CLI Commands

Complete command-line interface reference for MCP Jest.

Basic Usage

mcp-jest [testfile] [options]

Global Options

--version, -v

Display version information

mcp-jest --version

--help, -h

Show help information

mcp-jest --help

--timeout <ms>

Set global timeout for all tests

mcp-jest test.json --timeout 30000

--verbose

Enable verbose output for debugging

mcp-jest test.json --verbose

--watch, -w

Watch files and re-run tests on changes

mcp-jest test.json --watch

--no-colors

Disable colored output

mcp-jest test.json --no-colors

Snapshot Commands

--update-snapshots, -u

Update all snapshots

mcp-jest test.json --update-snapshots

--update-snapshots=<name>

Update specific snapshot by test name

mcp-jest test.json --update-snapshots="User profile test"

--snapshot-dir <path>

Specify snapshot directory

mcp-jest test.json --snapshot-dir ./test-snapshots

Test Selection

--grep <pattern>, -g

Run only tests matching pattern

mcp-jest test.json --grep "user.*profile"

--grep-invert

Run tests NOT matching grep pattern

mcp-jest test.json --grep "slow" --grep-invert

--bail, -b

Stop on first test failure

mcp-jest test.json --bail

Parallel Execution

--parallel

Enable parallel test execution

mcp-jest test.json --parallel

--max-workers <n>

Set number of worker processes

mcp-jest test.json --parallel --max-workers 4

--no-parallel

Force sequential execution

mcp-jest test.json --no-parallel

Reporting Options

--reporter <name>

Specify test reporter

mcp-jest test.json --reporter junit

--output-file <path>

Write results to file

mcp-jest test.json --reporter junit --output-file results.xml

--silent

Suppress console output

mcp-jest test.json --silent

Configuration Commands

--config <path>

Load configuration from file

mcp-jest test.json --config ./custom-config.json

--validate-config

Validate configuration and exit

mcp-jest --validate-config

--env <name>

Use environment-specific configuration

mcp-jest test.json --env production

Development Commands

--dry-run

Show what tests would run without executing

mcp-jest test.json --dry-run

--debug

Enable debug mode with detailed logging

mcp-jest test.json --debug

--inspect

Enable Node.js inspector for debugging

mcp-jest test.json --inspect

Coverage Commands

--coverage

Enable test coverage reporting

mcp-jest test.json --coverage

--coverage-dir <path>

Specify coverage output directory

mcp-jest test.json --coverage --coverage-dir ./coverage

Common Command Combinations

Development Workflow

mcp-jest tests/*.json --watch --verbose

CI/CD Pipeline

mcp-jest tests/*.json --parallel --bail --no-colors --reporter junit --output-file results.xml

Quick Smoke Test

mcp-jest smoke-test.json --timeout 5000 --bail

Performance Testing

mcp-jest perf-tests.json --timeout 60000 --verbose --no-parallel

Exit Codes

0  - All tests passed
1  - Test failures occurred
2  - Configuration error
3  - Server startup failed
4  - Invalid command line arguments
5  - Snapshot update required
130 - Process interrupted (Ctrl+C)

Shell Completion

Enable tab completion for faster CLI usage:

# Bash
mcp-jest --completion bash >> ~/.bashrc

# Zsh
mcp-jest --completion zsh >> ~/.zshrc  

# Fish
mcp-jest --completion fish >> ~/.config/fish/completions/mcp-jest.fish

🚀 CLI Mastery

The MCP Jest CLI is powerful and flexible. Combine options to create the perfect testing workflow.

Explore Test Configuration →