🔍 feat(bdd): add state tracer for debugging test execution and state pollution
- Add STATE_TRACER_README.md documenting purpose, usage, limitations, and future enhancements - Add state_tracer.go with per-process file-based tracing to $TMPDIR - Trace scenario start/end, database cleanup, JWT secret operations - Integrate tracing into suite.go BeforeScenario/AfterScenario hooks - Document findings: sequential execution per feature, shared database across processes - Identify root causes: in-memory JWT secrets not isolated by schema, config reload timing Generated by Mistral Vibe. Co-Authored-By: Mistral Vibe <vibe@mistral.ai>
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pkg/bdd/testserver/STATE_TRACER_README.md
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pkg/bdd/testserver/STATE_TRACER_README.md
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# BDD State Tracer
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## Overview
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The BDD State Tracer is a debugging tool that logs scenario execution, database operations, and state modifications to a file in `$TMPDIR` for analysis of test execution order and state pollution issues.
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## Purpose
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### Why Tracing Was Added
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During multi-iteration BDD test runs with `./scripts/validate-test-suite.sh`, intermittent failures occurred that were difficult to diagnose:
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- Tests passed when run individually
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- Tests failed when run together in the validation script
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- Patterns suggested database state pollution between scenarios across different feature packages
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The tracer was created to answer key questions:
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1. **Execution Order**: Which scenarios run in which order?
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2. **State Modifications**: What database writes/cleanups occur and when?
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3. **Overlap Detection**: Are scenarios running in parallel (causing race conditions)?
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4. **Isolation Verification**: Is schema isolation working as expected?
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### Key Findings from Tracing
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1. **Sequential Execution**: Each feature package runs in a separate process (separate PIDs), but scenarios within each feature run sequentially
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2. **Shared Database**: All processes share the same PostgreSQL database connection
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3. **Schema Isolation Status**: When `BDD_SCHEMA_ISOLATION=false` (default in validate script), all scenarios share the `public` schema
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4. **Cleanup Operations**: Database cleanup (`CleanupDatabase`) runs after each scenario, deleting all test data from all tables
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5. **In-Memory State**: JWT secrets are stored in-memory only, not in database - schema isolation doesn't prevent JWT secret pollution
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### Example Trace Output
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```
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2026-04-11T10:10:53.032156 | auth | User registration | SCENARIO_START |
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2026-04-11T10:10:53.146438 | auth | User registration | SCENARIO_END | PASSED
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2026-04-11T10:10:53.152398 | auth | User registration | JWT_RESET | ok
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2026-04-11T10:10:53.162357 | auth | Failed authentication | SCENARIO_START |
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2026-04-11T10:10:53.268273 | auth | Failed authentication | SCENARIO_END | PASSED
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```
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## Usage
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### Enable Tracing
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Set the environment variable `BDD_TRACE_STATE=1` before running tests:
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```bash
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# Single run with tracing
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BDD_TRACE_STATE=1 go test ./features/auth -v
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# Validation script with tracing
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BDD_TRACE_STATE=1 ./scripts/validate-test-suite.sh 1
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# Multiple runs with tracing
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BDD_TRACE_STATE=1 ./scripts/validate-test-suite.sh 5
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```
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### Trace File Location
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Trace files are written to `$TMPDIR` (typically `/var/folders/.../T/` on macOS or `/tmp` on Linux):
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```bash
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# Find trace files
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ls -la $TMPDIR/bdd-state-trace-*.log
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# View a trace file
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cat $TMPDIR/bdd-state-trace-20260411-101053-12345.log
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```
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### Trace File Format
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```
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TIMESTAMP | FEATURE | SCENARIO | ACTION | DETAILS
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2026-04-11T10:10:53.032156 | auth | User registration | SCENARIO_START |
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2026-04-11T10:10:53.146438 | auth | User registration | SCENARIO_END | PASSED
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2026-04-11T10:10:53.152398 | auth | User registration | JWT_RESET | ok
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2026-04-11T10:10:53.162357 | auth | User registration | DB_CLEANUP | all_tables
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```
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**Columns:**
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- `TIMESTAMP`: ISO 8601 format with microseconds
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- `FEATURE`: Feature name from `FEATURE` environment variable
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- `SCENARIO`: Scenario name (includes URI for disambiguation)
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- `ACTION`: Type of action (see below)
