Implementation:Webdriverio Webdriverio EnvDetector

Knowledge Sources	Webdriverio_Webdriverio
Domains	Environment_Detection, Protocol_Support
Last Updated	2026-02-12 00:00 GMT

Overview

Detects WebDriver session environment characteristics such as protocol compliance, browser type, mobile platform, and vendor-specific features based on session capabilities.

Description

The EnvDetector module inspects capability objects returned from WebDriver sessions to determine the runtime environment. It provides functions like isW3C to check W3C protocol compliance, isBidi to detect WebDriver BiDi support via the presence of a webSocketUrl capability, and composite detectors that return a full environment flags object. Internal helpers detect specific browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge), mobile platforms (iOS, Android), automation names (Windows, Mac), and cloud providers (Sauce Labs with extended debugging). The module distinguishes between pre-session detection (capabilitiesEnvironmentDetector) and post-session detection (sessionEnvironmentDetector), where the latter can additionally determine Selenium Standalone and W3C compliance.

Usage

Use capabilitiesEnvironmentDetector before session creation to determine browser and platform characteristics from user-provided capabilities. Use sessionEnvironmentDetector after the session is created to inspect the resolved capabilities returned by the driver, including W3C compliance and Selenium Standalone detection.

Code Reference

Source Location

Repository: Webdriverio_Webdriverio
File: packages/wdio-utils/src/envDetector.ts
Lines: 15-366

Signature

export function isW3C(capabilities?: WebdriverIO.Capabilities): boolean

export function isBidi(capabilities: WebdriverIO.Capabilities): boolean

export function capabilitiesEnvironmentDetector(capabilities: WebdriverIO.Capabilities): {
    isChrome: boolean;
    isFirefox: boolean;
    isMobile: boolean;
    isIOS: boolean;
    isAndroid: boolean;
    isSauce: boolean;
    isBidi: boolean;
    isChromium: boolean;
    isWindowsApp: boolean;
    isMacApp: boolean;
}

export function sessionEnvironmentDetector(params: {
    capabilities: WebdriverIO.Capabilities;
    requestedCapabilities: Capabilities.RequestedStandaloneCapabilities;
}): {
    isW3C: boolean;
    isChrome: boolean;
    isFirefox: boolean;
    isMobile: boolean;
    isIOS: boolean;
    isAndroid: boolean;
    isSauce: boolean;
    isSeleniumStandalone: boolean;
    isBidi: boolean;
    isChromium: boolean;
    isWindowsApp: boolean;
    isMacApp: boolean;
}

Import

import { sessionEnvironmentDetector, capabilitiesEnvironmentDetector } from '@wdio/utils'

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
capabilities	WebdriverIO.Capabilities	Yes (optional for isW3C)	The resolved or requested session capabilities object containing browser name, platform, vendor extensions, etc.
requestedCapabilities	Capabilities.RequestedStandaloneCapabilities	Yes (sessionEnvironmentDetector only)	The original capabilities sent in the session request, used to detect Sauce Labs extended debugging.

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
isW3C	boolean	True if the session follows the W3C WebDriver protocol.
isChrome	boolean	True if the session is running Chrome (has goog:chromeOptions).
isFirefox	boolean	True if the session is running Firefox (has moz: capabilities).
isMobile	boolean	True if the session is on a mobile device (iOS/Android platform or mobile-specific capabilities).
isIOS	boolean	True if the session is running on an iOS device.
isAndroid	boolean	True if the session is running on an Android device.
isSauce	boolean	True if Sauce Labs extended debugging is enabled.
isSeleniumStandalone	boolean	True if the session uses Selenium Standalone server (session-level only).
isBidi	boolean	True if the session supports WebDriver BiDi (webSocketUrl present).
isChromium	boolean	True if the session is a Chromium-based browser (Chrome or Edge).
isWindowsApp	boolean	True if automationName matches "windows".
isMacApp	boolean	True if automationName matches "mac2".

Usage Examples

import { sessionEnvironmentDetector, capabilitiesEnvironmentDetector } from '@wdio/utils'

// Before session creation
const preSessionFlags = capabilitiesEnvironmentDetector({
    browserName: 'chrome',
    'goog:chromeOptions': {}
})
console.log(preSessionFlags.isChrome)  // true
console.log(preSessionFlags.isMobile)  // false

// After session creation with resolved capabilities
const postSessionFlags = sessionEnvironmentDetector({
    capabilities: {
        browserName: 'chrome',
        browserVersion: '120.0.6099.71',
        platformName: 'linux',
        'goog:chromeOptions': { debuggerAddress: 'localhost:9222' },
        setWindowRect: true,
        webSocketUrl: 'ws://localhost:9222/session/abc123'
    },
    requestedCapabilities: {
        browserName: 'chrome'
    }
})
console.log(postSessionFlags.isW3C)    // true
console.log(postSessionFlags.isBidi)   // true
console.log(postSessionFlags.isChrome) // true

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