risingwave-slt-authoring

name: risingwave-slt-authoring description: Use when creating, reviewing, or fixing RisingWave SQLLogicTest (.slt/.slt.serial) tests, especially tests with system commands, connector fixtures, CI lane coverage, madsim compatibility, environment variables, or flaky/idempotent e2e behavior.

RisingWave SLT Authoring

Use this skill before adding or changing RisingWave SQLLogicTest files under e2e_test/**, generated DocSlt tests, or SLT snippets embedded in Rust docs.

Grounding sources

Check the local source of truth before inventing conventions:

• docs/dev/src/tests/intro.md — general SLT, DocSlt, and deterministic simulation commands.
• docs/dev/src/connector/intro.md — connector e2e patterns, system ok, substitution, and external-service environment variables.
• e2e_test/README.md — e2e test ownership, SLT_HOST/SLT_PORT/SLT_DB, and coverage check.
• e2e_test/source_inline/README.md — source-inline parallel vs serial policy and local dependencies.
• e2e_test/commands/README.md — reusable commands available on PATH during risedev slt.
• Makefile.toml task slt — exact risedev slt environment and sqllogictest invocation.

Authoring workflow

1. Pick the narrowest test surface:
   • Put normal e2e SQLLogicTests under e2e_test/**.
   • Use e2e_test/source_inline/**/*.slt for locally runnable source tests.
   • Use .slt.serial only when the test cannot run in parallel, such as RECOVER, global service mutation, or stateful external-system assumptions.
   • For Rust doc SQL examples, update DocSlt and run the generated SLT path.
2. Keep the full lifecycle in the test file:
   • Create external topics/tables/data before the SQL assertion.
   • Drop RisingWave objects and external resources at the end.
   • Make fixed external resource names idempotent: pre-drop or use unique names before producing data.
3. Use risedev wrappers, not raw sqllogictest, for normal validation:
   • Start services with ./risedev d or the relevant profile.
   • Run targeted files with ./risedev slt './path/to/file.slt'.
   • Use ./risedev slt-clean './path/to/file.slt' after failed runs that may leave state.
4. If the test invokes shell commands, follow the system command rules below.
5. Confirm the test is selected by CI:
   • Inspect the relevant ci/scripts/e2e-*.sh glob or command.
   • Run python3 e2e_test/check_slt_coverage.py -d when adding a new file and coverage is uncertain.
   • Add/request the narrow CI label for connector-specific lanes when opening the PR.

system ok and substitution rules

• Use control substitution on when the SLT needs environment variables such as ${RISEDEV_KAFKA_WITH_OPTIONS_COMMON} or ${PULSAR_BROKER_URL}.
• risedev slt sets SLT_HOST, SLT_PORT, SLT_DB, and prepends e2e_test/commands to PATH.
• For raw psql probes inside system ok, pass the SLT connection variables explicitly: psql -h "$SLT_HOST" -p "$SLT_PORT" -d "$SLT_DB" -U root ....
• Prefer reusable helper commands in e2e_test/commands/ for common external-system operations; put one-off scripts next to the SLT.
• In madsim/sslt paths, avoid process-spawning system ok; if a mixed-mode SLT must keep a shell command, guard it with skipif madsim and preserve a non-madsim validation path.

SLT blank-line syntax

Think in records. A blank line ends the current command or expected-output block; the next non-empty line starts the next SLT directive.

The termination rule differs by record type — verified against the sqllogictest 0.29.x parser (parse_lines, parse_multiple_result):

• Normal directive without expected output (statement ok, system ok without ----, etc.): use one visible empty line after the SQL or shell command. The body parser (parse_lines) stops at the first empty line.
• query <type> results after ----: use one visible empty line after the final expected row. The results loop breaks on the first empty line.
• statement error or query error with multiline ----: use two consecutive empty lines after the final error line. These blocks use parse_multiple_result, which requires two consecutive empty lines to terminate — the same rule as system ok stdout. Always add the two empty lines whenever another directive follows in the file.
• system ok with stdout assertion (----): use two consecutive empty lines after the final expected stdout line. parse_multiple_result consumes both empty lines before the next directive, preventing subsequent system ok / statement ok blocks from being misread as stdout content.
• Inside a multi-line system ok shell command, a blank line terminates the command body. Do not insert blank lines inside heredocs or shell snippets unless the shell input really needs them.

Examples:

statement ok
create table t(v int);

query I
select v from t order by v;
----
1

system ok
python3 e2e_test/commands/some_helper.py --flag

When a system ok command asserts stdout with ----, or when statement error / query error uses a multiline error block under ----, use the two-empty-line form:

# system ok with stdout assertion — two empty lines required
system ok
curl "$PULSAR_HTTP_URL/admin/v2/brokers/ready"
----
ok


system ok
python3 e2e_test/commands/pulsar_util.py create-topic --topic 'persistent://public/default/topic' --partitions 0

# statement error with multiline error — also two empty lines required
statement error
ALTER TABLE t REFRESH SCHEMA;
----
db error: ERROR: Failed to run the query

Caused by:
  some multi-line error detail


statement ok
drop table t;

RisingWave CI has failed when a new SLT did not clearly terminate the first stdout block: sqllogictest treated the following directives as expected stdout for the shell command. The same two-empty-line rule applies to multiline statement error / query error blocks (those that use ---- for the error text rather than an inline regex). Locally smoke-test the file if you add ---- after system ok or after statement error / query error without an inline error pattern.

Query assertion rules

• Prefer deterministic output:
  • add order by or use rowsort when row order is not part of the contract;
  • avoid asserting wall-clock timing, random values, unstable IDs, or external-service noise;
  • use retry/backoff for eventually consistent streaming or connector visibility.
• Keep expected output meaningful:
  • assert the user-visible behavior, not incidental implementation details;
  • do not update expected rows just to make CI green unless the behavior change is intentional and reviewed.
• For connector features, compare the closest existing connector test for semantic parity, especially Kafka/source-inline tests.

Validation checklist

Before committing an SLT change, collect the narrowest evidence available:

• git diff --check for whitespace and patch hygiene.
• If helper scripts changed: syntax-check them, for example python3 -m py_compile e2e_test/commands/<script>.py.
• For parser/planner expected-output tests, use the relevant risedev update command instead of hand-editing only the golden file.
• For one SLT file with services already running: ./risedev slt './path/to/file.slt'.
• After a failed run or external-state test: ./risedev slt-clean './path/to/file.slt' before re-running.
• If local services or clients are unavailable, state the limitation and rely on the focused CI lane, but still run static checks.

Common failure signatures

• system command stdout mismatch at the first command and the diff contains later system ok/statement ok blocks: the system expected-output block was not delimited correctly.
• /var/run/postgresql/.s.PGSQL.5432, connection refused to the wrong port, or literal ${SLT_DB}: a raw shell probe ignored SLT_HOST/SLT_PORT/SLT_DB or used quotes that prevented substitution.
• not implemented: spawning process is not supported in simulation mode: system ok ran under madsim; add skipif madsim or split the test.
• Exact counts increase after retrying locally: fixed external resources kept stale data; add pre-cleanup or make the resource unique.
• Buildkite exit 105: inspect the inner SLT output or service logs; it is usually a wrapper status, not the root cause.