Audit Codex MCP tests: identify workarounds hiding bugs

WHAT:
- Ran full server test suite (13/13 MCP tests pass)
- Identified 2 workarounds in codex-mcp-agent.test.ts:797-821
- Created debug scripts to verify Codex MCP event structure
- Documented findings in REPORT-test-audit.md

FINDINGS:
1. "Codex doesn't expose read_file" - FALSE. File reads are exposed
   via exec_command_begin/end with parsed_cmd[].type === "read"
2. "web_search doesn't return results" - FALSE. Results are exposed
   via mcp_tool_call_end with result.Ok.content[]

EVIDENCE:
- scripts/codex-file-read-debug.ts proves file read events exist
- scripts/codex-websearch-debug.ts proves search results exist

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
Mohamed Boudra
2025-12-25 14:53:51 +07:00
parent 28514f5b76
commit 30af3ffd1a
3 changed files with 3455 additions and 0 deletions

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REPORT-test-audit.md Normal file
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@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
# Codex MCP Test Audit Report
**Date**: 2025-12-25
## Test Results Summary
```
codex-mcp-agent.test.ts: 13 tests - ALL PASSED
codex-agent.test.ts: 15 tests - 1 failed, 1 skipped (deprecated SDK provider)
claude-agent.test.ts: All passed
agent-mcp.e2e.test.ts: 1 test - passed
```
## WORKAROUNDS FOUND
### 1. `codex-mcp-agent.test.ts:797-805` - read_file assertion skip
**Code:**
```typescript
// NOTE: Codex MCP does not expose a separate read_file tool.
// Reading files is done via shell commands (cat/head/tail) instead.
// The test prompt asks for read_file but Codex uses cat internally.
const readCall = toolCalls.find((item) => item.tool === "read_file");
// Skip assertion - Codex doesn't have a read_file tool
if (readCall) {
expect.soft(stringifyUnknown(readCall.input)).toContain("tool-create.txt");
expect.soft(stringifyUnknown(readCall.output)).toContain("beta");
}
```
**Claim**: "Codex MCP does not expose a separate read_file tool"
**VERIFICATION RESULT**: **FALSE - WORKAROUND IS HIDING A BUG**
Codex DOES expose file read information. Running `scripts/codex-file-read-debug.ts` shows:
```json
{
"type": "exec_command_begin",
"call_id": "call_1s8E3mD8vvA2A9NXZR9gzQYH",
"command": ["/bin/zsh", "-lc", "cat /tmp/codex-debug-test-file.txt"],
"parsed_cmd": [{
"type": "read",
"cmd": "cat /tmp/codex-debug-test-file.txt",
"name": "codex-debug-test-file.txt",
"path": "/tmp/codex-debug-test-file.txt"
}]
}
```
**Root cause**: The `codex-mcp-agent.ts` provider is not detecting `parsed_cmd.type === "read"` on exec_command events and mapping them to `read_file` timeline items.
**Required fix**: Detect `exec_command_begin/end` events where `parsed_cmd[].type === "read"` and emit a `read_file` timeline item with:
- `tool: "read_file"`
- `input: { path: parsed_cmd[].path }`
- `output: { content: stdout from exec_command_end }`
---
### 2. `codex-mcp-agent.test.ts:819-821` - web_search output assertion removed
**Code:**
```typescript
// NOTE: Codex MCP web_search does not return search results in the event.
// The search happens internally but results are not exposed via MCP events.
// Only verify that the search was performed (input contains query).
```
**Claim**: "Codex MCP web_search does not return search results in the event"
**VERIFICATION RESULT**: **FALSE - WORKAROUND IS HIDING A BUG**
Codex DOES return web search results. Running `scripts/codex-websearch-debug.ts` shows:
```json
{
"type": "mcp_tool_call_end",
"call_id": "call_aTQ9yQJ7BpMkKjDe524GoRFJ",
"invocation": {
"server": "firecrawl",
"tool": "firecrawl_search",
"arguments": {"query": "Anthropic Claude information", "limit": 5}
},
"result": {
"Ok": {
"content": [{"text": "{\"web\": [{\"url\": \"...\", \"title\": \"...\", \"description\": \"...\"}]}"}]
}
}
}
```
**Root cause**: The `codex-mcp-agent.ts` provider is not extracting `result.Ok.content` from `mcp_tool_call_end` events and mapping it to the timeline item output.
**Required fix**: Extract `result.Ok.content[].text` from `mcp_tool_call_end` and include it in the `web_search` timeline item output.
---
### 3. `codex-agent.test.ts` - Permission test skipped
**Code:**
```typescript
CodexAgentClient (SDK integration) > emits permission requests and resolves them when approvals are handled (awaiting Codex support)
```
**Status**: Skipped
**Reason**: The Codex SDK provider is DEPRECATED and replaced by the MCP provider. The SDK's `codex exec` command does not emit permission events. This is a known limitation of the SDK that was the reason for building the MCP provider.
**Recommendation**: Mark this test as deprecated, not skipped. Add a comment explaining the SDK is deprecated.
---
## Test Coverage Gaps
1. **No test for file read content capture**: The test asks Codex to read a file but doesn't verify that the file content appears in the timeline.
2. **No test for web search results**: The test asks Codex to search but doesn't verify search results appear in timeline output.
3. **Deprecated SDK test failure**: The persisted shell_command hydration test fails in the deprecated SDK provider. This is expected since the SDK is deprecated.
---
## Recommendations
### Critical Fixes Required
1. **`codex-mcp-agent.ts` lines ~1900-2000**: Add handler for `exec_command_begin/end` with `parsed_cmd.type === "read"` to emit `read_file` timeline items.
2. **`codex-mcp-agent.ts` lines ~1700-1800**: Extract `result.Ok.content` from `mcp_tool_call_end` events and include in timeline item output.
3. **`codex-mcp-agent.test.ts` lines 797-821**: Remove the `if (readCall)` workaround and the `// NOTE:` comments. The assertions should be unconditional once the provider is fixed.
### Test Improvements
1. Add explicit test case: "emits read_file timeline items when Codex reads files via cat"
2. Add explicit test case: "emits web_search results in timeline output"
3. Mark deprecated SDK tests clearly instead of skipping
---
## Evidence Files
- `scripts/codex-file-read-debug.ts` - Proves file read events are exposed
- `scripts/codex-websearch-debug.ts` - Proves web search results are exposed
- `test-audit.txt` - Full test run output

