CoWork
Explore CoWork, QApilot’s human-in-the-loop authoring mode for turning written test cases into automated mobile recordings with AI planning on live devices.
Overview
CoWork is QApilot's agentic, human-in-the-loop test authoring mode. It takes your existing test cases written in plain English or BDD format, and automates them on a real mobile device. The system reads the screen, decides what actions to take, and adapts on the fly.
CoWork is one among the three test authoring modes on QApilot - each mode designed for a different testing need:
Crawler
Agentic · Autonomous
Fully autonomous app exploration and test generation with zero human input
CoWork
Agentic · Human in the loop
Converting existing test cases into automated recordings with AI assistance
Record & Playback
RPA · AI-Assisted
Capturing precise user interactions manually for full test coverage
See also: Platform Overview for a full introduction to QApilot's modes.
How to CoWork
Workflow at a Glance
1
Ingest
Upload or create test cases from excel
2
Invoke
Configure and launch CoWork on a selected test case
3
Translate
Review and optionally edit the auto-generated BDD steps
4
Execute
CoWork runs the test on a live device, replanning automatically as needed
5
Review & Accept
Accept the recorded steps or hand off to the RPA module for manual recording
6
Run & Report
Execute the test suite and view results - shared across all authoring modes
Prerequisites
Before using CoWork, make sure the following are set up in QApilot:
Device farm Integration - Connect to a supported device farm (LambdaTest) via Settings
App uploaded - The mobile app under test must be uploaded to the platform as an App Source
CoWork currently supports Android only. iOS support is coming soon.
1. Ingest - Build Your Test Cases
Navigate to CoWork in the left sidebar. You'll find two sections: Configuration and Test Cases.
The Test Cases page is your CoWork test case bank - a library of all test cases available for CoWork to run upon. Each entry shows the test case name, ID, supported OS, last updated timestamp, scenario, source, and actions.
Cross-reference note: The
Sourcecolumn in the Test Cases bank displaysCoWorkfor all cases authored here. See Test Case for the full platform-wide test case view.
Adding Test Cases
Click the Upload button (top right of the Test Cases page)
In the CoWork Test Case Upload modal, attach your Excel file from your local machine
Ensure the file includes all required fields:
FieldDescriptionallure_idUnique identifier for the test case
nameTest case name
featureFeature or module the test case belongs to
scenarioScenario name
test stepsThe actual steps to execute
Tip: Click Download Sample Excel File to get the
CoWork-sample.xlsxtemplate. Fill in your test case details and upload.
Click the + icon (top right of the Test Cases page)
Fill in the Test Case Create form:
FieldRequiredNotesTest Case Title
✅
Test ID
Reference a case in your test management tool
Severity
✅
e.g., Critical, Major, Minor
OS
✅
Android, iOS, or Both
Scenario
Associate with an existing scenario
Precondition
Credentials, etc.
Expected Result
What the test should confirm
User Steps
✅
Step-by-step actions in plain English
Click Create
Newly created test cases appear at the top of the bank with a Draft status.
Coming soon: Import test cases directly from test management tools such as TestRail.
Open CoWork section from the left panel -
Upload Test Case Sheet to add Cases and Steps into the platform
Or write cases manually through Test Case Create
Managing Test Cases
Click the three-dot-menu on any test case row to access the following options:
Edit
Modify the test case details
Manage Steps
View or edit recorded steps associated with the test case
CoWork
Launch CoWork directly on this test case
Delete
Permanently remove the test case
2. Invoke - Launching CoWork
CoWork can be launched from two places in the platform.
Select Configuration from the CoWork left panel
Complete Step 1 - Select Platform & App Source:
Select App Platform (Android)
Choose your Service (e.g., LambdaTest)
Select your App Source
Complete Step 2 - Configure Scenario & Test Case:
Select a Scenario
Select the Test Case you want to automate
Click Launch
Click the ⊙ actions menu next to any test case
Select CoWork
A CoWork Configuration modal appears with the same two-step form — the Scenario and Test Case fields are pre-filled based on your selection
Fill in Step 1 (platform, service, app source) and click Launch
Configuration Screen -
Test Cases Screen -
Launch CoWork post Configuration -
Device Connection
After clicking Launch, CoWork allocates a device from your device farm and establishes a live connection. A progress modal displays:
Device name (e.g., Galaxy S24)
App name and package identifier
Connection progress and elapsed time
Once connected, the CoWork workspace opens with the device live on the left panel.
