Visual Regression

Visual Regression Testing Setup Skill

Skill Purpose

Generate complete visual regression testing setup with Storybook stories, configuration files, and CI/CD workflows.

Supports: Chromatic, Percy, BackstopJS Frameworks: React, Vue, Svelte (TypeScript/JavaScript) CI/CD: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI

What This Skill Does

1. Detects existing setup: Storybook version, VR tool, CI platform
2. Validates component: Extract props, variants, states
3. Generates stories: Complete .stories.tsx with all variants
4. Creates config files: Chromatic, Percy, or BackstopJS configuration
5. Sets up CI/CD: Auto-generate workflow files
6. Provides instructions: Next steps for API tokens, first baseline

Workflow

Step 1: Validate Project Setup

Execute: vr_setup_validator.py

Check:

• Framework (React/Vue/Svelte) from package.json
• Existing Storybook config (.storybook/ directory)
• Existing VR tool (chromatic, percy, backstopjs in dependencies)
• CI platform (.github/, .gitlab-ci.yml, .circleci/)
• Component file exists and is valid

Output:

{
  "framework": "react",
  "storybook_version": "7.6.0",
  "vr_tool": "chromatic",
  "ci_platform": "github",
  "component": {
    "path": "src/components/ProfileCard.tsx",
    "name": "ProfileCard",
    "props": [...],
    "valid": true
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "installed": ["@storybook/react", "@storybook/addon-essentials"],
    "missing": ["chromatic", "@chromatic-com/storybook"]
  }
}

If Storybook not found: Ask user if they want to install Storybook first, provide setup instructions.

If multiple VR tools found: Ask user which to use (Chromatic recommended).

Step 2: Generate Storybook Stories

Execute: story_generator.py

Process:

1. Parse component file (TypeScript/JSX/Vue SFC)
2. Extract props, prop types, default values
3. Identify variants (size, variant, disabled, etc.)
4. Generate story file from template
5. Add accessibility tests (@storybook/addon-a11y)
6. Add interaction tests (if @storybook/test available)

Template: templates/story-template.tsx.j2

Example output (ProfileCard.stories.tsx):

import type { Meta, StoryObj } from '@storybook/react';
import { ProfileCard } from './ProfileCard';

const meta = {
  title: 'Components/ProfileCard',
  component: ProfileCard,
  parameters: {
    layout: 'centered',
  },
  tags: ['autodocs'],
  argTypes: {
    size: { control: 'select', options: ['sm', 'md', 'lg'] },
    variant: { control: 'select', options: ['default', 'compact'] },
  },
} satisfies Meta<typeof ProfileCard>;

export default meta;
type Story = StoryObj<typeof meta>;

export const Default: Story = {
  args: {
    name: 'John Doe',
    avatar: 'https://example.com/avatar.jpg',
    bio: 'Software Engineer',
    size: 'md',
    variant: 'default',
  },
};

export const Small: Story = {
  args: {
    ...Default.args,
    size: 'sm',
  },
};

export const Large: Story = {
  args: {
    ...Default.args,
    size: 'lg',
  },
};

export const Compact: Story = {
  args: {
    ...Default.args,
    variant: 'compact',
  },
};

// Accessibility test
Default.parameters = {
  a11y: {
    config: {
      rules: [
        { id: 'color-contrast', enabled: true },
        { id: 'label', enabled: true },
      ],
    },
  },
};

Write to: {component_directory}/{ComponentName}.stories.tsx

Step 3: Generate Configuration Files

Execute: chromatic_config_generator.py (or percy/backstop equivalent)

For Chromatic:

Generate 3 files:

1. chromatic.config.json:

{
  "projectId": "<PROJECT_ID_PLACEHOLDER>",
  "buildScriptName": "build-storybook",
  "exitZeroOnChanges": true,
  "exitOnceUploaded": true,
  "onlyChanged": true,
  "externals": ["public/**"],
  "skip": "dependabot/**",
  "ignoreLastBuildOnBranch": "main"
}

