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Validate Mobile App Deep Links in GitHub PRs with Automated Testing

by WeblineIndiaUpdated: Last update 2 months agoSource: n8n.io
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Getting Started

GitHub PR Deep-Link & Routing Validator (ExecuteCommand + GitHub Comment)

🚀 Quick-Start TL;DR

  1. Import the workflow JSON into n8n (Cloud or self-hosted).
  2. Create a GitHub Personal Access Token with repo:public_repo (or repo) scope and add it to n8n credentials.
  3. Open the “CONFIG - Variables” node and tweak:
    • manifestPath – path to your deep-link manifest (AndroidManifest.xml, Info.plist, etc.).
    • scriptPath – helper script that boots the emulator & checks each route.
  4. Enable the workflow. Every push to a PR branch triggers validation and posts a Markdown pass/fail matrix back to the PR.

What It Does

This workflow delivers an automated, CI-friendly smoke-test of every deep link defined in your mobile app. On each push to an open GitHub PR, it:

  1. Clones the PR branch.
  2. Runs a lightweight validation script (provided) that spins up an emulator/simulator, attempts to open each declared URI, and records OK /FAIL.
  3. Generates a Markdown table summarizing the results.
  4. Comments that table in the PR, letting reviewers spot broken schemes at a glance.

Who’s It For

  • Mobile teams maintaining Android or iOS deep-link manifests.
  • CI engineers who need a simple, language-agnostic check they can publish to each PR.
  • OSS maintainers wanting a template-library-ready n8n recipe.

Requirements

RequirementNotes
n8n Cloud / CEWorks everywhere; self-hosted users need Docker with Android / Xcode if validating on-runner.
GitHub Personal Access TokenUsed for posting PR comments.
Emulator-capable runnerLocal dev hardware or CI image that can run adb / xcrun simctl.

How It Works

  1. GitHub Trigger fires on pull_requestsynchronize (i.e., each push to the PR branch).
  2. Set (CONFIG - Variables) centralises repo URL, manifest path, script path, timeout, and comment mode.
  3. ExecuteCommand clones the repo and calls the validation script.
  4. Function converts CLI CSV output into a Markdown table.
  5. GitHub node posts (or appends) the results as a comment on the PR.

How To Set Up

  1. Auth: In n8n, add a GitHub credential with your PAT named “GitHub Personal Access Token”.
  2. Import: Settings → Import workflow and paste the JSON above.
  3. Edit Config: Double-click CONFIG - Variables and change any default values.
  4. Validation Script: Commit scripts/validate_deeplinks.sh into your repo (see sample below).
  5. Enable the workflow. Push to any PR branch and watch the comment appear.

Sample validate_deeplinks.sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -e
while getopts "m:" opt; do
  case $opt in
    m) MANIFEST="$OPTARG" ;;
  esac
done

echo "⇨ Parsing deep links from $MANIFEST"
# rudimentary parser—replace with something smarter for XML/Plist
grep -oE 'http[s]?://[^" ]+' "$MANIFEST" | while read -r uri; do
  if adb shell am start -W -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d "$uri" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    echo "$uri,OK"
  else
    echo "$uri,FAIL"
  fi
done

How To Customise

  • Multiple manifests: duplicate the Execute-Command step or extend the script to accept a list.
  • Replace-latest comment: switch commentMode to replace-latest and update the GitHub node to search for the newest bot comment before editing.
  • Status checks instead of comments: call the GitHub → “Create Commit Status” endpoint.

Add-Ons

Add-OnIdea
Multi-platform sweepLoop over Android + iOS manifests and aggregate results.
Slack/Teams alertPush failures into your chat of choice via Incoming-Webhook node.
Parallel device gridTrigger multiple emulators (API 19 → 34) to catch OS-specific issues.

Use Case Examples

  1. Ensure new features don’t break existing URI schemes before merge.
  2. Catch mis-typed hosts/paths introduced by junior devs.
  3. Baseline check on dependency bumps (e.g., upgrading Navigation libraries).
  4. Validate white-label builds that override path segments.
  5. Automated QA gate that blocks merge if any link fails.
    (…and many more!)

Troubleshooting Guide

IssuePossible CauseSolution
Workflow hangs at “Execute – Validate”Emulator image isn’t installedPre-install SDK & start the emulator in a startup script
PR comment missingToken lacks repo scopeRegenerate PAT with proper scopes
All links marked FAILManifest path incorrectUpdate manifestPath in CONFIG
Command node hits timeoutHuge manifest / slow CIIncrease timeoutSecs in CONFIG

Need a Hand? 🤝

Stuck or want to extend this with multi-platform coverage? WeblineIndia’s automation experts can help.
Drop us a note to fine-tune or scale out your n8n workflows — fast.