CLI Testing Patterns

Purpose

Provide systematic patterns for autonomous command-line tool exploratory testing. Guide agents through comprehensive CLI testing including help discovery, option validation, error handling checks, exit code verification, and output correctness testing.

Core Testing Methodology

Systematic CLI Testing Approach

Test command-line tools using a structured approach:

1. Discovery: Find command and understand its options
2. Basic smoke test: Verify command runs
3. Help validation: Check help text completeness
4. Option testing: Test all flags and arguments
5. Error handling: Test edge cases and invalid inputs
6. Output validation: Verify correctness and formatting
7. Scoped comprehensive testing: Focus on changed areas

CLI Discovery Methods

Identify command to test from context:

Script path: ./scripts/build.sh Binary name: mycommand Package.json script: npm run test System command: git status

Verify command exists:

which mycommand
command -v mycommand
[ -f ./script.sh ] && echo "exists"

Help Text Discovery

Common Help Patterns

Try these flags to discover usage:

command --help
command -h
command help
command

Parse Help Output

Extract from help text:

• Available options/flags
• Required vs optional arguments
• Expected input formats
• Subcommands (if applicable)
• Usage examples

Example help parsing:

Usage: deploy [options] <environment>

Options:
  -v, --verbose    Enable verbose output
  -d, --dry-run    Show what would be deployed
  --config <file>  Use custom config

Identifies:
- Required: <environment>
- Optional flags: -v, -d, --config
- Config file option

Smoke Testing

Basic Execution Tests

Test command works at all:

# Version check
command --version
command -v

# No arguments (if allowed)
command

# Help (should never error)
command --help

Verify:

• Command executes without crashing
• Returns appropriate exit code
• Produces expected output or error

Comprehensive Option Testing

Test All Flags

For each discovered flag:

1. Test flag alone: `command --flag`
2. Test with valid value: `command --flag value`
3. Test with invalid value: `command --flag invalid`
4. Test flag combinations: `command --flag1 --flag2`
5. Test conflicting flags: `command --yes --no`

Argument Testing

Test required and optional arguments:

Valid inputs:
- Correct type and format
- Boundary values (min/max)
- Typical use cases

Invalid inputs:
- Wrong type (string instead of number)
- Out of range (negative when positive required)
- Missing required arguments
- Too many arguments
- Special characters

Scoped Testing Strategy

Focus testing based on context:

If context says "I updated the --config flag":
- Comprehensive tests on --config
  - Valid config files
  - Invalid config files
  - Missing config files
  - Malformed config data
- Smoke tests on other flags (ensure still work)
- Quick validation on core functionality

Balance depth with scope:
- Changed areas: Comprehensive testing
- Related areas: Thorough testing
- Unrelated areas: Smoke testing only

Error Handling Validation

Exit Codes

Verify proper exit codes:

Success: Exit 0
General error: Exit 1
Usage error: Exit 2
Permission denied: Exit 126
Command not found: Exit 127

Test:

command; echo "Exit code: $?"

Error Messages

Validate error messages are:

• Clear: Explain what went wrong
• Actionable: Suggest how to fix
• Specific: Not generic "error occurred"
• Helpful: Include relevant details

Good error:

Error: Config file 'config.json' not found.
Please create a config file or specify path with --config

Bad error:

Error

stderr vs stdout

Verify output streams used correctly:

# Errors should go to stderr
command 2>&1 | grep "Error" # Should find errors here

# Normal output should go to stdout
command 2>/dev/null # Should show normal output

Output Validation

Format Validation

Check output is correctly formatted:

JSON output:

command --json | jq . # Should parse without error

CSV output:

command --csv | head -1 # Check headers present

Table output:

command --table | column # Check column alignment

Correctness Validation

Verify output matches expected:

Known inputs → Verify outputs:
1. Use predictable test data
2. Run command
3. Parse output
4. Verify values match expected
5. Report discrepancies

Test Data Management

Using Test Data Generators

Check for test data support:

# Common patterns
command test generate
command fixtures create
command seed --test

If available:

• Use for realistic testing
• More comprehensive coverage
• Matches app's data model

Creating Temporary Data

When generating test data:

# Create temp directory
TMPDIR=$(mktemp -d)

# Create test files
echo "test data" > "$TMPDIR/test.txt"

# Run command with test data
command --input "$TMPDIR/test.txt"

# Cleanup
rm -rf "$TMPDIR"

Safe Test Data

Generate data that:

• Doesn't interfere with real data
• Uses temporary locations (/tmp)
• Avoids destructive operations
• Is properly cleaned up after testing

Common CLI Issues

Missing Help Text

Issue: No --help flag or unclear help Impact: Users don't know how to use command Test: Try command --help Report: Missing or inadequate help text

Poor Error Messages

Issue: Cryptic or missing error messages Impact: Users can't diagnose problems Test: Trigger errors, check messages Report: Unhelpful error messages

Inconsistent Exit Codes

Issue: Command always exits 0 even on errors Impact: Scripts can't detect failures Test: Cause error, check exit code Report: Exit code should be non-zero on error

Destructive Defaults

Issue: Dangerous operations without confirmation Impact: Accidental data loss Test: Run potentially destructive commands Report: Should require --force flag or confirmation

Missing Input Validation

Issue: Accepts invalid inputs without error Impact: Silent failures or unexpected behavior Test: Provide malformed inputs Report: Should validate and reject bad inputs

Testing Workflow

Complete CLI Test Flow

1. Discover command and help text
2. Run smoke tests (version, help, basic execution)
3. Test each flag individually
4. Test flag combinations
5. Test with valid arguments
6. Test with invalid arguments
7. Test edge cases (empty, very long, special chars)
8. Verify exit codes
9. Validate error messages
10. Check output formatting
11. Report findings by severity

Reporting Template

## Critical Issues ❌

### Command Crashes on Empty Input - Critical
- **Command**: `deploy`
- **Issue**: Crashes when no environment specified
- **Test**:
  ```bash
  ./deploy.sh

• Exit Code: 139 (Segmentation fault)
• Expected: Exit 2 with usage message
• Impact: Confusing user experience, possibly destructive

Error Handling Issues ⚠️

Unhelpful Error Message - Medium

• Command: deploy --config invalid.json
• Issue: Error message doesn't explain problem
• Output: Error: Invalid config
• Better: Error: Config file 'invalid.json' not found. Expected JSON file with keys: ...

Documentation Issues 📝

Missing --help Flag - Medium

• Command: deploy --help
• Issue: No help text available
• Output: Unknown option: --help
• Expected: Usage information and option descriptions

Tests Passed ✅

• Command executes successfully with valid inputs
• Exit codes are correct (0 for success, 1 for errors)
• Verbose flag produces additional output
• Version flag shows current version

## Additional Resources

For complete CLI testing procedures, see:
- **`references/exit-code-standards.md`** - Exit code conventions and validation
- **`references/output-validation.md`** - Output format testing patterns