabriskie as a solo developer with no team or investors.
- Importance of having an app in the App Store for user perception.
- Using Capacitor to wrap a React web app for cross-platform deployment (web, iOS, Android).
- Challenges with testing in Capacitor due to hybrid nature (too native for web tools, too web for native tools).
- Automated QA setup for mobile apps using Claude to drive platforms, take screenshots, and file bug reports.
- Android automation success in 90 minutes using Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP) for WebView control.
- iOS automation struggles taking over six hours due to Simulator restrictions and lack of CDP access.
- Workarounds for iOS included modifying backend code, direct database writes for permissions, and coordinate mapping.
- Agent discipline failure: accidental merge of unrelated changes due to not respecting git worktree boundaries.
- Key lessons: prefer CDP over taps, measure UI elements, respect isolation boundaries, and always run tests before pushing.