Test Triage

Workflow:

1. Reproduce

• Run the repo standard test command(s)
• Re-run with verbosity and isolate to failing project/suite
• If flaky: run failing tests multiple times to confirm nondeterminism

2. Classify failure

• Logic/assertion mismatch (product bug vs test bug)
• Race condition / timing / async ordering
• Environment/config differences (timezone, culture, file paths, OS)
• Data dependence / test order dependence
• Snapshot/golden file drift
• External dependency (network, DB, file system) not isolated

3. Minimize

• Reduce to smallest repro:
  • single test
  • single project
  • single seed dataset
• Identify the first bad commit if possible (git bisect guidance if needed)

4. Fix

• Prefer product fix over changing expected outputs
• Make tests deterministic:
  • freeze time (clock abstraction)
  • remove random seeds or seed them deterministically
  • isolate shared mutable state
  • ensure proper awaits and synchronization
• Add regression coverage (or strengthen existing coverage)

5. Prevent recurrence

• Add guardrails (timeouts, retries only for known flaky external issues)
• Document root cause in a short comment or test name if helpful

Finish with:

• Root cause (1–3 bullets)
• Fix summary (what changed)
• Commands run + results
• Remaining flakes/todos (if any)