# Agentic testing

Understand how the IntelliJ plugin, MCP, Pilot, Capture, Doctor, and Heal fit together.

Canonical HTML: https://shafthq.github.io/docs/agentic/overview
Guide index: https://shafthq.github.io/llms.txt

# Agentic testing without hidden automation

SHAFT separates deterministic automation from optional model-provider advice.
MCP, Capture, Doctor, and Heal remain useful without provider credentials.

```mermaid
flowchart TD
 IntelliJ["IntelliJ plugin"] --> MCP["SHAFT MCP"]
 Client["AI client"] --> MCP["SHAFT MCP"]
 MCP --> Engine["shaft-engine tools"]
 MCP --> Capture["Capture"]
 Capture --> Generated["Reviewable TestNG source"]
 Results["Allure results"] --> Doctor["Doctor"]
 Doctor --> Diagnosis["Portable diagnosis"]
 FailedLocator["Failed locator"] --> Heal["Deterministic Heal"]
 Heal --> Report["Explainable recovery report"]
 Provider["Optional provider"] -. consent + redaction .-> Doctor
 Provider -. consent + redaction .-> Heal
```

## Install SHAFT agent tools

Install the project-local [ChaosEngine harness](/docs/agentic/chaos-engine) when
you want one canonical agent workflow plus verified host adapters and local
Memory, MemPalace, and Graphify tooling.

Install the first-party skill pack without configuring an MCP client. The
[SHAFT agent skills guide](/docs/agentic/skills) owns the commands, supported
routes, native directories, upgrade behavior, and packaging tradeoffs.

Install `shaft-cli` without configuring an MCP client. This also installs its
internal `shaft-mcp` runtime prerequisite.

Change into the target project first. Public one-liners install SHAFT Agentic
Tools (MCP, CLI, and skills):

```powershell
irm "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ShaftHQ/SHAFT_ENGINE/main/scripts/mcp/install.ps1" | iex
```

```bash
curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ShaftHQ/SHAFT_ENGINE/main/scripts/mcp/install.sh" | bash
```

CLI-only install still uses the inner Agentic Tools script:

```powershell
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ShaftHQ/SHAFT_ENGINE/main/scripts/mcp/install-shaft-agentic-tools.ps1 | iex; Install-ShaftMcp -Arguments @('--install-shaft-cli')"
```

```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ShaftHQ/SHAFT_ENGINE/main/scripts/mcp/install-shaft-agentic-tools.sh | sh -s -- --install-shaft-cli
```

| Capability | Default behavior | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| IntelliJ plugin | IDE front door for Assistant, Coding Partner, Recorder, Doctor, Healer, Inspector, Projects, and Guide search | [IntelliJ IDEA plugin](/docs/agentic/intellij) |
| MCP | Local stdio tools; no model credentials stored | [Connect MCP](/docs/agentic/mcp) |
| Planning | Deterministic same-origin crawl drafts Markdown test plans into `specs/`; no AI calls | [Planning test coverage](/docs/agentic/mcp#planning-test-coverage) |
| Capture | Record and generate deterministic test code | [Capture](/docs/agentic/capture) |
| Doctor | Analyze allowlisted evidence offline | [Doctor](/docs/agentic/doctor) |
| Heal | Recover eligible web locators with an explainable policy | [Heal](/docs/agentic/heal) |
| Pilot providers | Disabled until explicitly configured and approved | [Provider controls](/docs/agentic/providers) |

## Why SHAFT?

Compared with plain recorder/codegen tools and raw agent-written Selenium,
SHAFT's agentic loop differs on four load-bearing points:

- **Privacy-safe recording.** Typed values are externalized to test-data
 files, secrets are redacted at capture time, and a checked-in team policy
 (`.shaft/recorder-policy.json`) pins recording behavior for the whole
 repository — recordings are safe to commit and share.
- **Compile-validated codegen.** Generated tests are compiled against SHAFT
 and optionally replayed end-to-end before you ever see them; a replay
 failure returns the code *plus* the failing step's diagnostics, never a
 silent broken file.
- **Repo-aware generation.** The Coding Partner plans against your existing
 page objects, locator fields, and action methods before proposing new code,
 so generation extends your suite instead of forking it.
- **A maintenance loop, not just a generator.** Doctor triages failed runs
 from Allure evidence and Heal recovers eligible locators with an
 explainable policy — the same tools that created the test keep it alive.

The same workflows run on every agent — Codex, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot,
and Gemini — because they are MCP tools, not agent-specific plugins; and the
No-AI lane (Recorder, codegen, Doctor, Healer) works with no agent or model
credentials at all.

Use the [MCP command reference](/docs/agentic/mcp#mcp-command-reference) for
Capture and Doctor CLI examples.

```text
MCP commands live on /docs/agentic/mcp#mcp-command-reference
```

## Related

- [What's new: agentic tools](/docs/features/whats-new/agentic)
- [ChaosEngine](/docs/agentic/chaos-engine)
- [SHAFT agent skills](/docs/agentic/skills)
- [MCP](/docs/agentic/mcp)
- [Pilot](/docs/agentic/pilot)
- [Doctor](/docs/agentic/doctor)
- [Providers](/docs/agentic/providers)