Test Suite Analysis

Test Suite Analysis Methodology

Extract behavioral intelligence from test suites. Tests are executable specifications -- they encode what the system MUST do in a form that can be verified. A passing test is a confirmed behavioral contract.

When to Use This Mode

Test suite analysis activates when:

• The target repository contains test files
• The discovery inventory identifies test files in the project
• Other modes discover test directories during analysis

This mode runs independently of all other intelligence sources. All output is RAW (test code references internal implementation details).

Why Tests Are High-Value Intelligence

Tests are the only source type that is simultaneously:

• Behavioral -- they describe what the system does, not how it's built
• Executable -- they can be run to confirm the behavior still holds
• Specific -- they provide exact inputs, expected outputs, and edge cases
• Maintained -- failing tests get fixed, so they track current behavior

A single end-to-end test is worth more than a page of documentation because the test is verified by CI on every commit.

Framework Detection

Identify the test framework(s) in use before analyzing test code. Different frameworks use different assertion styles, test organization, and execution models.

Detection Strategy

# Check for test configuration files
ls -la jest.config.* playwright.config.* cypress.config.* .rspec pytest.ini 2>/dev/null

# Check pyproject.toml for pytest config
grep -l '\[tool\.pytest' pyproject.toml 2>/dev/null

# Find test directories
find . -maxdepth 3 -type d \( -name "__tests__" -o -name "test" -o -name "tests" -o -name "spec" -o -name "cypress" \) 2>/dev/null

# Find test files by naming convention
find . -maxdepth 4 -type f \( -name "*.test.*" -o -name "*.spec.*" -o -name "test_*" -o -name "*_test.*" \) 2>/dev/null | head -50

# Count test files per pattern
echo "Jest/Mocha-style:" && find . -name "*.test.*" -o -name "*.spec.*" 2>/dev/null | wc -l
echo "Python-style:" && find . -name "test_*.py" -o -name "*_test.py" 2>/dev/null | wc -l
echo "Go-style:" && find . -name "*_test.go" 2>/dev/null | wc -l
echo "JUnit-style:" && find . -path "*/src/test/*" -name "*.java" 2>/dev/null | wc -l

Write detection results to workspace/raw/test-evidence/test-inventory.md.

Strategy 1: Read Test Code

Read test files directly and extract behavioral claims. This strategy always works -- it requires no working environment, no dependencies, and no execution.

1.1 Test File Inventory

# Build complete inventory of test files with metadata
find . -type f \( -name "*.test.*" -o -name "*.spec.*" -o -name "test_*" -o -name "*_test.*" -o -name "*_test.go" \) 2>/dev/null | while read f; do
  lines=$(wc -l < "$f")
  echo "$lines $f"
done | sort -rn

1.2 Assertion Extraction

For each test file, extract the assertions -- these are the behavioral contracts:

# Jest/Mocha assertions
grep -n "expect\|assert\|should\|toBe\|toEqual\|toContain\|toThrow\|toHaveBeenCalled" "$TEST_FILE"

# pytest assertions
grep -n "assert \|assert_\|assertEqual\|assertRaises\|pytest.raises" "$TEST_FILE"

# Go test assertions
grep -n "t\.Error\|t\.Fatal\|t\.Log\|assert\.\|require\." "$TEST_FILE"

# RSpec assertions
grep -n "expect\|should\|is_expected\|eq(\|include(\|raise_error" "$TEST_FILE"

1.3 Given/When/Then Extraction

Transform test code into behavioral claims using Given/When/Then structure:

For each test case (it(, test(, func Test*, def test_*), extract:

• Given (setup/preconditions): fixture creation, mock configuration, state initialization
• When (action): the function call, API request, or user action being tested
• Then (assertions): the expected outcomes encoded in assertions

## Test: "should reject expired tokens"

**Given:** A token with expiry date in the past
**When:** The token is validated via `checkPermissions()`
**Then:**
- Returns false
- Sets error to "TOKEN_EXPIRED"
- Does not call the downstream service

**Source:** `auth.test.ts:45-62`
**Confidence:** confirmed (test assertion is an explicit behavioral contract)

1.4 E2E vs Unit Value Classification

Not all tests carry equal behavioral intelligence value:

Focus extraction effort on e2e and integration tests first. Unit tests fill in details after the behavioral surface is mapped.

1.5 Edge Case Mining

Tests are the richest source of edge case documentation. Look for:

# Boundary value tests
grep -n "boundary\|limit\|max\|min\|overflow\|underflow\|zero\|empty\|null\|undefined" "$TEST_FILE" -i

# Error condition tests
grep -n "error\|fail\|reject\|throw\|invalid\|unauthorized\|forbidden\|timeout" "$TEST_FILE" -i

# Concurrency tests
grep -n "concurrent\|parallel\|race\|deadlock\|lock\|mutex\|async\|await" "$TEST_FILE" -i

# Special character and encoding tests
grep -n "unicode\|utf\|encoding\|escape\|special\|whitespace" "$TEST_FILE" -i

Write behavioral claims to workspace/raw/test-evidence/behavioral-claims.md. Write e2e flow documentation to workspace/raw/test-evidence/e2e-flows.md. Write edge case documentation to workspace/raw/test-evidence/edge-cases.md.

