> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.qa.tech/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Crawling Sessions

> Learn how crawling sessions help QA.tech understand your application and improve test suggestions

# Crawling Sessions

Crawling sessions help QA.tech learn about your application by exploring pages and interactions. This improves test suggestions and agent performance.

## Overview

Manual crawling allows you to explore specific areas of your application. Use this when:

* Launching new features
* Needing focused exploration (e.g., admin panels, checkout flows)
* Updating navigation or UI structure
* Improving test coverage for critical user journeys

Navigate to [**Settings → Crawling**](https://app.qa.tech/current-project/settings/crawling) to access the Crawling Sessions page.

## Configuration

### Output State (Optional)

Resume from a test case's final browser state. Useful for:

* Crawling authenticated areas (use a login test's output state)
* Exploring flows requiring specific setup

### Start URL

The URL where crawling begins (e.g., `https://app.example.com`).

### Maximum Depth

How many link levels deep to crawl from the start URL.

* **0**: Only the starting page
* **1**: Starting page + directly linked pages
* **2+**: Progressively deeper exploration

**Range**: 0-10
**Default**: 1

### Maximum Actions

Maximum number of interactions (clicks, navigations) during the session.

**Range**: 1-1,000
**Default**: 300

### Crawling Intent (Optional)

Describe what to focus on (up to 500 characters). The crawler prioritizes actions matching your intent.

**Examples**:

* `Focus on login and authentication flows`
* `Explore product catalog and filtering options`
* `Crawl admin panel and user management`

## Understanding Results

### Session Status

* **Processing**: Currently running
* **Complete**: Successfully finished
* **Failed**: Encountered an error
* **Cancelled**: Manually stopped

### Iteration Details

Each crawling iteration shows:

* **Screenshot**: Visual capture of the page
* **Source Action**: How the crawler reached this page ("n/a" for start page)
* **Depth**: Links away from start URL (0 = start page)
* **Found Actions**: Interactive elements discovered (links, buttons, forms)
* **Intent Score**: Relevance to your goal (0-40% low, 41-70% moderate, 71-100% high)

## Best Practices

* **Be specific**: Clear intents work better (❌ "Crawl everything" → ✅ "Focus on e-commerce checkout flow")
* **Use output states**: Chain a login test to explore authenticated areas
* **Review results**: Check screenshots and intent scores to verify exploration

## Troubleshooting

**Crawl Failed**

* Requires authentication → Use output state from login test
* Pages not accessible or SSL issues