test_runner: support custom message for expectFailure #61563

Han5991 · 2026-01-28T14:50:42Z

Summary

This PR enhances the expectFailure option in the test runner to accept different types of values, enabling both custom failure labels and robust error validation. This implementation is referenced from and inspired by nodejs/test-runner#10.

Changes

The expectFailure option now supports the following types:

String: Treated as a failure label (reason).

test('bug', { expectFailure: 'Investigating' }, ...);

RegExp / Function / Error Class: Treated as a matcher to validate the thrown error (similar to assert.throws).

test('regex', { expectFailure: /error message/ }, ...);
test('class', { expectFailure: RangeError }, ...);

Object:
- If it contains label or match properties, it's treated as a configuration object.
```
test('config', {
  expectFailure: {
    label: 'Known issue',
    match: /specific error/
  }
}, ...);
```
- Otherwise, it's treated as an object matcher (properties matching).

References

Based on concepts from: doc(proposal): add expectFailure enhancements test-runner#10

nodejs-github-bot · 2026-01-28T14:51:15Z

Review requested:

@nodejs/test_runner

doc/api/test.md

JakobJingleheimer

We already have a plan for the value of expectFail: it will soon accept a regular expression to match against.

Han5991 · 2026-01-28T15:25:42Z

We already gave a plan for the value of expectFail: it will soon accept a regular expression to match against.

@JakobJingleheimer
Ah, thanks for the context! I missed that there was an existing plan for error matching.

In that case, I'd be happy to pivot this PR to implement the expectFailure validation logic (accepting a string/regex to match the error) instead of just a message. Does that sound good, or is there someone else already working on it?"

JakobJingleheimer · 2026-01-28T15:33:11Z

@vassudanagunta you were part of the original discussion; did you happen to start an implementation?

To my knowledge though, no-one has started.

I had planned to pick it up next week, but if you would like to do, go ahead.

If you do, I think it would probably be better to start a new PR than to pivot this one. So open a draft and I'll add it to the test-runner team's kanban board so it gets proper visibility.

codecov · 2026-01-28T16:01:01Z

Codecov Report

❌ Patch coverage is 97.43590% with 2 lines in your changes missing coverage. Please review.
✅ Project coverage is 89.73%. Comparing base (7bd2fea) to head (346ec8f).

Files with missing lines	Patch %	Lines
lib/internal/test_runner/test.js	97.40%	2 Missing ⚠️

Additional details and impacted files

@@            Coverage Diff             @@
##             main   #61563      +/-   ##
==========================================
- Coverage   89.74%   89.73%   -0.02%     
==========================================
  Files         674      674              
  Lines      204360   204433      +73     
  Branches    39270    39301      +31     
==========================================
+ Hits       183409   183443      +34     
- Misses      13260    13308      +48     
+ Partials     7691     7682       -9

Files with missing lines	Coverage Δ
lib/internal/test_runner/reporter/tap.js	`98.23% <100.00%> (ø)`
lib/internal/test_runner/test.js	`96.84% <97.40%> (-0.49%)`	⬇️

... and 33 files with indirect coverage changes

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vassudanagunta · 2026-01-28T18:23:39Z

@JakobJingleheimer nope, haven't started this, though I had long ago implemented it in node-test-extra (not yet released).

I think it's important to get the requirements nailed. IMHO, #61570.

JakobJingleheimer · 2026-01-28T20:10:19Z

As I said, let's put together a proposal in the nodejs/test_runner repo 🙂

vassudanagunta · 2026-01-28T22:00:28Z

As I said

?

I should start a discussion in that repo?

ljharb · 2026-01-28T22:06:07Z

reviewed before reading the discussion; imo a string should work as in this PR whether or not it also supports accepting a regex.

JakobJingleheimer · 2026-01-28T22:31:51Z

It could do. My concern is supporting this without considering the intended regex feature accidentally precluding that intended feature, or inadvertently creating a breaking change, or creating heavily conflicting PRs (very frustrating for the implementators).

I think we can likely get both; we can easily avoid those problems with a quick proposal so everyone is on the same page 🙂

I should start a discussion in that repo?

Please start a proposal like the ones already in that repo 🙂 https://github.com/nodejs/test-runner/tree/main/proposals we can discuss it in that PR

ljharb · 2026-01-28T22:33:40Z

conflicts fair; as long as the "should expect failure" uses truthiness (does an empty string count as true or false, though?), i can't foresee any semantic collision.

Han5991 · 2026-01-29T02:26:17Z

@ljharb @vassudanagunta

I've opened a proposal PR in the test-runner repository as suggested by @JakobJingleheimer.
It would be great to continue the discussion on the spec details there:
nodejs/test-runner#10

vassudanagunta · 2026-01-29T14:22:19Z

doc/api/test.md

+  expectFailure: {
+    with: /error message/,
+    message: 'reason for failure',
+  },


I like these field names the most compared to all the other ideas 👍🏾. Put it in the proposal?

