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

# QA Workflows

> Patterns for using TempInbox in manual and automated QA workflows.

## The core pattern

Every QA workflow using temp email follows the same structure:

```text theme={null}
1. Create unique inbox  →  address + jwt
2. Trigger email flow   →  submit address to form/API under test
3. Poll inbox           →  wait for mail to arrive (with timeout)
4. Assert on content    →  verify subject, OTP, link, sender
5. Continue test flow   →  click link or submit code
```

***

## Pattern 1: OTP verification

Test that your app sends a 6-digit code and the form accepts it.

```typescript theme={null}
async function testOtpSignup(page: Page) {
  const { address, jwt } = await createInbox();

  // Trigger email
  await page.fill('[name=email]', address);
  await page.click('[type=submit]');

  // Wait and extract
  const mail = await waitForMail(jwt);
  const otp = mail.raw.match(/\b\d{6}\b/)?.[0];
  expect(otp).toBeDefined();

  // Submit
  await page.fill('[name=otp]', otp!);
  await page.click('[type=submit]');
  await expect(page).toHaveURL(/verified/);
}
```

***

## Pattern 2: Magic link

Test that your app sends a valid, working magic link.

```typescript theme={null}
async function testMagicLink(page: Page) {
  const { address, jwt } = await createInbox();

  await submitLoginForm(page, address);

  const mail = await waitForMail(jwt);
  const link = mail.raw.match(/https:\/\/app\.example\.com\/auth\/[^\s"<]+/)?.[0];
  expect(link).toBeDefined();

  await page.goto(link!);
  await expect(page).toHaveURL(/dashboard/);
}
```

***

## Pattern 3: Welcome email content check

Verify that onboarding emails contain the right content.

```typescript theme={null}
async function testWelcomeEmail(jwt: string) {
  const mail = await waitForMail(jwt);
  const meta = JSON.parse(mail.raw); // or parse raw headers
  
  expect(mail.subject).toContain('Welcome to');
  expect(mail.raw).toContain('Get started');
  expect(mail.raw).not.toContain('unsubscribe'); // welcome email shouldn't have this
}
```

***

## Pattern 4: Parallel signup tests

Multiple users signing up concurrently — each gets their own inbox.

```typescript theme={null}
test.describe.parallel('concurrent signups', () => {
  for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
    test(`user ${i} signup`, async ({ page }) => {
      // Each test creates a separate inbox — no collision
      const { address, jwt } = await createInbox();
      await runSignupFlow(page, address, jwt);
    });
  }
});
```

***

## Pattern 5: Multi-step onboarding

Some flows send multiple emails in sequence. Chain `waitForMail` calls and clear the inbox between steps.

```typescript theme={null}
async function testOnboardingSequence(page: Page) {
  const { address, jwt } = await createInbox();

  // Step 1: Signup confirmation
  await triggerSignup(page, address);
  const confirmMail = await waitForMail(jwt);
  await clickLink(page, confirmMail, /confirm/);

  // Clear so next poll only returns new mail
  await clearInbox(jwt);

  // Step 2: Onboarding email (arrives 5 min later in some apps)
  const onboardingMail = await waitForMail(jwt, { timeoutMs: 360_000 });
  expect(onboardingMail.subject).toContain('Getting started');
}
```

***

## Manual QA checklist

For QA engineers testing manually without automation:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open TempInbox">
    Go to [tempinbox.dev](https://tempinbox.dev) and copy the generated address.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use the address in the app under test">
    Paste into the signup/login form and submit.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the inbox">
    Return to TempInbox. The verification email should appear within seconds.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify email content">
    Check: correct subject, sender address, OTP code format, link validity, no broken HTML.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete the flow">
    Click the link or enter the code. Verify the app transitions to the correct state.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Document findings">
    Note any content issues, delivery delays, or missing emails in your QA report.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Common failure modes

| Symptom                                | Likely cause                         | Fix                                   |
| -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------- |
| Email never arrives                    | SMTP misconfiguration or spam filter | Check server logs; verify MX records  |
| Email arrives but code is wrong format | Template bug                         | Fix template regex extraction         |
| Link in email is broken (404)          | Wrong base URL in template           | Fix `APP_URL` env var                 |
| Parallel tests flake                   | Shared inbox                         | Give each test its own unique address |
| Timeout in CI                          | External SMTP slow                   | Increase poll timeout to 60–90s       |

***

## Related reading

* [Temp Mail for QA Teams: Signup Email Testing](https://tempinbox.dev/blog/temp-mail-for-qa-teams) — team-level workflow guidance
* [Email for Testing: A Practical QA Playbook](https://tempinbox.dev/blog/email-for-testing) — strategy for real inboxes vs mocks
* [Playwright guide](/guides/playwright) and [Cypress guide](/guides/cypress) — runnable implementations of these patterns