For visual regression testing, serve your static site in CI, use Playwright to open the pages, and let the Argos Playwright reporter upload screenshots for comparison. For a source-level comparison, upload HTML files as text snapshots instead. To give reviewers a live preview, deploy the built directory with argos deploy. These are separate outcomes, and you can combine them when needed.
Choose what Argos should do
| Workflow | What Argos handles | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Playwright screenshots | Compares rendered browser screenshots | You want to catch changes to layout, typography, colors, or other visual details. The site must run in CI for Playwright to open it. |
| CLI text snapshots | Compares source artifacts such as HTML, CSS, or JavaScript | You want to review changes to generated files, not their browser-rendered appearance. |
argos deploy |
Hosts a static build and provides a preview URL | Reviewers need to open the built site. Deployment by itself does not provide visual snapshot comparison. |
For a typical static website visual test, start with Playwright screenshots. Argos’s Playwright Quickstart says, “Argos needs a baseline to compare against.” Run the workflow on the default branch first; otherwise, pull-request builds can be marked orphan because there is no baseline to compare against.
Set up visual regression screenshots with Playwright
Install the reporter and configure Playwright
Install @argos-ci/playwright as a development dependency, then add the Argos reporter to your Playwright configuration. Follow the current Argos Playwright Quickstart for the exact configuration for your installed package version. The documented setup enables upload in CI and uses Playwright failure screenshots and retry traces to help diagnose failures. It also uses Chromium launch flags to reduce text-rendering variation between macOS and CI; those flags can help with consistency but do not guarantee flake-free results.
The quickstart’s test pattern is to navigate to the locally served site and call argosScreenshot(page, "homepage"). Keep the name stable across runs so Argos can match the capture to its baseline. The default screenshot output directory is ./screenshots; add it to .gitignore as the docs recommend.
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Capture multiple pages with stable names
Use a fixed list of page names and paths rather than names that vary by run. Create one capture per entry. For example, the pattern is:
const pages = [
{ name: "homepage", path: "/" },
{ name: "pricing", path: "/pricing.html" },
];
for (const item of pages) {
test(`visual: ${item.name}`, async ({ page }) => {
await page.goto(`http://127.0.0.1:4173${item.path}`);
await argosScreenshot(page, item.name);
});
}This illustrates the stable-name loop; retain your project’s existing Playwright imports, fixtures, server URL, and test conventions. Make sure the server is ready before navigation. See Argos’s URL capture guide for its documented multi-URL approach.
Run tests in GitHub Actions
The current Argos quickstart’s GitHub Actions outline checks out the repository, sets up Node, installs dependencies and Chromium, and runs npx playwright test on pull requests and pushes to main. Supply the project token through the ARGOS_TOKEN environment variable from repository secrets, following the current quickstart workflow. GitHub Actions can also use OIDC or tokenless authentication; other CI providers can use the token environment variable or the reporter’s token option.
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Run the workflow once on the default branch before relying on pull-request comparisons. Then inspect the Argos check on a pull request, compare the changed snapshots, and approve or reject the visual change during review.
Upload HTML source files as text snapshots
If the question is whether generated HTML, CSS, or JavaScript changed—not whether the browser renders it differently—use the Argos CLI text upload path. The CLI accepts supported text files including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JSON, YAML, XML, Markdown, and plain text. Stable filenames help Argos associate files with their baselines.
argos upload ./snapshots -f "**/*.{txt,json,yaml,yml,xml,html,md,css,js}"This is the documented command shape; check the current CLI reference for exact syntax and package-manager invocation. The CLI requires Node.js 22 or later. In CI, authenticate with ARGOS_TOKEN or GitHub OIDC; do not use argos login in CI.
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When CI does not provide commit and branch metadata, set ARGOS_COMMIT and ARGOS_BRANCH. The commit value must be the full 40-character SHA. The current CLI reference lists a 50 MB limit per snapshot and a 5,000-snapshot limit per build; confirm the limits in that reference when configuring a workflow, since operational limits can change.
Deploy a static preview separately
Build the site, then point argos deploy at the output directory. Argos documents plain HTML sites as a valid static deployment target, and pull requests receive preview deployments. The preview URL lets reviewers open the built site; it is not a substitute for uploading visual or text snapshots. You can run deployment and screenshot upload in the same workflow if reviewers need both a live preview and comparisons. See the deployment documentation and CLI reference for current command details.
Authentication, reliability, and cost considerations
- Keep credentials in CI configuration. Use the project token as a secret or a documented OIDC/tokenless option; avoid interactive personal login flows in automated jobs.
- Stabilize the capture inputs. Use consistent page names and routes, and wait for the static server to be available before opening pages.
- Diagnose rather than assume determinism. Playwright failure screenshots and retry traces can reveal test failures; Chromium launch flags may reduce text-rendering differences but cannot eliminate all environmental variation.
- Control source uploads. Use stable filenames and a narrow file glob so only intended artifacts become text snapshots.
- Check plan details directly. Argos publishes plan information at its pricing page; the setup documentation cited here does not establish a particular cost for your project.
Common setup problems
Pull-request snapshots appear orphaned
Run and upload a build from the repository’s default branch first. Argos needs that baseline to associate pull-request captures with existing snapshots.
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The browser cannot open the site
Ensure the static-site server starts in the CI job and is ready before Playwright navigates to its URL. Confirm the test URL, port, and output directory match how the site is served.
Captures do not match the intended baselines
Use persistent names for each page and keep the corresponding route stable. Names that change between runs can prevent snapshots from being matched as intended.
CLI upload lacks commit or branch information
Check whether your CI provider exposes Git metadata to the CLI. If it does not, provide ARGOS_COMMIT with the full 40-character SHA and set ARGOS_BRANCH.
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Uploads fail on size or build limits
Check the current CLI reference’s per-snapshot size and per-build snapshot limits. Reduce the uploaded artifact set or split the work if it exceeds the limits documented there.
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If you need a screenshot rather than a browser-based visual-regression baseline, ScreenshotNeo offers a one-request screenshot API and MCP server. Its API can return PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF; the example below saves a WebP response. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://your-static-site.example -o shot.webp- Cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets are removed before capture; each cleanup step can be turned off.
- Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed. Responses indicate the page verdict and billing status in headers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run screenshot capture and static preview deployment in one CI workflow?
Yes. Upload screenshots for visual comparison and deploy the build for a reviewer-facing preview; they serve different purposes.
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No. Text snapshots compare source files. Use Playwright screenshots to compare rendered appearance.
Quick Recap
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