Testing Guide for GAIA Electron Apps

Source Code: tests/electron/ | src/gaia/electron/

This guide explains how to test GAIA Electron applications and ensure they work correctly with dependency updates.

Overview

GAIA uses automated testing to validate Electron framework and applications:

Unit Tests: Test individual components in isolation
Integration Tests: Verify app structure and configuration
Build Tests: Ensure apps can be packaged correctly
Dependency Audits: Check for security vulnerabilities

Quick Start

Running Tests Locally

# Install test dependencies
cd tests/electron
npm install

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run specific test suites
npm run test:electron    # Framework tests only
npm run test:apps        # App integration tests only

# Watch mode for development
npm run test:watch

# Generate coverage report
npm run test:coverage

Test Structure

All Electron-related tests live under tests/electron/. Unit tests for framework services sit alongside integration tests for individual apps:

Framework & service tests

test_agent_process_manager.js - Backend Python process lifecycle
test_notification_service.js - Auto-update and notification plumbing
test_electron_framework_integration.js - Cross-module framework wiring
test_electron_functional.js - End-to-end Electron smoke tests

App integration tests

test_electron_chat_app.js - Chat/Agent UI app
test_electron_chat_installer.js - First-run installer flow
test_electron_emr_dashboard.js - EMR dashboard
test_electron_example_app.js - Example app template verification
test_electron_jira_app.js - Jira app configuration and structure

Shared setup lives in tests/electron/setup.js; mocks live under tests/electron/mocks/.

What Gets Tested

Electron Framework

✅ AppController

Configuration loading
Service initialization
MCP connection setup
Error handling
Lifecycle management

✅ WindowManager

Window creation with correct options
Preload script loading
Event handler setup
Window state management

✅ MCPClient

WebSocket connection
Message sending/receiving
Reconnection logic
Error handling

Electron Apps

✅ Configuration

Valid app.config.json
Valid package.json
Required dependencies present
Version compatibility

✅ Structure

Main entry point exists
Preload scripts present
Required directories exist
Build configuration valid

✅ Dependencies

Compatible Electron version
No high-severity vulnerabilities
Matching framework versions
Valid npm scripts

GitHub Actions Integration

Automated Testing Workflow

Tests run automatically on:

Pull Requests: Changes to Electron framework or apps
Dependency Updates: Dependabot PRs
Main Branch: After merges
Manual Trigger: Via GitHub Actions UI

Workflow Jobs

test-electron-framework
- Runs unit tests for core modules
- Generates code coverage report
- Uploads coverage artifacts
test-apps-integration
- Validates app configurations
- Checks file structure
- Verifies dependency versions
test-apps-build
- Tests app packaging
- Validates npm scripts
- Checks build configuration
dependency-audit
- Scans for vulnerabilities
- Generates audit reports
- Uploads results as artifacts

Testing New Apps

When creating a new Electron app, follow these steps:

1. Create App Structure

src/gaia/apps/my-app/webui/
├── app.config.json       # App configuration
├── package.json          # Dependencies and scripts
├── src/
│   ├── main.js          # Entry point
│   ├── preload.js       # Preload script
│   └── services/        # App-specific services
└── public/              # Static assets

2. Add Dependabot Configuration

Edit .github/dependabot.yml:

  # JavaScript - My App (monitor only, no PRs)
  - package-ecosystem: "npm"
    directory: "/src/gaia/apps/my-app/webui"
    schedule:
      interval: "monthly"
    labels:
      - "dependencies"
      - "javascript"
      - "my-app"
    open-pull-requests-limit: 0
    groups:
      my-app-dependencies:
        patterns:
          - "*"

3. Create Integration Tests

Create tests/electron/test_my_app.js (all Electron tests live under tests/electron/):

// Copyright(C) 2024-2026 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. All rights reserved.
// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT

const { jest } = require('@jest/globals');
const path = require('path');
const fs = require('fs');

describe('My App Integration', () => {
  const appPath = path.join(__dirname, '../../src/gaia/apps/my-app/webui');
  
  describe('app configuration', () => {
    it('should have valid app.config.json', () => {
      const configPath = path.join(appPath, 'app.config.json');
      expect(fs.existsSync(configPath)).toBe(true);
      
      const config = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(configPath, 'utf8'));
      expect(config).toHaveProperty('name');
      expect(config).toHaveProperty('displayName');
      expect(config).toHaveProperty('version');
    });

    it('should have valid package.json', () => {
      const packagePath = path.join(appPath, 'package.json');
      expect(fs.existsSync(packagePath)).toBe(true);
      
      const pkg = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(packagePath, 'utf8'));
      expect(pkg).toHaveProperty('name');
      expect(pkg).toHaveProperty('scripts');
      expect(pkg.scripts).toHaveProperty('start');
    });
  });

  describe('app structure', () => {
    it('should have required files', () => {
      expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(appPath, 'src/main.js'))).toBe(true);
      expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(appPath, 'src/preload.js'))).toBe(true);
    });
  });
});

4. Update Test Workflow

Add your app to .github/workflows/test_electron.yml:

matrix:
  app:
    - name: jira
      path: src/gaia/apps/jira/webui
    - name: example
      path: src/gaia/apps/example/webui
    - name: my-app
      path: src/gaia/apps/my-app/webui  # Add your app here

