agh-test-conventions

name	agh-test-conventions
description	Go test-shape discipline for AGH. Use when writing or editing *_test.go under cmd or internal after test placement is justified. Do not use for non-Go tests, fixture-only changes, or as a replacement for consolidate-test-suites.
trigger	implicit

AGH Test Conventions

Apply Go-specific shape rules only after consolidate-test-suites identifies the invariant, owning layer, and canonical suite. This file owns the application order; its reference owns the rules.

Procedures

Step 1: Confirm Placement

1. Use consolidate-test-suites before creating a new Go test file, moving coverage, or adding tests primarily for a task checklist or coverage target.
2. Record the invariant, owning layer, and canonical suite before applying Go-specific shape rules.
3. If no invariant or owning layer exists, stop. Do not add a Go test just to raise coverage.

Done when: one durable invariant, one owning layer, and one canonical suite are recorded for every changed test.

Step 2: Load the Canonical Shape

1. Determine whether the edit creates a new test file, adds cases to an existing test, or refactors an existing test.
2. Read the existing canonical suite and .agents/skills/agh/agh-test-conventions/references/test-shape-rules.md in full.
3. Apply every matching rule for subtests, parallelism, errors, assertions, interfaces, build tags, integration/E2E behavior, mocks, coverage, helpers, and race/cgo.

Done when: each changed case conforms to every matching reference section and no duplicate invariant was added.

Step 3: Preserve the Runtime Contract

1. Co-ship ACP/E2E fixtures, typed matchers, generated contracts, and cross-surface expectations when runtime behavior changes.
2. Use real SQLite, subprocess mocks, and other production-like boundaries where the owning layer requires them.
3. Treat a failing assertion as evidence about production behavior; repair production code unless the test is proven invalid against the contract.

Done when: the test exercises the real owner closely enough to fail on the named regression and all changed runtime-contract fixtures agree.

Step 4: Validate the Changed Suite

1. Run the read-only checker with its repo-root path: python3 .agents/skills/agh/agh-test-conventions/scripts/check-test-conventions.py <file_path>
2. Fix real findings; document a proven heuristic false positive without weakening the canonical rules.
3. Run go test -race ./<owning-package>/... for the affected package with CGO_ENABLED=1, then the required scoped lint lane.
4. Reserve the single full make verify for the task completion gate after source freeze.

Done when: the checker and scoped race/lint lanes are green and exactly one fresh full gate is scheduled or complete for the finished task.

Error Handling

• Existing file uses non-Should naming throughout: refactor the touched test function into canonical subtests; do not add another legacy-shaped case or rewrite unrelated suites.
• The convention checker returns a false positive: prove the syntax is valid against the canonical reference and record the narrow exception; never use the heuristic to waive a real rule.
• t.Setenv used inside a helper that callers cannot inspect: read the helper transitively. If env mutation occurs anywhere in the call graph, the entire test stays serial.
• Race-enabled tests touching cgo: use the repository's race-enabled command path, which forces CGO_ENABLED=1; do not trust ambient env.