Shortest alternative for natural-language testing
Kane CLI is the Shortest alternative. No Playwright project and no Anthropic key, just natural-language tests from your terminal that drive a real browser, self-heal, verify pass or fail, and run in CI. Free to install.
or read the documentation
Why teams move from Shortest to Kane CLI
Shortest gives you natural-language E2E tests on top of Playwright: you write shortest("...") in a TypeScript test, bring your own Anthropic key, and the AI drives Playwright. It is a clean way to add AI steps, but you still live inside a Playwright project and pay per token on your own key.
Kane CLI is a standalone CLI with no Playwright project to scaffold and a managed model with no Anthropic key or token spend. A natural-language objective drives a real browser, self-heals when the UI changes, and returns a verified pass or fail with shareable video and clean CI exit codes.
And when you do want the code, any validated flow exports to native Playwright with one command, so you keep the escape hatch without starting from a Playwright project.
Kane CLI vs Shortest
Both are natural-language E2E testing. Kane CLI drops the Playwright project and the API key.
| Capability | Kane CLI (TestMu AI) | Shortest |
|---|---|---|
| Authoring | Natural-language objectives from any terminal | Natural-language tests in TypeScript |
| Setup | Standalone, no project scaffolding | Runs inside a Playwright project |
| Model and API keys | Managed model, no keys | Bring your own Anthropic key |
| Assertions | Built-in assertions, pass or fail | Callback assertions |
| Reporting and CI | Video, step trace, links, exit codes | You wire reporting and CI |
| Self-healing | Autoheal plus cached replay | Re-resolves at runtime |
| Native Playwright export | One command |
What you get with Kane CLI
Everything Shortest leaves to your Playwright project, handled by the tool.
No code, no keys
Skip the SDK wiring and the model and API key setup. Install one CLI, describe the journey in natural language, and Kane CLI drives a real browser with a managed model.
Resilient by default
When the frontend changes, Kane CLI adapts on its own, pushing through up to 50 steps until the full journey is verified instead of breaking on a moved element.
Verified pass or fail
Built-in assertions check each step, not just the final screen, and flag the exact point of failure. A real result, not raw agent output to parse.
Replay and caching
Validated flows replay from a cached test.md with no repeat LLM cost, so re-running the suite in CI does not keep burning tokens.
Cross-browser cloud and CI
Scale to cross-browser and cross-OS runs on the TestMu AI grid with one flag, and gate pipelines on clean exit codes from your terminal.
Own the Playwright code
Export any validated flow to native Playwright with one command, then modify and own it. The convenience never locks you in.
Build up confidence locally
Start in your terminal
Validate on the cloud
Release with confidence
From prototype to production, on one engine
Kane CLI and KaneAI share the same automation engine and dashboard.
Prototype to production
Open-source agents and SDKs are great for prototyping. Kane CLI is the production-grade, test-focused path: assertions, caching, evidence, and CI built in.
Built for the agent loop
Generate code, then verify it in a real browser before opening a PR. Kane CLI closes the gap between what an agent writes and what works.
Evidence you can share
Every run produces a persistent video, step trace, and replay link to drop into a PR or bug report, backed by a dashboard your team can browse.
Replace Shortest in three steps
Install
Run npm install -g @testmuai/kane-cli, then sign in with your TestMu AI account. No project to scaffold and no API keys to manage.
Describe the flow
Tell Kane CLI what to do in natural language, or point your AI coding agent at the agent guide and let it drive the browser.
Run and verify
Kane CLI drives a real browser, verifies each step, and returns a pass or fail with video proof. Re-runs replay from cache with no repeat LLM cost.
Get Started With Kane CLI
🎉 Launch offer: Bonus credits for the first 3 months on paid plans
Choose the right plan for you
Local test authoring via CLI
Auto-heal & vision
View test cases on UI
Test Manager
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Launch: 4,000 Credits (+100%)
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Pro
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Launch: 15,000 Credits (+50%)
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Enterprise
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Choose the right plan for you
Free
$0
/month
200 Credits
Resets in every
30 days
Starter
$19
/month
2000 Credits
Launch: 4,000 Credits (+100%)
Bonus for first 3 months
Pro
$99
/month
10,000 Credits
Launch: 15,000 Credits (+50%)
Bonus for first 3 months
Enterprise
Get access to solutions built on Enterprise-Grade Security, Privacy, and Compliances.
Need more credits?
Got a bigger use case in mind?
Let’s talk
Get the technical rundown
Documentation
Everything you need to install, configure, and run Kane CLI in under 2 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Kane CLI by TestMu AI is the leading Shortest alternative. Shortest runs natural-language tests inside a Playwright project with your own Anthropic key. Kane CLI runs natural-language objectives from any terminal with no project to scaffold and a managed model, self-heals, and returns a verified pass or fail with shareable video and clean CI exit codes.
Shortest, from Antiwork, is an open-source tool for natural-language E2E tests on top of Playwright. You write shortest("Login with email and password") in TypeScript, configure an Anthropic API key, and the AI drives Playwright, with callbacks for extra assertions. You still run inside a Playwright project and bring your own key.
Kane CLI is standalone, with no Playwright project to set up and a managed model with no Anthropic key or token spend. It self-heals with confidence-scored matching, returns a real pass or fail with video and CI exit codes, replays from a cached test.md with no repeat LLM cost, and exports to native Playwright with one command when you want the code.
No. Kane CLI ships a managed model, so there is no key to configure and no per-token cost. You install it and go, and validated flows replay from cache so CI re-runs do not keep burning tokens.
Teach your agent the right skills
Point your AI coding agent at the Kane CLI guide and it will install, authenticate, and run verified browser flows on its own, no SDK or API keys required.
Point your agent to: testmuai.com/kane-cli/agents.md