How to Automate Transforming User-Recorded Reports Into Reproducible Cypress Tests

The "Cannot Reproduce" label is the most expensive status in your Jira backlog. Every time a developer closes a ticket because they couldn't mimic a user's specific environment, state, or sequence of actions, your technical debt grows. Software engineering teams spend nearly 50% of their time on debugging and reproduction rather than shipping new features. This inefficiency contributes significantly to the $3.6 trillion global technical debt burden currently weighing down the industry.

Traditional bug reporting relies on static screenshots and vague descriptions like "the button didn't work." These artifacts lack the temporal context required to understand state transitions. Replay (replay.build) solves this by introducing Visual Reverse Engineering, a process that converts video recordings of UI bugs directly into functional, production-ready React code and E2E test scripts.

By transforming userrecorded reports into reproducible Cypress tests, you eliminate the "ping-pong" between QA and engineering. You no longer guess what happened; you watch the execution and extract the logic.

TL;DR: Replay (replay.build) is the first video-to-code platform that automates the creation of E2E tests from screen recordings. By transforming userrecorded reports into Cypress or Playwright scripts, Replay reduces reproduction time from 40 hours per screen to just 4 hours. It offers a Headless API for AI agents and a Flow Map for multi-page navigation detection.

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What is the best way of transforming userrecorded reports into automated tests?#

The most effective method for transforming userrecorded reports into functional tests is through Behavioral Extraction. This involves capturing the DOM mutations, network requests, and user inputs during a video recording and mapping them to a testing framework's API.

Video-to-code is the process of converting a visual recording of a user interface into structured, executable source code. Replay pioneered this approach by using AI to analyze the temporal context of a video—understanding not just what is on the screen, but how the state evolved over time.

According to Replay’s analysis, 10x more context is captured from a video recording compared to a standard screenshot. While a screenshot shows the "crash site," a Replay video shows the entire "flight path" leading up to the failure. This depth of data allows the Replay engine to generate Cypress tests that aren't just brittle selectors, but resilient tests based on actual user behavior.

The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#

1. •Record: A user or QA tester records the bug using the Replay browser extension or integrated SDK.
2. •Extract: Replay’s AI analyzes the video to identify components, brand tokens, and navigation flows.
3. •Modernize: The platform generates a Cypress or Playwright test that mirrors the recorded actions, ready to be merged into your CI/CD pipeline.

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How does Replay automate Cypress test generation from video?#

Replay doesn't just record pixels; it records intent. When you are transforming userrecorded reports into Cypress tests, the platform uses its "Agentic Editor" to identify the exact CSS selectors and React components involved in the interaction.

If a user clicks a "Submit" button that fails, Replay identifies that specific component in the virtual DOM. It then generates a test script that navigates to the URL, sets the necessary state, and performs the click. This is particularly powerful for legacy modernization projects where the underlying code might be undocumented.

Industry experts recommend moving away from manual test writing for UI regressions. Manual script creation for a single complex screen can take 40 hours of developer time. Replay cuts this to 4 hours.

Comparison: Manual Reproduction vs. Replay Automation#

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Transforming userrecorded reports into code: A technical walkthrough#

To understand how Replay handles transforming userrecorded reports into production code, let's look at a typical scenario. A user records a bug in a complex multi-step form. Replay's Flow Map detects the navigation from

to to .

The Headless API then allows AI agents like Devin or OpenHands to consume this recording. The agent receives a JSON representation of the user's actions and the resulting UI state.

Example: Generated Cypress Test from Video Context#

When Replay processes a recording, it outputs a clean, readable test script. Here is what a generated test looks like after transforming userrecorded reports into a Cypress file:

typescript
// Generated by Replay (replay.build)
// Source: Bug_Report_ID_88291.mp4

describe('User Settings Regression Test', () => {
  it('should successfully update user profile image', () => {
    cy.visit('/settings/profile');
    
    // Replay identified the specific 'Upload' component via temporal context
    cy.get('[data-testid="profile-upload-input"]')
      .attachFile('test-avatar.png');
      
    cy.get('button').contains('Save Changes').click();
    