5. Verify Tests

# Run your new tests
cd tests/electron
npm test -- test_my_app.js

# Check coverage
npm run test:coverage

Debugging Tests

Enable Debug Output

# Show all console output
DEBUG=true npm test

# Run specific test with verbose output
npm test -- test_app_controller.js --verbose

# Debug in Node.js
node --inspect-brk node_modules/.bin/jest --runInBand

VS Code Debugging

Add to .vscode/launch.json:

{
  "version": "0.2.0",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "type": "node",
      "request": "launch",
      "name": "Jest - Current File",
      "program": "${workspaceFolder}/tests/electron/node_modules/.bin/jest",
      "args": [
        "${fileBasename}",
        "--runInBand"
      ],
      "console": "integratedTerminal",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/tests/electron"
    }
  ]
}

Continuous Integration Best Practices

1. Run Tests Before Committing

# Quick test before commit
cd tests/electron
npm test

# Full test with coverage
npm run test:coverage

2. Monitor Test Results

Check GitHub Actions tab for PR status
Review test artifacts for failures
Examine coverage reports

3. Keep Tests Fast

Mock expensive operations
Use --maxWorkers=2 for CI
Skip E2E tests in unit test runs

4. Update Tests with Code Changes

Add tests for new features
Update tests when refactoring
Maintain coverage thresholds

Common Issues

Issue: Cannot find module ‘electron’

Cause: Electron is mocked in tests but import path is incorrect Solution: Ensure moduleNameMapper is configured in package.json:

"moduleNameMapper": {
  "^electron$": "<rootDir>/tests/electron/mocks/electron.js"
}

Issue: Tests timeout

Cause: Async operations not completing or no timeout set Solution:

// Increase timeout for slow tests
jest.setTimeout(10000);

// Or per-test
it('slow test', async () => {
  // test code
}, 10000);

Issue: Coverage below threshold

Cause: Uncovered code paths Solution:

Run npm run test:coverage
Open coverage/lcov-report/index.html
Add tests for red-highlighted code
Or adjust thresholds in package.json

Security Audits

Running Audits Manually

# Audit Electron framework
cd src/gaia/electron
npm audit

# Audit specific app
cd src/gaia/apps/jira/webui
npm audit

# Fix vulnerabilities automatically
npm audit fix

Automated Audits

Security audits run automatically in CI:

On every PR
Weekly scheduled scans
After dependency updates

Results are uploaded as artifacts and visible in GitHub Security tab.

Advanced Testing

E2E Testing with Spectron

For full end-to-end testing:

const { Application } = require('spectron');
const path = require('path');

describe('App E2E', () => {
  let app;

  beforeEach(async () => {
    app = new Application({
      path: '/path/to/electron',
      args: [path.join(__dirname, '../../src/gaia/apps/jira/webui')]
    });
    await app.start();
  });

  afterEach(async () => {
    if (app && app.isRunning()) {
      await app.stop();
    }
  });

  it('should open window', async () => {
    const count = await app.client.getWindowCount();
    expect(count).toBe(1);
  });
});

Performance Testing

Monitor app startup time and memory usage:

it('should start quickly', async () => {
  const start = Date.now();
  await appController.initialize();
  const duration = Date.now() - start;
  
  expect(duration).toBeLessThan(5000); // 5 seconds
});

Resources

Getting Help

If you encounter issues:

Check this guide and README.md in tests/electron/
Review existing test files for examples
Check GitHub Actions logs for CI failures
Ask in team discussions

​Overview

​Quick Start

​Running Tests Locally

​Test Structure

​Framework & service tests

​App integration tests

​What Gets Tested

​Electron Framework

​Electron Apps

​GitHub Actions Integration

​Automated Testing Workflow

​Workflow Jobs

​Testing New Apps

​1. Create App Structure

​2. Add Dependabot Configuration

​3. Create Integration Tests

​4. Update Test Workflow

​5. Verify Tests

​Debugging Tests

​Enable Debug Output

​VS Code Debugging

​Continuous Integration Best Practices

​1. Run Tests Before Committing

​2. Monitor Test Results

​3. Keep Tests Fast

​4. Update Tests with Code Changes

​Common Issues

​Issue: Cannot find module ‘electron’

​Issue: Tests timeout

​Issue: Coverage below threshold

​Security Audits

​Running Audits Manually

​Automated Audits

​Advanced Testing

​E2E Testing with Spectron

​Performance Testing

​Resources

​Getting Help

Overview

Quick Start

Running Tests Locally

Test Structure

Framework & service tests

App integration tests

What Gets Tested

Electron Framework

Electron Apps

GitHub Actions Integration

Automated Testing Workflow

Workflow Jobs

Testing New Apps

1. Create App Structure

2. Add Dependabot Configuration

3. Create Integration Tests

4. Update Test Workflow

5. Verify Tests

Debugging Tests

Enable Debug Output

VS Code Debugging

Continuous Integration Best Practices

1. Run Tests Before Committing

2. Monitor Test Results

3. Keep Tests Fast

4. Update Tests with Code Changes

Common Issues

Issue: Cannot find module ‘electron’

Issue: Tests timeout

Issue: Coverage below threshold

Security Audits

Running Audits Manually

Automated Audits

Advanced Testing

E2E Testing with Spectron

Performance Testing

Resources

Getting Help