capture

UI Operator - Capture

When to use

Use after a capture plan exists, or when the user gives explicit web routes or mobile screens and asks for current-only or baseline/current screenshots.

Output contract

Writes only under:

artifacts/ui-operator/<slug>/
├── comparison-data.json
├── screenshots/
│   ├── baseline/
│   └── current/
└── capture-log.md

May create report.html only when the bundled comparison script is used. Never modify app code.

Pipeline

1. Verify environment

   • For web, confirm target URLs load and login/setup scripts work on both baseline and current.
   • For native mobile, confirm simulator/device, installed app build, deep link/test flow, and screenshot command work.
   • Confirm data snapshot, account, filters, viewport/device profile, and app build are consistent.

2. Run capture

   • Prefer this for web and mobile web:

node plugins/ui-operator/scripts/visual_compare_capture.mjs \
  --baseline-url <baseline-url> \
  --current-url <current-url> \
  --plan artifacts/ui-operator/<slug>/capture-plan.json \
  --out artifacts/ui-operator/<slug>

• Use --setup-script, --baseline-setup-script, or --current-setup-script when login is required.
• Use --routes and --viewport for quick ad hoc runs when no plan exists.
• Prefer this for native mobile:

node plugins/ui-operator/scripts/native_mobile_capture.mjs \
  --plan artifacts/ui-operator/<slug>/capture-plan.json \
  --out artifacts/ui-operator/<slug>

3. Inspect blockers

   • If a route fails, capture the error in comparison-data.json.
   • If an action selector fails, keep the plain route screenshot and mark the state as partial or blocked.

4. Preserve evidence

   • Do not delete old screenshots unless the user explicitly asks.
   • Use a new output slug or iteration folder when rerunning after meaningful code changes.

Hallucination guardrails

• Do not claim a modal, bottom sheet, dropdown, or native screen was captured unless its screenshot exists.
• Do not ignore console or network errors; record them as evidence.
• Do not click destructive controls unless the user explicitly confirms disposable data.
• Do not compare pages or mobile screens that loaded with different auth, seed data, device profile, or app build without a partial marker.

Done criteria

• Screenshots exist for every successfully loaded route/state/viewport.
• Failures are recorded in comparison-data.json.
• Console and network errors are captured when present.
• The final response names the artifact root and any blocked states.