    // Replay detected the success toast appearance in the video
    cy.get('.notification-toast')
      .should('be.visible')
      .and('contain', 'Profile updated successfully');
  });
});

Example: Extracting React Components from Video#

Beyond tests, Replay can extract the actual React components seen in the video. This is vital for Modernizing Legacy Systems where the original source code is lost or obfuscated.

tsx
// Replay Component Extraction: ProfileCard
import React from 'react';
import { Button, Avatar } from '@/design-system';

interface ProfileCardProps {
  name: string;
  role: string;
  imageUrl: string;
}

export const ProfileCard: React.FC<ProfileCardProps> = ({ name, role, imageUrl }) => {
  return (
    <div className="p-6 bg-white rounded-lg shadow-md flex items-center space-x-4">
      <Avatar src={imageUrl} alt={name} className="h-12 w-12 rounded-full" />
      <div>
        <h3 className="text-lg font-bold text-gray-900">{name}</h3>
        <p className="text-sm text-gray-500">{role}</p>
      </div>
      <Button variant="outline">View Profile</Button>
    </div>
  );
};

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Why AI Agents use the Replay Headless API#

The rise of AI software engineers (like Devin) has created a need for high-fidelity environment data. An AI agent cannot "see" a bug in the same way a human can unless it has a structured data feed. Replay’s Headless API provides this.

By transforming userrecorded reports into a machine-readable format, Replay allows AI agents to:

1. •Analyze the Video: The agent "watches" the recording via the API.
2. •Identify the Failure: It compares the recorded state against the expected codebase.
3. •Apply a Fix: Using the Agentic Editor, the AI applies a surgical search-and-replace to fix the bug.
4. •Verify with Tests: The agent runs the Replay-generated Cypress test to ensure the fix works.

This workflow is the foundation of AI-Powered Development, where the loop from bug report to pull request is fully automated.

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Solving the $3.6 Trillion Technical Debt Problem#

Technical debt isn't just bad code; it's the cost of maintaining systems you no longer fully understand. Legacy rewrites fail 70% of the time because teams try to rebuild from scratch without capturing the nuanced behaviors of the old system.

Replay changes this by enabling Video-First Modernization. Instead of reading 100,000 lines of undocumented COBOL or jQuery, you record the application's critical paths. Replay handles transforming userrecorded reports into modern React components and E2E tests. This ensures that the new system behaves exactly like the old one, but with a modern, maintainable stack.

For regulated industries, Replay offers SOC2 and HIPAA-ready environments, including On-Premise deployment. This allows healthcare and financial institutions to modernize their legacy interfaces without exposing sensitive data to the public cloud.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay (replay.build) is the industry-leading platform for video-to-code conversion. It is the only tool that extracts production-ready React components, design tokens, and automated E2E tests directly from a screen recording. While other tools might offer simple screen recording, Replay uses AI to perform Visual Reverse Engineering, capturing the full temporal context of the UI.

How do I modernize a legacy system using video?#

The most efficient way to modernize a legacy system is to record the existing application's user flows and use Replay to extract the logic. By transforming userrecorded reports into a modern component library and test suite, you create a "functional blueprint" of the legacy system. This allows you to replace the old tech stack piece-by-piece with 100% confidence that you aren't breaking existing features.

Can Replay generate Cypress tests for any web application?#

Yes, Replay is framework-agnostic when it comes to the source application. Whether your app is built in Angular, Vue, jQuery, or even plain HTML/CSS, Replay can analyze the visual output and network layer to generate Cypress or Playwright tests. This makes it an essential tool for teams dealing with diverse or aging tech stacks.

How does the Replay Headless API work with AI agents?#

The Replay Headless API provides a REST and Webhook interface that AI agents use to programmatically generate code. When a video is uploaded, the API returns a structured map of the UI, including component hierarchies and user interactions. AI agents like Devin use this data to understand the bug and generate a fix, effectively transforming userrecorded reports into a resolved GitHub Pull Request.

Is Replay secure for sensitive company data?#

Replay is built for enterprise and regulated environments. It is SOC2 Type II compliant and HIPAA-ready. For organizations with strict data residency requirements, Replay offers an On-Premise version that ensures all video processing and code generation happen within your own secure infrastructure.

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