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temporal-python-testing
TemporalPythonTestingPytestWorkflowCI/CDUnit TestingIntegration Testing
Install this skill
npx skills add wshobson/agentsWorks across Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Copilot & Antigravity
The temporal-python-testing skill provides a specialized framework for validating Temporal workflows and activities using the Python SDK. It emphasizes deterministic execution by enabling time-skipping capabilities, allowing developers to execute workflows spanning days or months in mere seconds. The framework centers on isolating workflow logic through activity mocking, ensuring that integration tests remain fast and stable. By providing structured approaches for replay testing, developers can catch non-deterministic code changes before deployment. The skill streamlines test suite organization by offering granular resources for unit, integration, and replay testing, ensuring high code coverage targets are met. It assists in setting up local Docker environments for testing and provides patterns for CI/CD integration, ensuring that workflow state transitions and signal handling function correctly under various simulated conditions.
When to Use This Skill
- β’Verifying long-running workflows that wait for timers or sleep durations
- β’Testing complex state transitions in workflows by injecting signals
- β’Ensuring backward compatibility of workflow definitions via history replay
- β’Validating logic in individual activities using an isolated environment
How to Invoke This Skill
Example prompts that trigger this skill in Claude Code, Cursor, or Antigravity:
- βHow do I write a unit test for a Temporal workflow?
- βShow me how to mock activities in my integration tests
- βValidate my workflow logic against a production history file
- βSet up a local test environment for Temporal workflows
- βHow can I test long-running timers without waiting?
Pro Tips
- π‘Prioritize integration tests for the majority of your workflow logic, using mocked activities to isolate their behavior and ensure fast feedback.
- π‘Leverage Temporal's time-skipping feature aggressively in unit and integration tests to significantly reduce execution time for long-running workflows.
- π‘Regularly include replay testing in your CI/CD pipeline to proactively catch determinism violations that could lead to unexpected workflow failures in production environments.
What this skill does
- β’Simulate time-skipping for rapid workflow completion
- β’Mock activity invocations to isolate unit tests
- β’Validate code determinism via production history replay
- β’Automate environment teardown with async pytest fixtures
- β’Execute end-to-end testing against local Temporal clusters
When not to use it
- βWhen testing pure business logic that does not involve Temporal workflow state
- βIf your environment cannot run Docker for local testing needs
Example workflow
- Initialize the WorkflowEnvironment with time-skipping enabled
- Define an async pytest fixture to manage the worker lifecycle
- Configure workflow mocks to intercept and return specific activity results
- Execute the workflow through the client interface
- Assert that the final execution result matches expected values
Prerequisites
- βtemporalio Python SDK
- βpytest
- βDocker (for local integration testing)
Pitfalls & limitations
- !Failing to account for non-deterministic code that breaks history replay
- !Over-reliance on end-to-end tests leading to slow CI/CD pipelines
- !Incorrectly configuring ActivityEnvironment leading to scope leaks
FAQ
Why should I use time-skipping instead of real time?
Time-skipping allows you to verify workflows that wait for days or months instantly, significantly speeding up the feedback loop during development.
What is the difference between unit testing and replay testing?
Unit testing verifies your logic in isolation using mocks, while replay testing checks if your current code can correctly interpret historical workflow event logs.
Is 80% coverage mandatory for all Temporal projects?
While 80% is the recommended best practice to ensure production stability, the focus should prioritize testing critical paths and state transitions.
How it compares
Unlike generic testing frameworks that rely on standard mocks, this skill utilizes Temporal-specific abstractions like ActivityEnvironment to precisely simulate the workflow execution lifecycle.
π Full skill instructions β original source: wshobson/agents
# Temporal Python Testing Strategies
Comprehensive testing approaches for Temporal workflows using pytest, progressive disclosure resources for specific testing scenarios.
