Fix Failing Go Tests Until go test Passes¶

Your microservice PR looked fine in review. Then the build badge flipped red:

--- FAIL: TestAdd (0.00s)
    main_test.go:6: Add(2,3) = -1; want 5
FAIL

Someone swapped + for - in a helper. The fix is one character. The process is what burns time: context-switching, re-running tests locally, pushing, waiting on CI again.

Kramlipi AI Code Agent automates the boring part — but with a constraint most chatbots ignore. It edits your repo with tools and only stops when --verify-cmd exits 0. It does not invent success. If go test is still failing, the run is not finished.

This tutorial uses a tiny Go module under /tmp/go-demo. Copy, paste, watch it work.

What you need¶

chmod +x code-agent
export CODE_AGENT_MODEL=gemini/gemini-2.0-flash
export GEMINI_API_KEY=your-key-here
# Or: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY / OPENAI_API_KEY with matching CODE_AGENT_MODEL

./code-agent doctor --provider-test

Step 1 — Create a failing Go test¶

mkdir -p /tmp/go-demo && cd /tmp/go-demo
git init
go mod init example.com/demo

cat > main.go <<'EOF'
package main

func Add(a, b int) int {
    return a - b // BUG: should be +
}
EOF

cat > main_test.go <<'EOF'
package main

import "testing"

func TestAdd(t *testing.T) {
    if got := Add(2, 3); got != 5 {
        t.Errorf("Add(2,3) = %d; want 5", got)
    }
}
EOF

go test -v ./...

Expected failure:

--- FAIL: TestAdd (0.00s)
    main_test.go:6: Add(2,3) = -1; want 5
FAIL

Capture the log for the expert path:

go test -v ./... 2>&1 | tee /tmp/go-test.log

Step 2 — Fix with code-agent run¶

Go projects use go test, not pytest. Always.

code-agent run \
  "Fix failing TestAdd in main_test.go. The Add function in main.go has a bug. Run 'go test -v ./...' until all tests pass. Minimal change only." \
  --verify-cmd "go test -v ./..." \
  -w /tmp/go-demo

The proof loop¶

1. Agent reads main.go and main_test.go.
2. Agent patches main.go via file tools.
3. Agent runs go test -v ./... because of --verify-cmd.
4. Exit 0 → done. Exit non-zero → retry.

No green go test, no “fixed” message. That is the product rule.

On success:

Status: done
Files: main.go

Confirm locally:

cd /tmp/go-demo && go test -v ./...
# PASS

Flags explained¶

If your CI runs go test ./... without -v, use that exact string in --verify-cmd. Match CI, not your local habit.

Step 3 — Fix with bug-fix expert (from CI log)¶

When GitHub Actions already captured the failure:

cd /tmp/go-demo
go test -v ./... 2>&1 | tee /tmp/go-test.log

code-agent experts run bug-fix \
  --log /tmp/go-test.log \
  --verify-cmd "go test -v ./..." \
  -w /tmp/go-demo

The Go parser catches compiler errors (main.go:line: undefined), test failures, and build breaks. But again: parser hints never override --verify-cmd. The subprocess is the scoreboard.

Optional:

# Safe first run
code-agent experts run bug-fix ... --dry-run ...

# Open draft PR after local green
code-agent experts run bug-fix ... --publish --base-branch main

NEVER use pytest verify on Go¶

This sounds obvious until someone copy-pastes a Python CI snippet:

# WRONG — do not do this on a Go repo
code-agent run "fix tests" --verify-cmd "pytest -q" -w /tmp/go-demo

What happens:

• The agent tries to run pytest in a Go module.
• There is no tests/test_*.py.
• The loop spins, or worse, the model hallucinates progress.

One repo, one verify command, one toolchain.

Real-world layout: agent install ≠ your Go repo¶

Your code-agent binary lives somewhere. Your service lives elsewhere. That is fine:

# Terminal 1 — your Go service
cd ~/projects/my-go-service
go test -v ./... 2>&1 | tee /tmp/go-ci.log

# Terminal 2 — run the agent
code-agent experts run bug-fix \
  --log /tmp/go-ci.log \
  --verify-cmd "go test -v ./..." \
  -w ~/projects/my-go-service

One -w, pointing at the Go repo with go.mod. Never point -w at the agent's own install directory.

When Go itself is missing¶

Default mode classifies “go: command not found” as an environment problem and stops. It will not apt install golang or download a tarball.

On a trusted laptop or VM where you want toolchain installation, opt into cascade mode — documented in Ultra intelligence mode (cascade):

code-agent run "Make Go unit tests pass. Minimal code changes." \
  --verify-cmd "go test ./..." \
  --autonomy cascade \
  --approve-privileged \
  -w /path/to/go-project

For most CI pipelines: install Go in the workflow YAML. Let the agent fix code.

Common mistakes¶

What you learned¶

• Go proof = go test, full stop.
• -w must be the module root; --verify-cmd must match CI.
• Default mode fixes code, not missing toolchains.
• The agent stops only when verify exits 0 — never on model confidence alone.

Next: Quick Start · Go examples · Coverage tutorial · Questions: cluevion@gmail.com