Test list columns
Each row in a folder’s table shows:- Test Cases: a short code (e.g.
0007) and the test’s description. - Priority: P0 through P3, described below.
- Tags: badges like
MANUALorAUTO(added by hand vs. discovered by Patrol), a framework badge (PLAYWRIGHTorCYPRESS), orQUARANTINEDandABANDONEDfor tests that need attention (see Triage). - Actions: status, assignee, comment count, and linked bug ticket count, plus a menu for further actions.
Priority levels
Priority is inferred automatically for tests imported by sync, and can be adjusted from the test’s detail view.
Status
Each test shows a pass, fail, blocked, or pending status. You can click a status icon to change it by hand, unless the test is controlled by Patrol, in which case its status is set automatically by the most recent run and can’t be edited manually.Opening a test
Click any test to open its detail view, which adds:- Environment, branch, and last run metadata.
- A 10-run history sparkline plus a list of recent runs, so you can see whether a failure is new or ongoing.
- Dependencies: if a test depends on another test that’s currently failing, it shows as blocked with a note explaining why.
- Bug Tickets: paste a link to an existing ticket (Jira, Linear, GitHub Issues, wherever you track bugs) to keep it visible alongside the test. Watchtower shows the ticket’s status as a colored dot but doesn’t sync changes automatically; remove it here if it’s resolved.
- Comments: a running thread for notes, attributed to whoever’s signed in. Use this to explain why a test is blocked, flag something for a teammate, or leave context for the next person who looks at it.
Filtering and search
Use the search box, the Priority filter, and the environment picker in the top bar to narrow the list. The Status filter offers All, Failing, Quarantined, Abandoned, and Manual.Bulk actions
Turn on bulk mode to select multiple tests at once and:- Run Selected: send them straight to Patrol.
- Pass / Fail / Block: set status on several tests at once (disabled for tests that are controlled by Patrol).
- Delete Selected: move them to Trash.
Adding a test manually
Click Add Test Case to create a test that isn’t discovered from your repository. This is useful for manual QA checks you want tracked alongside automated coverage.Triage
Watchtower gives you a few tools for turning a raw failure into something actionable:- Quarantine: take a flaky or known-broken test out of your release-health rollup without deleting it. A quarantined test is tagged
QUARANTINEDand shown at reduced emphasis in the list. Quarantine clears itself automatically the next time the test passes a Patrol run. - Abandoned tests: if a test’s title disappears from your repository during a sync (usually because it was renamed), Watchtower keeps its history and comments instead of deleting it, and tags it
ABANDONED. Open it and use Rebind to a renamed test to point it at the new title. You can search within the same spec file or across the whole repository. - Comments and bug tickets: see above. Use these to keep a record of why something is blocked instead of relying on tribal knowledge.
