TEA Knowledge Base Index

TEA Knowledge Base Index

TEA uses 40 specialized knowledge fragments for context engineering. These fragments are loaded dynamically based on workflow needs via the tea-index.csv manifest.

What is Context Engineering?

Context engineering is the practice of loading domain-specific standards into AI context automatically rather than relying on prompts alone.

Instead of asking AI to “write good tests” every time, TEA:

1. Reads tea-index.csv to identify relevant fragments for the workflow
2. Loads only the fragments needed (keeps context focused)
3. Operates with domain-specific standards, not generic knowledge
4. Produces consistent, production-ready tests across projects

Example:

User runs: `test-design`

TEA reads tea-index.csv:
- Loads: test-quality.md, test-priorities-matrix.md, risk-governance.md
- Skips: network-recorder.md, burn-in.md (not needed for test design)

Result: Focused context, consistent quality standards

How Knowledge Loading Works

1. Workflow Trigger

User runs a TEA workflow (e.g., test-design)

2. Manifest Lookup

TEA reads src/testarch/tea-index.csv:

id,name,description,tags,tier,fragment_file
test-quality,Test Quality,Execution limits and isolation rules,"quality,standards",core,knowledge/test-quality.md
risk-governance,Risk Governance,Risk scoring and gate decisions,"risk,governance",core,knowledge/risk-governance.md

3. Dynamic Loading

Only fragments needed for the workflow are loaded into context

4. Consistent Output

AI operates with established patterns, producing consistent results

Fragment Categories

Architecture & Fixtures

Core patterns for test infrastructure and fixture composition.

Fragment	Description	Key Topics
fixture-architecture	Pure function → Fixture → mergeTests composition with auto-cleanup	Testability, composition, reusability
network-first	Intercept-before-navigate workflow, HAR capture, deterministic waits	Flakiness prevention, network patterns
playwright-config	Environment switching, timeout standards, artifact outputs	Configuration, environments, CI
fixtures-composition	mergeTests composition patterns for combining utilities	Fixture merging, utility composition

Used in: framework, test-design, atdd, automate, test-review

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Data & Setup

Patterns for test data generation, authentication, and setup.

Fragment	Description	Key Topics
data-factories	Factory patterns with faker, overrides, API seeding, cleanup	Test data, factories, cleanup
email-auth	Magic link extraction, state preservation, negative flows	Authentication, email testing
auth-session	Token persistence, multi-user, API/browser authentication	Auth patterns, session management

Used in: framework, atdd, automate, test-review

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Network & Reliability

Network interception, error handling, and reliability patterns.

Fragment	Description	Key Topics
network-recorder	HAR record/playback, CRUD detection for offline testing	Offline testing, network replay
intercept-network-call	Network spy/stub, JSON parsing for UI tests	Mocking, interception, stubbing
error-handling	Scoped exception handling, retry validation, telemetry logging	Error patterns, resilience
network-error-monitor	HTTP 4xx/5xx detection for UI tests	Error detection, monitoring

Used in: atdd, automate, test-review

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Test Execution & CI

CI/CD patterns, burn-in testing, and selective test execution.

Fragment	Description	Key Topics
ci-burn-in	Staged jobs, shard orchestration, burn-in loops	CI/CD, flakiness detection
burn-in	Smart test selection, git diff for CI optimization	Test selection, performance
selective-testing	Tag/grep usage, spec filters, diff-based runs	Test filtering, optimization

Used in: ci, test-review

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Quality & Standards

Test quality standards, test level selection, and TDD patterns.

Fragment	Description	Key Topics
test-quality	Execution limits, isolation rules, green criteria	DoD, best practices, anti-patterns
test-levels-framework	Guidelines for unit, integration, E2E selection	Test pyramid, level selection
test-priorities-matrix	P0-P3 criteria, coverage targets, execution ordering	Prioritization, risk-based testing
test-healing-patterns	Common failure patterns and automated fixes	Debugging, healing, fixes
component-tdd	Red→green→refactor workflow, provider isolation	TDD, component testing

Used in: test-design, atdd, automate, test-review, trace

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Risk & Gates

Risk assessment, governance, and gate decision frameworks.

