Temporal Python Testing
Seth HobsonCommunityCreated by Seth Hobson
- Skill
- Guidelines
- Software development
- MIT
- Low risk
AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
This skill provides a structured approach to testing Temporal workflows within the Python ecosystem. It covers the full testing lifecycle, from unit testing individual components with time-skipping to integration testing with mocked activities and validating workflow determinism via replay testing. The content emphasizes fast feedback loops and high coverage targets, offering specific patterns for local development and CI/CD integration.
What it does
- Provides patterns for unit testing workflows using time-skipping environments.
- Explains how to mock activities for isolated integration testing.
- Outlines methods for validating workflow determinism through replay testing.
- Offers guidance on setting up local Temporal development environments.
- Defines best practices for achieving high test coverage in Temporal applications.
- Includes boilerplate code for pytest fixtures and activity testing.
When to use it
- When implementing a new test suite for Temporal workflows.
- When debugging non-deterministic workflow failures.
- When setting up a local development environment for Temporal.
- When preparing workflows for production deployment with replay validation.
- When optimizing test execution time for long-running workflows.
Advantages
- Enables testing of long-running workflows in seconds via time-skipping.
- Promotes isolation of workflow logic from external dependencies.
- Ensures production reliability through determinism validation.
- Provides a clear path for achieving 80% test coverage.
- Supports both rapid local development and automated CI/CD pipelines.
Usage examples
- “How do I test a workflow that runs for a month?”
- The skill explains how to use WorkflowEnvironment.start_time_skipping to advance time manually, allowing month-long workflows to complete in seconds during testing.
- “How can I mock an activity in my workflow test?”
- The skill provides integration testing patterns that demonstrate how to use workers with mocked activities to isolate the workflow logic.
- “How do I ensure my workflow changes are deterministic?”
- The skill guides you through replay testing, which validates your current workflow code against historical execution data to ensure determinism.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/wshobson/temporal-python-testing/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip temporal-python-testing.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Seth Hobson
Temporal Python Testing Strategies
Comprehensive testing approaches for Temporal workflows using pytest, progressive disclosure resources for specific testing scenarios.
When to Use This Skill
Unit testing workflows - Fast tests with time-skipping
Integration testing - Workflows with mocked activities
Replay testing - Validate determinism against production histories
Local development - Set up Temporal server and pytest
CI/CD integration - Automated testing pipelines
Coverage strategies - Achieve ≥80% test coverage
Testing Philosophy
Recommended Approach (Source: docs.temporal.io/develop/python/testing-suite):
Write majority as integration tests
Use pytest with async fixtures
Time-skipping enables fast feedback (month-long workflows → seconds)
Mock activities to isolate workflow logic
Validate determinism with replay testing
Three Test Types:
Unit: Workflows with time-skipping, activities with ActivityEnvironment
Integration: Workers with mocked activities
End-to-end: Full Temporal server with real activities (use sparingly)
Available Resources
This skill provides detailed guidance through progressive disclosure. Load specific resources based on your testing needs:
Unit Testing Resources
File: resources/unit-testing.md
When to load: Testing individual workflows or activities in isolation
Contains:
WorkflowEnvironment with time-skipping
ActivityEnvironment for activity testing
Fast execution of long-running workflows
Manual time advancement patterns
pytest fixtures and patterns
Integration Testing Resources
File: resources/integration-testing.md
When to load: Testing workflows with mocked external dependencies
Contains:
Activity mocking strategies
Error injection patterns
Multi-activity workflow testing
Signal and query testing
Coverage strategies
Replay Testing Resources
File: resources/replay-testing.md
When to load: Validating determinism or deploying workflow changes
Contains:
Determinism validation
Production history replay
CI/CD integration patterns
Version compatibility testing
