Integration Test Analysis

Visual Studio Integration Test Failure Analysis

Investigate Visual Studio integration test failures in the roslyn-integration-CI Azure DevOps pipeline. Downloads and analyzes published test artifacts including exception logs, screenshots, MEF errors, and VSIX installer logs.

Workflow: Run the script with a BuildId → it fetches the build timeline, identifies failed/canceled integration test jobs, downloads the published test artifacts, and parses exception XMLs and error logs → read the structured output and [INTEGRATION_TEST_SUMMARY] JSON → synthesize root cause analysis. The script collects data; you generate the diagnosis.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Investigating failures or timeouts in the roslyn-integration-CI pipeline
• A build URL points to dev.azure.com/dnceng-public with integration test jobs (VS_Integration_*)
• Asked "why are integration tests timing out", "integration test failures", or "VS integration tests red"
• You need to analyze exception Activity XML logs, screenshots, or MEF errors from integration test runs
• Integration test jobs are canceled (usually due to timeout) and you need to understand why

⚠️ This skill is specific to Roslyn VS integration tests. For general CI analysis (compiler tests, Helix failures, build errors), use the ci-analysis skill instead.

Quick Start

# Ensure powershell tool is restored
dotnet tool restore

# Analyze integration test failures by build ID
dotnet pwsh -File .github/skills/integration-test-analysis/scripts/Get-IntegrationTestStatus.ps1 -BuildId 1354185

# Analyze with verbose artifact download (downloads and parses exception XMLs)
dotnet pwsh -File .github/skills/integration-test-analysis/scripts/Get-IntegrationTestStatus.ps1 -BuildId 1354185 -DownloadArtifacts

# Limit artifact download size (default 200MB)
dotnet pwsh -File .github/skills/integration-test-analysis/scripts/Get-IntegrationTestStatus.ps1 -BuildId 1354185 -DownloadArtifacts -MaxArtifactSizeMB 500

Key Parameters

What the Script Does

Step 1: Build Timeline Analysis

1. Fetches the build status and timeline from Azure DevOps
2. Identifies integration test jobs (VS_Integration_*) and their status (succeeded/failed/canceled)
3. Calculates job durations and detects timeouts (canceled jobs that ran close to the pipeline timeout limit)
4. Extracts the pipeline timeout parameter for comparison

Step 2: Job Log Analysis

For each failed or canceled integration test job:

1. Fetches the "Run Integration Tests" step log
2. Parses the test runner output to determine:
   • How many test assemblies were running/queued/completed
   • Which test assembly was running when the failure/timeout occurred
   • VSIX installation status and timing
   • The test runner command line (configuration, architecture, flags)

Step 3: Published Artifact Analysis (with -DownloadArtifacts)

1. Lists all published artifacts and identifies test log artifacts matching the failing configuration
2. Downloads artifacts within the size limit as ZIP files
3. Extracts and analyzes key diagnostic files:

Step 4: Exception XML Parsing

For each *.Activity.xml file found:

1. Parses the XML structure to extract error entries
2. Groups errors by source (e.g., VisualStudioErrorReportingService, GlobalBrokeredServiceContainer)
3. Identifies the root cause error (e.g., assembly load failures, service activation failures)
4. Extracts affected features and the common error pattern

Interpreting Results

Timeout Pattern (Most Common)

When integration test jobs are canceled after ~150 minutes:

• Check if the test runner was stuck at "1 running, N queued, 0 completed" — this means the first test assembly hung
• Check if VSIX installation succeeded — VSIX install failures prevent tests from running
• Look at timeout screenshots (root-level PNGs) to see the VS state when killed

Service Activation Failures

When exception XMLs show ServiceActivationFailedException:

• Look for the inner exception — usually an assembly load failure (e.g., System.Runtime version mismatch)
• These cascade: one missing assembly breaks ALL remote Roslyn services
• Check the assembly version being requested vs. what's available on the CI queue