Fragment	Description	Key Topics
risk-governance	Scoring matrix, category ownership, gate decision rules	Risk assessment, governance
probability-impact	Probability × impact scale for scoring matrix	Risk scoring, impact analysis
nfr-criteria	Security, performance, reliability, maintainability status	NFRs, compliance, enterprise

Used in: test-design, nfr-assess, trace

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Selectors & Timing

Selector resilience, race condition debugging, and visual debugging.

Fragment	Description	Key Topics
selector-resilience	Robust selector strategies and debugging	Selectors, locators, resilience
timing-debugging	Race condition identification and deterministic fixes	Race conditions, timing issues
visual-debugging	Trace viewer usage, artifact expectations	Debugging, trace viewer, artifacts

Used in: atdd, automate, test-review

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Feature Flags & API Patterns

Feature flag testing and pure API testing patterns.

Fragment	Description	Key Topics
feature-flags	Enum management, targeting helpers, cleanup, checklists	Feature flags, toggles
api-testing-patterns	Pure API patterns without browser	API testing, backend testing

Used in: test-design, atdd, automate

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Pact & Contract Testing Integration

Contract testing fundamentals plus Pact.js Utils and Pact MCP integrations.

Fragment	Description	Key Topics
contract-testing	Raw Pact patterns, publishing, verification, resilience	Contract testing, Pact fundamentals
pactjs-utils-overview	Installation, flow decision tree, utility map	pactjs-utils, CDCT/BDCT, integration strategy
pactjs-utils-consumer-helpers	Provider-state helpers: createProviderState, toJsonMap; request/response callback helpers: setJsonBody, setJsonContent	pactjs-utils, consumer testing, provider state
pactjs-utils-provider-verifier	buildVerifierOptions, buildMessageVerifierOptions, broker selectors, tagging	pactjs-utils, provider verification, CI
pactjs-utils-request-filter	createRequestFilter, noOpRequestFilter auth/header patterns	pactjs-utils, request filter, auth injection
pact-mcp	SmartBear MCP tools for provider states, review, can-i-deploy, matrix	pact-mcp, broker interaction, pactflow
pact-consumer-framework-setup	Consumer CDC framework scaffolding: directory layout, scripts, CI workflow, and PactV4 test patterns	pactjs-utils, consumer CDC, framework setup
pact-consumer-di	Dependency-injection pattern for Pact consumer tests using real client code	pact, consumer, DI, contract accuracy

Used in: framework, test-design, atdd, automate, test-review, ci (conditioned by tea_use_pactjs_utils and tea_pact_mcp)

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Browser Automation

CLI and MCP integration for AI-driven browser automation during test generation.

Fragment	Description	Key Topics
playwright-cli	Token-efficient CLI for AI coding agents: element refs, sessions, snapshots, browser automation	CLI, browser, agent, automation, snapshot

Used in: atdd, automate, test-design, test-review, nfr-assess (when tea_browser_automation is cli or auto)

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Playwright-Utils Integration

Patterns for using @seontechnologies/playwright-utils package (9 utilities).

Fragment	Description	Key Topics
api-request	Typed HTTP client, schema validation, retry logic	API calls, HTTP, validation
auth-session	Token persistence, multi-user, API/browser authentication	Auth patterns, session management
network-recorder	HAR record/playback, CRUD detection for offline testing	Offline testing, network replay
intercept-network-call	Network spy/stub, JSON parsing for UI tests	Mocking, interception, stubbing
recurse	Async polling for API responses, background jobs	Polling, eventual consistency
log	Structured logging for API and UI tests	Logging, debugging, reporting
file-utils	CSV/XLSX/PDF/ZIP handling with download support	File validation, exports
burn-in	Smart test selection with git diff analysis	CI optimization, selective testing
network-error-monitor	Auto-detect HTTP 4xx/5xx errors during tests	Error monitoring, silent failures

Note: fixtures-composition is listed under Architecture & Fixtures (general Playwright mergeTests pattern, applies to all fixtures).

