Rationale

End-to-end tests verify critical user journeys work correctly across the full stack. GitLab requires E2E coverage for critical paths.

Requirements

1. Critical user journeys must have E2E tests
2. E2E tests must run in staging environment
3. E2E tests must be stable (quarantine flaky tests)
4. Manual verification required for workflow::verification state

Critical Path Identification

A path is "critical" if: - It involves payment/financial transactions - It affects data integrity - It is the primary user workflow - It handles authentication/authorization

E2E Test Standards

• Use real browsers (Playwright/Cypress)
• Test data must be created via API, not UI
• Screenshots/videos for failure diagnosis
• Parallel execution where possible

References

• E2E Testing: https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/testing/
• Test Quarantine: https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/testing/quarantine-process/