ADR-043: Wait helpers with debug logging in tests

Category: development Provenance: human

Decision

Use wait helper functions in tests that provide detailed debug logs on timeout/failure instead of plain assertions. Logs show resource state, events, and reconciliation status.

Rationale

Plain assertions like 'assert resource.status.phase == "Ready"' fail with no context. When test fails in CI, developer has no information about why. Wait helpers with debug logging capture resource state, Kubernetes events, operator logs at time of failure. Makes CI failures debuggable without re-running locally. Logs show timing issues, reconciliation problems, dependency issues. Significantly reduces debug time.

Agent Instructions

Use wait helpers from tests/integration/wait_helpers.py (wait_for_resource_ready, wait_for_resource_condition) that provide debug logs on timeout. Never use plain assertions without wait/retry logic. Helpers dump resource status, events, and operator logs on failure. Add context-specific debug information to aid troubleshooting.

Rejected Alternatives

Plain assertions without wait logic

Flaky tests due to timing. No debug information on failure. Can't debug CI failures.

Manual kubectl debugging after failure

Resource state is gone after test cleanup. Can't reproduce CI environment locally.