From bmad-skills
Sets up, writes, reviews, runs, debugs, and optimizes E2E/integration tests for TypeScript/NestJS projects using Jest, supertest, and real Docker infrastructure (Kafka, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis) with the Given-When-Then pattern.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/bmad-skills:typescript-e2e-testingThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
E2E testing validates complete workflows from user perspective, using real infrastructure via Docker.
LICENSEreferences/api/examples.mdreferences/api/knowledge.mdreferences/api/mocking.mdreferences/api/rules.mdreferences/api/test-helper.mdreferences/common/best-practices.mdreferences/common/debugging.mdreferences/common/examples.mdreferences/common/knowledge.mdreferences/common/nestjs-setup.mdreferences/common/rules.mdreferences/common/test-case-creation-guide.mdreferences/kafka/docker-setup.mdreferences/kafka/examples.mdreferences/kafka/isolation.mdreferences/kafka/knowledge.mdreferences/kafka/performance.mdreferences/kafka/rules.mdreferences/kafka/test-helper.mdE2E testing validates complete workflows from user perspective, using real infrastructure via Docker.
For comprehensive step-by-step guidance, use the appropriate workflow:
| Workflow | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Setup E2E Test | Setting up E2E infrastructure for a new or existing project |
| Writing E2E Test | Creating new E2E test cases with proper GWT pattern |
| Review E2E Test | Reviewing existing tests for quality and correctness |
| Running E2E Test | Executing tests with proper verification |
| Debugging E2E Test | Systematically fixing failing tests |
| Optimize E2E Test | Improving test suite performance |
IMPORTANT: Before starting any E2E testing task, identify the user's intent and load the appropriate workflow.
| User Says / Wants | Workflow to Load | File |
|---|---|---|
| "Set up E2E tests", "configure docker-compose", "add E2E to project", "create test helpers" | Setup | workflows/setup/workflow.md |
| "Write E2E tests", "add integration tests", "test this endpoint", "create e2e-spec" | Writing | workflows/writing/workflow.md |
| "Review E2E tests", "check test quality", "audit tests", "is this test correct?" | Reviewing | workflows/review/workflow.md |
| "Run E2E tests", "execute tests", "start docker and test", "check if tests pass" | Running | workflows/running/workflow.md |
| "Fix E2E tests", "debug tests", "tests are failing", "flaky test", "connection error" | Debugging | workflows/debugging/workflow.md |
| "Speed up E2E tests", "optimize tests", "tests are slow", "reduce test time" | Optimizing | workflows/optimize/workflow.md |
references/ files to readImportant: Each workflow includes instructions to load relevant knowledge from the references/ folder before and after completing tasks.
references/
├── common/ # Shared testing fundamentals
│ ├── knowledge.md # Core E2E concepts and test pyramid
│ ├── rules.md # Mandatory testing rules (GWT, timeouts, logging)
│ ├── best-practices.md # Test design and cleanup patterns
│ ├── test-case-creation-guide.md # GWT templates for all scenarios
│ ├── nestjs-setup.md # NestJS app bootstrap and Jest config
│ ├── debugging.md # VS Code config and log analysis
│ └── examples.md # Comprehensive examples by category
│
├── kafka/ # Kafka-specific testing
│ ├── knowledge.md # Why common approaches fail, architecture
│ ├── rules.md # Kafka-specific testing rules
│ ├── test-helper.md # KafkaTestHelper implementation
│ ├── docker-setup.md # Redpanda/Kafka Docker configs
│ ├── performance.md # Optimization techniques
│ ├── isolation.md # Pre-subscription pattern details
│ └── examples.md # Kafka test examples
│
├── postgres/ # PostgreSQL-specific testing
│ ├── knowledge.md # PostgreSQL testing concepts
│ ├── rules.md # Cleanup, transaction, assertion rules
│ ├── test-helper.md # PostgresTestHelper implementation
│ └── examples.md # CRUD, transaction, constraint examples
│
├── mongodb/ # MongoDB-specific testing
│ ├── knowledge.md # MongoDB testing concepts
│ ├── rules.md # Document cleanup and assertion rules
│ ├── test-helper.md # MongoDbTestHelper implementation
│ ├── docker-setup.md # Docker and Memory Server setup
│ └── examples.md # Document and aggregation examples
│
├── redis/ # Redis-specific testing
│ ├── knowledge.md # Redis testing concepts
│ ├── rules.md # TTL and pub/sub rules
│ ├── test-helper.md # RedisTestHelper implementation
│ ├── docker-setup.md # Docker configuration
│ └── examples.md # Cache, session, rate limit examples
│
└── api/ # API testing (REST, GraphQL, gRPC)
├── knowledge.md # API testing concepts
├── rules.md # Request/response assertion rules
├── test-helper.md # Auth and Supertest helpers
├── examples.md # REST, GraphQL, validation examples
└── mocking.md # MSW and Nock external API mocking
Tip: For detailed step-by-step guidance, use the Workflows section above.
