ngit-grasp/REPORT_COMPLIANCE_TESTING.md

Report: GRASP Compliance Testing Strategy

Date: November 3, 2025
Subject: Exportable Test Tool for GRASP-01 First Requirement
Status: Proposal Ready for Review

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Executive Summary

I've analyzed the requirements for testing GRASP-01's first requirement: "MUST serve a NIP-01 compliant nostr relay at / that accepts git repository announcements and their corresponding repo state announcements."

Key Finding: We should NOT extensively test NIP-01 compliance because rust-nostr already has 1000+ tests for this. Instead, we should:

• ✅ Write 6 smoke tests for basic NIP-01 functionality
• ✅ Write 12 GRASP-specific tests for repository announcements
• ✅ Create a reusable compliance testing tool that any GRASP implementation can use

This focused approach saves significant time while ensuring comprehensive GRASP protocol testing.

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The NIP-01 Testing Question

What is NIP-01?

NIP-01 defines the basic Nostr protocol:

• Event structure (id, pubkey, sig, kind, tags, content)
• Event validation (signature verification, ID calculation)
• WebSocket messages (EVENT, REQ, CLOSE, NOTICE, OK, EOSE)
• Subscription filters

What Does rust-nostr Already Test?

The nostr-relay-builder crate we're using includes:

• ✅ Complete event validation
• ✅ Signature verification (Schnorr on secp256k1)
• ✅ Event ID validation (SHA256)
• ✅ WebSocket message handling
• ✅ Subscription management
• ✅ 1000+ unit and integration tests

Recommendation: Smoke Tests Only

We should NOT re-test what rust-nostr already tests.

Instead of writing 50+ tests for NIP-01 compliance, we write:

• 6 smoke tests to verify the relay works at all
• 12 GRASP-specific tests for repository announcement logic

This is pragmatic because:

1. We're using a battle-tested library, not implementing NIP-01 from scratch
2. Our value is GRASP protocol logic, not Nostr basics
3. Comprehensive NIP-01 testing would be 80% redundant work
4. Other GRASP implementations (Go, Python) will also use tested Nostr libraries

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Proposed Test Structure

NIP-01 Smoke Tests (6 tests)

Purpose: Verify basic relay functionality

1. ✅ websocket_connection - Can connect to /
2. ✅ send_receive_event - Can send EVENT, get OK response
3. ✅ create_subscription - Can send REQ, receive EOSE
4. ✅ close_subscription - Can close subscriptions
5. ✅ reject_invalid_event - Rejects events with bad signatures
6. ✅ reject_invalid_event_id - Rejects events with wrong IDs

Coverage: Basic relay works, events can be sent/received

GRASP-01 Specific Tests (12 tests)

Purpose: Verify GRASP protocol requirements

7. ✅ accepts_repository_announcement - Accepts NIP-34 kind 30617
8. ✅ accepts_repository_state - Accepts NIP-34 kind 30618
9. ✅ rejects_announcement_without_clone_tag - Enforces clone tag
10. ✅ rejects_announcement_without_relay_tag - Enforces relay tag
11. ✅ accepts_announcement_with_multiple_clones - Handles multiple URLs
12. ✅ accepts_events_tagging_announcement - Accepts related events
13. ✅ accepts_events_tagged_by_announcement - Accepts tagged events
14. ✅ rejects_events_tagging_rejected_announcement - Rejects orphans
15. ✅ query_announcements_by_identifier - Can query repos
16. ✅ query_state_events - Can query state
17. ✅ state_replaces_previous - Replaceable events work
18. ✅ concurrent_event_submission - No race conditions

Coverage: GRASP policy enforcement, repository lifecycle

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Proposed Implementation

Structure

grasp-compliance-tests/          ← Standalone, reusable crate
├── src/
│   ├── lib.rs                   ← Public API
│   ├── client.rs                ← Test client (HTTP/WS/Git)
│   ├── assertions.rs            ← Spec-based assertions
│   ├── fixtures.rs              ← Event/repo builders
│   └── specs/
│       ├── nip01_smoke.rs       ← 6 smoke tests
│       └── grasp_01.rs          ← 12 GRASP tests
└── examples/
    └── test_server.rs           ← Test any GRASP server

Key Features

1. Reusable: Can test ngit-grasp, ngit-relay, or any GRASP implementation
2. Spec-Mirrored: Test names and comments cite exact spec lines
3. Clear Failures: Failures show requirement + what went wrong
4. Exportable: Publish as grasp-compliance-tests crate

Example Usage

use grasp_compliance_tests::*;

#[tokio::main]
async fn main() {
    let client = GraspTestClient::new("http://localhost:8080");
    
    // Run smoke tests
    let smoke = test_nip01_smoke(&client).await;
    smoke.print_report();
    
    // Run GRASP tests
    let grasp = test_grasp_01_relay(&client).await;
    grasp.print_report();
}

Example Output

GRASP-01: Relay Requirements
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

✓ accepts_repository_announcement (GRASP-01:9-10)
  Requirement: MUST accept NIP-34 repository announcements
  Duration: 45ms

✗ rejects_announcement_without_clone_tag (GRASP-01:12-13)
  Requirement: MUST reject announcements without clone tag
  Error: Event was accepted but should have been rejected
  Duration: 28ms

Results: 11/12 passed (91.7%)

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Can We Reuse rust-nostr Tests?

