autospectra-mcp-server

API Testing with AutoSpectra MCP Server

This guide covers how to use the newly added API testing capabilities in the AutoSpectra MCP server.

Available API Testing Tools

The AutoSpectra MCP server now includes powerful API testing tools:

Tool	Description
`api_request`	Make HTTP requests to API endpoints with full control over method, headers, data, etc.
`validate_schema`	Validate API responses against JSON schemas
`create_mock`	Create mock API endpoints for testing purposes
`graphql_request`	Make specialized GraphQL API requests

Using the API Testing Tools

Making HTTP Requests

The api_request tool allows you to make HTTP requests to any API endpoint:

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "autospectra",
  tool_name: "api_request",
  arguments: {
    method: "GET",
    url: "https://api.example.com/users",
    headers: {
      "Accept": "application/json"
    },
    params: {
      "limit": "10"
    }
  }
});

For POST requests with a JSON body:

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "autospectra",
  tool_name: "api_request",
  arguments: {
    method: "POST",
    url: "https://api.example.com/users",
    headers: {
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
      "Accept": "application/json"
    },
    data: {
      "name": "John Doe",
      "email": "john@example.com"
    }
  }
});

With authentication:

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "autospectra",
  tool_name: "api_request",
  arguments: {
    method: "GET",
    url: "https://api.example.com/protected-resource",
    auth: {
      type: "bearer",
      token: "your-access-token"
    }
  }
});

Schema Validation

Validate API responses against JSON schemas to ensure they match expected formats:

// First get a response from an API
const apiResponse = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "autospectra",
  tool_name: "api_request",
  arguments: {
    method: "GET",
    url: "https://api.example.com/users/1"
  }
});

// Then validate it against a schema
use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "autospectra",
  tool_name: "validate_schema",
  arguments: {
    response: apiResponse.content[0].text,
    schema: {
      type: "object",
      required: ["id", "name", "email"],
      properties: {
        id: { type: "number" },
        name: { type: "string" },
        email: { type: "string", format: "email" }
      }
    }
  }
});

You can also validate against a schema file:

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "autospectra",
  tool_name: "validate_schema",
  arguments: {
    response: apiResponse.content[0].text,
    schemaPath: "./schemas/user-schema.json"
  }
});

Creating Mocks

Create mock API endpoints for testing. This is useful when the real API is unavailable or you want to test specific scenarios:

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "autospectra",
  tool_name: "create_mock",
  arguments: {
    endpoint: "/api/users",
    method: "GET",
    response: {
      users: [
        { id: 1, name: "Alice", email: "alice@example.com" },
        { id: 2, name: "Bob", email: "bob@example.com" }
      ]
    },
    statusCode: 200
  }
});

GraphQL Requests

Make GraphQL requests with support for variables:

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "autospectra",
  tool_name: "graphql_request",
  arguments: {
    endpoint: "https://api.example.com/graphql",
    query: `
      query GetUser($id: ID!) {
        user(id: $id) {
          id
          name
          email
          posts {
            id
            title
          }
        }
      }
    `,
    variables: {
      id: "user-123"
    },
    headers: {
      "Authorization": "Bearer your-token"
    }
  }
});

Integrating with Test Generation

You can combine API testing with test generation to create comprehensive API test suites:

// Generate API tests for a specific endpoint
use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "autospectra",
  tool_name: "generate_tests",
  arguments: {
    url: "https://api.example.com",
    framework: "mocha",
    format: "javascript",
    prompt: "Create API tests for the user management endpoints: GET /users, POST /users, GET /users/:id"
  }
});

End-to-End Testing with API and UI

Combine API testing with browser automation for comprehensive end-to-end testing:

// Reset user data via API
await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "autospectra",
  tool_name: "api_request",
  arguments: {
    method: "POST",
    url: "https://example.com/api/reset-data",
    data: { resetUsers: true }
  }
});

// Then perform UI testing
await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "autospectra",
  tool_name: "navigate",
  arguments: {
    url: "https://example.com/login",
    visible: true
  }
});

// Fill in login form
await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "autospectra",
  tool_name: "type",
  arguments: {
    selector: "#username",
    text: "testuser",
    clearFirst: true
  }
});

// ...and so on

Best Practices

Store credentials securely: Never hardcode API tokens. Use environment variables or secure storage.
Validate response schemas: Always validate API responses against schemas to catch breaking changes.
Clean up after tests: If your tests create data, ensure you have cleanup procedures.
Use mocks for unavailable services: Create mock endpoints for third-party services that aren’t available in test environments.
Combine API and UI testing: For full end-to-end tests, use API calls to set up test data, then UI automation to test the frontend.

Troubleshooting

Connection issues: Check network connectivity and ensure the API endpoint is correct.
Authentication errors: Verify your authentication credentials and token expiration.
Schema validation failures: Compare the actual response with your schema to identify mismatches.
Mock endpoint errors: Ensure you’ve provided the correct endpoint path and method for your mock.

Next Steps

For more advanced API testing, consider:

Creating reusable test data setup and teardown functions
Setting up a CI/CD pipeline with API tests
Creating a library of common API testing patterns for your team