Architecture

Execution flow

Orbit Shell parses commands and discovers tests. Orbit Core exposes the public API. Mission Control schedules execution. Capsule isolates browser profiles. Surface resolves user intent. Signal talks to Chrome through CDP. Launchpad starts and manages Chrome.

Why the layers exist

Separate layers keep responsibilities clear. Browser launch should not know test assertions. Locator resolution should not know CI sharding. Reports should consume run data without controlling browser behavior.

Android architecture

Studio and the mobile provider use ADB and UIAutomator to interact with connected Android devices. Companion adds local device session support for mirroring and diagnostics.

Reference table

Practical checklist

• Keep the workflow readable enough that a QA engineer, developer, or product teammate can understand the intent without opening application source code.
• Prefer user-visible names, stable configuration, and clear evidence over hidden assumptions or brittle implementation details.
• Run the smallest useful check locally before adding it to CI, then verify that failures produce screenshots, logs, traces, or reports that explain what happened.
• Review this part of the suite regularly so outdated examples, stale setup, and obsolete workarounds do not reduce trust in the automation.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Do not add automation only to increase test count. Each page and test should protect a clear user journey, release risk, or debugging need.
• Do not hide important behavior inside helpers so deeply that the test no longer explains what the user is doing.
• Do not rely on fixed sleeps when the application can expose a meaningful ready state such as visible text, URL change, element availability, or completed evidence capture.
• Do not ignore failing artifacts. A report, screenshot, trace, or log entry should feed back into better product code, better waits, or clearer test data setup.