test-latency

name	test-latency
description	Test network latency between the bot's machine and a CopperHead server to diagnose bot performance issues.

Test Server Latency

Use this skill when the user asks to test latency, check connection speed, or diagnose why their bot is crashing into walls.

Examples:

• "test latency"
• "check latency to the server"
• "why is my bot hitting walls"
• "test connection speed"
• "measure ping to server"
• "is my connection fast enough"

Goal

Measure the HTTP round-trip latency between the bot's machine and a CopperHead server, then compare it to the server's tick rate to determine if latency could cause gameplay issues.

Procedure

1. Determine the server URL. Ask the user if not provided. Accept WebSocket URLs (ws:// or wss://) or HTTP URLs.

2. Convert the URL to HTTP format for testing:

   # ws://host:port/ws/ → http://host:port
   # wss://host:port/ws/ → https://host:port
   

3. Run a latency test using Python. Send 10 HTTP requests to the server's /status endpoint and measure round-trip times:

   python -c "
   import time, urllib.request, json, ssl
   
   url = '<HTTP_URL>/status'
   ctx = ssl.create_default_context()
   
   times = []
   for i in range(10):
       start = time.perf_counter()
       try:
           req = urllib.request.urlopen(url, timeout=5, context=ctx)
           data = req.read()
           elapsed = (time.perf_counter() - start) * 1000
           times.append(elapsed)
       except Exception as e:
           print(f'  Request {i+1}: FAILED ({e})')
   
   if times:
       avg = sum(times) / len(times)
       mn = min(times)
       mx = max(times)
       print(f'Latency to server ({url}):')
       print(f'  Requests:  {len(times)}/10 succeeded')
       print(f'  Min:       {mn:.0f}ms')
       print(f'  Max:       {mx:.0f}ms')
       print(f'  Average:   {avg:.0f}ms')
       print()
   
       # Parse tick rate from server status
       try:
           data_json = json.loads(data)
           tick_ms = data_json.get('speed', 0.15) * 1000
           print(f'Server tick rate: {tick_ms:.0f}ms')
           print()
           if avg > tick_ms:
               print(f'WARNING: Average latency ({avg:.0f}ms) exceeds tick rate ({tick_ms:.0f}ms).')
               print(f'Your bot will miss ticks. Moves will arrive too late.')
               print(f'Fix: Run your bot closer to the server, or increase the')
               print(f'     speed value in server-settings.json (e.g. 0.3 or higher).')
           elif avg > tick_ms * 0.5:
               print(f'CAUTION: Average latency ({avg:.0f}ms) is more than half the tick rate ({tick_ms:.0f}ms).')
               print(f'Your bot may occasionally miss ticks during network spikes.')
               print(f'Consider running closer to the server for best results.')
           else:
               print(f'OK: Average latency ({avg:.0f}ms) is well within the tick rate ({tick_ms:.0f}ms).')
               print(f'Your bot should be able to respond in time.')
       except Exception:
           pass
   else:
       print('All requests failed. Check the server URL and try again.')
   "
   

4. Report the results to the user. If latency is problematic, suggest:

   • Running the bot in the same Codespace or cloud region as the server
   • Increasing the server's speed setting in server-settings.json

Important notes

• This test uses only standard library modules (no pip install needed).
• The test sends 10 sequential HTTP requests — it takes a few seconds to complete.
• A good rule of thumb: average latency should be less than half the server's tick rate for reliable gameplay.