What is OpenTAP?
An open source test sequencing engine with a world-wide community of test developers dedicated to effortless test automation. OpenTAP accelerates development, deployment, and execution of automated tests, and also supports agentic test automation. Learn more.
Who can use OpenTAP?
Anyone can contribute to, collaborate around and create test automation solutions with OpenTAP - indivuals and companies, developers, test engineers, QA team members and other IT professionals. And now, AI agents can work together with human engineers to create test plans, plugins, documentation and other test automation artifacts.
Who is responsible for maintaining OpenTAP?
OpenTAP is developed and maintained by a group of developers at Keysight [BD2]and other organizations. You can view current project contributors at https://github.com/opentap/opentap/graphs/contributors.
Where can I find the source code for OpenTAP?
OpenTAP project code is hosted at http://github.com/OpenTAP/OpenTAP. You can also download ready-to-use packages on the OpenTAP Downloads page.
On what host platforms does OpenTAP run?
OpenTAP has been ported to and installs on Windows (x86), Linux (x86) and macOS (Apple silicon) hosts, as well as into Docker containers. Learn more about OS support and installation options on the OpenTAP Downloads page.
What components and functions are installed default with OpenTAP?
A default OpenTAP installation includes the OpenTAP execution engine, Command Line Interface (CLI), the Plugin Development SDK and other software and documentation files. You can find a full list of files included in an OpenTAP installation under the Files tab for the OpenTAP Installation.
Are there restrictions on using, modifying or redistributing OpenTAP?
OpenTAP code is made available under the MPL v.2 (Mozilla Public License). The terms of the MPL let users download, use, modify and redistribute project code as long as the derived code remains under the same open source MPL v.2 license.
MPL is a component-scope copyleft license (a.k.a. "weak copyleft"), widely interoperable and cross licensable with other popular open source licenses, and proprietary licenses too. Importantly, you can choose to share plugins with the OpenTAP community, or retain them as proprietary IP. Read the blog series "Choosing a License for your OpenTAP Plugin" to learn more.
What is the OpenTAP Contributor License Agreement (CLA)?
A Contributor License Agreement CLA) ensures that even as third parties make contribution to the code base, the project organization retains full copyright to that code and accompanying artifacts. Under the OpenTAP CLA, users wishing to contribute to the OpenTAP engine, offering ideas, bug fixes, documentation, and any other code or content, must assign copyright to their contributions over to Keysight Technologies, the project founder. This assignment is performed via the OpenTAP CLA.
For OpenTAP plugins, plugin creators/distributor define the terms and conditions under which those plugins are made available. See the White Paper Choosing a License for your OpenTAP Plugin to learn about licensing and distribution options for your OpenTAP plugins.
How can I obtain support for OpenTAP?
The OpenTAP developer community provides best effort support to users, developers and other ecosystem participants via the OpenTAP issue tracker and on the OpenTAP Forum. Commercial support is available for the Keysight commercial version of OpenTAP, PathWave Test Automation.
What is an OpenTAP Plugin?
The OpenTAP engine communicates with devices, instruments and users via plugins. Plugins serve a range of functions: interfaces to instruments and devices-under-test (DUTs), user interfaces, results listeners and test steps. The OpenTAP project includes a large set of available plugins, especially interfaces for electronic test equipment.
Learn more about OpenTAP architecture and plugins from the OpenTAP Developer Guide.
What tools are available to build new plugins?
The native programming language of OpenTAP and for OpenTAP plugins is C#. You can also build OpenTAP plugins using the OpenTAP plugin for Python.
You can control OpenTAP operations and compose test plans using the OpenTAP command line interface (CLI) and/or two available Editors.
Can OpenTAP support other tools and programming languages?
The OpenTAP engine is implemented in C# and most OpenTAP plugins are also coded in that programming language, specifically with .NET. There also exists a plugin and library (Python.NET) to support creation of plugins and other integrations in Python - learn more from
OpenTAP Python repository and Documentation
Download the plugin
View the Debugging C# and Python plugins video
What tools are available to build OpenTAP test plans?
There exist multiple options for building and modifying OpenTAP test plans:
In theory, a developers could create and maintain OpenTAP test plans manually, in hand-coded XML, using a text editor or XML editing software
Open Source Test Plan Editors, e.g., TUI
A Community License Test Plan Editor (a free license for KS8400)
Editors that are part of commercial offerings from Keysight - PathWave Test Automation, in particular Keysight KS8400 and KS8500
Learn more about your test plan editing options from the blog Test Plan Creation.
Which test instruments work with OpenTAP?
The OpenTAP project includes support for hundreds of test instruments from Keysight. Non-Keysight test instruments can be utilized with OpenTAP in three ways:
Using the SCPI plugin and OpenTap.IScpiInstrument API to interface to SCPI-enabled instruments. Learn more about OpenTAP and SCPI.
Obtain plugins from the OpenTAP ecosystem
Write your own plugin
Where is OpenTAP being deployed today?
OpenTAP supports applications in education, R&D and manufacturing, enabling test automation in aerospace, automotive, medical, networking and wireless communications. Organizations large and small employ OpenTAP to streamline testing of products and services, in startups, across SMB and for enterprise organizations. More examples at OpenTAP in Shipping Products - Update.
Can OpenTAP be used for applications and devices outside of Test and Measurement?
OpenTAP was conceived and first implemented to support controlling off-the-shelf test instruments and DUTs (Devices Under Test).
But applications for OpenTAP are only limited by your imagination. OpenTAP can be configured to call a range of open APIs and drive almost any execution sequence, in the cloud, in your test lab and beyond. OpenTAP has even been configured to support Home Automation.
Does OpenTAP support AI-enhanced test automation?
OpenTAP is now built for the Agentic Era. It can speak the language of AI agents as fluently as it speaks to test engineers. It's
Compatible with autonomous AI agents - OpenTAP lets agents plan, run, and adapt test sequences alongside your team
MCP-compliant - OpenTAP exposes its sequencing engine, plugins, and results through the Model Context Protocol, letting MCP-aware agents interact with your test infrastructure
Model-agnostic - you can connect the LLM or agent framework of your choice, today or as the landscape evolves, without changing your underlying test automation.
AI-composable - just as its modular architecture lets engineers build plugins for instruments, result listeners, and UIs, OpenTAP lets agents compose those same building blocks into new test solutions.
How does OpenTAP interface with AI?
OpenTAP now includes an MCP server that enables AI assistants to interact with OpenTAP, editing test plans, managing instruments, running tests, inspecting results, and more. Check back soon for details on OpenTAP plugs that enable collaboration with agentic AI.
Which AI platforms support / are supported by OpenTAP?
OpenTAP is model-agnostic, supporting any LLM or agent framework for interaction and integration. OpenTAP users and developers already collaborate with AI using Claude Code, OpenCode, VS Code and many others.