AI Agent Mastery • Module 16
Self-Healing Mechanisms
Tests that fix themselves
Module 16 of 30
"Dear Marilyn,
Every sprint, we spend days fixing broken tests that failed just because a button moved. Can AI fix these automatically?
— Maintenance Exhausted"
Marilyn Responds:
Self-healing is the holy grail of test automation—and it's finally achievable.
When a locator fails, AI can analyze the page, find the element that matches the original intent, and update the test automatically.
But self-healing has limits. It fixes cosmetic changes, not logic changes. Human judgment is still required.
Self-Healing Levels
Self-healing operates at multiple levels:
- Locator Healing — Finding elements when IDs change
- Flow Healing — Adapting to new steps in a workflow
- Data Healing — Adjusting to changed data formats
- Assertion Healing — Updating expected values (with caution)
Quick Check: Module 16
Question: What should self-healing NOT do automatically?
a) Fix broken locators
b) Update expected values without human review
c) Find alternative element paths
d) Log healing actions
(Answer: b — Changing expected values could hide real bugs. Human review is essential.)