---
summary: "Testing utilities and patterns for OpenClaw plugins"
title: "Plugin testing"
sidebarTitle: "Testing"
read_when:
  - You are writing tests for a plugin
  - You need test utilities from the plugin SDK
  - You want to understand contract tests for bundled plugins
---

Reference for test utilities, patterns, and lint enforcement for OpenClaw
plugins.

<Tip>
  **Looking for test examples?** The how-to guides include worked test examples:
  [Channel plugin tests](/plugins/sdk-channel-plugins#step-6-test) and
  [Provider plugin tests](/plugins/sdk-provider-plugins#step-6-test).
</Tip>

## Test utilities

These subpaths are repo-local source entrypoints for OpenClaw's own bundled
plugin tests. They are not published `package.json` exports for third-party
plugins, and they may import Vitest or other repo-only test dependencies.

```typescript
import {
  shouldAckReaction,
  removeAckReactionAfterReply,
} from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-feedback";
import { installCommonResolveTargetErrorCases } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-target-testing";
import { AUTH_PROFILE_RUNTIME_CONTRACT } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/agent-runtime-test-contracts";
import { createTestPluginApi } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/plugin-test-api";
import { expectChannelInboundContextContract } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-contract-testing";
import { createStartAccountContext } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-test-helpers";
import { describePluginRegistrationContract } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/plugin-test-contracts";
import { registerSingleProviderPlugin } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime";
import { describeOpenAIProviderRuntimeContract } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/provider-test-contracts";
import { getProviderHttpMocks } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/provider-http-test-mocks";
import { withEnv, withFetchPreconnect, withServer } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/test-env";
import {
  bundledPluginRoot,
  createCliRuntimeCapture,
  typedCases,
} from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/test-fixtures";
import { mockNodeBuiltinModule } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/test-node-mocks";
```

Prefer these focused subpaths for new bundled plugin tests. The broad
`openclaw/plugin-sdk/testing` barrel and `openclaw/plugin-sdk/test-utils` alias
are legacy compatibility only: `pnpm run lint:plugins:no-extension-test-core-imports`
(`scripts/check-no-extension-test-core-imports.ts`) rejects new imports of
either from extension test files, and both remain solely for
compatibility-record tests.

