testing-windows-desktop

name	testing-windows-desktop
description	End-to-end test the pi-gui Electron desktop app on Windows. Use when verifying Windows compatibility (dev launcher, PATH, folder picker, integrated terminal / node-pty) or any apps/desktop change on Windows.

Testing the pi-gui desktop app on Windows

Setup

• Ensure pnpm is available: corepack enable then corepack prepare pnpm@<version from package.json> --activate.
• Install: pnpm install (repo root).
• Launch the app for GUI testing: pnpm --filter @pi-gui/desktop dev. Optionally set PI_APP_USER_DATA_DIR to an isolated temp dir.
• A working launch prints starting electron app... and the renderer dev server (http://localhost:5173) and must NOT print spawn pnpm ENOENT.

What renders where

• Empty state: sidebar (New thread / Threads / Skills / Extensions / Settings) + "Open a folder to start".
• Navigation (Settings / Skills / Threads) is a good cheap proof the renderer is interactive.

Integrated terminal (node-pty / ConPTY) — IMPORTANT gotcha

• The top-bar terminal toggle is disabled until there is an active session: terminalAvailable={Boolean(selectedSessionKey)} in apps/desktop/src/App.tsx.
• Creating a session through the live UI requires a connected provider/model. Without provider credentials you CANNOT reach the terminal via the GUI ("No models available" blocks send).
• Workaround that needs no credentials: run a headless Playwright spec in background test mode. Use helpers from apps/desktop/tests/helpers/electron-app.ts: launchDesktop(userDataDir, { initialWorkspaces, testMode: "background" }) -> createNamedThread(window, ...) -> click Toggle terminal -> type a command -> assert .xterm-rows text.
• Use a cross-platform command: echo <marker> works in both cmd.exe (Windows default shell via defaultShellForPlatform()) and POSIX shells. The existing tests/core/integrated-terminal.spec.ts uses printf/pwd, which do NOT exist in cmd.exe — that lane runs on macOS CI only, so don't expect it to pass as-is on Windows.
• Run a single spec: pnpm --filter @pi-gui/desktop run test:e2e:runner -- apps/desktop/tests/core/<spec>.spec.ts. Delete any temporary spec you add after the run.

Native Windows folder picker

• "Open first folder" opens the real Windows folder dialog (itself a Windows-compat proof).
• Computer-use type action may DROP uppercase letters and : in the dialog's path field (e.g. C:\Users\Administrator becomes \sers\dministrator). Workaround: put the path on the clipboard (Set-Clipboard -Value "<path>") and Ctrl+V into the Folder field, then Select Folder.

Known preexisting failures (verify against base before blaming your change)

• tests/core/context-rail.spec.ts asserts transcript.clientWidth === 768 but may render 761 (scrollbar/runner rendering). This has reproduced on origin/main and macOS CI. If you see it, confirm it exists on the base branch — it is likely NOT caused by your change.

Cosmetic (not functional) macOS-centric labels on Windows

• Settings shortcut hints may show Cmd+… and the integrated-terminal shell field placeholder may read /bin/zsh. Display-only; the actual default shell resolves to cmd.exe.

Reporting

• Record GUI interactions with annotations (setup / test_start / assertion). Do not record shell-only runs.
• Mark the live-UI terminal test untested (not failed) when blocked by missing provider credentials, and note the headless spec result separately.

Devin Secrets Needed

• None required for launch / navigation / folder picker / headless terminal test.
• A provider API key (e.g. an LLM provider configured under Settings > Providers) is required only to create a session through the live UI and thus exercise the terminal through the GUI.