2. Update .storybook/main.js (add addon):

module.exports = {
  stories: ['../src/**/*.stories.@(js|jsx|ts|tsx)'],
  addons: [
    '@storybook/addon-links',
    '@storybook/addon-essentials',
    '@chromatic-com/storybook', // ← Added
    '@storybook/addon-interactions',
  ],
  framework: {
    name: '@storybook/react-vite',
    options: {},
  },
};

3. Update package.json (add scripts):

{
  "scripts": {
    "chromatic": "npx chromatic",
    "chromatic:ci": "npx chromatic --exit-zero-on-changes"
  }
}

For Percy: Generate .percy.yml instead For BackstopJS: Generate backstop.config.js instead

Step 4: Generate CI/CD Workflow

Execute: ci_workflow_generator.py

Detect CI platform from existing files:

• .github/workflows/ → GitHub Actions
• .gitlab-ci.yml → GitLab CI
• .circleci/config.yml → CircleCI
• None → Ask user, default to GitHub Actions

GitHub Actions Example:

Generate: .github/workflows/chromatic.yml

name: Visual Regression Tests

on:
  push:
    branches: [main, develop]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  chromatic:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0 # Required for Chromatic

      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: '20'
          cache: 'npm'

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci

      - name: Run Chromatic
        uses: chromaui/action@latest
        with:
          projectToken: ${{ secrets.CHROMATIC_PROJECT_TOKEN }}
          exitZeroOnChanges: true
          onlyChanged: true

For GitLab CI: Add job to .gitlab-ci.yml For CircleCI: Add job to .circleci/config.yml

Step 5: Provide Setup Instructions

Output to user:

✅ Visual regression testing setup complete!

## Files Created/Modified

✅ {ComponentName}.stories.tsx (Storybook story with variants)
✅ chromatic.config.json (Chromatic configuration)
✅ .storybook/main.js (Added @chromatic-com/storybook addon)
✅ package.json (Added chromatic scripts)
✅ .github/workflows/chromatic.yml (CI workflow)

## Next Steps

### 1. Install Dependencies

```bash
npm install --save-dev chromatic @chromatic-com/storybook
```

### 2. Create Chromatic Project

1. Go to https://www.chromatic.com/start
2. Sign in with GitHub
3. Create new project
4. Copy project token

### 3. Add Secret to GitHub

1. Go to repository Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
2. Create secret: `CHROMATIC_PROJECT_TOKEN`
3. Paste your project token

### 4. Update chromatic.config.json

Replace `<PROJECT_ID_PLACEHOLDER>` with your actual project ID from Chromatic dashboard.

### 5. Create Baseline

```bash
npm run chromatic
```

This captures the initial screenshots as your baseline.

### 6. Test Visual Regression

1. Make a visual change to ProfileCard
2. Commit and push
3. CI will run Chromatic automatically
4. Review changes in Chromatic dashboard

## Documentation

See `.agent/sops/testing/visual-regression-setup.md` for detailed workflow.

## Troubleshooting

**Storybook build fails**: Ensure all component dependencies are installed
**Chromatic upload fails**: Check project token in secrets
**No changes detected**: Chromatic only runs on changed stories (use `--force-rebuild` to test)

Predefined Functions Reference

vr_setup_validator.py

def detect_storybook_config(project_root: str) -> dict
def detect_vr_tool(project_root: str) -> str
def validate_component_path(component_path: str) -> dict
def check_dependencies(project_root: str) -> dict

Returns: Validation report with detected setup and missing dependencies

story_generator.py

def analyze_component(component_path: str, framework: str) -> dict
def generate_story(component_info: dict, template_path: str) -> str
def create_accessibility_tests(component_info: dict) -> str
def create_interaction_tests(component_info: dict) -> str

Returns: Generated story file content

chromatic_config_generator.py

def generate_chromatic_config(project_info: dict) -> str
def generate_storybook_config(existing_config: dict) -> str
def generate_package_scripts(existing_scripts: dict) -> dict
def generate_percy_config(project_info: dict) -> str  # Percy alternative
def generate_backstop_config(project_info: dict) -> str  # BackstopJS alternative