### Available exports

| Export                                               | Purpose                                                                                                                                  |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `createTestPluginApi`                                | Build a minimal plugin API mock for direct registration unit tests. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-api`                             |
| `AUTH_PROFILE_RUNTIME_CONTRACT`                      | Shared auth-profile contract fixture for native agent runtime adapters. Import from `plugin-sdk/agent-runtime-test-contracts`            |
| `DELIVERY_NO_REPLY_RUNTIME_CONTRACT`                 | Shared delivery suppression contract fixture for native agent runtime adapters. Import from `plugin-sdk/agent-runtime-test-contracts`    |
| `OUTCOME_FALLBACK_RUNTIME_CONTRACT`                  | Shared fallback-classification contract fixture for native agent runtime adapters. Import from `plugin-sdk/agent-runtime-test-contracts` |
| `createParameterFreeTool`                            | Build dynamic-tool schema fixtures for native runtime contract tests. Import from `plugin-sdk/agent-runtime-test-contracts`              |
| `expectChannelInboundContextContract`                | Assert channel inbound context shape. Import from `plugin-sdk/channel-contract-testing`                                                  |
| `installChannelOutboundPayloadContractSuite`         | Install channel outbound payload contract cases. Import from `plugin-sdk/channel-contract-testing`                                       |
| `createStartAccountContext`                          | Build channel account lifecycle contexts. Import from `plugin-sdk/channel-test-helpers`                                                  |
| `installChannelActionsContractSuite`                 | Install generic channel message-action contract cases. Import from `plugin-sdk/channel-test-helpers`                                     |
| `installChannelSetupContractSuite`                   | Install generic channel setup contract cases. Import from `plugin-sdk/channel-test-helpers`                                              |
| `installChannelStatusContractSuite`                  | Install generic channel status contract cases. Import from `plugin-sdk/channel-test-helpers`                                             |
| `expectDirectoryIds`                                 | Assert channel directory ids from a directory-list function. Import from `plugin-sdk/channel-test-helpers`                               |
| `assertBundledChannelEntries`                        | Assert bundled channel entrypoints expose the expected public contract. Import from `plugin-sdk/channel-test-helpers`                    |
| `formatEnvelopeTimestamp`                            | Format deterministic envelope timestamps. Import from `plugin-sdk/channel-test-helpers`                                                  |
| `expectPairingReplyText`                             | Assert channel pairing reply text and extract its code. Import from `plugin-sdk/channel-test-helpers`                                    |
| `describePluginRegistrationContract`                 | Install plugin registration contract checks. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-contracts`                                              |
| `registerSingleProviderPlugin`                       | Register one provider plugin in loader smoke tests. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`                                         |
| `registerProviderPlugin`                             | Capture all provider kinds from one plugin. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`                                                 |
| `registerProviderPlugins`                            | Capture provider registrations across multiple plugins. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`                                     |
| `requireRegisteredProvider`                          | Assert that a provider collection contains an id. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`                                           |
| `createRuntimeEnv`                                   | Build a mocked CLI/plugin runtime environment. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`                                              |
| `createPluginRuntimeMock`                            | Build a mocked plugin runtime surface. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`                                                      |
| `createPluginSetupWizardStatus`                      | Build setup status helpers for channel plugins. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`                                             |
| `createTestWizardPrompter`                           | Build a mocked setup wizard prompter. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`                                                       |
| `createRuntimeTaskFlow`                              | Create isolated runtime task-flow state. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`                                                    |
| `runProviderCatalog`                                 | Execute a provider catalog hook with test dependencies. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`                                     |
| `resolveProviderWizardOptions`                       | Resolve provider setup wizard choices in contract tests. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`                                    |
| `resolveProviderModelPickerEntries`                  | Resolve provider model-picker entries in contract tests. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`                                    |
| `buildProviderPluginMethodChoice`                    | Build provider wizard choice ids for assertions. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`                                            |
| `setProviderWizardProvidersResolverForTest`          | Inject provider wizard providers for isolated tests. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`                                        |
| `describeOpenAIProviderRuntimeContract`              | Install provider-family runtime contract checks. Import from `plugin-sdk/provider-test-contracts`                                        |
| `expectPassthroughReplayPolicy`                      | Assert provider replay policies pass through provider-owned tools and metadata. Import from `plugin-sdk/provider-test-contracts`         |
| `runRealtimeSttLiveTest`                             | Run a live realtime STT provider test with shared audio fixtures. Import from `plugin-sdk/provider-test-contracts`                       |
| `normalizeTranscriptForMatch`                        | Normalize live transcript output before fuzzy assertions. Import from `plugin-sdk/provider-test-contracts`                               |
| `expectExplicitVideoGenerationCapabilities`          | Assert video providers declare explicit generation mode capabilities. Import from `plugin-sdk/provider-test-contracts`                   |
| `expectExplicitMusicGenerationCapabilities`          | Assert music providers declare explicit generation/edit capabilities. Import from `plugin-sdk/provider-test-contracts`                   |
| `mockSuccessfulDashscopeVideoTask`                   | Install a successful DashScope-compatible video task response. Import from `plugin-sdk/provider-test-contracts`                          |
| `getProviderHttpMocks`                               | Access opt-in provider HTTP/auth Vitest mocks. Import from `plugin-sdk/provider-http-test-mocks`                                         |
| `installProviderHttpMockCleanup`                     | Reset provider HTTP/auth mocks after each test. Import from `plugin-sdk/provider-http-test-mocks`                                        |
| `installCommonResolveTargetErrorCases`               | Shared test cases for target resolution error handling. Import from `plugin-sdk/channel-target-testing`                                  |
| `shouldAckReaction`                                  | Check whether a channel should add an ack reaction. Import from `plugin-sdk/channel-feedback`                                            |
| `removeAckReactionAfterReply`                        | Remove ack reaction after reply delivery. Import from `plugin-sdk/channel-feedback`                                                      |
| `createTestRegistry`                                 | Build a channel plugin registry fixture. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime` or `plugin-sdk/channel-test-helpers`               |
| `createEmptyPluginRegistry`                          | Build an empty plugin registry fixture. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime` or `plugin-sdk/channel-test-helpers`                |
| `setActivePluginRegistry`                            | Install a registry fixture for plugin runtime tests. Import from `plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime` or `plugin-sdk/channel-test-helpers`   |
| `createRequestCaptureJsonFetch`                      | Capture JSON fetch requests in media helper tests. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-env`                                                     |
| `withServer`                                         | Run tests against a disposable local HTTP server. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-env`                                                      |
| `createMockIncomingRequest`                          | Build a minimal incoming HTTP request object. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-env`                                                          |
| `withFetchPreconnect`                                | Run fetch tests with preconnect hooks installed. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-env`                                                       |
| `withEnv` / `withEnvAsync`                           | Temporarily patch environment variables. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-env`                                                               |
| `createTempHomeEnv` / `withTempHome` / `withTempDir` | Create isolated filesystem test fixtures. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-env`                                                              |
| `createMockServerResponse`                           | Create a minimal HTTP server response mock. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-env`                                                            |
| `createProviderUsageFetch`                           | Build provider usage fetch fixtures. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-env`                                                                   |
| `useFrozenTime` / `useRealTime`                      | Freeze and restore timers for time-sensitive tests. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-env`                                                    |
| `createCliRuntimeCapture`                            | Capture CLI runtime output in tests. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-fixtures`                                                              |
| `importFreshModule`                                  | Import an ESM module with a fresh query token to bypass module cache. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-fixtures`                             |
| `bundledPluginRoot` / `bundledPluginFile`            | Resolve bundled plugin source or dist fixture paths. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-fixtures`                                              |
| `mockNodeBuiltinModule`                              | Install narrow Node builtin Vitest mocks. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-node-mocks`                                                       |
| `createSandboxTestContext`                           | Build sandbox test contexts. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-fixtures`                                                                      |
| `writeSkill`                                         | Write skill fixtures. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-fixtures`                                                                             |
| `makeAgentAssistantMessage`                          | Build agent transcript message fixtures. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-fixtures`                                                          |
| `peekSystemEvents` / `resetSystemEventsForTest`      | Inspect and reset system event fixtures. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-fixtures`                                                          |
| `sanitizeTerminalText`                               | Sanitize terminal output for assertions. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-fixtures`                                                          |
| `countLines` / `hasBalancedFences`                   | Assert chunking output shape. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-fixtures`                                                                     |
| `typedCases`                                         | Preserve literal types for table-driven tests. Import from `plugin-sdk/test-fixtures`                                                    |

