OpenClaw Test Performance

Use evidence first. The goal is real pnpm test speed/RSS improvement with coverage intact, not runner tuning by guesswork.

Workflow

1. Read the relevant local AGENTS.md files before editing:
   • src/agents/AGENTS.md for agent/import hotspots.
   • src/channels/AGENTS.md and src/plugins/AGENTS.md for plugin/channel laziness.
   • src/gateway/AGENTS.md for server lifecycle tests.
   • test/helpers/AGENTS.md and test/helpers/channels/AGENTS.md for shared contract helpers.
   • src/infra/outbound/AGENTS.md for outbound/media/action tests.
2. Establish a baseline before changing code:
   • Prefer pnpm test:perf:groups --full-suite --allow-failures --output <file> for full-suite ranking.
   • For a scoped hotspot use: /usr/bin/time -l pnpm test <file-or-files> --maxWorkers=1 --reporter=verbose
   • For import-heavy suspicion add: OPENCLAW_VITEST_IMPORT_DURATIONS=1 OPENCLAW_VITEST_PRINT_IMPORT_BREAKDOWN=1.
3. Separate wall/runner noise from real file cost:
   • Compare Vitest duration, test body timing, import breakdown, wall time, and max RSS.
   • Re-run single files when grouped/full-suite numbers look stale or noisy.
   • If a full-suite grouped run reports a lane failure but JSON says tests passed, capture that as harness/noise and verify the suspect file directly.
4. Pick the next attack by return and risk:
   • High return: one file/test dominates seconds or RSS and has a clear root.
   • Lower risk: static descriptors, target parsing, routing, auth bypass, setup hints, registry fixtures, or test server lifecycle.
   • Higher risk: real memory/runtime behavior, live providers, protocol contracts, or broad production refactors.
5. Fix the root cause, not the symptom:
   • Move static metadata/parsing into narrow helpers or lightweight artifacts reused by full runtime and fast paths.
   • Prefer dependency injection, loaded-plugin-only lookup, explicit fixtures, and pure helpers over broad mocks.
   • Reuse suite-level servers/clients when a fresh handshake is irrelevant.
   • Keep schedulers/background loops off unless the test proves scheduling.
6. Preserve coverage shape:
   • Do not delete a slow integration proof unless the exact production composition is extracted into a named helper and tested.
   • Keep one cheap integration smoke when cross-component wiring matters.
   • State explicitly what incidental coverage was removed, if any.
7. Re-benchmark the same command after the change and compute seconds plus percent gain.
8. Update the running report when requested or when this thread is tracking one. Include before/after commands, artifacts, coverage notes, verification, and next attack order.
9. Commit with scripts/committer "<message>" <paths...> and push when the user asked for commits/pushes. Stage only files touched for this attack.

Common Root Causes

• Full bundled channel/plugin runtime loaded for static data.
• getChannelPlugin() fallback used when an already-loaded fixture or pure parser would suffice.
• Broad api.ts, runtime-api.ts, test-api.ts, or plugin-sdk barrels pulled into hot tests.
• Partial-real mocks using importActual() around broad modules.
• vi.resetModules() plus fresh imports in per-test loops.
• Test plugin registry seeded in beforeAll while runtime state resets in afterEach.
• Per-test gateway/server/client startup when state reset would suffice.
• Runtime/default model/auth selection paid by idle snapshots or fixtures.
• Plugin-owned media/action discovery triggered before checking whether args contain plugin-owned fields.

Benchmark Commands

Scoped file:

timeout 240 /usr/bin/time -l pnpm test <file> --maxWorkers=1 --reporter=verbose

Scoped file with import breakdown:

timeout 240 /usr/bin/time -l env \
  OPENCLAW_VITEST_IMPORT_DURATIONS=1 \
  OPENCLAW_VITEST_PRINT_IMPORT_BREAKDOWN=1 \
  pnpm test <file> --maxWorkers=1 --reporter=verbose

Grouped suite:

pnpm test:perf:groups --full-suite --allow-failures \
  --output .artifacts/test-perf/<name>.json

Reuse an existing Vitest JSON report:

pnpm test:perf:groups --report <vitest-json> \
  --output .artifacts/test-perf/<name>.json

Verification

• Always run the targeted test surface that proves the change.
• Run pnpm check before commit unless the change is docs-only and the hook handles it.
• Run pnpm build when touching lazy-loading, bundled artifacts, package boundaries, dynamic imports, build output, or public surfaces.
• If deps are missing/stale, run pnpm install and retry the exact failed command once.
• Use the report format:

| Metric         | Before | After |          Gain |
| -------------- | -----: | ----: | ------------: |
| File wall time |   `Xs` |  `Ys` |  `-Zs` (`P%`) |
| Max RSS        |  `XMB` | `YMB` | `-ZMB` (`P%`) |

Handoff

Keep the final concise:

• Root cause.
• Files changed.
• Before/after numbers.
• Coverage retained.
• Verification commands.
• Commit hash and push status.