e2e-compile

E2E Compile — Flow YAML to Bash Script

Compile E2E flow YAML files into standalone bash test scripts using the e2e-compile CLI.

Invocation

/e2e-compile [flow-name|--all] [--dry-run] [--verbose] [--coverage] [--coverage-output <dir>]

Arg	Effect
flow-name	Compile a single flow (without .yaml extension)
--all	Compile every flow in .claude/e2e/flows/
--dry-run	Validate flow + mapping coherence without writing output
--verbose	Show resolved step details (operands, expects) during compilation
--coverage	Produce static coverage report (elements reached vs verified) after compilation
--coverage-output <dir>	Output directory for coverage JSON (default: .claude/e2e/coverage)

Prerequisites

1. Flow files in .claude/e2e/flows/*.yaml — run /e2e-flow or /e2e-walkthrough to create them
2. Mapping files in .claude/e2e/mappings/*.yaml — run /e2e-map first if missing

Phase 0 — Parse Arguments

Determine compilation mode from the user's request:

• Explicit flow name → single flow mode
• --all → batch mode (all flows in .claude/e2e/flows/)
• --dry-run → validation-only mode (no output file written)
• --verbose → add step detail output during compilation (combinable with any mode)

If no flow name and no --all: show help and stop.

Phase 1 — Locate Compiler

Find the e2e-compile.js CLI binary:

1. Check ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/bin/e2e-compile.js (set when plugin is loaded)
2. If CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT is not set, search installed locations:

find ~/.claude/plugins -name "e2e-compile.js" -path "*/e2e-pipeline/bin/*" -print -quit 2>/dev/null

If the binary is not found, stop: "Cannot find e2e-compile.js. Ensure the e2e-pipeline plugin is installed."

After locating the binary, verify npm dependencies are installed:

node -e "require('<compiler_dir>/compiler/compiler.js')" 2>&1

Where <compiler_dir> is the parent directory of bin/. If this fails with Cannot find module, stop: "Compiler dependencies missing. Run npm install in <compiler_dir> first."

Phase 2 — Invoke Compiler

Run via Bash tool from the project root (so default directory paths resolve correctly):

Single flow:

node "<compiler_path>" <flow-name>

Batch:

node "<compiler_path>" --all

Dry-run:

node "<compiler_path>" --dry-run <flow-name>

Verbose (add to any mode):

node "<compiler_path>" --verbose <flow-name>
node "<compiler_path>" --verbose --all

Default directories (resolved relative to project root):

• Flows: .claude/e2e/flows
• Mappings: .claude/e2e/mappings
• Output: .claude/e2e/compiled

Note: Flow files may contain a preconditions: top-level block (data readiness checks executed by e2e-test skill). The compiler ignores this block — it is not compiled into the output script.

Phase 3 — Present Results

Parse stdout/stderr from the compiler and present conversationally.

Single flow — success

Compiler stdout:

Compiled: N steps, M expects active, K expects deferred (Phase 2)
OK: <flow-name>

Present as:

Compiled: <flow-name>
  Output:   .claude/e2e/compiled/<flow-name>.sh
  Steps:    N (M expects active)
  Warnings: K expects deferred (unrecognized format — will emit TODO echo at runtime)

Omit the "Warnings" line entirely when deferred count is 0.

After success, mention: "You can run the compiled script directly: bash .claude/e2e/compiled/<flow-name>.sh"

Single flow — error

Compiler writes ERROR lines to stderr. Present them clearly:

Compilation failed: <flow-name>
  ERROR: <message from stderr>

Batch — success

Compiler stdout (one line per flow):

OK: flow-a
FAIL: flow-b — element 'bar' not found in mapping
Batch complete: N OK, M failed

Present as:

Batch compilation complete: N OK, M failed

  Succeeded (N):
    - flow-a
    - flow-c

  Failed (M):
    - flow-b — element 'bar' not found in mapping

Dry-run

Compiler writes to stderr: DRY RUN: would write <path> (N bytes, M steps)

Present as:

Dry-run: <flow-name>
  Validation: PASS (no output file written)
  Would write: .claude/e2e/compiled/<flow-name>.sh (N steps)

For dry-run errors, present the ERROR lines from stderr.

No flows found

If the flows directory does not exist (compiler stderr: ERROR: cannot read flows directory), or has no YAML files, suggest next steps: "No flow files found in .claude/e2e/flows/. Create flows with /e2e-flow (from a plan or spec) or /e2e-walkthrough (interactive browser exploration)."

Coverage report (when --coverage)

Compiler stdout appends coverage summary after compilation output:

Compiled: N steps, M expects active, K expects deferred (Phase 2)
Coverage: X/Y elements (Z%) verified across 1 flow
  Reached (but not verified): elem_a, elem_b (N elements)
  Untouched: elem_c, elem_d (N elements)
OK: <flow-name>

Present as:

Compiled: <flow-name>
  Output:   .claude/e2e/compiled/<flow-name>.sh
  Steps:    N (M expects active)
  Coverage: X/Y elements (Z%) verified
    Reached but not verified: elem_a, elem_b
    Untouched: elem_c, elem_d
  Coverage JSON: .claude/e2e/coverage/coverage.json

If coverage regression warning appears (::warning:: line), present prominently: "Warning: Coverage dropped N% from previous run (was X%, now Y%)"

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Element not in mapping	Run /e2e-map to update the mapping, then recompile
Flow uses v1 format (app:, name:)	Migrate to v2: app:→mapping:, name:→id:
No mapping file	Run /e2e-map first to create .claude/e2e/mappings/*.yaml
--dry-run with --all	Dry-run works with --all; validation runs per flow
Recompile overwrites eval patches	Login flows with manual agent-browser eval workarounds (for headless CI) are overwritten by recompile. Re-apply eval patches after recompiling gate-login-flow. See Headless CI Limitations.
Compiled script fails in CI but passes locally	Playwright fill/click/is visible fail in headless Chrome on Linux CI. Visibility checks use _poll_snapshot_contains (auto-generated). Fill/click need manual eval patches for login flows.
combobox pattern too broad in a11y grep	role=combobox >> nth=0 converts to grep pattern combobox which matches any combobox. Acceptable when page has only one; add accessible name to mapping selector for disambiguation.
Cannot find module on first run	npm dependencies not installed. Run npm install in the e2e-pipeline plugin directory.
Unsupported action type (e.g., Drag, Hover)	Compiler emits # Unknown action type comment in output script. Supported types: Navigate, Click, Fill, Wait, Take snapshot, Verify, Execute external, Verify external. Rewrite the step using a supported action or use Execute external with a CLI command.