pest-testing

name	pest-testing
description	Use this skill for Pest PHP testing in Laravel projects only. Trigger whenever any test is being written, edited, fixed, or refactored — including fixing tests that broke after a code change, adding assertions, converting PHPUnit to Pest, adding datasets, and TDD workflows. Always activate when the user asks how to write something in Pest, mentions test files or directories (tests/Feature, tests/Unit, tests/Browser), or needs browser testing, smoke testing multiple pages for JS errors, or architecture tests. Covers: test()/it()/expect() syntax, datasets, mocking, browser testing (visit/click/fill), smoke testing, arch(), Livewire component tests, RefreshDatabase, and all Pest 4 features. Do not use for factories, seeders, migrations, controllers, models, or non-test PHP code.
license	MIT
metadata	{"author":"laravel"}

Pest Testing 4

Documentation

Use search-docs for detailed Pest 4 patterns and documentation.

Basic Usage

Creating Tests

All tests must be written using Pest. Use php artisan make:test --pest {name}.

The {name} argument should include only the path and test name, but should not include the test suite.

• Incorrect: php artisan make:test --pest Feature/SomeFeatureTest will generate tests/Feature/Feature/SomeFeatureTest.php
• Correct: php artisan make:test --pest SomeControllerTest will generate tests/Feature/SomeControllerTest.php
• Incorrect: php artisan make:test --pest --unit Unit/SomeServiceTest will generate tests/Unit/Unit/SomeServiceTest.php
• Correct: php artisan make:test --pest --unit SomeServiceTest will generate tests/Unit/SomeServiceTest.php

Test Organization

• Unit/Feature tests: tests/Feature and tests/Unit directories.
• Browser tests: tests/Browser/ directory.
• Do NOT remove tests without approval - these are core application code.

Basic Test Structure

Pest supports both test() and it() functions. Before writing new tests, check existing test files in the same directory to match the project's convention. Use test() if existing tests use test(), or it() if they use it().

it('is true', function () {
    expect(true)->toBeTrue();
});

Running Tests

• Run minimal tests with filter before finalizing: php artisan test --compact --filter=testName.
• Run all tests: php artisan test --compact.
• Run file: php artisan test --compact tests/Feature/ExampleTest.php.

Assertions

Use specific assertions (assertSuccessful(), assertNotFound()) instead of assertStatus():

it('returns all', function () {
    $this->postJson('/api/docs', [])->assertSuccessful();
});

Use	Instead of
assertSuccessful()	assertStatus(200)
assertNotFound()	assertStatus(404)
assertForbidden()	assertStatus(403)

Mocking

Import mock function before use: use function Pest\Laravel\mock;

Datasets

Use datasets for repetitive tests (validation rules, etc.):

it('has emails', function (string $email) {
    expect($email)->not->toBeEmpty();
})->with([
    'james' => '[e-mail]',
    'taylor' => '[e-mail]',
]);

Pest 4 Features

Feature	Purpose
Browser Testing	Full integration tests in real browsers
Smoke Testing	Validate multiple pages quickly
Visual Regression	Compare screenshots for visual changes
Test Sharding	Parallel CI runs
Architecture Testing	Enforce code conventions

Browser Test Example

Browser tests run in real browsers for full integration testing:

• Browser tests live in tests/Browser/.
• Use Laravel features like Event::fake(), assertAuthenticated(), and model factories.
• Use RefreshDatabase for clean state per test.
• Interact with page: click, type, scroll, select, submit, drag-and-drop, touch gestures.
• Test on multiple browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) if requested.
• Test on different devices/viewports (iPhone 14 Pro, tablets) if requested.
• Switch color schemes (light/dark mode) when appropriate.
• Take screenshots or pause tests for debugging.

it('may reset the password', function () {
    Notification::fake();

    $this->actingAs(User::factory()->create());

    $page = visit('/sign-in');

    $page->assertSee('Sign In')
        ->assertNoJavaScriptErrors()
        ->click('Forgot Password?')
        ->fill('email', '[e-mail]')
        ->click('Send Reset Link')
        ->assertSee('We have emailed your password reset link!');

    Notification::assertSent(ResetPassword::class);
});

Smoke Testing

Quickly validate multiple pages have no JavaScript errors:

$pages = visit(['/', '/about', '/contact']);

$pages->assertNoJavaScriptErrors()->assertNoConsoleLogs();

Visual Regression Testing

Capture and compare screenshots to detect visual changes.

Test Sharding

Split tests across parallel processes for faster CI runs.

Architecture Testing

Pest 4 includes architecture testing (from Pest 3):

arch('controllers')
    ->expect('App\Http\Controllers')
    ->toExtendNothing()
    ->toHaveSuffix('Controller');

Common Pitfalls

• Not importing use function Pest\Laravel\mock; before using mock
• Using assertStatus(200) instead of assertSuccessful()
• Forgetting datasets for repetitive validation tests
• Deleting tests without approval
• Forgetting assertNoJavaScriptErrors() in browser tests
• Prefixing Feature/ or Unit/ in {name} when using make:test