Local Development Resources
File: resources/local-setup.md
When to load: Setting up development environment
Contains:
Docker Compose configuration
pytest setup and configuration
Coverage tool integration
Development workflow
Quick Start Guide
Basic Workflow Test
import pytest
from temporalio.testing import WorkflowEnvironment
from temporalio.worker import Worker
@pytest.fixture
async def workflow_env():
env = await WorkflowEnvironment.start_time_skipping()
yield env
await env.shutdown()
@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_workflow(workflow_env):
async with Worker(
workflow_env.client,
task_queue="test-queue",
workflows=[YourWorkflow],
activities=[your_activity],
):
result = await workflow_env.client.execute_workflow(
YourWorkflow.run,
args,
id="test-wf-id",
task_queue="test-queue",
)
assert result == expectedBasic Activity Test
from temporalio.testing import ActivityEnvironment
async def test_activity():
env = ActivityEnvironment()
result = await env.run(your_activity, "test-input")
assert result == expected_outputCoverage Targets
Recommended Coverage (Source: docs.temporal.io best practices):
Workflows: ≥80% logic coverage
Activities: ≥80% logic coverage
Integration: Critical paths with mocked activities
Replay: All workflow versions before deployment
Key Testing Principles
Time-Skipping - Month-long workflows test in seconds
Mock Activities - Isolate workflow logic from external dependencies
Replay Testing - Validate determinism before deployment
High Coverage - ≥80% target for production workflows
Fast Feedback - Unit tests run in milliseconds
How to Use Resources
Load specific resource when needed:
"Show me unit testing patterns" → Load
resources/unit-testing.md"How do I mock activities?" → Load
resources/integration-testing.md"Setup local Temporal server" → Load
resources/local-setup.md"Validate determinism" → Load
resources/replay-testing.md
Additional References
Python SDK Testing: docs.temporal.io/develop/python/testing-suite
Testing Patterns: github.com/temporalio/temporal/blob/main/docs/development/testing.md
Python Samples: github.com/temporalio/samples-python
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer1007 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.0 KiB
- SKILL.md4.8 KiB
- resources/integration-testing.md12.7 KiB
- resources/local-setup.md11.8 KiB
- resources/replay-testing.md12.1 KiB
- resources/unit-testing.md8.5 KiB
resources/replay-testing.md
Replay Testing for Determinism and Compatibility
Comprehensive guide for validating workflow determinism and ensuring safe code changes using replay testing.
What is Replay Testing?
Purpose: Verify that workflow code changes are backward-compatible with existing workflow executions
How it works:
Temporal records every workflow decision as Event History
Replay testing re-executes workflow code against recorded history
If new code makes same decisions → deterministic (safe to deploy)
If decisions differ → non-deterministic (breaking change)
Critical Use Cases:
Deploying workflow code changes to production
Validating refactoring doesn't break running workflows
CI/CD automated compatibility checks
Version migration validation
Basic Replay Testing
Replayer Setup
from temporalio.worker import Replayer
from temporalio.client import Client
async def test_workflow_replay():
"""Test workflow against production history"""
# Connect to Temporal server
client = await Client.connect("localhost:7233")
# Create replayer with current workflow code
replayer = Replayer(
workflows=[OrderWorkflow, PaymentWorkflow]
)
# Fetch workflow history from production
handle = client.get_workflow_handle("order-123")
history = await handle.fetch_history()
# Replay history with current code
await replayer.replay_workflow(history)
# Success = deterministic, Exception = breaking changeTesting Against Multiple Histories
import pytest
from temporalio.worker import Replayer
@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_replay_multiple_workflows():
"""Replay against multiple production histories"""
replayer = Replayer(workflows=[OrderWorkflow])
# Test against different workflow executions
workflow_ids = [
"order-success-123",
"order-cancelled-456",
"order-retry-789",
]
for workflow_id in workflow_ids:
handle = client.get_workflow_handle(workflow_id)
history = await handle.fetch_history()
# Replay should succeed for all variants
await replayer.replay_workflow(history)Determinism Validation
Common Non-Deterministic Patterns
Problem: Random Number Generation
# ❌ Non-deterministic (breaks replay)
@workflow.defn
class BadWorkflow:
@workflow.run
async def run(self) -> int:
return random.randint(1, 100) # Different on replay!
