| name | smoke-test |
| description | | Use when this capability is needed. |
Smoke Test Skillpack
Run gbrain smoke-test or bash scripts/smoke-test.sh after any container restart.
Contract
This skill guarantees:
- 8 core tests verify gbrain + OpenClaw health after restart
- Known failures are auto-fixed before reporting
- User-extensible via
~/.gbrain/smoke-tests.d/*.sh drop-in scripts
- Results logged to
/tmp/gbrain-smoke-test.log
- Exit code = number of unfixed failures (0 = all pass)
Built-in Tests
| # | Test | Auto-Fix |
|---|
| 1 | Bun runtime | Install from bun.sh |
| 2 | GBrain CLI loads | Reinstall deps |
| 3 | GBrain database (doctor) | — |
| 4 | GBrain worker process | Start worker |
| 5 | OpenClaw Codex plugin (Zod CJS) | npm install zod@4 --force |
| 6 | OpenClaw gateway | — (may not be started yet) |
| 7 | Embedding API key | — (check .env) |
| 8 | Brain repo exists | — |
Usage
CLI
gbrain smoke-test
Direct
bash scripts/smoke-test.sh
From OpenClaw bootstrap
Add to your ensure-services.sh or equivalent:
bash /path/to/gbrain/scripts/smoke-test.sh >> /tmp/bootstrap.log 2>&1
From an agent
exec: bash /data/gbrain/scripts/smoke-test.sh
Adding Custom Tests
Create executable scripts in ~/.gbrain/smoke-tests.d/:
redis-cli ping | grep -q PONG
Rules:
- Exit 0 = pass, non-zero = fail
- Filename becomes the test name (e.g.
check-redis from check-redis.sh)
- Keep tests fast (< 10s each)
- Tests run in alphabetical order
Adding Built-in Tests
Edit scripts/smoke-test.sh. Follow this pattern:
if [test condition]; then
pass "[Service Name]"
else
[fix command]
if [re-test condition]; then
fixed "[What was fixed]"
pass "[Service Name] (after fix)"
else
fail "[Service Name] — [error detail]"
fi
fi
Design rules:
- Test first — never fix without confirming broken
- Re-test after fix — verify the fix worked
- Timeout everything —
timeout N on any command that could hang
- Use helpers —
pass(), fail(), fixed(), skip()
- Idempotent fixes — safe to run repeatedly
- Skip gracefully —
skip() when a prerequisite is missing, don't fail
Environment Variables
| Var | Default | Description |
|---|
GBRAIN_SMOKE_LOG | /tmp/gbrain-smoke-test.log | Log file path |
GBRAIN_DIR_OVERRIDE | (auto-detect) | Force gbrain install path |
GBRAIN_DATABASE_URL | (from .env) | Database connection URL |
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT | 18789 | Gateway port to test |
GBRAIN_BRAIN_PATH | /data/brain | Brain repo path |
Known Issues & Their Auto-Fixes
Codex Zod core.cjs Missing (discovered 2026-04-23)
- Symptom:
Cannot find module './core.cjs' → all Codex ACP sessions fail
- Cause: Zod v4 npm package ships without
core.cjs in some installs
- Auto-fix:
npm install zod@4 --force in the codex extension's zod dir
- Persistence: Does NOT survive container restart (gateway reinstalls deps)
- This is why smoke tests must run on every restart
GBrain Worker Auth Failure
- Symptom: Worker can't connect to DB
- Cause:
GBRAIN_DATABASE_URL not propagated to worker subprocess
- Auto-fix: Script explicitly passes both
DATABASE_URL and GBRAIN_DATABASE_URL
Anti-Patterns
- ❌ Running smoke tests on every chat turn. Once per container restart (or
on user request) is plenty. The script is cheap but it's not free.
- ❌ Writing a user drop-in without
timeout N around any command that
could hang. A single hung drop-in stalls every subsequent run.
- ❌ Auto-fixing without confirming the check is actually broken first.
The
pass → fail-detected → fix → re-test loop is the contract; fixes
that skip the re-test can report success on a still-broken state.
- ❌ Treating
skip as fail. Missing prerequisites (no OpenClaw installed,
no brain repo configured) are skips, not failures. Exit code = count of
real failures, not skipped checks.
- ❌ Hardcoding paths in a user drop-in. Read env vars
(
GBRAIN_DATABASE_URL, HOME, etc.) so the script travels across
container rebuilds.
Output Format
The script writes a one-line status per check to stdout (✅/❌/🔧/⏭️) plus a
final summary line: Results: N/M passed, F auto-fixed, S skipped. A
structured timestamped log appends to $GBRAIN_SMOKE_LOG
(default /tmp/gbrain-smoke-test.log) for post-run forensics. Exit code
equals the count of unfixed failures (0 = all pass, positive integer =
count of remaining failures).
Source: beyonai/ByClaw — distributed by TomeVault.