testing-safe-protocol

What problem does it solve?

Prevents tests and debugging workflows from causing unintended changes to production systems, networks, files, credentials, or user environments by enforcing a strict decision protocol and safe alternatives.

Core Features & Use Cases

• Side-effect Taxonomy: Clear classification of risky operations (filesystem, outbound network, system state, data storage, credentials, UI).
• Safe Alternatives: Concrete guidance to prefer mocking, in-memory databases, temp directories, dry-runs, and local-only servers bound to 127.0.0.1 on ephemeral ports.
• Decision Protocol & Consent: A decision tree that requires explicit, restated permission for any operation that may modify external state, and documents exactly what will change.
• Testing Pyramid Guidance: Prescriptive escalation from unit to integration to E2E testing with environment-specific tolerance rules and teardown requirements.

Quick Start

Run the testing-safe-protocol checklist before executing any test that could touch networks, filesystems, databases, or external services and require explicit user consent for destructive operations.