Why Storing Manual Test Cases as YAML Files in Git Makes Engineering Sense

A growing number of software teams are reconsidering how manual test cases are stored, with plain YAML files in version control emerging as a practical alternative to SaaS-based databases. YAML pairs well with large language models, which can generate structured test cases from screenshots or user stories using a consistent schema of titles, tags, steps, and expected results. Keeping test cases in a shared repository alongside application code allows QA and development teams to collaborate through standard pull requests, with git diffs serving as a natural review interface. Linking manual cases to automated test scripts via file parameters makes tracking automation coverage straightforward, eliminating the need for separate traceability spreadsheets. The approach also addresses compliance and data sovereignty concerns, since commit history provides tamper-evident authorship records and the canonical test data never leaves the team's own infrastructure.