Used in: framework (if tea_use_playwright_utils: true), atdd, automate, test-review, ci

Official Docs: https://seontechnologies.github.io/playwright-utils/

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Fragment Manifest (tea-index.csv)

Location: src/testarch/tea-index.csv

Purpose: Tracks all knowledge fragments and their usage in workflows

Structure:

id,name,description,tags,tier,fragment_file
test-quality,Test Quality,Execution limits and isolation rules,"quality,standards",core,knowledge/test-quality.md
risk-governance,Risk Governance,Risk scoring and gate decisions,"risk,governance",core,knowledge/risk-governance.md

Columns:

• id - Unique fragment identifier (kebab-case)
• name - Human-readable fragment name
• description - What the fragment covers
• tags - Searchable tags (comma-separated)
• tier - Loading priority (core = always loaded for matching workflow, extended = loaded on demand, specialized = loaded only when the specific use case matches)
• fragment_file - Relative path to fragment markdown file

Loading Profiles:

Fragments are loaded based on workflow needs and tier priority:

• Core tier: Automatically loaded when a workflow starts (e.g., test-quality.md for test-review)
• Extended tier: Loaded when the workflow context requires them (e.g., auth-session.md when tests involve authentication)
• Specialized tier: Only loaded when the specific use case matches (e.g., contract-testing for microservices, email-auth for email flows)

Fragment Location: src/testarch/knowledge/ (all 42 fragments in a single directory)

Manifest: src/testarch/tea-index.csv

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Workflow Fragment Loading

Each TEA workflow loads specific fragments:

framework

Key Fragments:

• fixture-architecture.md
• playwright-config.md
• fixtures-composition.md

Purpose: Test infrastructure patterns and fixture composition

Note: Loads additional fragments based on framework choice (Playwright/Cypress) and config (tea_use_playwright_utils).

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test-design

Key Fragments:

• test-quality.md
• test-priorities-matrix.md
• test-levels-framework.md
• risk-governance.md
• probability-impact.md

Purpose: Risk assessment and test planning standards

Note: Loads additional fragments based on mode (system-level vs epic-level) and focus areas.

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atdd

Key Fragments:

• test-quality.md
• component-tdd.md
• fixture-architecture.md
• network-first.md
• data-factories.md
• selector-resilience.md
• timing-debugging.md
• test-healing-patterns.md

Purpose: TDD patterns and test generation standards

Note: Loads auth, network, and utility fragments based on feature requirements.

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automate

Key Fragments:

• test-quality.md
• test-levels-framework.md
• test-priorities-matrix.md
• fixture-architecture.md
• network-first.md
• selector-resilience.md
• test-healing-patterns.md
• timing-debugging.md

Purpose: Comprehensive test generation with quality standards

Note: Loads additional fragments for data factories, auth, network utilities based on test needs.

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test-review

Key Fragments:

• test-quality.md
• test-healing-patterns.md
• selector-resilience.md
• timing-debugging.md
• visual-debugging.md
• network-first.md
• test-levels-framework.md
• fixture-architecture.md

Purpose: Comprehensive quality review against all standards

Note: Loads all applicable playwright-utils fragments when tea_use_playwright_utils: true.

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ci

Key Fragments:

• ci-burn-in.md
• burn-in.md
• selective-testing.md
• playwright-config.md

Purpose: CI/CD best practices and optimization

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nfr-assess

Key Fragments:

• nfr-criteria.md
• risk-governance.md
• probability-impact.md

Purpose: NFR assessment frameworks and decision rules

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trace

Key Fragments:

• test-priorities-matrix.md
• risk-governance.md
• test-quality.md

Purpose: Traceability and gate decision standards

Note: Loads nfr-criteria.md if NFR assessment is part of gate decision.

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Related

• TEA Overview - How knowledge base fits in TEA
• Testing as Engineering - Context engineering philosophy
• TEA Command Reference - Workflows that use fragments

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Generated with BMad Method - TEA (Test Engineering Architect)