Strategy 2: Run Test Suite

Execute the test suite and observe its behavior. This strategy requires a working environment with all dependencies installed. It produces higher-confidence claims but has higher setup cost.

2.1 Prerequisites

Before attempting test execution:

• Verify the container has all dependencies installed
• Check for required environment variables or config files
• Look for test setup scripts (beforeAll, setUp, fixtures, factories)
• Identify tests that require external services (databases, APIs)

2.2 Execute with Maximum Verbosity

# Jest
npx jest --verbose --no-coverage 2>&1 | tee workspace/raw/test-evidence/run-output.txt

# pytest
python -m pytest -v --tb=long 2>&1 | tee workspace/raw/test-evidence/run-output.txt

# Go
go test -v ./... 2>&1 | tee workspace/raw/test-evidence/run-output.txt

# RSpec
bundle exec rspec --format documentation 2>&1 | tee workspace/raw/test-evidence/run-output.txt

2.3 Observe Runtime Behavior

During test execution, capture:

• Network calls -- tests that make HTTP requests reveal API contracts
• File I/O -- tests that read/write files reveal data format contracts
• Timing -- slow tests may indicate external dependency interaction
• Failures -- failed tests reveal behavioral regressions or environment-specific behavior
• Warnings -- deprecation warnings and lint output reveal upcoming behavioral changes

# Capture network activity during tests (if strace/dtrace available)
strace -e trace=network -f npx jest 2> workspace/raw/test-evidence/network-trace.txt

# Capture file I/O during tests
strace -e trace=file -f npx jest 2> workspace/raw/test-evidence/file-trace.txt

2.4 Failure Analysis

Failed tests are behavioral intelligence:

• A failing test documents a behavioral contract that is currently violated
• The expected value in the assertion documents what the behavior SHOULD be
• The actual value documents what the behavior currently IS
• The gap between expected and actual is a behavioral specification

Record every failure with:

• Test name and location
• Expected behavior (from the assertion)
• Actual behavior (from the error output)
• Whether this appears to be a genuine regression or an environment issue

Provenance Rules

Source Type

All claims from test suite analysis use source=test-suite:

- Expired tokens are rejected with a TOKEN_EXPIRED error
  <!-- cite: source=test-suite, ref=src/auth/__tests__/auth.test.ts:45-62, confidence=confirmed, agent=test-analyzer -->

Confidence Levels

• confirmed -- the test assertion explicitly encodes the behavioral claim AND the test passes (or the claim is directly readable from the test code regardless of execution)
• inferred -- the behavioral claim is derived from test setup, fixture data, or mock configuration rather than direct assertion
• assumed -- the behavioral claim is derived from test naming, file organization, or structural patterns rather than assertion content

Test Code Assertions Are Confirmed

Unlike source code analysis (where claims are typically inferred), behavioral claims extracted directly from test assertions are confirmed. A test assertion is an explicit, executable behavioral contract. The developer who wrote expect(result).toBe(42) is asserting that this behavior is required.

Cite As You Go

Every behavioral claim gets an inline citation immediately after the claim. The ref field should be <file-path>:<line-range>.

Output Structure

workspace/raw/test-evidence/
    test-inventory.md          # Framework detection, test file inventory, classification
    behavioral-claims.md       # Behavioral claims in Given/When/Then format
    e2e-flows.md               # End-to-end flow documentation from e2e/integration tests
    edge-cases.md              # Edge cases, boundary conditions, error handling from tests
    run-output.txt             # Raw test execution output (if Strategy 2 was used)

Rules

1. Test code is RAW -- test files reference internal implementation details. All output goes to workspace/raw/.
2. Assertions are behavioral contracts -- treat every assertion as a confirmed behavioral claim. The developer is stating that this behavior is required.
3. E2E tests first -- prioritize end-to-end and integration tests over unit tests. They encode user-visible behavior.
4. Do not test mocked behavior -- a test that asserts a mock was called proves nothing about the system's actual behavior. Skip mock-only tests when extracting behavioral claims.
5. Failed tests are data -- a failing test documents both the expected behavior (from the assertion) and the actual behavior (from the error). Record both.
6. Strategy 1 always works -- reading test code requires no environment. Always perform Strategy 1. Strategy 2 is additive and optional.
7. Cite as you go -- every behavioral claim gets an inline <!-- cite: --> comment immediately after the claim. Never defer citation to a later step.
8. Map the full surface -- do not stop after the first interesting test file. Build a complete inventory before deep-diving into individual files.