clerk-testing

Testing

Decision Tree

Framework	Documentation
Overview	https://clerk.com/docs/guides/development/testing/overview
Playwright	https://clerk.com/docs/guides/development/testing/playwright/overview
Cypress	https://clerk.com/docs/guides/development/testing/cypress/overview

Mental Model

Test auth = isolated session state. Each test needs fresh auth context.

• clerkSetup() initializes test environment
• setupClerkTestingToken() bypasses bot detection
• storageState persists auth between tests for speed

Workflow

1. Identify test framework (Playwright or Cypress)
2. WebFetch the appropriate URL from decision tree above
3. Follow official setup instructions
4. Use development-instance keys only (pk_test_* / sk_test_*). If the project has no keys yet, npx clerk@latest init (the Clerk CLI; see clerk-setup) creates a Clerk application and writes development-instance keys to the env file. No Clerk account or Dashboard visit is needed.

Best Practices

• Use setupClerkTestingToken() before navigating to auth pages
• Use test API keys: pk_test_xxx, sk_test_xxx
• Save auth state with storageState for faster tests
• Use page.waitForSelector('[data-clerk-component]') for Clerk UI

Anti-Patterns

Pattern	Problem	Fix
Production keys in tests	Security risk	Use pk_test_* keys
No setupClerkTestingToken()	Auth fails	Call before navigation
UI-based sign-in every test	Slow tests	Use storageState

Framework-Specific

Playwright: Use globalSetup for auth state Cypress: Add addClerkCommands({ Cypress, cy }) to support file

See Also

• clerk-setup - Install Clerk before adding tests
• clerk-nextjs-patterns - Next.js patterns being tested
• Demo Repo