What Does an Agent-Run Test Suite Actually Cost Compared to Plain CI

Agent-run testing and scripted testing reverse the usual cost structure: scripted suites require substantial initial engineering work but are inexpensive per execution, while agent-run checks can be authored quickly in plain language but incur inference costs and longer runtimes on every run. A small Kane CLI experiment involving four public web flows found execution times of 29.8 to 47 seconds, averaging 37.4 seconds, with negative assertions taking longer because they require evidence that an event did not occur; equivalent scripted tests would typically run in single-digit seconds. The comparison should include hidden costs often absent from invoices, such as selector maintenance, flaky-test reruns, quarantined tests, debugging effort, and especially gaps in coverage for flows that were never automated. Agent-run checks are therefore presented as most useful for high-value flows and important events rather than universal replacement for scripted tests, with teams encouraged to measure their own applications across repeated runs, account for repair hours and uncovered flows, and decide where each approach fits.

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