TestOptim MCP server
Connect Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code and other MCP clients to TestOptim, so your AI assistant can run QA tests on your web app and read the issues they find.
"Run the QA suite on my project and show me the critical issues."
TestOptim hosts the server; there is nothing to install or run. This repository holds the setup instructions, ready-to-copy client configs, and the server.json that lists the server in MCP registries.
- Endpoint:
https://api.testoptim.com/api/mcp - Transport: Streamable HTTP (stateless;
POSTonly) - Auth: a TestOptim API key, sent as
Authorization: Bearer topt_...
Contents
- Before you start
- Create an API key
- Connect your client
- Tools
- Example prompts
- Security
- Limits and errors
- Troubleshooting
Before you start
- A TestOptim account with at least one project that has generated test cases. See Generate test cases.
- The Owner or Admin role in your organization, to create API keys.
- Runs started over MCP use your plan's test executions, the same as runs started in the app. They are attributed to the person who created the key.
Create an API key
- In TestOptim, open Settings, then API keys, and select New token.
- Give it a name you will recognise, such as
Claude Code - laptop. - Under Project access, choose All projects or a single project. A single project limits what a leaked key can reach.
- Keep only the permissions you need (see Tools for which tool needs which).
- Copy the token. It starts with
topt_and is shown once.
Then export it in the shell your client starts from, so it never lands in a config file:
export TESTOPTIM_TOKEN="topt_..."
The full guide, with screenshots, is Run TestOptim tests from CI with an API key.
To run tests from a GitHub Actions workflow instead, use TestOptim Run Tests.
Connect your client
Each snippet is also in examples/.
Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http testoptim https://api.testoptim.com/api/mcp \
--header "Authorization: Bearer ${TESTOPTIM_TOKEN}"
This stores the token in your local Claude Code config. Add --scope user to use it in every project.
To share the server with your team without sharing a token, commit a project .mcp.json instead. Claude Code expands ${TESTOPTIM_TOKEN} from each person's environment (examples/claude-code.mcp.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"testoptim": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.testoptim.com/api/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer ${TESTOPTIM_TOKEN}"
}
}
}
}
Cursor
Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json, or .cursor/mcp.json in your project (examples/cursor.mcp.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"testoptim": {
"url": "https://api.testoptim.com/api/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer ${env:TESTOPTIM_TOKEN}"
}
}
}
}
Cursor reads TESTOPTIM_TOKEN from your shell or system environment; remote servers don't support envFile.
VS Code
Add to .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace, or run MCP: Open User Configuration for every workspace (examples/vscode.mcp.json). VS Code asks for the key the first time the server starts and stores it securely:
{
"inputs": [
{
"type": "promptString",
"id": "testoptim-token",
"description": "TestOptim API key (starts with topt_)",
"password": true
}
],
"servers": {
"testoptim": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.testoptim.com/api/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer ${input:testoptim-token}"
}
}
}
}
Windsurf
Add to your MCP config file (open it from Cascade's MCP settings). Remote servers use serverUrl (examples/windsurf.mcp_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"testoptim": {
"serverUrl": "https://api.testoptim.com/api/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer ${env:TESTOPTIM_TOKEN}"
}
}
}
}
Claude (claude.ai and Claude Desktop)
Add TestOptim as a custom connector:
- Open Customize > Connectors, select + Add, then Add custom connector.
- Name it
TestOptimand enterhttps://api.testoptim.com/api/mcpas the server URL. - Under Authentication, choose No sign in.
- Under Request headers, add
Authorizationwith the valueBearer topt_...(your key). - Select Add.
On Team and Enterprise plans an Owner adds it under Organization settings > Connectors, and everyone who uses the connector shares that one key. Use a key limited to one project, and leave out tests:run unless every member should be able to start runs. Claude's Research mode can call connector tools without asking first, which is another reason to keep write permissions off a shared key. To change the key later, remove the connector and add it again.
