Generation Profiles

Customize how AI generates test cases with repository-level and suite-level profiles.

Related: CLI Reference Test Format Configuration

Overview

Profiles control test generation style: detail level, negative scenario count, step formatting, domain-specific considerations, and more. They’re optional but recommended for consistent output.

Profiles vs prompt templates vs Testimize — three orthogonal customization layers:

Layer What it controls Where it lives Default
Profile Output format and style (step granularity, priority defaults, domain hints) profiles/_default.yaml Built-in default
Prompt template Reasoning strategy (which ISTQB techniques to apply, which categories to use, how to structure analysis) — see spec 037 .spectra/prompts/*.md ISTQB-enhanced built-ins
Testimize (optional) Test data values (boundary numbers, equivalence class examples, pairwise combinations) — see spec 038 testimize section in spectra.config.json Disabled

A typical setup uses the default profile, the default ISTQB prompts, and leaves Testimize disabled. Power users mix and match independently.

Create a Profile 

spectra init-profile

The wizard guides you through options:

SPECTRA Test Generation Profile Setup

[1/7] Detail Level
How detailed should test steps be?
  1. High-level - Brief steps, assumes tester knowledge
  2. Detailed - Comprehensive steps with expected results
  3. Very detailed - Granular steps, no assumptions
> 2

[2/7] Minimum Negative Scenarios
How many negative test cases per feature (minimum)?
> 3

...

Profile created: spectra.profile.md

Non-Interactive Mode (CI/Scripts) 

spectra init-profile \
  --non-interactive \
  --detail-level detailed \
  --min-negative 3 \
  --priority medium \
  --step-format numbered \
  --domains payments,authentication \
  --pii-sensitivity standard

View Current Profile 

spectra profile show              # Show effective profile
spectra profile show --json       # Show as JSON
spectra profile show --context    # Show AI context that would be generated
spectra profile show --suite tests/checkout  # Show profile for a specific suite

Suite-Level Overrides

Create a profile that only applies to a specific test suite:

spectra init-profile --suite test-cases/checkout

This creates test-cases/checkout/_profile.md that inherits from and overrides the repository profile.

Profile Resolution Order

When running spectra ai generate checkout --count 10:

  1. test-cases/checkout/_profile.md (suite override)
  2. spectra.profile.md (repository profile)
  3. Built-in defaults

The profile content is injected into the AI prompt context.

Profile Options

Option Values Description
--detail-level high_level, detailed, very_detailed How granular steps should be
--min-negative 1-10 Minimum negative scenarios per feature
--priority high, medium, low Default test priority
--step-format numbered, bullets, paragraphs How steps are formatted
--action-verbs true/false Start steps with action verbs
--screenshots true/false Include screenshot suggestions
--domains payments, authentication, pii_gdpr, healthcare, financial, accessibility Domain-specific considerations
--pii-sensitivity none, standard, strict PII handling level
--exclusions performance, security, edge_cases, etc. Categories to exclude

Edit Existing Profile 

spectra init-profile --edit --min-negative 5 --priority high   # Update specific options
spectra init-profile --force                                    # Re-run full wizard

Effect on Generated Tests

Without Profile 

## TC-101: User Login

**Steps:**
1. Go to login page
2. Enter credentials
3. Click Login

With Detailed Profile + Domains 

## TC-101: User Login

**Priority:** High
**Component:** Authentication

**Preconditions:**
- User account exists with valid credentials
- Browser cache cleared

**Steps:**
1. Navigate to the application login page at /login
2. Verify the login form displays username and password fields
3. Enter the test username "testuser@example.com" in the username field
4. Enter the test password in the password field
5. Click the "Sign In" button
6. Verify redirect to dashboard page within 3 seconds

**Expected Result:**
User is logged in and sees personalized dashboard.

**Compliance Notes:**
- Password field should mask input
- Failed login should not reveal whether username exists