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Choose the kind of Storybook test you need
Start with the failure you want CI to catch. A visual comparison, an interaction assertion, and an end-to-end user journey are different tests; a repository may use more than one.
| Need | Suitable path | What it checks | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catch unintended appearance changes across stories | Chromatic visual testing through @chromatic-com/storybook |
Rendered pixels compared with visual baselines | Uses a cloud service and project-token setup; reviewing diffs is part of the intended workflow. See Storybook visual testing. |
| Run story render, interaction, and accessibility assertions | Storybook Vitest addon | Story tests executed through Vitest | Configure the Storybook Vitest project and its runtime/browser needs for CI. See Storybook testing in CI. |
| Run generic or custom tests against a built Storybook | Storybook test-runner | Tests against a running or published Storybook | Often requires building and serving the Storybook, then waiting for it to be ready. See Storybook test-runner. |
| Check full application journeys | A separate end-to-end tool such as Cypress or Playwright | Application flows across components and pages | Complements story-level checks and visual diffs; it does not replace them. See the Storybook GitHub Actions tutorial. |
A screenshot visual test compares what the browser rendered; a markup snapshot compares HTML output and can flag changes that do not affect visible appearance. Pick the assertion based on the regression you need to detect.
Set up Chromatic visual testing
Check the Storybook version and create a project
Storybook’s visual-testing addon documentation specifies Storybook 7.6 or higher. The separate Chromatic integration page lists Storybook 6.5 or higher among its CLI/action system requirements; these describe different parts of the stack, not a single interchangeable minimum. Check the version requirements for the exact integration path you install.
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Create or select a Chromatic project during setup. The addon setup connects the project to Storybook and can add configuration such as chromatic.config.json, containing a project ID and optional build script name, debug setting, or zip option.
Install and configure the addon
From the repository root, run Storybook’s documented setup command:
npx storybook@latest add @chromatic-com/storybook
Follow the prompts to select or create the Chromatic project. Review the generated configuration and commit the project configuration, but do not put the project token in a tracked file.
Store the project token as a GitHub secret
- In GitHub, open the repository and go to Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions.
- Select New repository secret, give it a clear name such as
CHROMATIC_PROJECT_TOKEN, and enter the project token from Chromatic. - Reference that secret from the Chromatic CI step as an environment variable. Never paste the token directly into workflow YAML, a command committed to the repository, or application source.
Add the CI step
Add the Chromatic action or command to the repository’s GitHub Actions workflow and pass the token through the secret. The exact action syntax and supported inputs can change; use the current Storybook visual-testing instructions and Chromatic integration requirements when choosing the invocation. Do not treat a copied workflow example as a universal Node version, action pin, or permissions policy: match it to the project’s package manager, Storybook version, and security requirements.
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Run visual checks in CI when a change is approaching merge, typically on pull requests. The resulting UI Tests check reports errors or visual changes for verification; a team can configure the provider check as required before merging. Confirm the workflow has the permissions it actually needs and does not expose secrets to untrusted code.
Review visual changes instead of accepting them automatically
- Open the UI Tests result for the pull request and inspect the stories with highlighted differences.
- Decide whether each change is intentional by comparing the rendered result with the intended design and behavior.
- Accept intentional changes as new baselines through the visual-testing review flow. The addon documentation says accepted baseline changes synchronize for CI.
- Fix unintended changes in the component, styles, fonts, assets, or test setup, then rerun the workflow and review the updated result.
Blindly accepting every diff defeats the purpose of regression testing. A baseline is the expected appearance for future comparisons, so update it only after confirming the new rendering is correct.
Run Vitest story tests in GitHub Actions instead
If the goal is to execute story assertions rather than compare screenshots, Storybook’s CI documentation shows a script shaped like this:
{
"scripts": {
"test-storybook": "vitest --project=storybook"
}
}
The project name assumes the default Storybook Vitest project. If your repository renamed it, change the argument to match. The workflow shape is checkout, set up a suitable Node runtime, install dependencies, then run the script; Storybook’s example uses a Playwright container/image. Pin action and runtime versions to choices verified for the repository rather than copying an example as a lasting version policy. See Storybook’s CI guide.
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Vitest story tests and Chromatic visual comparison can coexist: the former checks assertions such as rendering or interactions, while the latter catches pixel-level appearance changes.
Use the test-runner when Vitest is not suitable
Storybook describes the test-runner as a fallback when the Vitest addon cannot be used. Its local-built CI pattern checks out the source, configures Node, installs dependencies and Playwright, builds Storybook, serves the static output, waits for the server, and then runs test-storybook.
A separate documented pattern runs after a deployment-status event and targets the published Storybook URL. The cited Storybook 8 example requires that published Storybook to be publicly available. See the test-runner guide for current options.
Troubleshoot common CI failures
CI links point to localhost
A link to a local Storybook address works on a developer’s machine but not on the GitHub-hosted runner or for reviewers. For useful failure links, publish the Storybook and provide its URL; the Vitest CI guidance describes using SB_URL for this purpose.
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The test-runner times out or exhausts memory
Large story counts or a low-memory CI runner can make test-runner jobs time out. The test-runner documentation suggests reducing worker parallelism, for example with --maxWorkers=2, as a diagnostic option. It is not a universal default: retry after checking runner memory and job duration, then adjust parallelism to the repository’s workload.
A “snapshot” change is not a visual regression
Markup snapshots compare generated HTML; visual tests compare rendered pixels. If a markup change has no visible effect, a pixel comparison may remain unchanged. Use the test type that corresponds to the behavior you need to protect.
The installed version does not meet requirements
The Storybook visual-testing page specifies Storybook 7.6+ for the addon, while the separate integration page lists Storybook 6.5+ for its CLI/action system requirements. Verify each component’s current compatibility information rather than applying the lower figure to the entire setup. The integration page also lists latest LTS Ubuntu, Windows Server, and macOS, and current, active, or maintenance LTS Node releases as system guidance; those details can change, so check before pinning a workflow. See Chromatic integration.
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Sources and compatibility
Storybook’s linked pages span its Storybook 8 visual-testing documentation and Storybook 9 CI and test-runner documentation. Check the current documentation and the repository’s installed versions before adopting action syntax, runtime versions, or service requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Chromatic and Vitest in the same GitHub Actions workflow?
Yes. They address different test goals: pixel comparisons and story assertions. Run both when each provides a distinct check your team needs.
Does the Chromatic visual addon work with every Storybook release?
No. The visual-testing addon documentation specifies Storybook 7.6 or higher; verify compatibility for the precise versions in your project.
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