Test Amplification

Test Amplification Skill

When to Use

• A pygraphistry feature area is stable enough to use but still yields recurring bugs.
• You need to grow tests from evidence, not random additions.
• You want reusable patterns that apply beyond one subsystem (for example, beyond GFQL).

Goal

Turn historical and newly found bugs into:

1. A reusable bug taxonomy.
2. Prioritized concrete test tasks.
3. Implemented tests (plus minimal fixes when needed).
4. Clear validation evidence and checkpoint commits.

Required Inputs

• Current branch context.
• Target feature area(s).
• Existing test locations for those areas.
• Safety constraints (for example: pure vectorized path, pandas+cudf compatibility, remote protocol constraints).

Multi-Round Artifact Rules (Required)

This workflow is usually iterative. Keep artifacts cleanly separated by round, plus cumulative rollups.

Round IDs

• Use zero-padded round IDs: round-001, round-002, ...
• Keep a stable task root:
  • plans/<task>/

Round-Scoped Artifacts

Per round, write under:

• plans/<task>/rounds/round-00N/

Recommended files:

• user_testing_playbook.md
• feature-risk-analysis.md
• discovery-matrix.md
• bug-retro-5whys.md
• taxonomy-and-task-plan.md
• execution-report.md
• metrics.md

Cumulative Artifacts

Maintain cumulative rollups under:

• plans/<task>/cumulative/

Recommended files:

• feature-risk-analysis-cumulative.md
• bug-retro-5whys-cumulative.md
• taxonomy-cumulative.md
• round-metrics-ledger.md
• continue-or-halt-log.md

Naming Conventions

• Prefer deterministic names inside round folders (no random suffixes).
• If date is needed, use ISO format: YYYY-MM-DD.
• Every round must update:
  1. one round-scoped metrics.md
  2. cumulative round-metrics-ledger.md
  3. cumulative continue-or-halt-log.md

Parallel Subagent Protocol (Recommended When Available)

If parallel subagents are available (for example, Claude workers), use them with fixed artifact locations so work is crash-resumable.

Round folder layout for parallel work

Under each round:

• plans/<task>/rounds/round-00N/findings/
• plans/<task>/rounds/round-00N/findings/agent-01/
• plans/<task>/rounds/round-00N/findings/agent-02/
• plans/<task>/rounds/round-00N/findings/agent-03/
• plans/<task>/rounds/round-00N/merge/

Required per-agent files:

• task.md (assigned scope and constraints)
• findings.md (bugs, repros, evidence)
• proposed-tests.md (concrete test additions)
• status.json (machine-readable state: in_progress|done|blocked)

Required merge files:

• merge/triage.md (dedupe + severity + priority)
• merge/final-task-plan.md (selected tasks for implementation)

Assignment strategy

• Assign non-overlapping subsystems per agent (for example: remote/auth, connectors, compute, policy).
• Give each agent the same required scorecard format.
• Merge only after all status.json files are done or explicitly blocked.

Core Workflow

0) User-Workflow Exploration (Required)

Use a user-testing exploration pass before adding tests.

Build 3-5 representative user stories from the feature area. For each story capture:

• workflow steps users run,
• expected outcomes,
• likely friction points,
• representative test files,
• likely bug classes.

Artifact:

• AI_PROGRESS/<task>/user_testing_playbook.md

1) Feature Surface Inventory

Inventory what changed (or is risky) in this area:

• API/AST surface
• runtime/executor/evaluator paths
• validator/schema scanning paths
• transport/session/metadata paths (if remote)
• existing tests and known blind spots

Artifact:

• plans/<task>/feature-risk-analysis-<date>.md

2) Discovery Matrix

Run a small probe matrix that compares:

• validator accept/reject,
• runtime behavior,
• expected semantics.

Prioritize mismatches:

• validator accepts + runtime fails,
• validator rejects + runtime supports,
• runtime succeeds with wrong semantics.