Direct Reuse: No

• Their tests are internal to their crates
• They test library functions, not running servers
• Not designed for external use

Indirect Reuse: Yes

We can leverage their patterns:

// Use their event builders
use nostr_sdk::prelude::*;

let event = EventBuilder::new(Kind::Custom(30617), "", [
    Tag::identifier("my-repo"),
    Tag::custom(TagKind::Custom("clone".into()), vec![domain]),
])
.to_event(&keys)?;

// But test server acceptance, not library validation
assert!(client.send_event(event).await?.ok);

What we leverage:

• ✅ Event building utilities from nostr-sdk
• ✅ Key generation patterns
• ✅ Confidence that underlying validation works

What we test:

• 🎯 GRASP policy enforcement (our code)
• 🎯 Repository announcement acceptance (our code)
• 🎯 Integration between relay and Git service (our code)

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Timeline & Approach

Option A: Test-First (Recommended)

Week 1:

• Create grasp-compliance-tests/ crate
• Implement test client (HTTP/WebSocket)
• Write all 18 tests (they will fail)

Week 2:

• Create ngit-grasp skeleton
• Wire up nostr-relay-builder
• Implement GRASP policies

Week 3:

• Fix failing tests
• Add missing functionality
• Iterate until green

Week 4:

• Polish and document
• Extract reusable patterns
• Prepare for next GRASP-01 requirements

Option B: Parallel Development

Build test tool and implementation simultaneously.

Option C: Implementation-First

Build ngit-grasp first, then create tests.

I recommend Option A because:

• Tests serve as executable specification
• Forces thinking through edge cases early
• Ensures testability from day one
• Tests are immediately reusable by others

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Benefits of This Approach

1. Focused Testing

• 18 tests vs. 100+ redundant tests
• Test GRASP logic, not generic Nostr
• Fast execution (seconds, not minutes)

2. Reusable Tool

• Any GRASP implementation can use it
• Go, Rust, Python, JavaScript
• Publish as standalone crate
• Community contribution opportunity

3. Clear Failures

• Cite exact spec requirements
• Show expected vs. actual
• Actionable error messages

4. Maintainable

• Tests mirror spec structure
• Easy to add GRASP-02, GRASP-05 tests
• Update tests when spec updates

5. Proof of Concept

• Demonstrates architecture viability
• Validates inline authorization approach
• Shows rust-nostr integration works

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Questions for Decision

1. Scope Confirmation

Do you agree with smoke tests for NIP-01 rather than comprehensive testing?

• ✅ Yes: 6 smoke tests + 12 GRASP tests (18 total)
• ❌ No: Write comprehensive NIP-01 tests (50+ tests)

2. Implementation Approach

Which approach should we take?

• A: Test-first (write tests, then implement)
• B: Parallel (tests and implementation together)
• C: Implementation-first (code first, tests later)

3. Crate Structure

Should the compliance tests be separate from day one?

• Separate: grasp-compliance-tests/ as standalone crate
• Integrated: Start in ngit-grasp/tests/, extract later
• Hybrid: Some in both places

4. Fixture Strategy

How should we generate test data?

• Deterministic: Same keys/events every run (reproducible)
• Random: New keys each run (finds more bugs)
• Configurable: Support both modes

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Recommended Next Steps

1. ✅ Review this proposal - Confirm approach and scope
2. ✅ Answer decision questions - Guide implementation direction
3. ✅ Create test tool skeleton - Set up project structure
4. ✅ Implement smoke tests - Verify basic connectivity
5. ✅ Implement GRASP tests - Test repository announcements
6. ✅ Create minimal ngit-grasp - Wire up nostr-relay-builder
7. ✅ Iterate until green - Fix failing tests
8. ✅ Document and polish - Prepare for next requirements

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Files Created

1. COMPLIANCE_TEST_PROPOSAL.md - Detailed proposal with code examples
2. REPORT_COMPLIANCE_TESTING.md - This executive summary

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Ready to Proceed?

Please review and advise on:

1. ✅ Scope: Agree with smoke tests approach?
2. ✅ Approach: Test-first (A), parallel (B), or implementation-first (C)?
3. ✅ Priority: Any specific tests to prioritize?
4. ✅ Changes: Any modifications to the 18 proposed tests?

Once you confirm the approach, I'll begin implementation immediately.

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Status: ⏸️ Awaiting your decision on approach and scope