# ✅ Deterministic (safe for replay)
@workflow.defn
class GoodWorkflow:
@workflow.run
async def run(self) -> int:
return workflow.random().randint(1, 100) # Deterministic randomProblem: Current Time
# ❌ Non-deterministic
@workflow.defn
class BadWorkflow:
@workflow.run
async def run(self) -> str:
now = datetime.now() # Different on replay!
return now.isoformat()
# ✅ Deterministic
@workflow.defn
class GoodWorkflow:
@workflow.run
async def run(self) -> str:
now = workflow.now() # Deterministic time
return now.isoformat()Problem: Direct External Calls
# ❌ Non-deterministic
@workflow.defn
class BadWorkflow:
@workflow.run
async def run(self) -> dict:
response = requests.get("https://api.example.com/data") # External call!
return response.json()
# ✅ Deterministic
@workflow.defn
class GoodWorkflow:
@workflow.run
async def run(self) -> dict:
# Use activity for external calls
return await workflow.execute_activity(
fetch_external_data,
start_to_close_timeout=timedelta(seconds=30),
)Testing Determinism
@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_workflow_determinism():
"""Verify workflow produces same output on multiple runs"""
@workflow.defn
class DeterministicWorkflow:
@workflow.run
async def run(self, seed: int) -> list[int]:
# Use workflow.random() for determinism
rng = workflow.random()
rng.seed(seed)
return [rng.randint(1, 100) for _ in range(10)]
env = await WorkflowEnvironment.start_time_skipping()
# Run workflow twice with same input
results = []
for i in range(2):
async with Worker(
env.client,
task_queue="test",
workflows=[DeterministicWorkflow],
):
result = await env.client.execute_workflow(
DeterministicWorkflow.run,
42, # Same seed
id=f"determinism-test-{i}",
task_queue="test",
)
results.append(result)
await env.shutdown()
# Verify identical outputs
assert results[0] == results[1]Production History Replay
Exporting Workflow History
from temporalio.client import Client
async def export_workflow_history(workflow_id: str, output_file: str):
"""Export workflow history for replay testing"""
client = await Client.connect("production.temporal.io:7233")
# Fetch workflow history
handle = client.get_workflow_handle(workflow_id)
history = await handle.fetch_history()
# Save to file for replay testing
with open(output_file, "wb") as f:
f.write(history.SerializeToString())
print(f"Exported history to {output_file}")Replaying from File
from temporalio.worker import Replayer
from temporalio.api.history.v1 import History
async def test_replay_from_file():
"""Replay workflow from exported history file"""
# Load history from file
with open("workflow_histories/order-123.pb", "rb") as f:
history = History.FromString(f.read())
# Replay with current workflow code
replayer = Replayer(workflows=[OrderWorkflow])
await replayer.replay_workflow(history)
# Success = safe to deployCI/CD Integration Patterns
GitHub Actions Example
# .github/workflows/replay-tests.yml
name: Replay Tests
on:
pull_request:
branches: [main]
jobs:
replay-tests:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v3
- name: Set up Python
uses: actions/setup-python@v4
with:
python-version: "3.11"
- name: Install dependencies
run: |
pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install pytest pytest-asyncio
- name: Download production histories
run: |
# Fetch recent workflow histories from production
python scripts/export_histories.py
- name: Run replay tests
run: |
pytest tests/replay/ --verbose
- name: Upload results
if: failure()
uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
with:
name: replay-failures
path: replay-failures/Automated History Export
# scripts/export_histories.py
import asyncio
from temporalio.client import Client
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
async def export_recent_histories():
"""Export recent production workflow histories"""
client = await Client.connect("production.temporal.io:7233")
# Query recent completed workflows
workflows = client.list_workflows(
query="WorkflowType='OrderWorkflow' AND CloseTime > '7 days ago'"
)
count = 0
async for workflow in workflows:
# Export history
history = await workflow.fetch_history()
# Save to file
filename = f"workflow_histories/{workflow.id}.pb"
with open(filename, "wb") as f:
f.write(history.SerializeToString())
count += 1
if count >= 100: # Limit to 100 most recent
break