Bundled-plugin contract suites also use these SDK testing subpaths for
test-only registry, manifest, public-artifact, and runtime fixture helpers.
Core-only suites that depend on bundled OpenClaw inventory stay under
`src/plugins/contracts` instead.

### Types

Focused testing subpaths also re-export types useful in test files:

```typescript
import type {
  ChannelAccountSnapshot,
  ChannelGatewayContext,
} from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-contract";
import type { OpenClawConfig } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/config-contracts";
import type { MockFn, PluginRuntime, RuntimeEnv } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime";
```

## Testing target resolution

Use `installCommonResolveTargetErrorCases` to add standard error cases for
channel target resolution:

```typescript
import { describe } from "vitest";
import { installCommonResolveTargetErrorCases } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/channel-target-testing";

describe("my-channel target resolution", () => {
  installCommonResolveTargetErrorCases({
    resolveTarget: ({ to, mode, allowFrom }) => {
      // Your channel's target resolution logic
      return myChannelResolveTarget({ to, mode, allowFrom });
    },
    implicitAllowFrom: ["user1", "user2"],
  });

  // Add channel-specific test cases
  it("should resolve @username targets", () => {
    // ...
  });
});
```

## Testing patterns

### Testing registration contracts

Unit tests that pass a hand-written `api` mock to `register(api)` do not
exercise OpenClaw's loader acceptance gates. Add at least one loader-backed
smoke test for each registration surface your plugin depends on, especially
hooks and exclusive capabilities such as memory.

The real loader fails plugin registration when required metadata is missing or
a plugin calls a capability API it does not own. For example,
`api.registerHook(...)` requires a hook name, and
`api.registerMemoryCapability(...)` requires the plugin manifest or exported
entry to declare `kind: "memory"`.

### Testing runtime config access

Prefer the shared plugin runtime mock from `openclaw/plugin-sdk/plugin-test-runtime`.
Its `runtime.config.loadConfig()` and `runtime.config.writeConfigFile(...)`
mocks throw by default so tests catch new usage of deprecated compatibility
APIs. Override those mocks only when the test is explicitly covering legacy
compatibility behavior.

