Testing & Proof

Manifest integrates testing into the feature lifecycle. Agents write tests before implementation, record evidence with prove_feature, and cannot complete a feature without a passing proof. This ensures every implemented feature has verified test coverage.

TDD workflow

When an agent calls start_feature, the response includes testing guidance. The agent follows the red-green cycle:

Write failing tests: based on the acceptance criteria in the feature spec
Record red proof: call prove_feature with test results showing failures
Implement: write code to make the tests pass
Record green proof: call prove_feature again with passing results
Complete: call complete_feature (requires exit code 0 from latest proof)

prove_feature

The prove_feature tool records test evidence for a feature. It accepts structured test results so Manifest can display pass/fail statistics and individual test outcomes.

prove_feature(
  feature_id: "...",
  exit_code: 0,
  results: [
    { name: "creates a user", suite: "UserSpec", state: "passed",
      file: "tests/user_spec.rs", line: 42, duration_ms: 12 },
    { name: "rejects duplicate email", suite: "UserSpec", state: "passed",
      file: "tests/user_spec.rs", line: 58, duration_ms: 8 }
  ]
)

Structured results

Each test result includes:

Field	Required	Description
`name`	Yes	Test name
`suite`	No	Test suite or module
`state`	Yes	`passed`, `failed`, `errored`, or `skipped`
`file`	No	Source file path
`line`	No	Line number in source
`duration_ms`	No	Execution time in milliseconds
`message`	No	Error message (for failures)

The agent is the universal adapter: it runs whatever test framework the project uses, parses the output, and provides results in this structured format.

Test adapters

Manifest auto-detects common test frameworks and knows how to parse their output:

Adapter	Framework	Detected commands
cargo-test	Rust	`cargo test`, `cargo nextest`
pytest	Python	`pytest`, `python -m pytest`
jest	JavaScript / TypeScript	`jest`, `vitest`, `npx jest`, `pnpm test`, `npm test`, `bun test`
go-test	Go	`go test`
dotnet-test	.NET (xUnit, NUnit, MSTest)	`dotnet test`
rspec	Ruby	`rspec`, `bundle exec rspec`, `bin/rspec`
junit	Java (Maven, Gradle)	`mvn test`, `gradle test`, `./gradlew test`
phpunit	PHP	`phpunit`, `php artisan test`, `./vendor/bin/phpunit`
swift-test	Swift	`swift test`
elixir-test	Elixir	`mix test`
dart-test	Dart / Flutter	`dart test`, `flutter test`

Custom adapters

For unsupported frameworks, create a Lua adapter in .manifest/adapters/. The adapter receives raw test output and returns structured results. See the prove_feature tool reference for the full interface.

Evidence panel

The web UI displays proof evidence in a collapsible sidebar panel on the feature detail view. The panel shows:

Proof stats: Total tests, passed, failed, skipped counts
Test results: Individual test outcomes with names, durations, and error messages
History: Previous proof recordings showing the red-green progression
Exit code: Whether the latest run passed (exit code 0) or failed

The panel appears when a feature has at least one proof recording. Click the test tube icon or the proof stats badge to expand it.

Completion gate

complete_feature enforces a passing proof:

The feature must have at least one prove_feature recording
The latest proof must have exit_code: 0
If the latest proof has failures, the agent must fix and re-prove before completing

This gate ensures that every implemented feature has verified, passing tests.

Next step

Continue to Product versions.