Scenario Testing

End-to-end testing without mocks validates your application against real dependencies—actual databases, APIs, and services—rather than stubbed replacements. This approach catches integration failures that mocks hide. Write scenarios in scenarios.jsonl with real service calls, then execute tests in the .scratch/ directory against live systems.

Yes. Scenario testing covers API contract verification and authentication flow validation by running tests against real services. Your scenarios capture actual request-response patterns and credential handling, ensuring contracts hold and auth logic works end-to-end without simulation.

Scenario testing runs against real databases, APIs, and services to validate true cross-service behavior; mocked tests isolate components with fake dependencies and miss integration failures. Scenario testing trades setup overhead for genuine confidence that your system works as deployed.

Use the .scratch/ directory for throwaway scripts and temporary test runs. Commit successful patterns to scenarios.jsonl as reusable test cases. This workflow lets you experiment rapidly while building a repository of validated scenarios for regression testing.

Yes. Scenario testing enforces testing against real databases, not in-memory or mocked versions. This ensures your tests validate actual schema, performance, and data behavior rather than idealized mock responses.

Use scenario testing when you need genuine end-to-end validation across service boundaries with zero mocks—proof programs, real-world workflows, and multi-service features. It suits teams prioritizing true behavior over test speed and willing to manage live test environments.