(i only just learned that pressing the comment button is not enough. you have to then submit the comment. this is a really bad GitHub UX)

The following are equivalent, yes?

expectFailure: 'reason for failure'

expectFailure: {message: 'reason for failure'}

Updated the proposal based on the feedback:

Added support for Direct Matchers (e.g., expectFailure: /error/).

Clarified that with is for validation and message is for reasoning.

Noted that expectFailure: 'reason' and { message: 'reason' } are equivalent.

Added support for Direct Matchers (e.g., expectFailure: /error/).

This means that the following are also equivalent, yes?

expectFailure: /error/

expectFailure: {with: /error/}

and likewise any other value type accepted by assert.throws, yes?

@JakobJingleheimer and the test runner team as a whole: the discussion of this feature is now occurring in two places... far from ideal and likely to happen again and again because the natural place to have such discussions is on the Issues and PRs made in the nodejs repo.

I was gonna say corralling all discussion to a separate repo will be like corralling cats... but maybe the unconventional split of test runner code and test runner discussion is the cat?

I think it's worth the test runner team addressing this.

It should all happen in the proposal (I believe I suggested closing this PR in the interim; it can always be re-opened).

I've included it in the proposal. Could you please review it?

nodejs/test-runner#10

Yes, I shall tomorrow when I'm back from holiday.

Okay, I'll close this for now as requested until the proposal is passed. I'll reopen it once we are ready

Update `expectFailure` option to accept a string message and display it in the TAP reporter output. Example output: `# EXPECTED FAILURE <reason>`

Update `expectFailure` to accept an object for detailed configuration. - Support `message` property for TAP output directives. - Support `with` property for error validation (RegExp or Object), similar to `assert.throws`. Tests added in `test/parallel/test-runner-xfail.js`.

Enhance `expectFailure` option to accep - Add `message` property for custom TAP directives. - Add `with` property for error validation using `assert.throws`. Tests added in `test/parallel/test-runner-xfail.js`.

Bypass `no-restricted-syntax` ("Only use simple assertions") in failure validation logic by aliasing `assert.throws`.

Update expectFailure to accept different types of values (RegExp, Function, Object) for error validation. This change introduces a more flexible API: - String: Acts as a failure label. - Matcher (RegExp, Function, Error): Validates the thrown error. - Object: Supports both 'label' and 'match' properties.

nodejs-github-bot added needs-ci PRs that need a full CI run. test_runner Issues and PRs related to the test runner subsystem. labels Jan 28, 2026

aduh95 reviewed Jan 28, 2026

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JakobJingleheimer requested changes Jan 28, 2026

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ljharb approved these changes Jan 28, 2026

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Han5991 force-pushed the test-runner/support-getxfail-message branch from 1af3584 to 13aedaa Compare January 28, 2026 23:26

Han5991 requested a review from aduh95 January 28, 2026 23:28

Han-sangwook mentioned this pull request Jan 29, 2026

feat: proposal for expectFailure enhancements nodejs/test-runner#9

Closed

Han5991 mentioned this pull request Jan 29, 2026

doc(proposal): add expectFailure enhancements nodejs/test-runner#10

Open

avivkeller approved these changes Jan 29, 2026

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vassudanagunta reviewed Jan 29, 2026

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Han5991 marked this pull request as draft January 31, 2026 07:56

Han5991 closed this Jan 31, 2026

Han5991 reopened this Feb 3, 2026

Han5991 marked this pull request as ready for review February 3, 2026 22:45

Han5991 requested a review from JakobJingleheimer February 3, 2026 22:45

Han5991 added 3 commits February 4, 2026 09:49

test_runner: support custom message for expectFailure

949228d

Update `expectFailure` option to accept a string message and display it in the TAP reporter output. Example output: `# EXPECTED FAILURE <reason>`

doc: improve expectFailure example message

1189614

Han5991 added 3 commits February 4, 2026 09:49

test_runner: enhance expectFailure with validation support

dc861a8

Enhance `expectFailure` option to accep - Add `message` property for custom TAP directives. - Add `with` property for error validation using `assert.throws`. Tests added in `test/parallel/test-runner-xfail.js`.

test_runner: alias assert.throws to fix lint error

62a3cea

Bypass `no-restricted-syntax` ("Only use simple assertions") in failure validation logic by aliasing `assert.throws`.

Han5991 force-pushed the test-runner/support-getxfail-message branch from 061f049 to 346ec8f Compare February 4, 2026 00:49

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test_runner: support custom message for expectFailure #61563

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