writing-rust-tests

name	writing-rust-tests
description	Use when writing, modifying, or reviewing Rust tests in crates/ or bindings/ - covers test macros, fixtures, assertions, WASM compatibility, and how to run tests

Writing Rust Tests in libxmtp

Essentials

Always use #[xmtp_common::test] instead of #[test] or #[tokio::test] in crates/. It handles native/WASM dispatch and logging init.

#[xmtp_common::test(unwrap_try = true)]
async fn test_something() {
    tester!(alix);
    tester!(bo);

    let group = alix.create_group(None, None)?;
    group.invite(&bo).await?;
    group.send_msg(b"hello").await;  // internally unwraps; returns ()

    bo.sync_welcomes().await?;
    let bo_group = bo.group(&group.group_id)?;
    let msg = bo_group.test_last_message_bytes().await?;
    assert_eq!(msg.unwrap(), b"hello");
}

• unwrap_try = true transforms ? into .unwrap() — use for tests returning ()
• tester!(name) creates a registered test client with logging
• group.invite(&other).await? and group.send_msg(b"msg").await from MlsGroupExt trait

Exception: bindings/mobile tests use #[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")] directly (never targets WASM).

Running Tests

All just test and just wasm test variants pass extra args through to cargo nextest run:

just test                           # All (v3 + d14n)
just test v3                        # V3 only
just test v3 test_send_message      # Specific test in v3
just test crate xmtp_mls            # Single crate
just wasm test                      # All WASM (v3 + d14n)

Tests that create clients need the backend: just backend up / just backend down

See Running Tests for nextest filter syntax, profiles, WASM/d14n targeting, and CI commands.

Writing Philosophy

• Test behavior, not implementation. Don't assert on internal state that could change.
• One assertion focus per test. test_send_message shouldn't also verify group creation.
• Don't test the obvious. Skip trivial getters, derive impls, framework behavior.
• Don't duplicate coverage. If test_talk_in_dm covers DM messaging, don't add test_dm_send_message.
• Use tester! and convenience methods. Don't manually build clients.
• Prefer unwrap_try = true. Eliminates noisy .unwrap() chains.

Further Reference

• Fixtures & tester! Macro — tester! options, chaining, convenience methods, TesterBuilder
• WASM Compatibility — cfg_attr, if_native!/if_wasm!, conditional compilation macros
• Assertions & Waiting — assert_ok!, assert_err!, wait_for_eq/ok/some/ge, custom assertion patterns
• Parametrized Tests — rstest, #[case], timeouts, attribute stacking
• Test Utilities — Data generators, logging, retry, TestLogReplace, toxiproxy
• Running Tests — Full nextest filter syntax, profiles, env vars, CI, backend services