3) 5-Whys Per Bug Class

For each bug class, record:

• Symptom
• How found
• Why #1..#5
• Why prior tests missed it
• Root cause family

Artifact:

• plans/<task>/bug-retro-5whys-<date>.md

4) Derive Abstract Taxonomy

Convert bug roots into reusable categories. Typical categories:

• precedence/token boundary issues,
• lexical scanning/quote-awareness issues,
• validator/runtime parity drift,
• schema inference lexical issues,
• capability-shape failfast gaps,
• null/empty semantic gaps,
• state/session lifecycle issues,
• remote metadata hydration/transport contract issues.

5) Convert to Concrete Tasks

For each category define concrete tests:

• exact file(s),
• test names,
• expected behavior,
• whether minimal fix is expected.

Prefer colocated tests in existing subsystem files.

6) Implement Tests + Minimal Fixes

Rules:

• Prefer red->green (add test, then fix).
• Keep fixes narrowly scoped to test-driven findings.
• No broad refactors during amplification phases.

7) DRY Pass

Before final validation:

• remove duplication in new tests,
• keep readability high,
• avoid helper sprawl.

8) Safety Gates (Required)

Run and record outputs.

Baseline static gates:

python -m py_compile <touched_files>
ruff check <touched_files>
mypy --ignore-missing-imports --follow-imports=skip --explicit-package-bases <touched_files>

Focused tests:

PYTHONPATH=. pytest -q <focused_test_files>

Broad sanity (env-available):

PYTHONPATH=. pytest -q <broader_test_set>

Best-effort backend parity (if applicable):

PYTHONPATH=. pytest -q <tests> -k cudf

9) Round Scorecard + Continue/Halt Decision (Required)

Each round must publish a scorecard and an operator-facing decision note.

Required scorecard fields:

• tests_added (new test cases)
• tests_modified (existing tests changed)
• new_bug_classes_found
• new_bug_instances_found
• bug_instances_fixed
• bug_instances_open (found - fixed)
• bug_fix_rate_pct = fixed / found * 100 (if found > 0)
• new_bug_class_fix_rate_pct = classes_fixed / classes_found * 100 (if classes_found > 0)
• tests_per_fix = tests_added / max(fixed, 1)
• focus_gate_pass (yes/no)
• broad_gate_pass (yes/no/partial + env gaps)

Decision note must include:

• continue or halt
• one-paragraph rationale based on marginal ROI trend
• explicit next highest-ROI bug classes if continuing

Important:

• This is a required decision record, not a forced halt.
• If the operator/user asked for multiple rounds, choose continue unless there is a blocker or clear diminishing-return stop condition.
• halt should be used when:
  • explicit user directive to stop,
  • no actionable high-ROI targets remain,
  • hard blocker prevents meaningful progress.

10) Checkpointing + Plan Update

After gates pass:

git add <touched_files>
git commit -m "phase-<id>: <short amplification summary>"

Update plan with:

• commands run,
• outputs,
• commit hash,
• env gaps.
• round scorecard values,
• continue/halt decision.

Domain Packs (PyGraphistry-Specific)

Use the pack(s) matching the work area.

A) Visualization/Upload/Render

Representative files:

• graphistry/tests/test_plotter.py
• graphistry/tests/test_arrow_uploader.py
• graphistry/tests/render/test_resolve_render_mode.py
• graphistry/tests/test_dataset_id_invalidation.py

Bug styles:

• encoding metadata loss,
• dtype coercion regressions,
• dataset lifecycle invalidation bugs.

Useful test styles:

• metadata round-trip,
• dtype matrix tests,
• lifecycle mutation/invalidation tests.

B) Remote/Auth/Session/Trace

Representative files:

• graphistry/tests/test_chain_remote_auth.py
• graphistry/tests/test_gfql_remote_metadata.py
• graphistry/tests/test_gfql_remote_persistence.py
• graphistry/tests/test_trace_headers_behavior.py
• graphistry/tests/test_certificate_validation_session.py

Bug styles:

• token/session leakage across clients,
• metadata hydration mismatches,
• missing trace/cert propagation.

