Quality-Max Flaky Selector Scan
Find the selectors that will break on the next redesign. No signup required.
Prerequisites
- None. Pure Claude Code — reads the test files directly, no MCP required.
Trigger
- "Scan my tests for flaky selectors"
- "Which locators are brittle?"
- "Why do my UI tests keep breaking?"
Workflow
- Find UI test files (Playwright
*.spec.ts, Cypress*.cy.js, Selenium page objects, etc.). - Extract locators from
page.locator(...),getBy*,$(...),find_element(...),cy.get(...). - Classify each by fragility:
Fragility classes
| Class | Example | Why it's flaky |
|---|---|---|
| Absolute XPath | /html/body/div[2]/div[1]/button |
Breaks on any DOM reshuffle |
| Positional CSS | .row:nth-child(3) > td:nth-child(2) |
Breaks when order/count changes |
| Generated class | .css-1a2b3c, .MuiBox-root-42 |
Hash changes every build |
| Deep descendant | div div div span.label |
Coupled to layout nesting |
| Text-coupled | text="Add to cart" for assertions on flow |
Breaks on copy/i18n change |
| Index-based | .locator('button').nth(4) |
Breaks when buttons are added |
Stable (good): getByRole('button', { name }), data-test/data-testid,
getByLabel, id (if stable), ARIA roles.
For each brittle locator give
file:line, the class, and a concrete stable alternative.Output:
## Flaky Selector Scan — 12 spec files, 140 locators
**Brittle: 23 (16%) · Stable: 117**
### Highest risk
- `checkout.spec.ts:31` — `.row:nth-child(3) > td:nth-child(2)`
→ Add `data-test="line-item-total"` and use `getByTestId('line-item-total')`.
- `login.spec.ts:12` — `page.locator('button').nth(2)`
→ `getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' })`.
- `nav.spec.ts:8` — `.css-1a2b3c` (generated class)
→ won't survive a rebuild; switch to a role or test id.
### By file
checkout.spec.ts ......... 7 brittle
login.spec.ts ............ 4 brittle
nav.spec.ts .............. 3 brittle
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