Isolate E2E tests from real tmux sessions #193

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opened 2026-02-04 08:27:49 +00:00 by mprihoda · 1 comment

mprihoda commented

2026-02-04 08:27:49 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

Problem

Running E2E tests currently spawns real tmux sessions and can detach or interfere with actual work sessions. This creates several issues:

Test pollution: Tests create real tmux sessions that persist after test completion
Session interference: Tests may detach from or switch between real user sessions
Non-deterministic failures: Tests may fail or behave unpredictably if user has existing tmux sessions
Dangerous side effects: Running tests could disrupt actual development work

Expected Behavior

E2E tests should:

Run in complete isolation from real tmux sessions
Clean up all test sessions after completion
Not interfere with user's actual tmux sessions
Be safe to run at any time without disrupting work

Possible Solutions

Mock tmux adapter in tests
- Create a test double that simulates tmux behavior
- No real sessions created
- Fastest option but may miss real integration issues
Use custom tmux socket
- Create tests with tmux -L test-socket-name
- Completely separate from default tmux server
- Tests run against isolated tmux instance
- Clean up socket after tests
Test in container/sandbox
- Run E2E tests in Docker container or isolated environment
- Most realistic but adds complexity
Session naming prefix + cleanup
- All test sessions prefixed with iw-test-
- Aggressive cleanup in test teardown and setup
- Still risks interference if not careful

Recommended Approach

Custom tmux socket (#2) seems like the best balance:

Real tmux integration (catches actual bugs)
Complete isolation from user sessions
Relatively simple implementation
Can be combined with cleanup hooks

Acceptance Criteria

E2E tests use isolated tmux instance (or mocking)
Tests cannot see or interact with real user tmux sessions
All test sessions cleaned up after test run
Tests pass reliably regardless of user's tmux state
Documentation updated with testing approach

Additional Context

This issue should be addressed before implementing CI automation (#191), since CI will run these tests on every commit.

## Problem Running E2E tests currently spawns real tmux sessions and can detach or interfere with actual work sessions. This creates several issues: 1. **Test pollution**: Tests create real tmux sessions that persist after test completion 2. **Session interference**: Tests may detach from or switch between real user sessions 3. **Non-deterministic failures**: Tests may fail or behave unpredictably if user has existing tmux sessions 4. **Dangerous side effects**: Running tests could disrupt actual development work ## Expected Behavior E2E tests should: - Run in complete isolation from real tmux sessions - Clean up all test sessions after completion - Not interfere with user's actual tmux sessions - Be safe to run at any time without disrupting work ## Possible Solutions 1. **Mock tmux adapter in tests** - Create a test double that simulates tmux behavior - No real sessions created - Fastest option but may miss real integration issues 2. **Use custom tmux socket** - Create tests with `tmux -L test-socket-name` - Completely separate from default tmux server - Tests run against isolated tmux instance - Clean up socket after tests 3. **Test in container/sandbox** - Run E2E tests in Docker container or isolated environment - Most realistic but adds complexity 4. **Session naming prefix + cleanup** - All test sessions prefixed with `iw-test-` - Aggressive cleanup in test teardown and setup - Still risks interference if not careful ## Recommended Approach Custom tmux socket (#2) seems like the best balance: - Real tmux integration (catches actual bugs) - Complete isolation from user sessions - Relatively simple implementation - Can be combined with cleanup hooks ## Acceptance Criteria - [ ] E2E tests use isolated tmux instance (or mocking) - [ ] Tests cannot see or interact with real user tmux sessions - [ ] All test sessions cleaned up after test run - [ ] Tests pass reliably regardless of user's tmux state - [ ] Documentation updated with testing approach ## Additional Context This issue should be addressed before implementing CI automation (#191), since CI will run these tests on every commit.

mprihoda commented

2026-03-14 10:51:23 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

Closed by 73db21e fix(test): Isolate E2E tests from real tmux server and dashboard

Closed by 73db21e fix(test): Isolate E2E tests from real tmux server and dashboard