Spec Kitty

└─ kitty-specs
   └─ Fix and Test Dashboard

Mission Run:

📚 Docs ↗

Implementation Plan: Fix and Test Dashboard

Branch: pr/workspace-per-work-package-v0.11.0 | Date: 2026-01-16 | Spec: spec.md Input: Feature specification from /kitty-specs/013-fix-and-test-dashboard/spec.md

Summary

Add test coverage for the dashboard scanner to verify both legacy (directory-based) and new (frontmatter-based) lane formats work correctly. The dashboard functionality was verified working via Playwright testing; this feature focuses on automated test coverage to prevent regressions.

Technical Context

Language/Version: Python 3.11+ (existing spec-kitty codebase) Primary Dependencies: pytest, pathlib (existing) Storage: Filesystem only (test fixtures create temporary directories) Testing: pytest with tmp_path fixtures Target Platform: Cross-platform (Linux, macOS, Windows) Project Type: Single project - extending existing test suite

Constitution Check

No constitution file exists - no gates to check.

Project Structure

Documentation (this feature)

kitty-specs/013-fix-and-test-dashboard/
├── spec.md              # Feature specification
├── plan.md              # This file
├── checklists/
│   └── requirements.md  # Quality checklist
└── tasks/               # Work packages (created by /spec-kitty.tasks)

Source Code (repository root)

tests/test_dashboard/
├── test_scanner.py      # MODIFY: Add new format tests alongside existing legacy tests
└── ...

src/specify_cli/dashboard/
├── scanner.py           # Already supports both formats (verified working)
└── ...

src/specify_cli/
└── legacy_detector.py   # Already correctly detects format type

Structure Decision: Extend existing tests/test_dashboard/test_scanner.py with additional test cases. No new files needed.

Implementation Approach

Current State (verified via Playwright)

1. Dashboard loads and displays correctly 2. Kanban board shows lanes with correct counts 3. Scanner already handles both formats in production code 4. Only gap: test coverage for new format

Changes Required

1. Add fixture for new format features - Create _create_new_format_feature() helper 2. Add tests for new format scanning - Test frontmatter-based lane detection 3. Add tests for edge cases - Missing lane defaults to "planned", malformed frontmatter handling 4. Verify legacy tests still pass - Existing tests should continue working

Test Cases to Add

Test Name	Format	What It Verifies
`test_scan_new_format_feature_detects_lanes`	New	Frontmatter `lane:` field is read correctly
`test_scan_new_format_default_lane`	New	Missing `lane:` defaults to "planned"
`test_scan_new_format_multiple_lanes`	New	Tasks distributed across all 4 lanes correctly
`test_is_legacy_format_detects_new`	Both	`is_legacy_format()` returns False for new format
`test_is_legacy_format_detects_legacy`	Both	`is_legacy_format()` returns True for legacy format

Parallel Work Analysis

Not applicable - single file modification, single developer.

Risk Assessment

Low risk feature:

Only modifying test files, not production code
Dashboard already verified working via Playwright
Existing tests provide regression protection for legacy format
Changes are additive (new tests), not modifications to existing tests