Useful test styles:

• request contract assertions,
• multi-client isolation tests,
• hydration parity tests.

C) Connectors/Ingestion

Representative files:

• graphistry/tests/test_kusto.py
• graphistry/tests/test_spanner.py
• graphistry/tests/test_gremlin.py
• graphistry/tests/test_tigergraph.py
• graphistry/tests/test_nodexl.py
• graphistry/tests/test_gexf.py

Bug styles:

• return-shape ambiguity (single vs multiple tables),
• dynamic column flattening drift,
• credential/no-credential path regressions.

Useful test styles:

• mocked connector contracts,
• optional live credential smoke tests,
• malformed payload tests.

D) Graph Compute (Hop/Chain/GFQL)

Representative files:

• graphistry/tests/compute/test_hop.py
• graphistry/tests/compute/test_chain.py
• graphistry/tests/compute/test_call_operations.py
• graphistry/tests/compute/gfql/test_row_pipeline_ops.py

Bug styles:

• precedence/parser boundary bugs,
• validator/runtime parity drift,
• backend parity divergence.

Useful test styles:

• semantic operator matrix,
• validator/runtime parity table,
• pandas baseline + cudf best-effort checks.

E) Policy/Governance Hooks

Representative files:

• graphistry/tests/test_policy_*.py
• graphistry/tests/test_policy_integration.py
• graphistry/tests/compute/gfql/test_policy_shortcuts.py

Bug styles:

• phase ordering regressions,
• closure state leakage,
• exception contract drift.

Useful test styles:

• phase-state transition tests,
• negative-path policy exception tests,
• cross-operation coverage matrix.

F) Layouts/Plugins/Optional Deps

Representative files:

• graphistry/tests/layout/*
• graphistry/tests/plugins/*
• graphistry/tests/test_layout.py

Bug styles:

• optional-dependency behavior drift,
• plugin fallback failures,
• algorithm-specific edge-case regressions.

Useful test styles:

• conditional import/fallback tests,
• deterministic small-graph golden tests,
• edge-case topology fixtures.

Plan Phase Skeleton

Use this in plan.md:

### Phase X.Y: Test Amplification Cycle
**Status:** 🔄 IN_PROGRESS

#### X.Y.1 User-workflow exploration
#### X.Y.2 Feature/risk inventory
#### X.Y.3 Discovery matrix
#### X.Y.4 5-Whys capture
#### X.Y.5 Taxonomy derivation
#### X.Y.6 Concrete task plan
#### X.Y.7 Implement tests (+minimal fixes)
#### X.Y.8 DRY pass
#### X.Y.9 Validation
#### X.Y.10 Round scorecard + continue/halt decision
#### X.Y.11 Checkpoint

Round Scorecard Template

Use this in plans/<task>/rounds/round-00N/metrics.md:

# Round 00N Metrics

- tests_added:
- tests_modified:
- new_bug_classes_found:
- new_bug_instances_found:
- bug_instances_fixed:
- bug_instances_open:
- bug_fix_rate_pct:
- new_bug_class_fix_rate_pct:
- tests_per_fix:
- focus_gate_pass:
- broad_gate_pass:
- env_gaps:

## Continue/Halt
- decision: continue | halt
- rationale:
- next_targets:

Anti-Patterns

• Jumping directly into test writing without bug-class derivation.
• Validator-only checks or runtime-only checks without parity coverage.
• Over-generalized guidance with no concrete files/patterns.
• Large refactors during an amplification pass.

Done Criteria

• User-workflow exploration artifact exists.
• Feature/risk + 5-Whys artifacts exist (round + cumulative).
• Taxonomy -> concrete tasks mapping documented.
• New high-ROI tests landed (minimal fixes only as needed).
• Focused/broad gates pass or env limitations are clearly documented.
• Round scorecard and continue/halt decision are recorded.
• Plan and commit checkpoints are updated.

Source: graphistry/pygraphistry — distributed by TomeVault.