agentic-testing

name	agentic-testing
description	MANDATORY before creating, editing, or reviewing tests in agentic.nvim, and before behavior changes that require TDD. Covers mini.test workflow, red/green rules, commands, mark-count checks, and which test references to load.

Agentic Testing

Framework

• mini.test with Busted-style emulation.
• Test files live next to source files as <module>.test.lua.
• tests/ holds the runner, helpers, functional tests, and integration tests.
• The previous Busted/lazy.nvim setup is gone.

TDD

For every bug fix or behavioral change:

1. Bootstrap missing symbols first so the test loads.
2. Write the failing assertion.
3. Run the focused test with make test-file FILE=<path> and confirm it fails for behavior, not setup:
   1. wrong: missing module, nil method, syntax error, unresolved import
   2. right: value/state/output mismatch
4. Implement the minimum code to pass.
5. Re-run make test-file FILE=<path>.
6. Run the relevant full check.
7. After adding or changing tests, reconcile the case count. This guards against silently dropped OR unexpectedly generated tests. Both are failures.
   1. Compute EXPECTED cases by reading the file, not grepping:
      • each static it() = 1 case
      • each it() inside a for/each/table-driven loop = the loop's iteration count (a single it( line can emit many cases, or zero)
      • a grep of it( is a lower bound, never the answer
   2. Read ACTUAL from Total number of cases: N in the make test-file FILE=<path> output.
   3. EXPECTED MUST equal ACTUAL. Mismatch = a test was dropped, a loop is empty, or a generator misfired; stop and reconcile before claiming green. Eyeballing ACTUAL alone is NOT the check - you must derive EXPECTED first.

Pure refactors, formatting, and docs can skip red/green, but say that in the PR.

Commands

make test

make test-file FILE=lua/agentic/acp/agent_modes.test.lua

Use make test-file FILE=<path> for the red/green inner loop; it runs one file in seconds. Never run make validate between iterations. After all .lua edits, run make validate and fix until it passes - the task is not done until it does. Pre-commit gate, not a per-test step.

For Lua or test changes, root AGENTS.md requires make validate after the focused checks.

Before writing assertions

Read the exact helper APIs before using them:

• tests/helpers/assert.lua
• tests/helpers/spy.lua
• tests/helpers/child.lua when using child Neovim tests

Load references only when needed:

• references/assert-spy.md: custom assert, spy, and stub API details.
• references/child-nvim.md: child process tests and RPC helpers.
• references/async-tests.md: scheduled/deferred code and mark-count traps.

Defaults

• Unit tests: co-located <module>.test.lua.
• Integration or functional tests: tests/integration/ or tests/functional/ when behavior spans modules or needs real editor state.
• ACP or transport-touching tests must stub agentic.acp.acp_transport or any dependency that opens subprocesses or network calls.
• Tests run sequentially in one Neovim process unless you explicitly use tests.helpers.child.
• Clean up buffers, windows, autocommands, globals, stubs, and spies.