### Unit testing a channel plugin

```typescript
import { describe, it, expect, vi } from "vitest";

describe("my-channel plugin", () => {
  it("should resolve account from config", () => {
    const cfg = {
      channels: {
        "my-channel": {
          token: "test-token",
          allowFrom: ["user1"],
        },
      },
    };

    const account = myPlugin.setup.resolveAccount(cfg, undefined);
    expect(account.token).toBe("test-token");
  });

  it("should inspect account without materializing secrets", () => {
    const cfg = {
      channels: {
        "my-channel": { token: "test-token" },
      },
    };

    const inspection = myPlugin.setup.inspectAccount(cfg, undefined);
    expect(inspection.configured).toBe(true);
    expect(inspection.tokenStatus).toBe("available");
    // No token value exposed
    expect(inspection).not.toHaveProperty("token");
  });
});
```

### Unit testing a provider plugin

```typescript
import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";

describe("my-provider plugin", () => {
  it("should resolve dynamic models", () => {
    const model = myProvider.resolveDynamicModel({
      modelId: "custom-model-v2",
      // ... context
    });

    expect(model.id).toBe("custom-model-v2");
    expect(model.provider).toBe("my-provider");
    expect(model.api).toBe("openai-completions");
  });

  it("should return catalog when API key is available", async () => {
    const result = await myProvider.catalog.run({
      resolveProviderApiKey: () => ({ apiKey: "test-key" }),
      // ... context
    });

    expect(result?.provider?.models).toHaveLength(2);
  });
});
```

### Mocking the plugin runtime

For code that uses `createPluginRuntimeStore`, mock the runtime in tests:

```typescript
import { createPluginRuntimeStore } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/runtime-store";
import type { PluginRuntime } from "openclaw/plugin-sdk/runtime-store";

const store = createPluginRuntimeStore<PluginRuntime>({
  pluginId: "test-plugin",
  errorMessage: "test runtime not set",
});

// In test setup
const mockRuntime = {
  agent: {
    resolveAgentDir: vi.fn().mockReturnValue("/tmp/agent"),
    // ... other mocks
  },
  config: {
    current: vi.fn(() => ({}) as const),
    mutateConfigFile: vi.fn(),
    replaceConfigFile: vi.fn(),
  },
  // ... other namespaces
} as unknown as PluginRuntime;

store.setRuntime(mockRuntime);

// After tests
store.clearRuntime();
```

### Testing with per-instance stubs

Prefer per-instance stubs over prototype mutation:

```typescript
// Preferred: per-instance stub
const client = new MyChannelClient();
client.sendMessage = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ id: "msg-1" });

// Avoid: prototype mutation
// MyChannelClient.prototype.sendMessage = vi.fn();
```

## Contract tests (in-repo plugins)

Bundled plugins have contract tests that verify registration ownership:

```bash
pnpm test src/plugins/contracts/
```

These tests assert:

- Which plugins register which providers
- Which plugins register which speech providers
- Registration shape correctness
- Runtime contract compliance

### Running scoped tests

For a specific plugin:

```bash
pnpm test <bundled-plugin-root>/my-channel/
```

For contract tests only:

```bash
pnpm test src/plugins/contracts/shape.contract.test.ts
pnpm test src/plugins/contracts/auth-choice.contract.test.ts
pnpm test src/plugins/contracts/runtime-seams.contract.test.ts
```

## Lint enforcement (in-repo plugins)

`scripts/run-additional-boundary-checks.mjs` runs a set of `lint:plugins:*`
import-boundary checks in CI; each can also be run standalone locally:

| Command                                                        | Enforces                                                                                                                    |
| -------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `pnpm run lint:plugins:no-monolithic-plugin-sdk-entry-imports` | Bundled plugins cannot import the monolithic `openclaw/plugin-sdk` root barrel.                                             |
| `pnpm run lint:plugins:no-extension-src-imports`               | Production extension files cannot import the repo `src/**` tree directly (`../../src/...`).                                 |
| `pnpm run lint:plugins:no-extension-test-core-imports`         | Extension test files cannot import `openclaw/plugin-sdk/testing`, `plugin-sdk/test-utils`, or other core-only test helpers. |

External plugins are not subject to these lint rules, but following the same
patterns is recommended.

## Test configuration

OpenClaw uses Vitest 4 with V8 coverage thresholds. For plugin tests:

```bash
# Run all tests
pnpm test

# Run specific plugin tests
pnpm test <bundled-plugin-root>/my-channel/src/channel.test.ts

# Run with a specific test name filter
pnpm test <bundled-plugin-root>/my-channel/ -t "resolves account"

# Run with coverage
pnpm test:coverage
```

If local runs cause memory pressure:

```bash
OPENCLAW_VITEST_MAX_WORKERS=1 pnpm test
```

## Related

- [SDK Overview](/plugins/sdk-overview) -- import conventions
- [SDK Channel Plugins](/plugins/sdk-channel-plugins) -- channel plugin interface
- [SDK Provider Plugins](/plugins/sdk-provider-plugins) -- provider plugin hooks
- [Building Plugins](/plugins/building-plugins) -- getting started guide
