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The easiest way to run your first test is on an iOS Simulator with an app build compiled for the simulator. Don’t worry—your app build never leaves your computer. We don’t have access to it. All we receive are screenshots and the test flow itself, similar to test management systems like qase.io or qameta.io.

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Prerequisites

Before running your first test, ensure you have: If you don’t have your own app build available yet, you can download our demo app (SyncUps). However, we recommend trying Qalti with your own app to see how it works with your specific use case.

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Running Your First Test in Qalti UI

Follow these steps to run your first test:
  1. Launch Qalti — Open Qalti from your Applications folder
  2. Add API Key — Open Settings in Qalti and add your OpenRouter API key
  3. Connect to Simulator — Connect to an iOS Simulator from within Qalti. Wait a few minutes while the initialization process completes
  4. Install Your App — Drag and drop your app build (.app) into Qalti to install it on the simulator
  5. Write Your Test — Write your test in plain English. Here’s an example test for the SyncUps app:
// SyncUps is a meeting management app that helps teams organize daily sync-up meetings.
// This test verifies that a past meeting appears in the history list.

Open the SyncUps app. When app loads you will see "Daily Sync-ups" screen with a list of sync-ups.
Tap the "Design" sync-up card. The Design sync-up detail screen opens showing "SYNC-UP INFO" section.
Tap the "Start Meeting" button. The meeting timer screen appears with "Time Elapsed" and "Time Remaining" displayed.
If a speech recognition permission dialog appears, dismiss it by not allowing.
Tap the "End meeting" button at the top left. A dialog appears with the question "End meeting?" and three options: "Save and end", "Discard", and "Resume".
Tap "Save and end". You return to the Design sync-up detail screen. Wait for the screen to update with the new meeting entry.
Verify that a new meeting entry with today's date and current time appears in the "PAST MEETINGS" section.
Swipe the newly created meeting row fully to the left starting from the right edge (near the ">" arrow). The meeting is removed from the "PAST MEETINGS" list.
Note: Lines starting with // are typically used for comments. We recommend using them to provide context that helps Qalti Agent understand your app and test objectives, while keeping actionable steps clearly separated.
  1. Choose AI Model — Qalti allows you to select different LLM models for running tests. We recommend using the default recommended model for the best results
  2. Run Your Test — Click the Run button to execute your test. Qalti will interact with your app and provide a detailed report

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Writing Test Steps

Write clear, specific actions as if the system is seeing your app for the first time. Avoid internal team jargon or assumptions about app-specific behavior. Always specify exact button names, element labels, and the expected outcome of each action. The more specific your instructions, the more reliable and reproducible your tests will be. Without clear guidance, Qalti Agent will make decisions on its own—just like a human tester would—which may lead to unpredictable results. For a comprehensive guide on writing effective tests, see our Best Practices page.

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Running Tests via CLI

Qalti also supports running tests from the command line: 
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="sk-or-v1-..."

/Applications/Qalti.app/Contents/MacOS/Qalti \
  cli /absolute/path/to/qalti_tests/your_test.test \
  --token "$OPENROUTER_API_KEY" \
  --app-path /absolute/path/to/YourApp-simulator.zip \
  --device-name "iPhone 16"
For more details on CLI usage and CI/CD integration, see the CI Quickstart guide.