Returns: Configuration file contents as strings

ci_workflow_generator.py

def detect_ci_platform(project_root: str) -> str
def generate_github_workflow(project_info: dict) -> str
def generate_gitlab_ci(project_info: dict) -> str
def generate_circleci_config(project_info: dict) -> str

Returns: CI workflow file contents

Templates Reference

• story-template.tsx.j2: React/TypeScript story template
• story-template.vue.j2: Vue SFC story template
• chromatic-config.json.j2: Chromatic configuration
• percy-config.yml.j2: Percy configuration
• github-workflow.yml.j2: GitHub Actions workflow
• gitlab-ci.yml.j2: GitLab CI job
• storybook-main.js.j2: Storybook addon configuration

Examples

Example 1: Simple Component

User: "Set up visual regression for ProfileCard component"

→ Detects: React, existing Storybook, no VR tool
→ Generates: ProfileCard.stories.tsx with 4 variants
→ Creates: Chromatic config, GitHub workflow
→ Outputs: Setup instructions

See: examples/simple-component-vr.md

Example 2: Full Design System

User: "Set up visual regression for entire design system"

→ Detects: React, Storybook, components in src/components/
→ Generates: Stories for all components (Button, Input, Card, etc.)
→ Creates: Chromatic config with design token validation
→ Outputs: Bulk setup instructions

See: examples/design-system-vr.md

Example 3: Existing Storybook

User: "Add Chromatic to existing Storybook"

→ Detects: Storybook v7, existing stories
→ Adds: @chromatic-com/storybook addon
→ Creates: Chromatic config, CI workflow
→ Preserves: Existing stories and configuration

See: examples/existing-storybook-vr.md

Integration with product-design Skill

After product-design generates implementation plan, suggest visual regression:

"Implementation plan created! Consider setting up visual regression testing:

  'Set up visual regression for {ComponentName}'

This ensures pixel-perfect implementation and prevents visual drift."

Tool Comparison

Chromatic (Recommended)

• ✅ Purpose-built for Storybook
• ✅ Component-focused testing
• ✅ UI review workflow
• ✅ Free tier: 5,000 snapshots/month
• ❌ Requires cloud service

Percy

• ✅ Multi-framework support
• ✅ Responsive testing
• ✅ Visual reviews
• ❌ More expensive
• ❌ Less Storybook-specific

BackstopJS

• ✅ Open source, self-hosted
• ✅ No cloud dependency
• ✅ Free
• ❌ More manual setup
• ❌ Less automation

Default: Chromatic (best Storybook integration)

Error Handling

Component Not Found

Error: Component file not found at {path}

Please provide correct path:
  "Set up visual regression for src/components/ProfileCard.tsx"

Storybook Not Installed

Storybook not detected. Install first:

  npm install --save-dev @storybook/react @storybook/addon-essentials
  npx storybook init

Then retry: "Set up visual regression for ProfileCard"

Multiple VR Tools Detected

Multiple VR tools found: chromatic, percy

Which should I use?
  - "Use Chromatic for visual regression"
  - "Use Percy for visual regression"

Best Practices

1. Start with key components: Don't test everything, focus on design system primitives
2. Use interaction tests: Combine visual + functional testing
3. Baseline on main: Always merge baselines to main branch
4. Review changes: Don't auto-accept visual changes
5. Test states: Capture hover, focus, error states
6. Accessibility: Include a11y tests in all stories

Token Efficiency

Traditional approach (50k tokens):

1. Read Storybook docs (20k)
2. Read Chromatic docs (15k)
3. Write stories manually (10k)
4. Configure CI (5k)

With visual-regression skill (3k tokens):

1. Skill auto-invokes (0 tokens)
2. Instructions load (3k tokens)
3. Functions execute (0 tokens)

Savings: 94% (47k tokens)

Version History

• v3.3.0: Initial release with Chromatic support
• Future: Percy, BackstopJS, Vue, Svelte support

Last Updated: 2025-10-21 Skill Type: Project-specific Generator: nav-skill-creator (self-improving)