Other clients
Any client that supports Streamable HTTP with custom headers works. Point it at https://api.testoptim.com/api/mcp and send Authorization: Bearer <your key> on every request. The server is stateless: it doesn't issue session IDs, and it answers GET and DELETE with 405.
Tools
The server only lists the tools your key's permissions allow, so a read-only key never sees start_test_run.
| Tool | Permission | What it does | Arguments |
|---|---|---|---|
list_projects |
projects:read |
Lists the projects the key can access, to find the project ID the other tools need. | none |
start_test_run |
tests:run |
Starts a test run and returns the run ID. Pass changedAreas to re-test only the pages or flows you just changed; leave it out for the whole suite. Runs take minutes. |
projectId, changedAreas (e.g. ["/checkout", "/cart"]; optional) |
get_test_run |
tests:read |
Shows a run's status (pending, running, completed, failed), progress, current step and issue counts by severity. |
testRunId |
stop_test_run |
tests:run |
Stops a running test run, so no further test cases are executed and billed. A stopped run reports as failed. |
testRunId |
list_issues |
issues:read |
Lists a project's issues as summaries: ID, title, severity, category, status. Pass testRunId for only what one run found. |
projectId, severity (critical, high, medium or low; optional), testRunId (optional), limit (1-100, default 20) |
get_issue |
issues:read |
Gets one issue in full: description, steps to reproduce, expected and actual behaviour, page URL and screenshot. | issueId |
start_exploration |
knowledge:explore |
Explores the project's app so TestOptim learns new or changed pages and flows. Spends the plan's page allowance and replaces an exploration already running. Returns an exploration ID. | projectId |
get_exploration |
projects:read |
Shows an exploration's status, progress and, once it ends, how many pages, flows and entities it recorded. waiting_otp_ready or waiting_otp means the login needs a one-time code entered in the TestOptim app. |
explorationId |
Results come back as JSON text, using the same field names as the TestOptim API.
Example prompts
- "Which TestOptim projects can I access?"
- "Run the QA suite on the checkout project and tell me when it's done."
- "List the critical and high issues on my project, then show the steps to reproduce the first one."
- "I just changed the signup form. Run the tests, and if anything fails, open the issue and fix the code."
- "I changed /checkout. Re-test only that with TestOptim and fix any critical issues."
- "I added a settings page. Explore the app again so TestOptim picks it up."
- "Stop the test run you started; it's on the wrong project."
Security
- Least privilege. Create a separate key per client and per machine, limited to one project and to the permissions it needs. A key without
tests:runcan't start or stop runs. - Project-scoped keys are refused for any other project, and tools never show another organization's data.
- Keep keys out of files you commit. Use the environment-variable or input-prompt forms above. Keys start with
topt_, so they are easy to search for in logs and repositories. - Revoke a key under Settings > API keys if it leaks or a device is lost. It stops working immediately.
- An assistant connected with
tests:runcan start runs that use your plan's test executions. Most clients ask before calling a tool; keep that confirmation on.
Limits and errors
- 120 requests per minute per client IP address, shared with the TestOptim REST API.
- A project runs one job at a time. Starting a run while another job is in progress on the same project is refused; wait for it to finish and try again.
- Like Run all in the app, a run is trimmed to your remaining test executions. Check
totalCaseson the run if you need the full suite.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause |
|---|---|
401 Missing API token |
The Authorization header didn't arrive. Check the environment variable is set in the shell that starts your client, then restart the client. |
401 Invalid API token |
The key is wrong, revoked or expired. Create a new one. |
| A tool you expect is missing | The key lacks that tool's permission. Create a key with it. |
This token is restricted to a different project |
The key is scoped to one project; use that project's ID or a key for all projects. |
405 Method not allowed |
Something sent a GET or DELETE. The server only accepts POST; use a client with Streamable HTTP support. |
Contributing
Spotted an outdated client config, or want to add one for another client? See CONTRIBUTING.md. For problems with your account or the TestOptim service itself, contact TestOptim support instead.
License
MIT