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Getting Started

Get from zero to a running AI-generated test in about five minutes.

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.10 or newer
  • An Anthropic API key (for test generation) or a Synthesize account

1. Install

pip install synthesize-ai

Optional extras for specific test types:

pip install "synthesize-ai[web]"     # Selenium browser testing
pip install "synthesize-ai[api]"     # API/HTTP testing
pip install "synthesize-ai[db]"      # Database testing
pip install "synthesize-ai[watch]"   # Watch mode (TDD)
pip install "synthesize-ai[visual]"  # Visual regression
pip install "synthesize-ai[all]"     # Everything

2. Authenticate

Option A — Anthropic API key (simplest for local use):

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

Option B — Synthesize account (enables Studio features, usage tracking):

# Interactive browser login
synthesize auth login

# Or headless with an API key from studio.synthesize-ai.dev/profile/api-keys
synthesize auth login --token synth_YOUR_KEY

# Verify
synthesize auth status

3. Initialize a Project

mkdir my-tests && cd my-tests
synthesize init

This creates synth.yaml — your project configuration. The defaults work out of the box; see Configuration when you want to customize.

4. Write Your First Test

Create login.synth:

suite: User Login
context: Web app, login page at https://example.com/login

tests:
  - Successful login redirects to dashboard
  - Bad password shows an error message
  - Empty form shows validation errors

That's the whole test file. No selectors, no boilerplate — describe intent, in English.

5. Generate

# Robot Framework (default)
synthesize generate login.synth

# Or pick your framework
synthesize generate login.synth --format playwright
synthesize generate login.synth --format cypress
synthesize generate login.synth --format selenium

Generated test files land in output/.

6. Run

# Generate + execute in one step
synthesize run login.synth

# Validate without executing
synthesize run login.synth --dry-run

# With self-healing: broken locators get fixed automatically
synthesize run login.synth --heal auto --max-retries 3

Where to Go Next

  • The .synth Format — extended syntax, priorities, compliance tags
  • CLI Reference — the full command surface (analytics, CI/CD, security, and more)
  • Configuration — models, environments, healing strategies
  • Try synthesize chat for conversational test authoring