n8n-mcp/docs/integration-test-fix-plan.md

Integration Test Fix Plan

Executive Summary

We're developing a comprehensive test suite from scratch on a feature branch. Unit tests are solid (932 passing, 87.8% coverage), but integration tests need significant work (58 failures out of 246 tests).

Key Decision: Should we fix all integration tests before merging, or merge with a phased approach?

Current Situation

What's Working

• ✅ Unit Tests: 932 tests, 87.8% coverage, all passing
• ✅ Test Infrastructure: Vitest, factories, builders all set up
• ✅ CI/CD Pipeline: Runs in ~2 minutes (but hiding failures)

What Needs Work

• ⚠️ Integration Tests: 58 failures (23.6% failure rate)
• ⚠️ CI Configuration: || true hiding test failures
• ⚠️ No E2E Tests: Not started yet

Root Cause Analysis

1. Database State Management (9 failures)

UNIQUE constraint failed: templates.workflow_id
database disk image is malformed

Fix: Isolate database instances per test

2. MCP Protocol Response Structure (16 failures)

Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'text')

Fix: Update error-handling tests to match actual response structure

3. MSW Not Initialized (6 failures)

Request failed with status code 501

Fix: Add MSW setup to each test file

4. FTS5 Search Syntax (7 failures)

fts5: syntax error near ""

Fix: Handle empty search terms, fix NOT query syntax

5. Session Management Timeouts (5 failures)

Fix: Proper async cleanup in afterEach hooks

6. Performance Thresholds (15 failures)

Fix: Adjust thresholds to match actual performance

Proposed Course of Action

Option A: Fix Everything Before Merge (3-4 weeks)

Pros:

• Clean, fully passing test suite
• No technical debt
• Sets high quality bar

Cons:

• Delays value delivery
• Blocks other development
• Risk of scope creep

Option B: Phased Approach (Recommended)

Phase 1: Critical Fixes (1 week)

1. Remove || true from CI - See real status
2. Fix Database Isolation - Prevents data corruption
3. Fix MSW Setup - Unblocks API tests
4. Update MCP error-handling tests - Quick fix

Target: 30-35 tests fixed, ~85% pass rate

Phase 2: Merge & Iterate (Week 2)

1. Merge to main with known issues

   • Document failing tests
   • Create issues for remaining work
   • Set CI to warn but not block

2. Benefits:

   • Team gets unit test coverage immediately
   • Integration tests provide partial coverage
   • Incremental improvement approach

Phase 3: Complete Integration Tests (Week 3-4)

• Fix remaining FTS5 search issues
• Resolve session management timeouts
• Adjust performance thresholds
• Target: 100% pass rate

Phase 4: E2E Tests (Week 5-6)

• Build on stable integration test foundation
• Focus on critical user journeys

Implementation Steps

Week 1: Critical Infrastructure

# Day 1-2: Fix CI and Database
- Remove || true from workflow
- Implement TestDatabase.create() for isolation
- Fix FTS5 rebuild syntax

# Day 3-4: Fix MSW and MCP
- Add MSW to test files
- Apply response.content[0] pattern to error-handling.test.ts

# Day 5: Test & Document
- Run full suite
- Document remaining issues
- Create tracking board

Week 2: Merge Strategy

# Modified CI configuration
- name: Run integration tests
  run: |
    npm run test:integration || echo "::warning::Integration tests have known failures"
    # Still exit 0 to allow merge, but warn
  continue-on-error: true  # Temporary until all fixed

Success Metrics

Week 1 Goals

• CI shows real test status
• Database tests isolated (9 fixed)
• MSW tests passing (6 fixed)
• MCP error tests fixed (16 fixed)
• ~85% integration test pass rate

End State Goals

• 100% integration test pass rate
• No flaky tests
• E2E test suite started
• CI blocks on failures

Risk Mitigation

If Fixes Take Longer

• Focus on critical path tests only
• Temporarily skip problematic tests
• Adjust thresholds rather than fix performance

If New Issues Arise

• Time-box investigation (2 hours max)
• Document and move on
• Create follow-up tickets

Team Communication

Messaging

We're adding comprehensive test coverage to ensure code quality.
Unit tests are complete and passing (932 tests, 87.8% coverage).
Integration tests need some work - we'll fix critical issues this week
and merge with a plan to complete the remaining fixes.

Benefits to Emphasize

• Catching bugs before production
• Faster development with safety net
• Better code documentation through tests
• Reduced manual testing burden

Decision Point

Recommendation: Go with Option B (Phased Approach)

Rationale:

1. Delivers immediate value (unit tests)
2. Makes progress visible
3. Allows parallel development
4. Reduces merge conflicts
5. Pragmatic over perfect

Next Step: Get team consensus on phased approach, then start Week 1 fixes.