Workflow: Setup E2E Test
references/common/knowledge.md - Understand E2E fundamentalsreferences/common/nestjs-setup.md - Project setupdocker-setup.md files as neededWorkflow: Writing E2E Test
references/common/rules.md - GWT pattern, timeoutsreferences/common/test-case-creation-guide.md - Templatesreferences/kafka/knowledge.md → test-helper.md → isolation.mdreferences/postgres/rules.md → test-helper.mdreferences/mongodb/rules.md → test-helper.mdreferences/redis/rules.md → test-helper.mdreferences/api/rules.md → test-helper.mdWorkflow: Review E2E Test
references/common/rules.md - Check against mandatory patternsreferences/common/best-practices.md - Quality standardsrules.md filesWorkflow: Running E2E Test
npm run test:e2e > /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-output.log 2>&1Workflow: Debugging E2E Test
references/common/debugging.md/tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-failures.md tracking fileWorkflow: Optimize E2E Test
references/common/best-practices.md - Performance patternsreferences/kafka/performance.md for Kafka testsreferences/common/examples.md for general patternsexamples.md for detailed scenariosALWAYS redirect E2E test output to temp files, NOT console. E2E output is verbose and bloats agent context.
IMPORTANT: Redirect output to temp files only (NO console output). Use unique session ID to prevent conflicts.
# Generate unique session ID at start of debugging session
export E2E_SESSION=$(date +%s)-$$
# Standard pattern - redirect to file only (no console output)
npm run test:e2e > /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-output.log 2>&1
# Read summary only (last 50 lines)
tail -50 /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-output.log
# Get failure details
grep -B 2 -A 15 "FAIL\|✕" /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-output.log
# Cleanup when done
rm -f /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-*.log /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-*.md
Temp Files (with ${E2E_SESSION} unique per agent):
/tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-output.log - Full test output/tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-failures.log - Filtered failure output/tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-failures.md - Tracking file for one-by-one fixing/tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-debug.log - Debug runs/tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-verify.log - Verification runsTest against actual services via Docker. Never mock databases or message brokers for E2E tests.
