GitHub Actions + CaptchaAI: CI/CD CAPTCHA Testing

CAPTCHA-protected pages break automated tests. CaptchaAI integrates with GitHub Actions to solve CAPTCHAs during CI/CD test runs, keeping your pipeline green.

GitHub Actions Workflow

# .github/workflows/captcha-tests.yml
name: CAPTCHA Integration Tests

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]
  schedule:

    - cron: "0 6 * * 1"  # Weekly Monday 6 AM

jobs:
  captcha-tests:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    timeout-minutes: 15

    steps:

      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Set up Python
        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
        with:
          python-version: "3.11"

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: pip install requests pytest

      - name: Run CAPTCHA integration tests
        env:
          CAPTCHAAI_KEY: ${{ secrets.CAPTCHAAI_KEY }}
        run: pytest tests/test_captcha.py -v --tb=short

Store API Key as GitHub Secret

1. Go to Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
2. Click New repository secret
3. Name: CAPTCHAAI_KEY
4. Value: your CaptchaAI API key
5. Click Add secret

Test File

# tests/test_captcha.py
import os
import time
import pytest
import requests


API_KEY = os.environ.get("CAPTCHAAI_KEY")
BASE_URL = "https://ocr.captchaai.com"


def solve_recaptcha(site_key, page_url, timeout=90):
    """Solve reCAPTCHA v2 via CaptchaAI."""
    resp = requests.post(f"{BASE_URL}/in.php", data={
        "key": API_KEY,
        "method": "userrecaptcha",
        "googlekey": site_key,
        "pageurl": page_url,
        "json": 1,
    }, timeout=30)
    result = resp.json()
    assert result.get("status") == 1, f"Submit failed: {result}"

    task_id = result["request"]
    start = time.time()

    while time.time() - start < timeout:
        time.sleep(5)
        resp = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/res.php", params={
            "key": API_KEY,
            "action": "get",
            "id": task_id,
            "json": 1,
        }, timeout=15)
        data = resp.json()
        if data["request"] != "CAPCHA_NOT_READY":
            assert data.get("status") == 1, f"Solve failed: {data}"
            return data["request"]

    pytest.fail("CAPTCHA solve timed out")


@pytest.mark.skipif(not API_KEY, reason="CAPTCHAAI_KEY not set")
class TestCaptchaIntegration:
    """Integration tests for CAPTCHA-protected flows."""

    def test_recaptcha_v2_solve(self):
        """Verify CaptchaAI can solve reCAPTCHA v2."""
        token = solve_recaptcha(
            site_key="6Le-wvkSAAAAAPBMRTvw0Q4Muexq9bi0DJwx_mJ-",
            page_url="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api2/demo",
        )
        assert len(token) > 100
        assert token.isascii()

    def test_balance_sufficient(self):
        """Ensure account balance is enough for test suite."""
        resp = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/res.php", params={
            "key": API_KEY,
            "action": "getbalance",
            "json": 1,
        })
        balance = float(resp.json()["request"])
        assert balance > 0.50, f"Low balance: ${balance}"

    def test_api_key_valid(self):
        """Verify API key is accepted."""
        resp = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/res.php", params={
            "key": API_KEY,
            "action": "getbalance",
            "json": 1,
        })
        result = resp.json()
        assert result.get("status") == 1, f"Invalid key: {result}"

Matrix Testing (Multiple CAPTCHA Types)

jobs:
  captcha-matrix:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      matrix:
        captcha-type: [recaptcha-v2, turnstile, image]
      fail-fast: false

    steps:

      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Set up Python
        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
        with:
          python-version: "3.11"

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: pip install requests pytest

      - name: Run ${{ matrix.captcha-type }} tests
        env:
          CAPTCHAAI_KEY: ${{ secrets.CAPTCHAAI_KEY }}
          CAPTCHA_TYPE: ${{ matrix.captcha-type }}
        run: pytest tests/test_${{ matrix.captcha-type }}.py -v

Caching Test Results

Avoid redundant CAPTCHA solves for unchanged code:

      - name: Cache test results
        uses: actions/cache@v4
        with:
          path: .test-cache
          key: captcha-tests-${{ hashFiles('tests/**') }}

      - name: Skip if cached
        id: check-cache
        run: |
          if [ -f .test-cache/passed ]; then
            echo "skip=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
          fi

      - name: Run tests
        if: steps.check-cache.outputs.skip != 'true'
        env:
          CAPTCHAAI_KEY: ${{ secrets.CAPTCHAAI_KEY }}
        run: |
          pytest tests/test_captcha.py -v
          mkdir -p .test-cache && touch .test-cache/passed

Slack Notification on Failure

      - name: Notify on failure
        if: failure()
        uses: slackapi/slack-github-action@v1
        with:
          payload: |
            {
              "text": "CAPTCHA tests failed on ${{ github.ref }}",
              "blocks": [
                {
                  "type": "section",
                  "text": {
                    "type": "mrkdwn",
                    "text": "CAPTCHA tests *failed* on `${{ github.ref }}`\n<${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}/actions/runs/${{ github.run_id }}|View run>"
                  }
                }
              ]
            }
        env:
          SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL: ${{ secrets.SLACK_WEBHOOK }}

Troubleshooting

FAQ

How much does running CAPTCHA tests in CI cost?

A typical test suite solving 3-5 CAPTCHAs costs $0.01-0.03 per run. Weekly scheduled runs cost around $0.10-0.15/month.

Should I run CAPTCHA tests on every PR?

Run balance and key validation on every PR. Run full CAPTCHA solve tests on merge to main or on a weekly schedule to minimize costs.

Can I use this with other CI platforms?

Yes. The Python test code works the same in GitLab CI, CircleCI, or Jenkins. Only the workflow YAML syntax differs.

Related Guides

• Build an Automated Testing Pipeline
• CAPTCHA in CI Test Suites

Keep your pipeline green — get CaptchaAI for CI/CD.