obsidian-vault/personal/tech/legacy-xctest-runner.md

title, namespace, updated, tags

title	namespace	updated	tags
Legacy XCTest runner (run new-Xcode UI tests on macOS 12)	personal	2026-10-14	xctest ui-tests macos duckduckgo virfield

Legacy XCTest runner

Runs DDG macOS UI tests built with the current Xcode (27.x) on a Mac that can only run an old Xcode, e.g. the MBP 2014 node (Monterey 12.6.8, Intel, Xcode 13.4.1).

Location: ~/Developer/legacy-xctest-runner/ (not committed anywhere).

Why it is needed

• New Xcode's XCTest.framework and UI Tests-Runner.app require macOS 14+.
• The test bundle itself targets the app's deployment target (12.3), so it can run if hosted by the old Xcode's runner.
• The bundle imports 2 Swift symbols missing from Xcode 13 XCTest: XCUIElement.typeKey(_:modifierFlags:) (mangled under XCUIAutomation) and XCTIssue.init(…severity:). XCTestCompat.swift forwards them.

How it works

• package.sh <derived-data> <out.tgz> — collects DuckDuckGo Review.app, tests-server, UI Tests.xctest + runner files.
• run.sh [--gui] <TestClass[/testMethod]> [result-name] on the target Mac:
  • builds XCTestCompat.framework (re-exports old XCTest + libXCTestSwiftSupport, adds forwarders);
  • hosts the bundle in Xcode 13's XCTRunner.app, install_name_tool repoints the bundle's XCTest/libXCTestSwiftSupport imports at XCTestCompat;
  • repeats macOS UI Tests CI scheme pre-actions (clean-app review, suppress Move-to-Applications, start tests-server);
  • xcodebuild test-without-building with UITests.xctestrun (FormatVersion 1), then kills tests-server and the app (old XCTest doesn't terminate it).
  • --gui: over SSH xcodebuild can't reach the runner; relaunches itself via a Terminal .command in the console session, waits, closes finished windows.

Build on the host (spell flags out — zsh doesn't word-split $var):

xcodebuild build-for-testing -workspace DuckDuckGo.xcworkspace -scheme "macOS UI Tests CI" -destination "platform=macOS,arch=x86_64" -derivedDataPath <dd> ONLY_ACTIVE_ARCH=YES -skipPackagePluginValidation -skipMacroValidation
xcodebuild build -workspace DuckDuckGo.xcworkspace -scheme "macOS Browser" -configuration Review -destination "platform=macOS,arch=x86_64" -derivedDataPath <dd> ONLY_ACTIVE_ARCH=YES -skipPackagePluginValidation -skipMacroValidation

Target Mac prerequisites (once per boot volume, needs sudo)

sudo DevToolsSecurity -enable
sudo automationmodetool enable-automationmode-without-authentication

Without them testmanagerd shows an admin-password prompt on the display ("Timed out while enabling automation mode"). Virfield's node probe now reports ui_testing (ready / devtools_disabled / automation_mode_requires_auth / no_console_session); setup script /Users/admin/Developer/virfield/deploy/node-ui-testing.sh.

Gotchas found

• Repo Logger (macOS/UITests/Common/UITests.swift) calls private -[XCTContext _recordActivityMessageWithFormat:]; old XCTest lacks it → guard with responds(to:) (done on branch alex/fix-save-credentials-tooltip-crash-macos12).
• Remote shell is zsh: log is a builtin — use /usr/bin/log show.
• MBP has a different SSH host key per boot volume; use the Virfield lease's generated ssh-config (pins the booted volume's key).
• Hover tracking in the app uses .activeInKeyWindow; popovers that open without focus don't get hover events.

First used: 2026-10-12, reproducing Sentry crash NSInternalInconsistencyException SaveCredentialsViewController.loadView (isfinite(newOrigin.x) on macOS 12) — reproduced before fix on the MBP. See also virfield.