Use the Alexa Automated Testing Service (Beta)
Use the Alexa Automated Testing Service (ATS) in the Alexa developer console to test device control for your Alexa-connected smart home devices. ATS supports both smart home add-ons and Matter protocol implementations. The testing service lets you create test plans by using natural language instead of complex JSON definitions. Choose from pre-built templates or build custom tests that meet your specific requirements.
For details about other test tools, see Test and Debug Your Smart Home Add-on.
How it works
ATS provides pre-defined templates, or you can create custom test plans. To build a test, you describe what you want to test as natural-language utterances and ATS creates a test plan. For example, to test a light bulb with color control, you might add the utterance, "Alexa, set the ${deviceName} to blue."
When you run the test plan, ATS sends voice commands to your device through Alexa and validates the device response and state change reports. After the test completes, you receive a detailed test report with pass and fail results and error descriptions for any failures.
ATS provides pre-defined templates for the following Alexa interfaces:
- BrightnessController
- ColorController
- ColorTemperatureController
- PowerController
- ThermostatController
You can use the testing service throughout the development lifecycle to perform the following tasks:
- Test your smart home add-on or Matter integration during development.
- Debug device integration issues.
- Validate device behavior before you submit your product for Works with Alexa (WWA) certification.
- Create regression tests for your add-on-enabled devices.
Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure that you have the following items:
- An Amazon developer account.
- An Alexa-enabled device, such as an Amazon Echo. Make sure that you sign in to the Echo device with the same credentials as your Amazon developer account.
- For add-on-enabled devices, you must meet the following prerequisites:
- Your smart home add-on must be available in the developer console and you must configure the minimum configuration for a smart home add-on.
- Deploy your add-on code in an AWS Lambda function to provide communication between Alexa and your device.
- Enable your add-on in the Alexa app. Make sure that you sign in to the Alexa app with the same credentials as your Alexa developer account.
- Configure account linking and successfully link your device account with your Alexa account.
- For Matter-enabled devices, you must meet the following prerequisites:
- Commission your device on the same Alexa fabric as your Echo device.
- Have your device local identifier available.
- At least one test device connected to your developer account. Make sure your device is discoverable and responds to Alexa commands.
- Register the Echo device and the device under test to the same account. Verify both devices in the Alexa app.
Steps to run a pre-built test
Follow these steps to create and run a test plan that uses a pre-built template. The testing service displays the Echo devices and devices under test registered to your Alexa app.
Step 1: Create a test plan from a template
To run automated tests, you first define a test plan. If your device supports one of the capabilities defined by a pre-built template, you can create a test plan that uses the template. If your device supports additional capabilities or test scenarios, you can customize the test plan. For more details, follow the instructions in Customize a pre-built test plan. If your device has capabilities not supported by a template, see Create a custom test plan.
To create a test plan from a template in the Alexa developer console
- Sign in to the Alexa developer console.
- On the Skills tab, under SKILL NAME, scroll to find your smart home add-on.
- Under ACTIONS, expand the dropdown list in your add-on's row, and then select Test.
- On the banner that says, Try the Alexa Automated Testing Service (Beta) …., choose the ATS tool.
- For Login Required, choose Log in with Amazon, and then enter your Amazon developer credentials to sign in to ATS.
- For Click 'Allow' to Sign-In to Open Automation Kit, choose Allow.
- Under Create a New Test Plan, for Select Template, select a template that matches a capability of your device, such as Power Controller, and then choose Create from Template.
- On Create Test Plan, under Test Plan Name, enter a descriptive name for your test plan.
Valid values: 1–50 characters including letters, numbers, underscores, and hyphens. - To review the pre-built tests in the plan, expand each test case.
You can also see a preview of the test plan in the JSON Preview panel. - To save the test plan, choose Create Test Plan.
Step 2: Run the test plan
Select and run your test plan on ATS. You can run test plans based on pre-built or custom test cases.
To run a test in the Alexa developer console
- Under Run a Test, choose the following items:
- For Test Plan Name, select the test plan that you created.
- For Device Name, select the name of your device under test.
- For Alexa Device, select the name of your Alexa-enabled device.
- To run the test, choose Run Test.
- Wait for the tests to complete.
- If an error appears at the top of the page, correct the error, and then rerun the test plan.
Step 3: View test results
After the tests in the selected test plan complete, the testing service generates a test report that shows the overall test results, individual test case results, and error messages for any failures. The report also includes detailed step-by-step execution and device state information.
When a test case fails, use the error messages to help debug the issues. For more help, see Alexa Automated Testing Service Troubleshooting Guide.
To view the test report for a specific test run
- In the test run history table, navigate to the most recent entry of your test plan with the status COMPLETED.
- Under ACTIONS in your test plan's row, choose View Report.
- Under Test Report, view the test run ID, test plan name, and overall test status.
- Under Device Information, view the device name.
- Under Test Summary, view the total number of test cases run, number of test cases that succeeded, and the number that failed.
- Under Test Cases, you can view the status of each test case: Success or Failed. If the test case failed, the report includes an error message.
- To expand the test case results, choose the arrow icon ().
You can view the results of each step in the test case. - To return to the Alexa Automated Testing Service page, choose Back.
- For failed test cases, update your add-on or device, and then rerun the test plan.
Test status values
During your test run, you might see one of the following statuses in the test run history table.
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
|
IN PROGRESS |
The test cases in the specified test plan are running. |
|
COMPLETED |
Test run finished. The results are ready to view. |
|
TERMINATED |
An internal error occurred during test execution. |
Download test reports
The testing service deletes test reports after 30 days. Follow these steps to download your test report.
To download your test report
- In the test run history table, navigate to the most recent entry of your test plan with the status COMPLETED.
- Under ACTIONS in your test plan's row, choose Download Report.
- The JSON-formatted report downloads to your default download location.
View test plans
Before you run a test, you can view the test plan.
To view your test plan
- Under Run a Test, for Test Plan Name, select the test plan that you want to review.
- To view the test plan, choose Preview Test Plan.
Save your test plan
You might want to include your test plan in your CI/CD pipeline. Follow these steps to download your test plan. If your test plan expires, you can create a new test plan based on the saved version.
To save your test plan
- In the test run history table, navigate to the most recent entry of your test plan with the status COMPLETED.
- Under ACTIONS in your test plan's row, choose View Test Plan.
The JSON-formatted test plan opens in a separate browser tab or window. - To save your test plan to your PC or Mac, choose Save.
Related topics
- Create Custom Test Plans
- Customize a Pre-built Test Plan
- Pre-Built Template Library
- Alexa Automated Testing Service Troubleshooting Guide
Last updated: May 01, 2026

