Evolving Tests

Automatically update tests when your code changes.

Evolving Tests keeps your test suite in sync with your code. When you make changes, Paragon analyzes the PR and proposes test additions, updates, or removals.

How It Works

1. You open a PR with code changes
2. Paragon analyzes your changes and existing tests
3. Paragon posts a GitHub comment with proposed test changes
4. Review proposals in the dashboard
5. Accept to apply changes, or reject to ignore

Enable Evolving Tests

1. Go to Testing > Repos
2. Click the repository you want to configure
3. Scroll to the Evolving Tests section
4. Turn on Enable Evolving Tests
5. Configure auto-run, open access, and excluded branches
6. Save your settings

Configuration Options

Auto-Run on PR

When disabled, comment @paragon-evolve on any PR to trigger analysis.

Open Access

Allow external contributors (outside your organization) to trigger @paragon-evolve on their PRs.

Only enable for public repositories where you trust community contributions.

Include Draft PRs

By default, evolving tests only run on non-draft PRs. Enable this to also analyze draft PRs.

Excluded Branches

Skip evolving tests for certain branches. Supports wildcards:

main
develop
release/*
hotfix/*
dependabot/*

Use cases:

• Skip main branch (no PR to a branch you're already on)
• Skip release branches (tests should be stable)
• Skip automated dependency updates

Proposal Types

Paragon proposes three types of changes:

Add New Tests

When you add new code that isn't covered by tests:

### New Tests Proposed
 
**Add test for `calculateShipping` function**
- Reason: New function added with no test coverage
- Confidence: 95%
- Tests:
  - Returns $5 for orders under $25
  - Returns $0 for orders over $25 (free shipping)
  - Handles international addresses with higher rate

Update Existing Tests

When code changes affect existing tests:

### Test Updates Proposed
 
**Update test for `calculateDiscount` function**
- Reason: Function signature changed, added `memberType` parameter
- Confidence: 88%
- Changes:
  - Add test cases for "gold" member type (30% discount)
  - Add test cases for "silver" member type (20% discount)
  - Update existing tests to include memberType parameter

Remove Obsolete Tests

When code is removed and tests are no longer needed:

### Tests to Remove
 
**Remove test for `legacyCalculator` function**
- Reason: Function deleted in this PR
- Confidence: 100%

Reviewing Proposals

GitHub Comment

When Paragon analyzes a PR, it posts a comment:

## Evolving Tests Analysis
 
I analyzed your changes and have **3 proposals**:
 
| Type | Test | Confidence |
|------|------|------------|
| Add | calculateShipping tests | 95% |
| Update | calculateDiscount tests | 88% |
| Remove | legacyCalculator tests | 100% |
 
[Review proposals →](https://home.polarity.cc/testing/proposals/abc123)

Dashboard Review

Go to Testing > Proposals to see all pending proposals:

1. Filter by repository - Focus on one repo
2. Filter by type - Added, Updated, Removed
3. Preview changes - See proposed code inline
4. View analysis - Understand why changes are proposed

Proposal Details

Click any proposal to see:

• Analysis Summary: Why Paragon thinks this change is needed
• Confidence Score: How certain Paragon is (0-100%)
• Proposed Code: The actual test code to be added/updated
• Affected Files: Which test files will change

Accepting Proposals

Accept Single Proposal

1. Click the proposal
2. Review the changes
3. Click "Accept"
4. Choose: Push to PR or create new PR

Accept All Proposals

1. Go to Testing > Proposals
2. Select proposals with checkboxes
3. Click "Accept Selected"

What Happens on Accept

When you accept a proposal:

1. Paragon generates the test code
2. Commits to the PR branch (or creates new PR)
3. Posts a GitHub comment confirming changes
4. Proposal marked as accepted

## Tests Updated
 
Applied 3 test changes:
- Added `calculateShipping.test.ts`
- Updated `calculateDiscount.test.ts`
- Removed `legacyCalculator.test.ts`
 
[View commit →](https://github.com/org/repo/commit/abc123)

Rejecting Proposals

Reject Single Proposal

1. Click the proposal
2. Click "Reject"
3. (Optional) Add reason

Rejected proposals won't be proposed again for this PR.

When to Reject

• False positive: Paragon misunderstood the change
• Already covered: Existing tests cover this case
• Not needed: Intentionally not testing this code
• Low confidence: Proposal doesn't look right

Best Practices

Start with Auto-Run Disabled

When first enabling evolving tests:

1. Disable auto-run initially
2. Manually trigger on a few PRs with @paragon-evolve
3. Review proposal quality
4. Enable auto-run once satisfied

Review Before Accepting

Always review proposals before accepting:

• Check the generated test code makes sense
• Verify assertions match expected behavior
• Ensure test follows your conventions

Exclude Noisy Branches

Add patterns for branches that don't need test evolution:

dependabot/*
renovate/*
*.md-only

Trust Confidence Scores

Troubleshooting

Proposals Not Appearing

1. Check evolving tests is enabled in repository settings
2. Check auto-run setting - if disabled, use @paragon-evolve
3. Check excluded branches - branch might be excluded
4. Check draft PR setting - draft PRs off by default

Low Quality Proposals

• Make your PR description detailed
• Include context about what changed and why
• Link to related issues

Too Many Proposals

• Add excluded branches for automated PRs
• Adjust test type filters in settings
• Review and reject false positives (Paragon learns)

Next Steps