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- `DETAILS`: Additional context
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**Action Types:**
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- `SCENARIO_START` - Scenario execution begins
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- `SCENARIO_END` - Scenario execution completes (PASSED or FAILED)
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- `DB_CLEANUP` - Database cleanup operation
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- `DB_SELECT` - Database read operation
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- `JWT_RESET` - JWT secrets reset to initial state
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- `DB_INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE` - Database write operations (future)
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- `SCHEMA_*` - Schema isolation operations (future)
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- `TX_*` - Transaction boundary operations (future)
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## Implementation
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### Architecture
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The state tracer uses a simple file-based approach:
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1. **Per-Process Tracing**: Each `go test` process creates its own trace file with unique filename based on timestamp and PID
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2. **Immediate Flush**: Each trace line is flushed immediately to disk using `Sync()` to prevent data loss
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3. **No Dependencies**: Uses only standard library (`os`, `fmt`, `time`, `path/filepath`)
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4. **Singleton Pattern**: Package-level functions for easy usage across the codebase
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### Files
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- `pkg/bdd/testserver/state_tracer.go` - Core tracing functions
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- `pkg/bdd/suite.go` - Integration with godog Before/After scenario hooks
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### Key Functions
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```go
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// Package-level functions (called from anywhere)
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TraceStateScenarioStart(feature, scenario string)
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TraceStateScenarioEnd(feature, scenario string, err error)
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TraceStateDBCleanup(feature, scenario, table string)
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TraceStateJWTSecretOperation(feature, scenario, operation, details string)
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TraceStateSchemaIsolation(feature, scenario, operation, details string)
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TraceStateTransaction(feature, scenario, action, details string)
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TraceStateDBRead(feature, scenario, table, details string)
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```
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## Limitations
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### Current Limitations
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1. **Per-Process Files**: Each `go test` process creates its own file, making correlation across processes manual
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2. **No Database Write Tracing**: Currently only traces cleanup, not individual INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE operations
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3. **No API Call Tracing**: Doesn't trace HTTP requests made during scenarios
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4. **No Timing Analysis**: Doesn't measure duration between operations automatically
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5. **No Schema Name in Trace**: When schema isolation is enabled, doesn't show which schema is active
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6. **File Rotation**: No automatic cleanup of old trace files
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### Known Issues
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1. **PID-based filenames**: If multiple runs happen in the same second, filenames could collide
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2. **Large file sizes**: High-volume tracing could create large files (mitigated by per-run files)
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3. **No header/footer**: Trace files start immediately with data, no metadata about the run
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## Future Enhancements
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### Priority 1: Process Correlation
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- Add a unique run ID that can be passed across all processes
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- Include process start/end markers to show process lifecycle
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- Add parent PID tracking to show process hierarchy
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### Priority 2: Database Operation Tracing
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- Add tracing for all database writes (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE)
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- Include query text and affected rows
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- Trace transaction boundaries with IDs
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- Add schema name to all database operations when isolation is enabled
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### Priority 3: API Call Tracing
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- Trace all HTTP requests made during scenarios
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- Include request method, path, status code, and duration
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- Mark requests that modify state (POST, PUT, DELETE vs GET)
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### Priority 4: Analysis Tools
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- Create a `bdd-trace-analyzer` tool to:
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- Merge trace files from all processes in correct order
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- Detect overlapping scenarios (parallel execution)
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- Identify database state pollution patterns
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- Generate visualization of scenario execution timeline
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- Flag potential race conditions
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### Priority 5: Improved Output
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- Add trace file header with metadata (run ID, start time, config, etc.)