print(f"Exported {count} workflow histories")
if __name__ == "__main__":
asyncio.run(export_recent_histories())Replay Test Suite
# tests/replay/test_workflow_replay.py
import pytest
import glob
from temporalio.worker import Replayer
from temporalio.api.history.v1 import History
from workflows import OrderWorkflow, PaymentWorkflow
@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_replay_all_histories():
"""Replay all production histories"""
replayer = Replayer(
workflows=[OrderWorkflow, PaymentWorkflow]
)
# Load all history files
history_files = glob.glob("workflow_histories/*.pb")
failures = []
for history_file in history_files:
try:
with open(history_file, "rb") as f:
history = History.FromString(f.read())
await replayer.replay_workflow(history)
print(f"✓ {history_file}")
except Exception as e:
failures.append((history_file, str(e)))
print(f"✗ {history_file}: {e}")
# Report failures
if failures:
pytest.fail(
f"Replay failed for {len(failures)} workflows:\n"
+ "\n".join(f" {file}: {error}" for file, error in failures)
)Version Compatibility Testing
Testing Code Evolution
@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_workflow_version_compatibility():
"""Test workflow with version changes"""
@workflow.defn
class EvolvingWorkflow:
@workflow.run
async def run(self) -> str:
# Use versioning for safe code evolution
version = workflow.get_version("feature-flag", 1, 2)
if version == 1:
# Old behavior
return "version-1"
else:
# New behavior
return "version-2"
env = await WorkflowEnvironment.start_time_skipping()
# Test version 1 behavior
async with Worker(
env.client,
task_queue="test",
workflows=[EvolvingWorkflow],
):
result_v1 = await env.client.execute_workflow(
EvolvingWorkflow.run,
id="evolving-v1",
task_queue="test",
)
assert result_v1 == "version-1"
# Simulate workflow executing again with version 2
result_v2 = await env.client.execute_workflow(
EvolvingWorkflow.run,
id="evolving-v2",
task_queue="test",
)
# New workflows use version 2
assert result_v2 == "version-2"
await env.shutdown()Migration Strategy
# Phase 1: Add version check
@workflow.defn
class MigratingWorkflow:
@workflow.run
async def run(self) -> dict:
version = workflow.get_version("new-logic", 1, 2)
if version == 1:
# Old logic (existing workflows)
return await self._old_implementation()
else:
# New logic (new workflows)
return await self._new_implementation()
# Phase 2: After all old workflows complete, remove old code
@workflow.defn
class MigratedWorkflow:
@workflow.run
async def run(self) -> dict:
# Only new logic remains
return await self._new_implementation()Best Practices
Replay Before Deploy: Always run replay tests before deploying workflow changes
Export Regularly: Continuously export production histories for testing
CI/CD Integration: Automated replay testing in pull request checks
Version Tracking: Use workflow.get_version() for safe code evolution
History Retention: Keep representative workflow histories for regression testing
Determinism: Never use random(), datetime.now(), or direct external calls
Comprehensive Testing: Test against various workflow execution paths
Common Replay Errors
Non-Deterministic Error:
WorkflowNonDeterministicError: Workflow command mismatch at position 5
Expected: ScheduleActivityTask(activity_id='activity-1')
Got: ScheduleActivityTask(activity_id='activity-2')Solution: Code change altered workflow decision sequence
Version Mismatch Error:
WorkflowVersionError: Workflow version changed from 1 to 2 without using get_version()Solution: Use workflow.get_version() for backward-compatible changes
Additional Resources
Replay Testing: docs.temporal.io/develop/python/testing-suite#replay-testing
Workflow Versioning: docs.temporal.io/workflows#versioning
Determinism Guide: docs.temporal.io/workflows#deterministic-constraints
CI/CD Integration: github.com/temporalio/samples-python/tree/main/.github/workflows
Requirements and compatibility
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
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Attribution and licence
- Created by
- Seth Hobson
- Publisher
- Seth Hobson (Community)
- Source
- wshobson/agents · plugins/backend-development/skills/temporal-python-testing · commit 4bde316
- Licence
- MIT License (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
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