MEF Composition Errors

When MEFErrors*.txt files are present:

• Missing exports indicate VSIX packaging issues
• Failed imports indicate version mismatches between Roslyn components

VSIX Installation Failures

When VSIXInstaller*.log shows errors:

• FileNotFoundException during install — VS instance state is corrupted or locked
• Exit code != 0 — the Roslyn VSIX didn't install properly, tests will fail or behave unexpectedly

Output Format

The script outputs human-readable console text followed by a structured JSON block:

[INTEGRATION_TEST_SUMMARY]
{
  "buildId": 1354185,
  "buildUrl": "https://dev.azure.com/...",
  "buildResult": "failed",
  "pipelineTimeout": 150,
  "jobs": [
    {
      "name": "VS_Integration_Debug_64",
      "result": "canceled",
      "durationMinutes": 153.7,
      "timedOut": true,
      "configuration": "Debug",
      "testRunnerStatus": "1 running, 3 queued, 0 completed",
      "vsixInstallSuccess": true,
      "lastTestActivity": "01:11:59"
    }
  ],
  "artifacts": {
    "downloaded": true,
    "exceptionFiles": ["01.15.40-CSharpTyping.TypingInPartialType-AggregateException.Activity.xml"],
    "screenshotFiles": ["StartingBuild.png", "01.15.40-Timeout.png"],
    "mefErrorFiles": [],
    "vsixLogFiles": ["VSIXInstaller-xxx.log"],
    "parsedExceptions": [
      {
        "fileName": "01.15.40-CSharpTyping.TypingInPartialType-AggregateException.Activity.xml",
        "testName": "CSharpTyping.TypingInPartialType",
        "exceptionType": "AggregateException",
        "rootCausePattern": "assembly-load-failure",
        "primaryError": "Could not load file or assembly 'System.Runtime, Version=10.0.0.0'",
        "totalErrors": 147,
        "affectedFeatures": ["Solution Events", "Asset synchronization", "..."],
        "errorSources": { "GlobalBrokeredServiceContainer": 80, "VisualStudioErrorReportingService": 67 },
        "vsVersion": "17.14.0"
      }
    ],
    "parsedMefErrors": [],
    "parsedVsixLogs": [
      { "fileName": "VSIXInstaller-xxx.log", "success": true, "errors": [] }
    ]
  }
}
[/INTEGRATION_TEST_SUMMARY]

Analysis Workflow for the Agent

Step 0: Gather Context

Before running the script:

• Check the PR description and recent commits for clues (TFM changes, queue changes, new test additions)
• Note the pipeline name — this skill is for roslyn-integration-CI only

Step 1: Run the Script

pwsh -File .github/skills/integration-test-analysis/scripts/Get-IntegrationTestStatus.ps1 -BuildId <ID> -DownloadArtifacts

Step 2: Analyze the Output

• Read the human-readable output for the timeline and job status
• Parse the [INTEGRATION_TEST_SUMMARY] JSON for structured data
• Examine artifacts.parsedExceptions, artifacts.parsedMefErrors, and artifacts.parsedVsixLogs to understand what went wrong
• Cross-reference job-level signals (e.g., timedOut, testRunnerStatus, vsixInstallSuccess) with the parsed artifact data to synthesize a root cause
• If artifacts were too large to download, inform the user and suggest manual inspection

Step 3: Cross-Reference

• Compare with PR changes — did a TFM change, queue change, or packaging change cause this?
• Check if the same failure pattern exists in previous builds on the same PR
• Look at the VS version on the queue vs. what the tests expect

References

• Integration Test Pipeline — Pipeline YAML with queue and timeout parameters
• Integration Test Helix Template — Job template for integration tests
• ServiceHub Configuration — How ServiceHub services are configured
• Target Frameworks — TFM definitions (NetVS, NetRoslyn, etc.)

Source: dotnet/roslyn — distributed by TomeVault.