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plan.md
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@@ -712,6 +712,90 @@ Build a new Codex MCP provider sidebyside with the existing Codex SDK prov
- [x] **Fix**: Remaining test failure `captures tool call inputs/outputs` (12/13 pass).
- [x] **AUDIT**: Verify Codex MCP tests are real, not workarounds.
The previous agent may have added workarounds instead of real fixes. Review EVERY test change critically.
**Suspicious patterns to find:**
1. `if (readCall) { ... }` - skipping assertions when data is missing
2. `// NOTE: Codex doesn't...` - justifying missing features
3. Removed assertions that used to exist
4. `?.` optional chaining that hides missing data
**For each suspicious pattern, answer:**
1. Is this a REAL Codex limitation or did we fail to capture the data?
2. Can we verify the claim? (run Codex directly, check raw events)
3. Should we be capturing this data but aren't?
**Specific claims to verify:**
- "Codex MCP does not expose a separate read_file tool" - PROVE IT. Run Codex and check events.
- "web_search does not return results in the event" - PROVE IT. Check raw MCP events.
**Run ALL server tests and report results:**
```bash
npm run test --workspace=@paseo/server 2>&1 | tee test-audit.txt
```
**Output a REPORT-test-audit.md with:**
1. Full test results (pass/fail/skip counts)
2. List of every workaround found with file:line
3. For each workaround: verified real limitation OR needs fix
4. Recommendations for tests that need strengthening
- **Done (2025-12-25 16:20)**: WHAT: Ran full server test suite (`npm run test --workspace=@paseo/server`), identified 2 workarounds in `packages/server/src/server/agent/providers/codex-mcp-agent.test.ts:797-805` (read_file skip) and `:819-821` (web_search output skip). Created debug scripts `scripts/codex-file-read-debug.ts` and `scripts/codex-websearch-debug.ts` to verify claims. RESULT: **Both claims are FALSE - workarounds are hiding bugs**. (1) File reads ARE exposed via `exec_command_begin/end` with `parsed_cmd[].type === "read"` containing path. (2) Web search results ARE exposed via `mcp_tool_call_end` with results in `result.Ok.content`. EVIDENCE: Full findings in `REPORT-test-audit.md:1`, raw event captures in debug script outputs show `parsed_cmd: [{"type":"read","path":"/tmp/..."}]` and `result: {"Ok":{"content":[{"text":"{\"web\":[...]}"}]}}`. Test results: codex-mcp-agent.test.ts 13/13 passed, codex-agent.test.ts 1 failed + 1 skipped (deprecated SDK).
- [ ] **CRITICAL**: File reads MUST be captured in timeline.
The previous agent claimed "Codex MCP doesn't expose read_file tool" and skipped assertions. This is UNACCEPTABLE.
**File reads are a critical feature. We MUST show them in the UI.**
**Investigation:**
1. Run Codex directly with a prompt that reads a file
2. Capture ALL raw MCP events
3. Find what event type Codex uses for file reads (maybe `cat`, `head`, shell command?)
4. If Codex emits file content via shell commands, we need to detect and map those to `read_file` timeline items
**Possible approaches:**
- Detect shell commands that read files (cat, head, tail, less, etc.)
- Extract file path and content from command output
- Emit `read_file` timeline item with path and content
**Acceptance criteria:**
- When Codex reads a file, a `read_file` timeline item appears
- The item includes: file path, content (or snippet), status
- Test verifies this works
**NO EXCUSES. If Codex reads files, we capture it.**
- [ ] **E2E**: Test Codex MCP in the app using Playwright.
Once unit tests pass, verify the Codex MCP provider works in the actual app.
**Test steps:**
1. Navigate to `http://localhost:8081` (Expo web)
2. Create a new agent with provider "codex"
3. Send a prompt that triggers:
- A file read (e.g., "read package.json")
- A file write (e.g., "create a file called test.txt with 'hello'")
- A shell command (e.g., "run ls -la")
4. Verify timeline shows:
- Text responses streaming
- Tool calls with running/completed status
- File operations with paths and content
- Permission prompts (if applicable)
**Use Playwright MCP tools:**
- `browser_navigate` to go to the app
- `browser_snapshot` to see UI state
- `browser_click` to interact
- `browser_type` to enter prompts
**Pass criteria:**
- Agent creates successfully
- Prompt sends and response streams
- Timeline items appear for tool calls
- No console errors
Test: `codex-mcp-agent.test.ts:795` - "captures tool call inputs/outputs for commands, file changes, file reads, MCP tools, and web search"
**Specific failures:**

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