> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.bugbug.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.bugbug.io/troubleshooting/captcha-in-automation-testing.md).
# CAPTCHA in automation testing
## What is CAPTCHA?
[CAPTCHA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAPTCHA) makes test automation more difficult, as it was specifically designed to prevent automated bots from using your web app.
For example, if you have a registration form, it might be protected by [reCAPTCHA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReCAPTCHA) to prevent fake account registrations.
## Disable the captcha on test environments
There are multiple captcha providers and each has a different way to disable it. For example, if you use reCAPTCHA you need to set a [special "site key"](https://developers.google.com/recaptcha/docs/faq#id-like-to-run-automated-tests-with-recaptcha.-what-should-i-do).
## Allow BugBug to skip CAPTCHA during the automation testing
You can implement a special secret flag in your backend code to allow BugBug to skip the captcha.
1. Add a custom header in your project settings with a secret string of your choice
2. On your backend code, add a condition, that the captcha is not required if the request header contains this secret string
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