# AI Assistant

{% hint style="info" %}
**Who is this for?** All roles — testers, SDETs, developers, and QA managers — who want a guided way to navigate the platform, generate test cases with AI, and get contextual help while working.
{% endhint %}

The AI Assistant is an in-app guide that helps you work faster in ContextQA. It has two capabilities:

* **Navigate** — a guided, menu-driven conversation that walks you through test creation, execution, and results analysis step by step.
* **Test Case Generation** — a chat interface where you describe a feature in plain English and the AI produces a complete, ready-to-execute test case.

You can open the AI Assistant from any page in the platform.

***

## How to open the AI Assistant

You can access the AI Assistant in two ways:

1. **Floating button** — Click the ContextQA logo button at the bottom-right corner of any page. The assistant opens as a side panel on the right.
2. **Full-screen mode** — Navigate to the **AI Assistant** page from the left sidebar. This opens the assistant in a dedicated full-screen view.

The assistant remembers your conversation as you move between pages. Click the **Restart** button (refresh icon) in the header to start a new conversation.

***

## Navigate tab

The **Navigate** tab provides a three-step guided workflow that walks you through the core testing lifecycle.

### Step 1: Test creation and organization

Select **Step 1: Test Creation & Organization** to access options for building and organizing your test suite:

| Option                      | What it does                                                                        |
| --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Create a Test Case**      | Choose between three creation methods: AI-generated, recorded, or manual steps      |
| **Arrange Your Test Suite** | Opens the **Test Suites** page where you can group and organize test cases          |
| **Integrations**            | Opens the **Plugins** settings page to connect external tools (Jira, Slack, GitHub) |

When you select **Create a Test Case**, the assistant asks you to choose a method:

* **AI-Generated Test** — Opens the AI test creation dialog where you describe what to test and the AI generates all the steps. See [AI Test Generation](/ai-features/ai-test-generation.md) for details on AI Smartness modes and advanced settings.
* **Record a Test** — Opens the test creation dialog in recording mode so you can capture browser interactions.
* **Manual Test Steps** — Opens the test case editor where you define each step yourself.

### Step 2: Test execution and optimization

Select **Step 2: Test Execution & Optimization** to run tests and apply best practices. All three options in this step ask you to search for and select a test case first:

1. Type a test case name in the search field.
2. Select the test case from the autocomplete results.
3. The assistant navigates to that test case and presents follow-up options.

**Execute Tests** options:

| Option                                                 | What it does                                       |
| ------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- |
| **Single Run (Default Chrome browser)**                | Opens documentation for running a single test case |
| **Parallel Execution (Faster run time)**               | Opens documentation for parallel test execution    |
| **Cross-Browser Execution (Run on multiple browsers)** | Opens documentation for cross-browser testing      |

**Apply Best Practices** options:

| Option                                             | What it does                                          |
| -------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| **Step Groups (Organize test steps)**              | Opens documentation for creating reusable step groups |
| **Data-Driven Testing (Run with multiple inputs)** | Opens documentation for parameterized test runs       |
| **Parameterization (Use dynamic variables)**       | Opens documentation for using variables in test steps |

**Advanced Testing Options:**

| Option                    | What it does                                  |
| ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Performance Testing**   | Opens documentation for performance testing   |
| **Accessibility Testing** | Opens documentation for accessibility testing |

### Step 3: Results and analysis

Select **Step 3: Results & Analysis** to review outcomes and get help:

| Option                     | What it does                                                |
| -------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **View & Analyze Results** | View reports, re-run tests, or optimize with best practices |
| **Insights & Reports**     | View test insights or filter to failed test cases           |
| **AI Assistance & Help**   | Access interactive tutorials and step-by-step documentation |

### Navigation controls

* Click **Go Back** (arrow icon) at any point to return to the previous menu.
* Click the **Restart** button in the header to return to the main menu and start a new conversation.

***

## Test Case Generation tab

The **Test Case Generation** tab lets you describe a feature in plain English and receive a complete test case with steps, actions, and assertions.

{% hint style="info" %}
This feature requires an active license with AI Test Case Assistant enabled. If you see a locked icon on this tab, contact your administrator or [book a demo](https://contextqa.com/book-a-demo/) to enable it.
{% endhint %}

### Generate a test case from a description

1. Click the **Test Case Generation** tab (flask icon) at the top of the assistant.
2. Type a feature description in the text area. Describe the user journey you want to test.
3. Click **Generate Test Cases** (or press **Enter**).
4. Wait for the AI to process your request — a thinking animation appears while it works.
5. Review the generated test case. The assistant displays the test case name and a numbered list of steps.
6. Click **Create Test Case** to save it to your test library. The new test case opens in a new browser tab, ready for execution.

### Writing effective descriptions

The AI works best when you provide a clear, specific user journey. Include:

* The **starting page** or URL
* The **actions** a user takes (click, type, navigate, select)
* The **expected outcome** or verification point

**Practical examples:**

```
Log in to the dashboard as admin@example.com, navigate to the
Settings page, change the notification preference to "Email only",
save the changes, and verify the success message appears.
```

```
Open the product catalog, filter by category "Electronics",
sort by price low to high, add the first item to the cart,
and verify the cart badge shows 1 item.
```

### Edit generated steps

After the AI generates a test case, you can edit individual step names by clicking the pencil icon next to any step. This lets you refine the test case before saving it.

***

## Contextual actions during execution

When you are on a test case steps page, the assistant automatically offers contextual actions:

| Context                     | Actions available                                                                     |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Viewing a test case         | **Show Me Previous Run History**, **Apply Testing Best Practices**                    |
| After starting an execution | **Close This And Take Me To The Dashboard**, **Show Me Result**, **Help Me To Debug** |
| Viewing run results         | **Show Me Report**                                                                    |

These actions appear automatically based on where you are in the platform — you do not need to navigate the menu to find them.

***

## Summary

The AI Assistant provides two ways to work faster in ContextQA:

* Use the **Navigate** tab for guided, step-by-step access to test creation, execution, and results analysis.
* Use the **Test Case Generation** tab to describe features in plain English and produce complete test cases instantly.
* Take advantage of **contextual actions** that appear automatically based on your current workflow.

***

## Related pages

* [AI Test Generation](/ai-features/ai-test-generation.md) — generate test cases from 10+ source types including natural language, Jira tickets, Figma designs, and more
* [Creating Test Cases](/web-testing/creating-test-cases.md) — all four methods for creating test cases in the UI
* [Running Tests](/execution/running-tests.md) — execute test cases individually, as suites, or on a schedule
* [Knowledge Base](/ai-features/knowledge-base.md) — provide application context so the AI agent understands your product during test runs

{% hint style="info" %}
**Get AI-powered test generation — start your free trial today** [**Start Free Trial →**](https://contextqa.com/) | [**Book a Demo →**](https://contextqa.com/book-a-demo/)
{% endhint %}


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