Frontend E2E gap analysis (Cypress)

This document tracks critical user journeys and the current Cypress E2E coverage.

Goals:

Improve release confidence for high-value workflows.
Keep tests CI-deterministic (flake-averse), favoring API stubs over live backend state.

Non-goals:

Current coverage inventory (existing specs)

Located under frontend/cypress/e2e/:

clerk_login.cy.ts — smoke sign-in via Clerk testing commands + reach a protected route.
organizations.cy.ts — signed-out redirect + role-based invite permissions UI.
activity_smoke.cy.ts — signed-out redirect for /activity.
activity_feed.cy.ts — /activity happy/empty/error states; stubs SSE + bootstraps via cy.intercept.

Legend:

Priority: P0 (must-have for release confidence), P1 (next most valuable)
Backend mode: Stubbed = deterministic cy.intercept responses; Live = depends on real backend state
Runtime impact: rough incremental CI time for the spec (order-of-magnitude)

Flow	Priority	Coverage status	Backend mode	Expected runtime impact
Boards list renders + Create CTA for admin	P0	✅ Implemented (`boards_list.cy.ts`)	Stubbed	~10–25s
Global approvals: render pending approval + approve/reject	P0	✅ Implemented (`global_approvals.cy.ts`)	Stubbed	~15–35s
Skill packs: sync a pack + surface warnings	P1	✅ Implemented (`skill_packs_sync.cy.ts`)	Stubbed	~15–35s
Board open + task status move (drag/drop)	P0	⏳ Planned	Mostly stubbed (may require DOM/drag stability work)	~30–60s
Task CRUD (create/edit/delete) + error state	P0	⏳ Planned	Stubbed	~30–60s
Skills marketplace: list + filters/pagination	P1	⏳ Planned	Stubbed	~20–45s
Skills marketplace: install/uninstall dialog wiring	P1	⏳ Planned	Stubbed	~25–50s
Gateways list/create (admin gating)	P1	⏳ Planned	Stubbed	~20–45s

Notes:

All implemented flows still rely on auth bootstrapping (Clerk sign-in) before hitting protected routes.
We intentionally keep the backend interactions stubbed for determinism and speed.

Patterns used in these specs (and recommended for new ones):

Stub /healthz and org membership (/api/v1/organizations/me/member) so sidebar/admin gating is stable.
Prefer API stubs (cy.intercept) over seeding DB state.
Stub or neutralize SSE streams (where applicable) to avoid race-y updates during assertions.
Set a higher defaultCommandTimeout for auth flows (Clerk helpers can be slow in CI).
Avoid fixed sleeps; prefer cy.wait(@alias) or UI assertions that naturally wait.
Ignore known non-deterministic hydration errors on auth routes (Hydration failed).

From repo root:

npm -C frontend ci
npm -C frontend run e2e

To run a single spec:

npm -C frontend run e2e -- --spec "cypress/e2e/boards_list.cy.ts"