Argos CI captures Storybook stories in your project’s CI browser tests, uploads the screenshots, and shows visual changes for review. Argos currently recommends its Storybook Vitest integration for projects using that path; the Storybook Test Runner remains a documented alternative. Choose according to your installed Storybook and test setup, then verify package compatibility before copying version-specific commands.
How Argos CI fits into Storybook visual testing
Storybook provides isolated UI examples; Argos adds visual regression review by treating captured story images as checkpoints and comparing later captures against baselines. The project runs the browser tests in CI, sends snapshots to Argos, and reviewers inspect reported differences, including through pull-request checks and links to diffs. See Argos’s product page and its visual-diff documentation.
This is not the same as publishing a browsable Storybook build. Argos documents that separately as a pull-request preview deployment. A team can use snapshot comparison, preview deployment, or both, depending on whether reviewers need image diffs, a live build, or each.
Choose the integration that matches your project
| Path | Good fit when | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Storybook Vitest integration | Your project uses Storybook’s Vitest integration and you want Argos capture within that workflow. | Argos identifies this as its recommended Storybook path. Confirm your installed Storybook, Vitest addon, and Argos package versions against the current docs. The precise compatibility matrix may change. |
| Storybook Test Runner | Your project already runs stories through the Test Runner, or its current setup is better served by that documented route. | Check package compatibility and the current Test Runner guidance before adopting an older recipe. |
Argos’s current documentation describes both routes, and its 2025 changelog documents the Vitest path. Its concrete Test Runner guide was published October 29, 2024, so treat that guide as a recipe for that integration—not as the default for every current Storybook project. See visual-diff documentation, the Argos changelog, and the Test Runner guide.
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Set up Argos with Storybook Test Runner
The following outlines Argos’s documented Test Runner flow. The exact package versions and configuration can evolve; check the linked guide and your project’s compatibility before applying it. The example uses GitHub Actions, builds and serves the static Storybook, runs the Test Runner, then uploads the captures.
- Install the packages. The guide uses
@argos-ci/cli,@argos-ci/storybook, and@storybook/test-runner. Use versions compatible with your installed Storybook rather than assuming these names imply a fixed version pairing. - Add a capture hook. In
.storybook/test-runner.ts, configure the Test Runner’spostVisithook to callargosScreenshot(page, context). This captures each visited story after it has rendered. - Build and serve Storybook in CI. The workflow needs a static Storybook build available to the Test Runner. Start the server and wait until it is ready before running browser tests.
- Run the Test Runner and upload captures. Pass the Argos token as the
ARGOS_TOKENworkflow environment variable. Run the Test Runner against the served Storybook, then invoke the Argos CLI upload step as shown in the guide. - Review the pull-request result. Inspect the Argos check and linked diffs, then determine whether each reported change is expected or should be corrected.
For the exact workflow YAML and hook configuration, use Argos’s October 29, 2024 Test Runner guide. That source is a vendor recipe, not a guarantee that its package versions remain suitable for every later Storybook release.
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Use the Vitest route for projects already on Storybook Vitest
For a project using Storybook’s Vitest integration, Argos documents a Vitest plugin route with @argos-ci/storybook. Follow the current Argos visual-diff documentation for the install and configuration steps that match your versions; avoid transplanting Test Runner-specific hooks into the Vitest setup. See Argos visual-diff documentation and its 2025 changelog.
Use this path if the existing test flow is already Vitest-based and the current compatibility information supports your package combination. Use the Test Runner path if that is the project’s established runner and remains compatible. The sources establish these routes but do not provide one permanent version matrix, so confirm support in current documentation before pinning versions or changing runners.
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Capture story variants and interactive states
Expand coverage with story modes
Argos describes story modes for capturing configurations such as themes, viewports, and locales without duplicating stories. These are useful when a visual defect might appear only in a particular configuration. Decide which combinations matter to users and CI capacity; broad mode coverage can increase the number of screenshots and review surface.
Capture after an interaction
An initial render will not show every meaningful state. Argos’s Vitest integration supports taking a screenshot at a chosen point in a story’s play function, and the Test Runner route can capture as part of its story visit. Put the capture after the interaction that establishes the state—for example, after opening a menu or submitting a form—so the checkpoint represents the UI state you intend to protect. Consult the integration documentation for the supported capture call and timing in your runner.
Optional: publish a pull-request Storybook preview
If reviewers need to explore the changed components rather than only inspect image diffs, Argos separately documents deploying a built Storybook to a pull-request preview URL. This complements visual regression checks; it does not replace snapshot capture and comparison. See Argos Deploy documentation.
Troubleshooting visual test runs
- No screenshots reach Argos: confirm the CI job runs the capture step and the CLI upload step, and that the upload runs after the browser tests have produced snapshots.
- Authentication or upload failure: check that
ARGOS_TOKENis configured in the CI environment and made available to the relevant step. Do not commit the token to the repository. - Stories are not visited: verify that the static Storybook server is ready and that the runner targets the correct URL before starting its tests.
- Capture API or package errors: check that the Argos package, Storybook version, and runner integration are compatible. A Test Runner hook is not interchangeable with the documented Vitest plugin setup.
- Diffs appear inconsistent: ensure the screenshot is taken at the intended point in rendering or interaction. For interactive coverage, capture after the
playsteps have established the desired state. - Reviewers want to inspect the page directly: add the separate Storybook preview deployment workflow rather than expecting screenshot diffs to provide a browsable build.
Performance, reliability, and review costs
Argos runs within your CI browser-test flow, so capture time and reliability depend on that environment, story rendering, and the number of variants you choose. Keep the baseline set focused on user-visible states, use modes where they provide meaningful coverage, and avoid treating every possible combination as equally valuable. A stable server-ready check and deliberate interaction timing help prevent avoidable missing or premature captures. The cited Argos material does not establish a universal runtime, pricing figure, or fixed compatibility matrix; check current Argos terms and your own CI results for those specifics.
Or skip the browser setup
For a one-off screenshot rather than Storybook visual regression, ScreenshotNeo offers a single API request. This does not replace Argos’s story baselines, CI comparison, or pull-request diff review.
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