File uploads are files stored in your mabl workspace to use when validating file upload scenarios. Once stored, files are available for uploading across your browser, mobile, and API tests. The file uploads page, Configuration > File uploads, is where you manage them. Use it to seed the workspace with files before you create tests, download a file to see exactly what a test uploaded, and remove files you no longer need. This article covers:
- Where file uploads are used
- Uploading files
- Downloading a file
- Deleting a file
- Managing file uploads from the mabl CLI or MCP
- Limits
Keeping your data safe
Just like other data in your workspace, file uploads are encrypted using industry-standard best practices for key strength and key management. File uploads remain in the mabl cloud until you choose to delete them.
Where file uploads are used
File uploads are used in the following types of tests:
- Browser tests: as the Workspace upload source for a file upload step.
- Mobile tests: with Select files in a push file step.
- API tests: in formdata and binary request bodies.
- Test generation: when the mabl agent generates a test that uploads a file, it can use a file that is already in the workspace instead of stopping to ask you for one.
Files you upload from the Trainer or the API Test Editor while training a test appear on this page too, so the file uploads page is always the complete list of what your tests can use.
File uploads are not the same as file variables. A file variable is uploaded to a single test as data-driven data and stays with that test. A file upload belongs to the workspace and can be used by any test.
Uploading files
- Go to Configuration > File uploads.
- Drag files from your computer onto the page, or click Upload file and select them. You can upload up to 50 files at a time.
- Follow the progress indicator at the top of the page. It lists each file with its status, which is helpful for large or slow uploads. If one file fails, the others still upload, so you can fix that file and try it again on its own.
Empty files and folders are not accepted. Once a file is in the workspace, it appears in the table and anyone on your team can select it in a test.
Downloading a file
Click the download icon in a file's row to save a copy to your computer. Download a file to:
- Confirm its contents match what your application expects before you build a test around it
- Reproduce a failing file upload step by hand, with the exact file the test used
- Check what a teammate uploaded before you reuse it in your own test
Deleting a file
The file uploads table in Configuration > File uploads shows how many tests and flows use each file. Hover over the count to see which ones. While a file is still in use, its delete icon is disabled so that you cannot remove a file that a test still depends on. Update or remove the steps that reference the file first, then click the delete icon and confirm.
Managing file uploads from the mabl CLI or MCP
If you would rather script file setup, for example to seed a workspace from a CI job before kicking off test generation, the mabl CLI mabl files commands let you upload one or more files to a workspace, list the files in a workspace, download a file, and delete a file. Like the file uploads page, the CLI refuses to delete a file that tests or flows still reference unless you explicitly override the check.
The mabl MCP includes a tool for listing the files in a workspace, so an AI client can check which files are already available before planning or generating a test. File uploads, downloads, and deletions require giving your AI client access to the mabl CLI commands.
Limits
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum file size | 300 MB per file |
| Files per upload from the file uploads page | 50 |
| Filename length | 255 ASCII characters. If the filename includes non-ASCII characters, the limit may be as low as 84 characters, depending on character encoding and the 255 bytes available for filenames. |