## When to Use This Skill
- **Unit testing workflows** - Fast tests with time-skipping
- **Integration testing** - Workflows with mocked activities
- **Replay testing** - Validate determinism against production histories
- **Local development** - Set up Temporal server and pytest
- **CI/CD integration** - Automated testing pipelines
- **Coverage strategies** - Achieve β₯80% test coverage
## Testing Philosophy
**Recommended Approach** (Source: docs.temporal.io/develop/python/testing-suite):
- Write majority as integration tests
- Use pytest with async fixtures
- Time-skipping enables fast feedback (month-long workflows β seconds)
- Mock activities to isolate workflow logic
- Validate determinism with replay testing
**Three Test Types**:
1. **Unit**: Workflows with time-skipping, activities with ActivityEnvironment
2. **Integration**: Workers with mocked activities
3. **End-to-end**: Full Temporal server with real activities (use sparingly)
## Available Resources
This skill provides detailed guidance through progressive disclosure. Load specific resources based on your testing needs:
### Unit Testing Resources
**File**:
**When to load**: Testing individual workflows or activities in isolation
**Contains**:
- WorkflowEnvironment with time-skipping
- ActivityEnvironment for activity testing
- Fast execution of long-running workflows
- Manual time advancement patterns
- pytest fixtures and patterns
### Integration Testing Resources
**File**:
**When to load**: Testing workflows with mocked external dependencies
**Contains**:
- Activity mocking strategies
- Error injection patterns
- Multi-activity workflow testing
- Signal and query testing
- Coverage strategies
### Replay Testing Resources
**File**:
**When to load**: Validating determinism or deploying workflow changes
**Contains**:
- Determinism validation
- Production history replay
- CI/CD integration patterns
- Version compatibility testing
### Local Development Resources
**File**:
**When to load**: Setting up development environment
**Contains**:
- Docker Compose configuration
- pytest setup and configuration
- Coverage tool integration
- Development workflow
## Quick Start Guide
### Basic Workflow Test
### Basic Activity Test
## Coverage Targets
**Recommended Coverage** (Source: docs.temporal.io best practices):
- **Workflows**: β₯80% logic coverage
- **Activities**: β₯80% logic coverage
- **Integration**: Critical paths with mocked activities
- **Replay**: All workflow versions before deployment
## Key Testing Principles
1. **Time-Skipping** - Month-long workflows test in seconds
2. **Mock Activities** - Isolate workflow logic from external dependencies
3. **Replay Testing** - Validate determinism before deployment
4. **High Coverage** - β₯80% target for production workflows
5. **Fast Feedback** - Unit tests run in milliseconds
## How to Use Resources
**Load specific resource when needed**:
- "Show me unit testing patterns" β Load
- "How do I mock activities?" β Load
- "Setup local Temporal server" β Load
- "Validate determinism" β Load
## Additional References
- Python SDK Testing: docs.temporal.io/develop/python/testing-suite
- Testing Patterns: github.com/temporalio/temporal/blob/main/docs/development/testing.md
- Python Samples: github.com/temporalio/samples-python
Comprehensive testing approaches for Temporal workflows using pytest, progressive disclosure resources for specific testing scenarios.
## When to Use This Skill
- **Unit testing workflows** - Fast tests with time-skipping
- **Integration testing** - Workflows with mocked activities
- **Replay testing** - Validate determinism against production histories
- **Local development** - Set up Temporal server and pytest
- **CI/CD integration** - Automated testing pipelines
- **Coverage strategies** - Achieve β₯80% test coverage
## Testing Philosophy
**Recommended Approach** (Source: docs.temporal.io/develop/python/testing-suite):
- Write majority as integration tests
- Use pytest with async fixtures
- Time-skipping enables fast feedback (month-long workflows β seconds)
- Mock activities to isolate workflow logic
- Validate determinism with replay testing
**Three Test Types**:
1. **Unit**: Workflows with time-skipping, activities with ActivityEnvironment
2. **Integration**: Workers with mocked activities
3. **End-to-end**: Full Temporal server with real activities (use sparingly)
## Available Resources
This skill provides detailed guidance through progressive disclosure. Load specific resources based on your testing needs:
### Unit Testing Resources
**File**:
resources/unit-testing.md**When to load**: Testing individual workflows or activities in isolation
**Contains**:
- WorkflowEnvironment with time-skipping
- ActivityEnvironment for activity testing
- Fast execution of long-running workflows
- Manual time advancement patterns
- pytest fixtures and patterns
### Integration Testing Resources
**File**:
resources/integration-testing.md**When to load**: Testing workflows with mocked external dependencies
**Contains**:
- Activity mocking strategies
- Error injection patterns
- Multi-activity workflow testing
- Signal and query testing
- Coverage strategies
### Replay Testing Resources
**File**:
resources/replay-testing.md**When to load**: Validating determinism or deploying workflow changes
**Contains**:
- Determinism validation
- Production history replay
- CI/CD integration patterns
- Version compatibility testing
### Local Development Resources
**File**:
resources/local-setup.md**When to load**: Setting up development environment
**Contains**:
- Docker Compose configuration
- pytest setup and configuration
- Coverage tool integration
- Development workflow
## Quick Start Guide
### Basic Workflow Test
import pytest
from temporalio.testing import WorkflowEnvironment
from temporalio.worker import Worker
@pytest.fixture
async def workflow_env():
env = await WorkflowEnvironment.start_time_skipping()
yield env
await env.shutdown()
@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_workflow(workflow_env):
async with Worker(
workflow_env.client,
task_queue="test-queue",
workflows=[YourWorkflow],
activities=[your_activity],
):
result = await workflow_env.client.execute_workflow(
YourWorkflow.run,
args,
id="test-wf-id",
task_queue="test-queue",
)
assert result == expected### Basic Activity Test
from temporalio.testing import ActivityEnvironment
async def test_activity():
env = ActivityEnvironment()
result = await env.run(your_activity, "test-input")
assert result == expected_output## Coverage Targets
**Recommended Coverage** (Source: docs.temporal.io best practices):
- **Workflows**: β₯80% logic coverage
- **Activities**: β₯80% logic coverage
- **Integration**: Critical paths with mocked activities
- **Replay**: All workflow versions before deployment
## Key Testing Principles
1. **Time-Skipping** - Month-long workflows test in seconds
2. **Mock Activities** - Isolate workflow logic from external dependencies
3. **Replay Testing** - Validate determinism before deployment
4. **High Coverage** - β₯80% target for production workflows
5. **Fast Feedback** - Unit tests run in milliseconds
## How to Use Resources
**Load specific resource when needed**:
- "Show me unit testing patterns" β Load
resources/unit-testing.md- "How do I mock activities?" β Load
resources/integration-testing.md- "Setup local Temporal server" β Load
resources/local-setup.md- "Validate determinism" β Load
resources/replay-testing.md## Additional References
- Python SDK Testing: docs.temporal.io/develop/python/testing-suite
- Testing Patterns: github.com/temporalio/temporal/blob/main/docs/development/testing.md
- Python Samples: github.com/temporalio/samples-python
By W. Shobson
How to Use This Skill Unit
Option A: Project-Specific (Recommended)
- Click "Download" above
- In your project, create the directory:
.agent/skills/temporal-python-testing/ - Save the file as
SKILL.md - The agent will automatically discover the skill based on its description.
Option B: Global Installation (All Agents)
Save the file to these locations to make it available across all projects:
- Claude Code:
~/.claude/skills/wshobson/agents/temporal-python-testing/SKILL.md - Cursor:
~/.cursor/skills/wshobson/agents/temporal-python-testing/SKILL.md - Antigravity:
~/.gemini/antigravity/skills/wshobson/agents/temporal-python-testing/SKILL.md
π Install with CLI:npx skills add wshobson/agents
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