Test cycles group test cases into an organized testing effort, and executions record the result of running each test case within a cycle. You run tests step by step, capture pass, fail, or blocked results, and link defects for traceability. Cycles live in the Quality Assurance group in the sidebar.
Create a test cycle
- Open the Quality Assurance group in the sidebar and select Test Cycles.
- Use the Create button. When AI create is enabled for your account, Create with AI can draft the cycle from a short prompt.
- Enter the cycle name and an optional description.
- Set the status (Planned, In Progress, Completed), the scope type, and optionally a scope description, start date, and end date.
- Optionally assign the cycle to a folder.
- Save the cycle.
Add test cases to a cycle
- Open the test cycle and find the Test Cases section.
- Use Add Test Cases, then search and select test cases from your library.
- Confirm the selection with Add Selected. Each test case becomes a test execution within the cycle.
Run an execution
- In the cycle’s Test Cases section, use Execute to open an execution, or Continue to resume one already in progress. The execution starts automatically when you open it.
- Optionally choose the environment and execution priority in the Execution Settings panel.
- Work through each step. Enter the actual result, then record the step with Pass, Fail, or Block.
- Add comments or attach files as evidence.
- When every step is recorded, use Complete. The overall execution status is calculated from the step results.
The environment belongs to the individual execution rather than to the cycle, because the same cycle can legitimately be run against more than one environment.
Block an execution
If prerequisites are not met, use Block, choose a blocking category, and enter a reason. This records why the test could not be run.
Link defects
When a test reveals a problem, open the Linked Defects panel on the execution and add a defect. Link an existing Bug issue or create a new one, and it stays connected to the execution for traceability back to the failure.
Track progress and effort
The cycle shows progress as the count and percentage of passed, failed, blocked, and not executed executions, along with an overall pass rate. Effort metrics compare estimated and actual duration so you can see the variance for the cycle and per test case.
Close, clone, and bulk actions
When testing is finished, use Close on the cycle to preserve it as a historical record. Clone a cycle to reuse the same set of test cases for a new effort, such as regression testing on the next release. Select several cycles to clone, close, or delete them together, and export a cycle to CSV or PDF from its detail page.
Run a cycle from an AI assistant
A cycle can also be built and run over the MCP server, without anyone opening the console. A connected AI assistant can create the cycle in a folder with its dates, add test cases to it, which is what creates each execution, and pass an environment in the same call so every execution it creates is stamped with where it will run. That saves setting the environment on each execution one at a time.
It can then start an execution, record a Pass, Fail, or Blocked result for each step, add a comment, link a defect it uncovered, and complete the run, with the overall status derived from the step results exactly as in the console. Reading the cycle progress back lets it confirm what it did rather than assume. Adding cases to a closed cycle is refused with a clear message.
See Connecting via the MCP Server for how to create a scoped token and connect your tool.
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