
**NOTE**: This library is an **internal** crate of the [Slint project](https://slint.dev).
This crate should **not be used directly** by applications using Slint.
You should use the `slint` crate instead.

**WARNING**: This crate does not follow the semver convention for versioning and can
only be used with `version = "=x.y.z"` in Cargo.toml.

# Preliminary Slint Testing API

This crate provides the preliminary API that we're developing to enable different
user interface (UI) testing scenarios for Slint applications.

To use this functionality, you need to be cautious when importing dependencies since
this crate does not adhere to semver and may introduce breaking changes in any patch release.
Additionally, the version of this crate must match the version of Slint.
To indicate that you specifically want this version, include the `=` symbol in the version string.

```toml
[dependencies]
slint = { version = "x.y.z", ... }
i-slint-backend-testing = "=x.y.z"
```

## Testing Backend

By default, Slint applications will select a backend and renderer suitable for application display
on the screen, by means of utilizing a windowing system - if present - or directly rendering to
the framebuffer.

For automated testing in CI environments without a windowing system / display, it might still be
desirable to run tests. The Slint Testing Backend simulates a windowing system without requiring one:
No pixels are rendered and text is measured by a fixed font size.

Use [`init_integration_test_with_system_time()`] for [integration tests](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/testing/integration_testing.html)
where your test code requires Slint to provide an event loop, for example when spawning threads
and calling `slint::invoke_from_event_loop()`. If you want to not only simulate the windowing system but
also the system time, use [`init_integration_test_with_mock_time()`] to initialize the backend and then
call [`mock_elapsed_time()`] to advance animations and move timers closer to their next timeout.

Use [`init_no_event_loop()`] for [unit tests](https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/testing/unit_testing.html) when your test
code does not require an event loop. Note that system time is also mocked in this scenario, so use
[`mock_elapsed_time()`] to advance animations and timers.

## Preliminary User Interface Testing API

We're developing APIs to facilitate the creation of automated tests for Slint based UIs. A building block
is the ability to introspect and modify the state from within what would be a regular application process.

A regular application might have a `main()` entry-point like so:

```rust,no_run
# slint::slint!{ export component App {} }
fn main() -> Result<(), slint::PlatformError>
{
    let app = App::new()?;
    // ... set up state, callbacks, models, ...

    app.run()
}
```

In addition, it may be desirable to create an integration test that verifies how the application behaves when simulating user input.
The objective of the user interface testing API provided in this crate is to facilitate locating, mutation, and verifying state of
elements in your UI. [`ElementHandle`] provides a view for these elements.

The example below assumes that somewhere in the UI you have declared a `Button` with the text "Submit" and you may want to verify
how the application behaves when simulation the activation. This is done by locating and triggering it via its accessibility interface,
that every `Button` implements.

```slint,no-preview
import { Button } from "std-widgets.slint";
component Form {
    callback submit();
    VerticalLayout {
        // ...
        Button {
            text: "Submit";
            clicked => { root.submit(); }
        }
    }
}

export component App {
    callback submit <=> form.submit;
    // ...
    form := Form {
        // ...
    }
}
```

```rust
# use i_slint_core_macros::identity as test;
# slint::slint!{
#     import { Button } from "std-widgets.slint";
#     component Form {
#     callback submit();
#     VerticalLayout {
#         // ...
#         Button {
#             text: "Submit";
#             clicked => { root.submit(); }
#         }
#     }
# }
#
# export component App {
#     callback submit <=> form.submit;
#     // ...
#     form := Form {
#         // ...
#     }
# }
# } /*
#[test]
fn test_basic_user_interface()
# */
{
    i_slint_backend_testing::init_no_event_loop();
    let app = App::new().unwrap();
    // ... set up state, callbacks, models, ...
    let submitted = std::rc::Rc::new(std::cell::RefCell::new(false));

    app.on_submit({
        let submitted = submitted.clone();
        move || { *submitted.borrow_mut() = true; }
    });

    let buttons: Vec<_> = i_slint_backend_testing::ElementHandle::find_by_accessible_label(&app, "Submit").collect();
    assert_eq!(buttons.len(), 1);
    let button = &buttons[0];

    button.invoke_accessible_default_action();

    assert!(*submitted.borrow());
}
```

## Simulating events / Asynchronous testing

When testing user interfaces it may be desirable to not only invoke accessible actions on elements, but it may also be
useful to simulate touch or mouse input. For example a mouse click on a button is a sequence:

1. An initial mouse move event to a location over the button
2. A mouse press event.
3. In real life, a certain amount of time would elapse now.
4. Finally, the user lifts the finger again from the mouse and a mouse release event is triggered.

To simulate this behavior, [`ElementHandle`] provides functions such as [`ElementHandle::single_click()`] and [`ElementHandle::double_click()`].
Since these functions simulate a sequence of events with a period of idle time between the events, these functions are [async](https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/keyword.async.html)
and return a [`std::future::Future`], which resolves when the last event in the sequence was sent.

