From 92f9525bcc1de21404be983ad8d92ff361d1dc01 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: DanConwayDev <DanConwayDev@protonmail.com>
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2026 07:44:18 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] docs(issue): add comprehensive testing strategy for
 ExecStartPre fix

---
 b454-nixos-module-execstartpre-datadir.md | 94 +++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 94 insertions(+)

diff --git a/b454-nixos-module-execstartpre-datadir.md b/b454-nixos-module-execstartpre-datadir.md
index 49d50b8..67e4b9d 100644
--- a/b454-nixos-module-execstartpre-datadir.md
+++ b/b454-nixos-module-execstartpre-datadir.md
@@ -54,6 +54,100 @@ serviceConfig = {
 
 ## Progress
 
+### 2026-01-20 [Session 09:00] - Testing Strategy Review
+- Reviewed: Implementation in commit f93fc0a691544cc3ddda322a7e99d0534d636dcc
+- Designed: Comprehensive testing strategy for NixOS deployment
+
+#### Testing Strategy
+
+**Approach:** Add a test ngit-grasp instance with `archiveAll = true` to the user's NixOS configuration. This will:
+1. Test the ExecStartPre directory creation with a fresh custom dataDir
+2. Exercise the git directory creation when archive mode accepts repositories
+3. Validate permissions are correct for service operation
+
+**Test Scenarios:**
+
+1. **Fresh Install (Primary Test)**
+   - Add new instance with non-existent custom dataDir (e.g., `/persistent/grasp/test-archive`)
+   - Run `nixos-rebuild switch`
+   - Expected: Service starts successfully, directories created with correct ownership
+
+2. **Existing Directories (Idempotency)**
+   - Restart the service after initial setup
+   - Expected: ExecStartPre completes without errors, permissions unchanged
+
+3. **Permission Correction**
+   - Manually change directory permissions (e.g., `chmod 777`)
+   - Restart service
+   - Expected: Permissions reset to 750
+
+4. **Ownership Correction**
+   - Manually change ownership (e.g., `chown root:root`)
+   - Restart service
+   - Expected: Ownership reset to service user:group
+
+**Recommended Test Configuration:**
+
+```nix
+# Add to NixOS configuration alongside existing ngit-grasp instances
+services.ngit-grasp.test-archive = {
+  enable = true;
+  domain = "test-archive.localhost";  # Won't be publicly accessible
+  port = 7335;  # Different port from production
+  dataDir = "/persistent/grasp/test-archive";  # Fresh path that doesn't exist
+  archiveAll = true;  # Enables archive mode for testing git operations
+  logLevel = "debug";  # Verbose logging for verification
+};
+```
+
+**Verification Commands:**
+
+```bash
+# 1. Check service status
+sudo systemctl status ngit-grasp-test-archive
+
+# 2. Verify directories exist with correct permissions
+ls -la /persistent/grasp/test-archive/
+# Expected: drwxr-x--- ngit-grasp-test-archive ngit-grasp
+
+ls -la /persistent/grasp/test-archive/git/
+ls -la /persistent/grasp/test-archive/relay/
+# Expected: drwxr-x--- ngit-grasp-test-archive ngit-grasp
+
+# 3. Check ExecStartPre execution in journal
+journalctl -u ngit-grasp-test-archive --no-pager | head -50
+
+# 4. Test permission correction
+sudo chmod 777 /persistent/grasp/test-archive
+sudo systemctl restart ngit-grasp-test-archive
+stat /persistent/grasp/test-archive
+# Expected: 0750 permissions restored
+
+# 5. Test ownership correction
+sudo chown root:root /persistent/grasp/test-archive
+sudo systemctl restart ngit-grasp-test-archive
+stat /persistent/grasp/test-archive
+# Expected: ngit-grasp-test-archive:ngit-grasp ownership restored
+```
+
+**Cleanup After Testing:**
+
+```bash
+# Remove test instance from NixOS config, then:
+sudo nixos-rebuild switch
+sudo rm -rf /persistent/grasp/test-archive
+sudo userdel ngit-grasp-test-archive  # If user persists
+```
+
+**Edge Cases to Consider:**
+
+- Parent directory doesn't exist (e.g., `/persistent/grasp/` doesn't exist)
+  - `mkdir -p` handles this correctly
+- Symlinked dataDir paths
+  - Should work, but worth verifying
+- SELinux/AppArmor contexts (if enabled)
+  - May need additional testing on hardened systems
+
 ### 2026-01-20 [Session 08:15]
 - Completed: Implemented ExecStartPre directives in nix/module.nix
 - Implementation details: