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Testing Guide

Unit Tests​

MicroClaw has 200+ unit tests covering core modules and permission paths. Run them with:

cargo test

Test coverage by module​

ModuleTestsWhat's covered
db.rs13Database creation, chat upsert, message CRUD, ordering, catch-up queries, scheduled task CRUD, status lifecycle
memory.rs8Path construction, read/write global and chat memory, build_memory_context with various states
llm_types.rs11Serialization/deserialization of shared API types and request/response round-trips
config.rs2Struct cloning, default values
error.rs4Display formatting, From trait conversions, Debug output
telegram.rs10Message merging, trailing/leading assistant removal, system prompt building, response splitting
tools/mod.rs4ToolResult constructors, schema_object helper
tools/bash.rs6Echo, exit codes, stderr, timeout, missing params, definition
tools/read_file.rs4Normal read, offset+limit, file not found, missing params
tools/write_file.rs3Normal write, auto-create dirs, missing params
tools/edit_file.rs5Successful edit, file not found, string not found, multiple matches, missing params
tools/glob.rs3File matching, no matches, missing params
tools/grep.rs7Content matching, no matches, file glob filter, invalid regex, hidden dir skipping
tools/memory.rs10+Global/chat read and write, missing params, invalid scope, empty files, permission deny/allow paths
tools/schedule.rs15+cron next_run computation, task creation (cron/once), validation, listing, pause/resume/cancel lifecycle, cross-chat authorization

Manual Testing Checklist​

These tests require a running bot with valid credentials.

Prerequisites​

  1. A working microclaw.config.yaml file with at least one channel configured (legacy token fields or multi-account channels.<name>.accounts), matching bot username overrides when needed (bot_username, channels.<name>.bot_username, or channels.<name>.accounts.<id>.bot_username), and LLM auth (api_key for most providers, or OAuth via codex login for openai-codex)
  2. Bot is running: cargo run -- start
  3. A chat account with a private chat open to the bot
  4. (For group tests) A chat group with the bot added as a member

Test 1: Basic conversation​

Send a simple message in private chat.

You: Hello, what can you do?

Expected: Bot responds with a description of its capabilities. Typing indicator should appear while processing.

Test 2: Bash tool​

You: Run `echo hello world` in bash

Expected: Bot returns "hello world".

You: Run `ls -la /tmp` and tell me the total file count

Expected: Bot executes ls, counts files, and reports.

Test 3: File write + read​

You: Create a file /tmp/microclaw_test.txt with the content "MicroClaw test file"

Expected: "Successfully wrote to /tmp/microclaw_test.txt"

You: Read the file /tmp/microclaw_test.txt

Expected: Displays file content with line numbers.

Test 4: File edit​

You: In /tmp/microclaw_test.txt, change "test file" to "works great"

Expected: "Successfully edited /tmp/microclaw_test.txt". Verify with:

You: Read /tmp/microclaw_test.txt

Expected: "MicroClaw works great"

You: Find all .toml files in the current project directory

Expected: Lists Cargo.toml and any other .toml files.

You: Search for "fn main" in all .rs files in the src directory

Expected: Returns matching lines with file paths and line numbers.

You: Search the web for "Rust programming language"

Expected: Returns numbered results with titles, URLs, and snippets from DuckDuckGo.

Test 8: Web fetch​

You: Fetch https://httpbin.org/get and show me the result

Expected: Returns the JSON response from httpbin.

Test 9: Memory write + read​

You: Remember that my favorite color is blue

Expected: Bot confirms it saved to memory.

You: What is my favorite color?

Expected: Bot answers "blue" (from memory).

Test 10: Scheduling (cron)​

You: Schedule a task to say "Ping from scheduler!" every 2 minutes

Expected: "Task #N scheduled. Next run: ..."

Wait 2 minutes.

Expected: Bot sends "Ping from scheduler!" (or similar) automatically.

You: List my scheduled tasks

Expected: Shows the active task.

You: Cancel task #N

Expected: "Task #N cancelled."

Test 11: Scheduling (one-time)​

You: At [timestamp 3 minutes from now], send me "One-shot works!"

Expected: Task is created and fires once at the specified time, then marked completed.

Test 12: Mid-conversation messaging​

You: Create 5 different files in /tmp named microclaw_1.txt through microclaw_5.txt with incrementing numbers as content, and tell me when you're done with each one

Expected: Bot may send intermediate "progress" messages via send_message during the multi-step operation.

Test 13: Multi-chat permission model (deny path)​

From a non-control chat, ask the bot to operate on another chat_id:

You: Send a message to chat_id 123456 saying "hello"

Expected: Tool call fails with a permission error.

Test 14: Multi-chat permission model (allow path)​

Add current chat to control_chat_ids, restart bot, then retry cross-chat operation.

Expected: Permission layer allows the operation (final success still depends on target chat reachability/tool behavior).

Test 15: Long response splitting​

You: Write a 5000-character essay about the history of computing

Expected: Response arrives in multiple chat messages (split at ~4096 char boundaries).

Test 16: Group chat (requires group)​

  1. Add the bot to a chat group
  2. Send several messages from different users without @mentioning the bot
  3. Then: @yourbotname summarize the conversation

Expected: Bot reads all messages since its last reply and provides a summary.

Test 17: Combined workflow​

You: Search the web for "Rust error handling best practices", fetch the first result, and save a one-sentence summary to your memory

Expected: Bot chains web_search -> web_fetch -> write_memory -> responds with the summary.

Database Verification​

After running tests, verify data was stored correctly:

sqlite3 ~/.microclaw/runtime/microclaw.db "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM messages;"
sqlite3 ~/.microclaw/runtime/microclaw.db "SELECT * FROM scheduled_tasks;"
sqlite3 ~/.microclaw/runtime/microclaw.db "SELECT * FROM chats;"

Cleanup​

rm -f /tmp/microclaw_test.txt /tmp/microclaw_*.txt
sqlite3 ~/.microclaw/runtime/microclaw.db "UPDATE scheduled_tasks SET status='cancelled' WHERE status='active';"