Monitoring Long-Running Tests

Proactive diagnostics and user feedback during test execution.

Golden Rule

Users should never wait more than 30 seconds without knowing what's happening.

Update the TODO checklist at each phase. When using read_bash during long operations, acknowledge progress even if there's no new output.

Quick Reference

Action	When
Update TODO checklist	At each phase transition
Acknowledge progress	Every 30s during silent periods
Check device/build status	If no output for 60+ seconds

Test Phases and Timing

Quick Tests (SmokeTests, ConsoleTests, BlazorTests)

Phase	Duration	Output Indicator
Build test project	5-10s	"Determining projects to restore..."
Run tests	10-60s	"Starting test execution, please wait..."
Complete	-	"Passed! - Failed: 0, Passed: N"

Feedback: These are fast enough that a single TODO update per test is sufficient.

LinuxConsoleTests (Docker)

Phase	Duration	Output Indicator
Build test project	5-10s	"Determining projects to restore..."
Docker image build	30-90s	"Building Docker image..."
Run in container	5-10s	"Running in Docker container..."
Complete	-	"Passed! - Failed: 0, Passed: 2"

First run is slower (~90s) due to Docker image layer caching. Subsequent runs use cached layers (~10s). Docker tests require SkiaSharp.NativeAssets.Linux.NoDependencies which bundles all native deps statically.

MAUI Platform Tests (iOS, Android, MacCatalyst)

Phase	Duration	Output Indicator
Build test project	5-10s	"Determining projects to restore..."
Test start	-	"Starting test execution, please wait..."
Create temp project	3-5s	"The template "..." was created successfully"
Add NuGet packages	2-5s	"PackageReference for package 'SkiaSharp..."
Build MAUI app	30-120s	Silence (this is the long part!)
Appium connect	5s	"Connecting to Appium at port 4723..."
Driver session	5-10s	"Driver connected, waiting for app..."
App deploy	10-30s	Device/emulator shows app launching
Capture screenshot	5s	"Full screenshot saved"
Verify	1s	"✅ MAUI {Platform} passed"
Complete	-	"Passed! - Failed: 0, Passed: 2"

The Silent Build Phase

The Build MAUI app phase is the longest and provides no output. This is normal:

Platform	Build Time
iOS	60-90 seconds
Android	90-120 seconds
MacCatalyst	45-60 seconds

This silence is expected. The user needs to know this.

Verifying Build is Running

bash

ps aux | grep -E "dotnet.*build" | grep -v grep

If you see a dotnet build process, the test is progressing normally.

Providing User Feedback

TODO Checklist Format

Use a detailed checklist showing sub-steps for MAUI tests:

markdown

- [ ] MauiiOSTests (iOS 16.2 - oldest)
  - [x] Test project compiled
  - [x] Created temp MAUI project
  - [ ] Building iOS app (~60-90s)...
  - [ ] Deploying to simulator
  - [ ] Running test

During Long Waits

When using read_bash to wait for a long operation:

Before the wait: Update checklist to show current phase
After each read (if still running): Add progress note with elapsed time
On completion: Mark step done, move to next

Phase-Specific Feedback Messages

Phase	What to Say
Build test project	"Building test project..."
Create temp project	"Creating MAUI app from template..."
Build MAUI app	"Building for {platform} (~60-90s)..."
Still building (30s check)	"⏳ Still building (~30s elapsed)"
Still building (60s check)	"⏳ Still building (~60s elapsed)"
Build complete	"✅ Build complete"
Deploy	"Deploying app to {device}..."
Run test	"Running Appium test..."
Verify	"Verifying screenshot..."
Done	"✅ Passed"

Example: Full Test Feedback Flow

🔄 Running MauiiOSTests (iOS 16.2)
  ✅ Test project compiled
  ✅ Created MauiiOSSKCanvasView project
  ⏳ Building iOS app (~60-90s expected)...
     ⏳ Still building (~30s elapsed)
     ⏳ Still building (~60s elapsed)
  ✅ Build complete (~75s)
  ⏳ Deploying to iPhone 14 Pro simulator...
  ✅ App deployed, running test...
  ✅ Screenshot captured and verified
  ✅ MauiiOSTests (iOS 16.2) passed!

Detecting Problems

Symptom	Likely Cause	Action
Silent after "Starting test execution"	MAUI app building	Normal - wait, update user
No build process, 120+ seconds	Build stuck/failed	Check for errors
"Connecting to Appium" then silence	Driver creation failed	Check Appium logs
App appears then disappears	App crashed	Check device logs
"Could not find canvas element"	UI didn't render	Will auto-retry, wait

Checking Device Status

Android:

bash

adb devices -l
adb logcat -d | grep -E "(FATAL|crash|died)" | tail -10

iOS:

bash

xcrun simctl list devices booted

When to Intervene

Condition	Action
Build running, < 2 minutes	Wait — builds are slow, this is normal
Build running, > 3 minutes	Something may be wrong, check logs
No build process, > 60s silence	Check for errors in test output
App crashes repeatedly	Stop, investigate (see troubleshooting.md)
Device unresponsive	Kill device/emulator, restart, retry