3. Translate - Reviewing BDD Steps
The CoWork workspace is split into three panels.
Left Panel: Live Device
A real-time mirror of the mobile device. The app is already launched and ready. You can watch actions execute here as CoWork runs.
Center Panel: Planner Workspace
Source Requirements (expandable, read-only)
Expand this section to view the original test case data pulled from the bank:
Preconditions
User Steps
Expected Result
This is read-only. It reflects your source test case exactly as entered.
Planner Input (BDD Steps)
CoWork automatically translates your plain English test steps into BDD format. These steps are editable — you can refine them before starting a run.
Typical BDD steps looks like this:
Click Save BDD Steps to save any edits.
The BDD steps generated during a CoWork run are saved back to the test case automatically for future reference.
Additional App Context
Use this free-text field to pass extra information to the planner - for example, login credentials, screen-specific values, or navigation hints that aren't captured in the test steps.
Action Buttons
Automate with CoWork
Starts the CoWork and begins automated execution on the live device
Record Manually
Skips CoWork and opens the Record & Playback (RPA) module on the platform for manual recording
Right Panel: Planner Output
Displays the planner's current execution plan as a numbered, live-updating step list. Each step includes:
A plain-language description of the action
The action type:
click,wait,scroll, orreactivateThe target selector (element identifier used to locate the UI element)
Real-time status indicator: ○ pending · ✓ succeeded · ✗ failed
The badge on the tab reflects the total number of steps in the current plan version. If a replan occurs, this count updates.
Logs every version of the plan generated during the session. Expand any version to see:
Version label and status (
in_progress,replaced, orcompleted)The planner's reasoning — a natural language explanation of the approach taken
Full scenario context (BDD steps, app package, app context)
Step-by-step execution summary with success/failure indicators per step
When a step fails, CoWork does not stop - it automatically generates a new plan from the point of failure. The Replans tab records each replan event in detail:
Triggered at
The step and plan version where the failure occurred
Error
The exact error returned by the failed action
Failed step
Action type, description, and selector that was attempted
Reasoning
The planner's analysis of what went wrong and how it will recover
New plan
The version number and file generated to replace the failed plan
Example of adaptive replanning in action:
The planner expected a "Not now" dismiss button on an update prompt. Instead, the device showed a Change Language screen. CoWork detected the mismatch, reasoned that the language screen needed to be cleared by tapping "Proceed", generated a new 2-step plan (v2) spliced in from step 3, and continued execution — all without manual intervention.
5. Review & Accept
Once execution completes, the plan steps are displayed with their final status. Review the run and choose how to proceed:
Click Accept Steps to save all generated steps to the test case on the platform.
The test case is saved with the recorded steps and is ready for execution.
Use this when you're satisfied with how CoWork executed the test and want to move forward without changes.
Click Record Manually to save the generated steps as a Draft and open them in the Record & Playback module.
From the Recorder screen, you can review, validate, edit, and approve each step before finalizing.
Use this when you want to inspect the steps closely, correct specific interactions, or fill in gaps before accepting the recording.
Cross-reference note: See Creating Test Steps Using Test Recorder for full documentation on the RPA module and how to work with draft steps in the Recorder screen.
To adjust the BDD steps based on what was observed during execution, click Edit & Rerun.
This returns you to the Planner Workspace where you can edit the BDD input and re-execute the test from the beginning with the updated steps.
6. Run & Report
Once a test case has been recorded and accepted via CoWork, it joins your test suite and can be executed like any other test case on QApilot.
Test execution and reporting work the same way across all authoring modes - CoWork, Crawler, and Record & Playback.
Cross-reference note: See Test Plan Executions and Reports Dashboard for full details on scheduling runs, selecting devices, and interpreting test results.
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