# Smoke Test

> Health smoke tests + auto-fix for gbrain installs (and OpenClaw services when present). Run after machine/container restarts or whenever something seems broken. Tests critical services, auto-fixes bounded local issues, and reports worker topology without starting daemons. Extensible via user-defined test scripts in ~/.gbrain/smoke-tests.d/*.sh.

- Skill: `garrytan-gbrain/smoke-test` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add garrytan-gbrain/smoke-test`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/garrytan-gbrain/smoke-test/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: garrytan (https://skillmd.com/u/garrytan-gbrain)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/garrytan-gbrain/smoke-test

---


# Smoke Test Skillpack

> Run `gbrain smoke-test` after any machine or container restart, or whenever
> something seems broken.

## Contract

This skill guarantees:
- 8 core tests verify gbrain health after restart (plus OpenClaw services when
  present; skipped otherwise)
- Bounded local failures are auto-fixed before reporting; worker repair is
  explicit because process topology and shell-job policy are operator choices
- 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 (engine identity via `gbrain engine status --json`, then `doctor --json`'s `connection` check) | `gbrain db-repair --yes`, re-test |
| 4 | GBrain worker process | — (native supervisor status + duplicate detection) |
| 5 | OpenClaw Codex plugin (Zod CJS); skips if OpenClaw absent | `npm install zod@4 --force` |
| 6 | OpenClaw gateway; skips if OpenClaw absent | — (may not be started yet) |
| 7 | Embedding API key | — (check .env) |
| 8 | Brain repo exists | — |

## Usage

### CLI
```bash
gbrain smoke-test
```

This is the invocation for all installs; it resolves the test script from the
installed package.

### From any startup script or login hook
```bash
gbrain smoke-test >> /tmp/bootstrap.log 2>&1
```

### From OpenClaw bootstrap (OpenClaw deployments only)
Add to your `ensure-services.sh` or equivalent:
```bash
bash /path/to/gbrain/scripts/smoke-test.sh >> /tmp/bootstrap.log 2>&1
```

### From an agent
```
exec: gbrain smoke-test
```

Contributor note: inside a gbrain repo checkout you can also run the script
directly with `bash scripts/smoke-test.sh`.

## Adding Custom Tests

Create executable scripts in `~/.gbrain/smoke-tests.d/`:

```bash
# ~/.gbrain/smoke-tests.d/check-redis.sh
#!/bin/bash
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 (gbrain contributors)

This section is for contributors working in the gbrain source repo. Plugin
installs ship the script read-only and upgrades overwrite it; if you just want
extra checks, use the `~/.gbrain/smoke-tests.d/` drop-in scripts above.

Edit `scripts/smoke-test.sh`. Follow this pattern:

```bash
# ── N. [Service Name] ──────────────────────────────────────
if [test condition]; then
  pass "[Service Name]"
else
  # Auto-fix attempt
  [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:
1. **Test first** — never fix without confirming broken
2. **Re-test after fix** — verify the fix worked
3. **Timeout everything** — `timeout N` on any command that could hang
4. **Use helpers** — `pass()`, `fail()`, `fixed()`, `skip()`
5. **Idempotent fixes** — safe to run repeatedly
6. **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_BUN_PATH` | (auto-detect) | Force Bun binary path |
| `GBRAIN_DATABASE_URL` | (from .env) | Database connection URL |
| `GBRAIN_SMOKE_WORKER_PID_FILE` | `/tmp/gbrain-worker.pid` | Legacy bare-worker PID path |
| `OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT` | `18789` | Gateway port to test |
| `GBRAIN_BRAIN_PATH` | (deployment-specific) | Brain repo path. Container deployments default to `/data/brain`; set it to your brain repo path otherwise. Test 8 skips (not fails) when unset. |

## Known Issues & Their Auto-Fixes

### Codex Zod core.cjs Missing (discovered 2026-04-23)
(OpenClaw gateway deployments only: this concerns OpenClaw's Codex ACP plugin,
not the OpenAI Codex CLI.)
- **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).