How to run your first test

A complete beginner guide from installation to viewing test results.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+ installed
• An Android APK (debug or release build)
• An Aucert account (sign up at aucert.ai)

Steps

Step 1: Install the CLI

npm install -g @aucert/cli

Verify: aucert --version prints the version number.

Step 2: Authenticate

aucert auth login

Your browser opens to complete OAuth. After authenticating, the terminal shows:

✓ Authenticated successfully
  Logged in as: your-email@company.com
  Token stored in: ~/.aucert/credentials

Step 3: Initialize your project

cd your-android-project
aucert init

Verify: aucert.config.yaml is created. Review its contents:

aucert.config.yaml (auto-generated)

app:
  platform: android
  apk: ./app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk
testing:
  scope: [navigation, user-flows, regression]
  confidence_threshold: 0.85
output:
  format: json
  screenshots: true

Step 4: Run tests

aucert run --watch

What happens (takes 2–5 minutes):

▶ Starting test run...
  Platform: android
  APK: ./app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk
  Scope: all

⏳ Generating test scenarios... (8 scenarios)
▶ [1/8] App launch → Home screen ............... PASS (98.5%)
▶ [2/8] Navigation drawer items ................ PASS (96.2%)
▶ [3/8] Login → Dashboard ...................... PASS (95.8%)
▶ [4/8] Search flow ............................. PASS (93.1%)
▶ [5/8] Settings toggle dark mode .............. PASS (97.4%)
▶ [6/8] Cart → Checkout ........................ FAIL (71.2%)
  ⚠ Expected: payment form displayed
  ⚠ Actual: loading spinner after 5s
▶ [7/8] Profile edit ........................... PASS (94.7%)
▶ [8/8] Back navigation ........................ PASS (99.1%)

✓ Test run complete
  Passed: 7/8
  Failed: 1/8
  Confidence: 93.3% average

Step 5: View results

aucert status --latest

Output:

Run: a1b2c3d4  |  Status: complete  |  2026-04-07 10:30

Scenario                           Result  Confidence
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
App launch → Home screen           PASS    98.5%
Navigation drawer items            PASS    96.2%
Login → Dashboard                  PASS    95.8%
Search flow                        PASS    93.1%
Settings toggle dark mode          PASS    97.4%
Cart → Checkout                    FAIL    71.2%
Profile edit                       PASS    94.7%
Back navigation                    PASS    99.1%

Bug reports: 1
  BUG-001: Checkout loading spinner does not resolve (High, 71.2%)

Understanding the output

Column	Meaning
Scenario	The user flow that was tested
Result	PASS or FAIL based on your confidence threshold (default: 0.85)
Confidence	How certain the AI is about the result (0–100%)
Bug reports	Detailed reports generated for failed scenarios

Results below your confidence_threshold are flagged as failures. See how to interpret results for details on confidence scores and severity levels.

Troubleshooting

"No APK found"

Aucert looks for APKs in standard Gradle output directories. If your build uses a custom path:

aucert init --app ./path/to/your-app.apk

"Emulator not detected"

Ensure an Android emulator is running:

adb devices
# Should show a device like: emulator-5554  device

If no device appears, start an emulator from Android Studio or the command line.

"Authentication failed"

1. Re-authenticate with aucert auth login.
2. Inspect the credentials file at ~/.aucert/credentials.
3. If using CI/CD, set the AUCERT_API_KEY environment variable instead.

What's next

• Configure your project — Customize test behavior
• CI/CD integration — Automate in your pipeline
• Interpret results — Understanding confidence scores