cli-backend-testing

CLI + Backend Integration Testing

Standard workflow for verifying backend changes using the LobeHub CLI (lh) against a local dev server.

When to Use

• Verifying TRPC router / service / model changes end-to-end
• Testing new API fields or response structure changes
• Validating CLI command output after backend modifications
• Debugging data flow issues between server and CLI

Prerequisites

Requirement	Details
Dev server	localhost:3011 (Next.js)
CLI source	lobehub/apps/cli/
CLI dev mode	Uses LOBEHUB_CLI_HOME=.lobehub-dev for isolated credentials
Auth	Device Code Flow login to local server

Quick Reference

All CLI dev commands run from lobehub/apps/cli/:

# Shorthand for all commands below
CLI="LOBEHUB_CLI_HOME=.lobehub-dev bun src/index.ts"

Workflow

Step 1: Ensure Dev Server is Running

Check if the dev server is already running:

curl -s -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}' http://localhost:3011/ 2> /dev/null

• If reachable (returns any HTTP status): server is running. Skip to Step 2.
• If unreachable: start the server:

# From cloud repo root
pnpm run dev:next

To restart (pick up server-side code changes):

lsof -ti:3011 | xargs kill
pnpm run dev:next

Important: Server-side code changes in the submodule (lobehub/src/server/, lobehub/packages/) require a server restart. Next.js hot-reload may not pick up changes in submodule packages.

Step 2: Check CLI Authentication

Check if dev credentials already exist:

cat lobehub/apps/cli/.lobehub-dev/settings.json 2> /dev/null

• If file exists and contains "serverUrl": "http://localhost:3011": already authenticated. Skip to Step 3.
• If file missing or points to wrong server: login is needed. Ask the user to run:

! cd lobehub/apps/cli && LOBEHUB_CLI_HOME=.lobehub-dev bun src/index.ts login --server http://localhost:3011

Login requires interactive browser authorization (OIDC Device Code Flow), so the user must run it themselves via ! prefix. After login, credentials are saved to lobehub/apps/cli/.lobehub-dev/ and persist across sessions.

Step 3: Test with CLI Commands

CLI runs from source (bun src/index.ts), so CLI-side code changes take effect immediately without rebuilding.

cd lobehub/apps/cli
LOBEHUB_CLI_HOME=.lobehub-dev bun src/index.ts <command>

Step 4: Clean Up Test Data

Delete any test data created during verification:

LOBEHUB_CLI_HOME=.lobehub-dev bun src/index.ts task delete < id > -y
LOBEHUB_CLI_HOME=.lobehub-dev bun src/index.ts agent delete < id > -y

Common Testing Patterns

Task System

# List tasks
$CLI task list

# Create test data with nesting
$CLI task create -n "Root Task" -i "Test instruction"
$CLI task create -n "Child Task" -i "Sub instruction" --parent T-1

# View task detail (tests getTaskDetail service)
$CLI task view T-1

# View task tree
$CLI task tree T-1

# Test lifecycle
$CLI task edit T-1 --status running
$CLI task comment T-1 -m "Test comment"

# Clean up
$CLI task delete T-1 -y

Agent System

# List agents
$CLI agent list

# View agent detail
$CLI agent view <agent-id>

# Run agent (tests agent execution pipeline)
$CLI agent run <agent-id> -m "Test prompt"

Document & Knowledge Base

# List documents
$CLI doc list

# Create and view
$CLI doc create -t "Test Doc" -c "Content here"
$CLI doc view <doc-id>

# Knowledge base
$CLI kb list
$CLI kb tree <kb-id>

Model & Provider

# List models and providers
$CLI model list
$CLI provider list

# Test provider connectivity
$CLI provider test <provider-id>

Dev-Test Cycle

The standard cycle for backend development:

1. Make code changes (service/model/router/type)
         |
2. Run unit tests (fast feedback)
   bunx vitest run --silent='passed-only' '<test-file>'
         |
3. Restart dev server (if server-side changes)
   lsof -ti:3011 | xargs kill && pnpm run dev:next
         |
4. CLI verification (end-to-end)
   LOBEHUB_CLI_HOME=.lobehub-dev bun src/index.ts <command>
         |
5. Clean up test data

When Server Restart is Needed

Change Location	Restart?
lobehub/src/server/ (routers, services)	Yes
lobehub/packages/database/ (models)	Yes
lobehub/packages/types/	Yes
lobehub/packages/prompts/	Yes
lobehub/apps/cli/ (CLI code)	No
src/ (cloud overrides)	Yes

When Server Restart is NOT Needed

CLI runs from source via bun src/index.ts, so any changes to lobehub/apps/cli/src/ take effect immediately on next command invocation.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
No authentication found	Run login --server http://localhost:3011
UNAUTHORIZED on API calls	Token expired; re-run login
ECONNREFUSED	Dev server not running; start with pnpm run dev:next
CLI shows old data/behavior	Server needs restart to pick up code changes
EADDRINUSE on port 3011	Server already running; kill with lsof -ti:3011 | xargs kill
Login opens wrong server	Must use --server http://localhost:3011 flag (env var doesn't work)

Credential Isolation

Mode	Credential Dir	Server
Dev	lobehub/apps/cli/.lobehub-dev/	localhost:3011
Production	~/.lobehub/	app.lobehub.com

The two environments are completely isolated. Dev mode credentials are gitignored.