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- Color-coded output for different action types
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- JSON output option for programmatic analysis
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- Trace level filtering (DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR)
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### Priority 6: Performance Optimization
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- Batch writes instead of per-line flush (with configurable flush interval)
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- Compress old trace files
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- Automatic cleanup of old files
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## Analysis Use Cases
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### Detecting State Pollution
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Look for patterns like:
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```
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PID 1234 | auth | Scenario A | DB_CLEANUP | all_tables
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PID 5678 | greet | Scenario B | SCENARIO_START |
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# ^ Scenario B starts AFTER auth cleanup - potential issue
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```
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### Detecting Parallel Execution
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Check if timestamps overlap:
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```
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PID 1234 | 10:10:53.032 | auth | Scenario A | SCENARIO_START
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PID 5678 | 10:10:53.035 | greet | Scenario B | SCENARIO_START
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# ^ Both started within 3ms - likely parallel
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```
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### Verifying Schema Isolation
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Check that each scenario gets its own schema:
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```
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PID 1234 | auth | Scenario A | SCHEMA_CREATE | test_a1b2c3d4
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PID 1234 | auth | Scenario B | SCHEMA_CREATE | test_e5f6g7h8
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# ^ Different schemas for different scenarios - good
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```
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## Troubleshooting
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### Tracing Not Working
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1. Verify `BDD_TRACE_STATE=1` is set:
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```bash
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echo $BDD_TRACE_STATE
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```
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2. Check if trace files are being created:
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```bash
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ls -la $TMPDIR/bdd-state-trace-*.log
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```
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3. Verify the `testserver` package is being used (tracing is integrated there)
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### No Trace Files Found
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- Tracing only works when `BDD_TRACE_STATE=1` is set before the test process starts
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- Each `go test` process creates its own file - if tests pass quickly, files may be short
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- Files are created in `$TMPDIR` which defaults to `/tmp` on Linux and a temp folder on macOS
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### Trace Files Too Large
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- Tracing every operation can generate large files
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- Consider filtering to specific scenarios:
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```bash
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# Run only failing scenarios with tracing
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BDD_TRACE_STATE=1 go test ./features/auth -v -run "TestAuthBDD/Password_reset"
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```
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## Related Files
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- `pkg/bdd/suite.go` - Godog test suite initialization with tracing hooks
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- `pkg/bdd/testserver/server.go` - Test server with tracing integration
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- `scripts/validate-test-suite.sh` - Test validation script
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86
pkg/bdd/testserver/state_tracer.go
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86
pkg/bdd/testserver/state_tracer.go
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package testserver
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import (
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"fmt"
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"os"
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"path/filepath"
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"time"
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)
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// TraceStateScenarioStart logs the start of a scenario
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func TraceStateScenarioStart(feature, scenario string) {
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writeTraceLine(feature, scenario, "SCENARIO_START", "")
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}
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// TraceStateScenarioEnd logs the end of a scenario
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func TraceStateScenarioEnd(feature, scenario string, err error) {
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status := "PASSED"
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if err != nil {
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status = fmt.Sprintf("FAILED: %v", err)
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}
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writeTraceLine(feature, scenario, "SCENARIO_END", status)
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}
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// TraceStateDBCleanup logs a database cleanup operation
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func TraceStateDBCleanup(feature, scenario, table string) {
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writeTraceLine(feature, scenario, "DB_CLEANUP", table)
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}
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// TraceStateJWTSecretOperation logs a JWT secret operation
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func TraceStateJWTSecretOperation(feature, scenario, operation, details string) {
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writeTraceLine(feature, scenario, "JWT_"+operation, details)
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}
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// TraceStateSchemaIsolation logs a schema isolation operation
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func TraceStateSchemaIsolation(feature, scenario, operation, details string) {
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writeTraceLine(feature, scenario, "SCHEMA_"+operation, details)
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}
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// TraceStateTransaction logs a transaction boundary
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func TraceStateTransaction(feature, scenario, action, details string) {
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writeTraceLine(feature, scenario, "TX_"+action, details)
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}
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// TraceStateDBRead logs a database read operation
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func TraceStateDBRead(feature, scenario, table, details string) {
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writeTraceLine(feature, scenario, "DB_SELECT", fmt.Sprintf("table=%s %s", table, details))
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}
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// StateTracingEnabled returns true if BDD_TRACE_STATE environment variable is set to "1"
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func StateTracingEnabled() bool {
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return os.Getenv("BDD_TRACE_STATE") == "1"
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}
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// writeTraceLine writes a trace line to the state trace file in $TMPDIR
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func writeTraceLine(feature, scenario, action, details string) {
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if !StateTracingEnabled() {
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return
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}
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tmpDir := os.Getenv("TMPDIR")
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if tmpDir == "" {
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tmpDir = "/tmp"
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}
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timestamp := time.Now().Format("20060102-150405")
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pid := os.Getpid()
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filename := fmt.Sprintf("bdd-state-trace-%s-%d.log", timestamp, pid)
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filePath := filepath.Join(tmpDir, filename)
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line := fmt.Sprintf("%s | %-15s | %-40s | %-16s | %s\n",
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time.Now().Format("2006-01-02T15:04:05.000000"),
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feature,
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scenario,
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action,
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details,
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)
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file, err := os.OpenFile(filePath, os.O_CREATE|os.O_APPEND|os.O_WRONLY, 0644)
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if err != nil {
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return
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}
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defer file.Close()
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if _, err := file.WriteString(line); err != nil {
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return
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}
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file.Sync()
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}
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