ALL E2E tests MUST follow Given-When-Then:
it('should create user and return 201', async () => {
// GIVEN: Valid user data
const userData = { email: '[email protected]', name: 'Test' };
// WHEN: Creating user
const response = await request(httpServer)
.post('/users')
.send(userData)
.expect(201);
// THEN: User created with correct data
expect(response.body.data.email).toBe('[email protected]');
});
Each test MUST be independent:
beforeEachAssert exact values, not just existence:
// WRONG
expect(response.body.data).toBeDefined();
// CORRECT
expect(response.body).toMatchObject({
code: 'SUCCESS',
data: { email: '[email protected]', name: 'Test' }
});
project-root/
├── src/
├── test/
│ ├── e2e/
│ │ ├── feature.e2e-spec.ts
│ │ ├── setup.ts
│ │ └── helpers/
│ │ ├── test-app.helper.ts
│ │ ├── postgres.helper.ts
│ │ ├── mongodb.helper.ts
│ │ ├── redis.helper.ts
│ │ └── kafka.helper.ts
│ └── jest-e2e.config.ts
├── docker-compose.e2e.yml
├── .env.e2e
└── package.json
// test/jest-e2e.config.ts
const config: Config = {
preset: 'ts-jest',
testEnvironment: 'node',
testMatch: ['**/*.e2e-spec.ts'],
testTimeout: 25000,
maxWorkers: 1, // CRITICAL: Sequential execution
clearMocks: true,
forceExit: true,
detectOpenHandles: true,
};
| Technology | Wait Time | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Kafka | 10-20s max (polling) | Smart polling with 50ms intervals |
| PostgreSQL | <1s | Direct queries |
| MongoDB | <1s | Direct queries |
| Redis | <100ms | In-memory operations |
| External API | 1-5s | Network latency |
CRITICAL: Fix ONE test at a time. NEVER run full suite repeatedly while fixing.
When E2E tests fail:
export E2E_SESSION=$(date +%s)-$$
/tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-failures.md with all failing testsnpm run test:e2e -- -t "test name" > /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-debug.log 2>&1
tail -50 /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-debug.log
for i in {1..5}; do npm run test:e2e -- -t "test name" > /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-run$i.log 2>&1 && echo "Run $i: PASS" || echo "Run $i: FAIL"; done
rm -f /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-*.log /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-*.mdWHY: Running full suite wastes time and context. Each failing test pollutes output, making debugging harder.
beforeEach(async () => {
await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 500)); // Wait for in-flight
await repository.clear(); // PostgreSQL
// OR
await model.deleteMany({}); // MongoDB
});
// Use pre-subscription + buffer clearing (NOT fromBeginning: true)
const kafkaHelper = new KafkaTestHelper();
await kafkaHelper.subscribeToTopic(outputTopic, false);
// In beforeEach: kafkaHelper.clearMessages(outputTopic);
beforeEach(async () => {
await redis.flushdb();
});
mockServer.use(
http.post('https://api.external.com/endpoint', () => {
return HttpResponse.json({ status: 'success' });
})
);
// Use smart polling instead of fixed waits
await kafkaHelper.publishEvent(inputTopic, event, event.id);
const messages = await kafkaHelper.waitForMessages(outputTopic, 1, 20000);
expect(messages[0].value).toMatchObject({ id: event.id });
All commands redirect output to temp files only (no console output).
# Initialize session (once at start)
export E2E_SESSION=$(date +%s)-$$
# Run specific test (no console output)
npm run test:e2e -- -t "should create user" > /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-output.log 2>&1 && tail -50 /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-output.log
# Run specific file
npm run test:e2e -- test/e2e/user.e2e-spec.ts > /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-output.log 2>&1 && tail -50 /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-output.log
# Run full suite
npm run test:e2e > /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-output.log 2>&1 && tail -50 /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-output.log
# Get failure details from last run
grep -B 2 -A 15 "FAIL\|✕" /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-output.log
# Debug with breakpoints (requires console for interactive debugging)
node --inspect-brk node_modules/.bin/jest --config test/jest-e2e.config.ts --runInBand
# View application logs (limited)
tail -100 logs/e2e-test.log
grep -i error logs/e2e-test.log | tail -50
# Cleanup session files
rm -f /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-*.log /tmp/e2e-${E2E_SESSION}-*.md
npx claudepluginhub bmad-labs/skills --plugin bmad-skillsGuides writing and debugging TypeScript/NestJS unit tests with Jest, DeepMocked createMock, and in-memory databases. Activates on .spec.ts files or testing workflows.
Writes and runs unit, integration, e2e, performance, and contract tests to verify code functionality.
Build E2E test specs for critical user journeys — Playwright or Cypress, page objects, setup/teardown, CI config. Use when asked to "write E2E tests", "end-to-end testing", "browser tests", "UI tests", or "Playwright tests".