Skip to main content

​
Overview: What QA Wolf configures

PR testing runs QA Wolf tests against preview environments before changes are merged. Tests run when a pull request enters the merge queue, and results are reported back to GitHub as a required status check.
Your GitHub integration and deploy notifications must already be set up.
PR testing won’t work until QA Wolf configures your workspace to support it. QA Wolf will:
  • Set up a trigger that matches your preview deployments
  • Provide the deployment-type value to use for preview tests
  • Confirm the preview URL variable and the status check name (for example, QA Wolf Test Results)
Each pull request must deploy a preview environment that QA Wolf can reach. Your CI should provide a stable preview URL per PR and a step that waits until the preview is live before tests start.
Add a GitHub Actions workflow that creates a passing QA Wolf Test Results check when a PR is opened or updated. This prevents pull requests from being blocked before the merge queue run happens.
Create .github/workflows/qawolf-pr-check.yml:
name: Create QA Wolf PR check

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, reopened, synchronize]

jobs:
  qawolf_check_creation:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      checks: write
      pull-requests: read
    steps:
      - name: Create passing QA Wolf check
        uses: actions/github-script@v6
        with:
          script: |
            await github.rest.checks.create({
              owner: context.repo.owner,
              repo: context.repo.repo,
              name: 'QA Wolf Test Results',
              head_sha: context.payload.pull_request.head.sha,
              status: 'completed',
              conclusion: 'success',
              output: {
                title: 'QA Wolf Test Results',
                summary: 'QA Wolf tests will run in the merge queue.'
              }
            });
Add a GitHub Actions workflow that notifies QA Wolf only during merge queue execution.
Create .github/workflows/qawolf-merge-queue.yml:
name: Test preview environment

on:
  merge_group:

jobs:
  test-preview-environment:
    name: Trigger QA Wolf tests
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    needs:
      - wait-for-preview-environment
    steps:
      - name: Notify QA Wolf of deployment
        uses: qawolf/notify-qawolf-on-deploy-action@v1
        with:
          qawolf-api-key: "${{ secrets.QAWOLF_API_KEY }}"
          deployment-url: "${{ env.PREVIEW_URL }}"
          deployment-type: "provided-by-qawolf"
          deduplication-key: "${{ github.ref }}"

​
What this workflow assumes

  • Your CI pipeline already creates a preview environment per pull request.
  • The preview environment URL is available as PREVIEW_URL when this job runs.
  • A prior job (such as wait-for-preview-environment) ensures the preview environment is fully deployed and reachable before QA Wolf is notified.
When the pull request enters the merge queue, this workflow sends the preview URL to QA Wolf, which starts a test run against that environment.
1
Open your GitHub repository in the browser.
2
Click the Settings tab at the top of the repository (next to Code, Issues, Pull requests).
3
In the left sidebar, do one of the following:
  • Click Rules (if your repo uses GitHub’s new rulesets), or
  • Click Branches (for classic branch protection rules).
4
Create or edit the rule that applies to your main branch.
5
Enable Require status checks to pass.
6
Add QA Wolf Test Results to the list of required checks.
7
Save the rule.
1

Open a pull request in GitHub.

On the pull request page, confirm that a check named QA Wolf Test Results appears in the checks section and initially shows as passing.
2

Add the pull request to the merge queue.

When the PR enters the merge queue, GitHub will trigger the merge-queue workflow.
3

Confirm QA Wolf starts a test run.

In the QA Wolf app, go to the Runs tab and verify that a new run starts for the preview environment associated with the pull request.
4

Confirm the check updates before merge.

Back in GitHub, watch the QA Wolf Test Results check update from its placeholder state to the final pass or fail result.The merge completes only after this check finishes successfully.
Last modified on February 9, 2026