Calling these functions requires running the test function itself as a future and running an event loop in the background.
This can be accomplished using `slint::spawn_local()`, `slint::run_event_loop()`, and `slint::quit_event_loop()`. The following
example wraps the core functions for testing in an async closure:

```rust

use slint::platform::PointerEventButton;
use i_slint_backend_testing::ElementHandle;

# /*
#[test]
fn test_click()
# */
{
    i_slint_backend_testing::init_integration_test_with_system_time();

    slint::spawn_local(async move {
        slint::slint! {
            export component App inherits Window {
                out property <int> click-count: 0;
                ta := TouchArea {
                    clicked => { root.click-count += 1; }
                }
            }
        }

        let app = App::new().unwrap();

        let mut it = ElementHandle::find_by_element_id(&app, "App::ta");
        let elem = it.next().unwrap();
        assert!(it.next().is_none());

        assert_eq!(app.get_click_count(), 0);
        elem.single_click(PointerEventButton::Left).await;
        assert_eq!(app.get_click_count(), 1);

        slint::quit_event_loop().unwrap();
    })
    .unwrap();
    slint::run_event_loop().unwrap();
}
```

After initializing the testing backend with support for using the system time, an async
closure is spawned, which does the actual testing. In the subsequent `run_event_loop()` call,
the event loop is started, and that will start polling the async closure passed to `spawn_local()`.

In this closure we can now call `.await` on the future [`ElementHandle::single_click()`] returns, which
will keep running the event loop until the click is complete, and then continue with the test function.

## Embedded MCP Server

The testing backend includes an embedded [MCP (Model Context Protocol)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/)
server that allows AI agents to inspect and interact with a running Slint application in real time.
The server provides tools for exploring the UI tree, taking screenshots, clicking elements, dragging,
typing, and more. Agents discover the available tools and usage instructions automatically via the
MCP protocol — no additional configuration is needed beyond enabling the server.

### Enabling the MCP Server

Set the following environment variables when running your application, and pass
`--features slint/mcp` to enable the server:

```sh
SLINT_EMIT_DEBUG_INFO=1 SLINT_MCP_PORT=8080 cargo run -p my-slint-app --features slint/mcp
```

`SLINT_EMIT_DEBUG_INFO=1` is required for element introspection to work (it embeds element
metadata into the compiled UI). `SLINT_MCP_PORT` controls which port the MCP server listens on.
If `SLINT_MCP_PORT` is not set, no server is started and there is no runtime overhead.
Do not add `mcp` to the `[features]` section of your `Cargo.toml` — use the `--features`
flag on the command line instead.

### Running Without a Display

On a machine with no display server (CI, container, agent sandbox) the regular
backend can't open a window, so `take_screenshot` and the other tools won't
work. Set `SLINT_BACKEND=headless` to run the app under a windowless,
software-rasterized backend instead:

```sh
SLINT_EMIT_DEBUG_INFO=1 SLINT_MCP_PORT=8080 SLINT_BACKEND=headless \
    cargo run -p my-slint-app --features slint/mcp
```

The headless backend uses Skia's software rasterizer when `slint/renderer-skia`
is enabled, otherwise the built-in software renderer. Suffix the value
(`headless-software`, `headless-skia`) to force a specific rasterizer. If
`SLINT_BACKEND` is unset and the configured graphical backend fails to
initialize (for example because no display is available), Slint falls back to
the headless backend automatically.

This is an unstable, MCP-oriented entry point — the exact value of
`SLINT_BACKEND` may change between Slint releases. Use it from automation, not
from production code.

### Usage with AI Agents

The simplest approach is to tell the agent to run the application with both environment variables
set and then interact with it. For example, in Claude Code:

> "Run `SLINT_EMIT_DEBUG_INFO=1 SLINT_MCP_PORT=8080 cargo run -p my-app --features slint/mcp` in the background. The
> app includes a built-in MCP server. Connect to it and toggle the dark mode switch."

The agent will discover the MCP endpoint, connect, and use the tools to accomplish the task.

When scripting or testing from the command line, use `curl` to call tools directly — it is
the most reliable way to send JSON-RPC requests to the server:

```sh
# Initialize (confirms the server is up and prints available tools)
curl -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8080/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"test","version":"1.0"}}}'

# List windows
curl -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8080/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"list_windows","arguments":{}}}'

# Take a screenshot (response contains a base64-encoded PNG in the "data" field)
curl -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8080/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":3,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"take_screenshot","arguments":{"windowHandle":{"index":"1","generation":"1"}}}}'
```

You can also register the server in your MCP client's configuration if you prefer:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-slint-app": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "http://localhost:8080/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

For architecture and internals, see
[docs/development/mcp-server.md](../../../docs/development/mcp-server.md).
