broswer-automation/app/chrome-extension/PERSISTENT_CONNECTION_TEST_PLAN.md

Persistent Connection Test Plan

Overview

This test plan verifies that the Chrome extension implements persistent connection management as requested:

• Connections remain active after manual connect until explicit disconnect
• Connections persist across popup open/close cycles
• Connections survive browser events (tab switches, window focus changes, idle periods)
• No automatic disconnection after tool operations

Prerequisites

1. Remote Server Running: Start the remote server on ws://localhost:3001/chrome

   cd app/remote-server
   npm run dev
   

2. Extension Loaded: Load the built extension from app/chrome-extension/.output/chrome-mv3

Test Cases

Test 1: Basic Persistent Connection

Objective: Verify connection persists after popup close

Steps:

1. Open Chrome extension popup
2. Click "Connect" button
3. Verify connection status shows "Connected (Persistent)" with green checkmark
4. Note the persistent connection indicator: "🔗 Persistent: Active"
5. Close the popup window
6. Wait 30 seconds
7. Reopen the popup

Expected Result:

• Connection status still shows "Connected (Persistent)"
• Connection time continues counting from original connection
• No reconnection attempts logged

Test 2: Connection Persistence Across Browser Events

Objective: Verify connection survives browser lifecycle events

Steps:

1. Establish connection (Test 1)
2. Switch between multiple tabs
3. Change window focus to different applications
4. Minimize/restore browser window
5. Open new browser windows
6. Check popup status after each event

Expected Result:

• Connection remains active throughout all events
• No disconnection or reconnection attempts
• Status consistently shows "Connected (Persistent)"

Test 3: Tool Execution Without Disconnection

Objective: Verify connection persists during and after tool operations

Steps:

1. Establish connection
2. Use Cherry Studio or another MCP client to send tool requests:
   • chrome_navigate to navigate to a website
   • chrome_screenshot to take screenshots
   • chrome_extract_content to extract page content
3. Execute multiple tool operations in sequence
4. Check connection status after each operation

Expected Result:

• All tool operations complete successfully
• Connection remains active after each operation
• No automatic disconnection after tool completion

Test 4: Extended Idle Period Test

Objective: Verify connection survives long idle periods

Steps:

1. Establish connection
2. Leave browser idle for 30 minutes
3. Do not interact with the extension or browser
4. After 30 minutes, check popup status
5. Test tool functionality by sending a simple request

Expected Result:

• Connection remains active after idle period
• Tool operations work immediately without reconnection
• Connection time shows full duration including idle time

Test 5: Manual Disconnect Only

Objective: Verify connection only terminates on explicit disconnect

Steps:

1. Establish connection
2. Perform various activities (tabs, tools, idle time)
3. Click "Disconnect" button in popup
4. Verify disconnection
5. Close and reopen popup

Expected Result:

• Connection terminates only when "Disconnect" is clicked
• After disconnect, status shows "Disconnected - Click Connect for persistent connection"
• Popup reopening shows disconnected state
• No automatic reconnection attempts

Test 6: Browser Restart Connection Restoration

Objective: Verify connection state restoration after browser restart

Steps:

1. Establish connection
2. Close entire browser (all windows)
3. Restart browser
4. Open extension popup immediately

Expected Result:

• Extension attempts to restore previous connection
• If server is still running, connection is re-established automatically
• If successful, shows "Connected (Persistent)" status

Test 7: Server Reconnection Behavior

Objective: Verify robust reconnection when server becomes unavailable

Steps:

1. Establish connection
2. Stop the remote server
3. Wait for connection loss detection
4. Restart the remote server
5. Monitor reconnection attempts

Expected Result:

• Extension detects connection loss
• Automatic reconnection attempts begin
• Connection is restored when server comes back online
• Persistent connection behavior resumes

Verification Points

UI Indicators

• ✅ Status shows "Connected (Persistent)" when connected
• ✅ Persistent badge shows "🔗 Persistent: Active"
• ✅ Info text: "🔗 Connection will persist until manually disconnected"
• ✅ Connection time continues counting accurately
• ✅ Disconnect button changes to "Disconnect" when connected

Console Logs

Monitor browser console for these log messages:

• Background: Remote server client initialized (not connected)
• Background: Browser event listeners initialized for connection persistence
• Background: Connection health check started (5-minute intervals)
• RemoteServerClient: Connection state saved
• Background: Tab switched to X, connection maintained
• Background: Window focus changed to X, connection maintained

Connection State Persistence

• Connection state is saved to chrome.storage.local
• State includes: wasConnected, connectionTime, serverUrl, lastSaveTime
• State is restored on extension startup if recent (within 24 hours)

Success Criteria

All test cases pass with:

1. ✅ Connections persist until manual disconnect
2. ✅ No automatic disconnection after tool operations
3. ✅ Connections survive all browser lifecycle events
4. ✅ UI clearly indicates persistent connection status
5. ✅ Robust reconnection when server connectivity is restored
6. ✅ Connection state restoration after browser restart

Troubleshooting

If tests fail, check:

1. Remote server is running on correct port (3001)
2. Extension has proper permissions
3. Browser console for error messages
4. Chrome storage for saved connection state
5. Network connectivity between extension and server