Timeout for tests #209

dkzkb · 2021-04-13T02:32:47Z

dkzkb
Apr 13, 2021

Do you plan to implement timeout in tests?

I want to abort when a test does not finish within a specified time-limit.
Like the phpunit option --default-time-limit.

ex)
shellspec --default-time-limit=1

Let me know if there is a better way.

ko1nksm · 2021-04-13T13:32:39Z

ko1nksm
Apr 13, 2021
Maintainer

There is currently no timeout feature, but it is an acceptable feature. However, I would like to know why we want this feature.

I believe there are two use cases for timeouts. One is to prevent stopping the whole tests due to infinite loops and other bugs. A timeout for this would be necessary.

The other is a test to guarantee that the command/function will finish within a specified time. It seems that many testing frameworks have the ability to specify a timeout for each test, but, if my thought is correct, I think few people want this.

Both of these features are acceptable, but I'd like to target the first use case. and I'll think about the second use case after people who need it show up.

#210

2 replies

dkzkb Apr 14, 2021
Author

Thank you for your quick response.

We want to reject any test that takes longer than the specified time, including infinite loops and other bugs, as something is wrong with the test code.

I am eagerly awaiting the implementation of the first use case.

LukeSavefrogs Nov 9, 2022

There is currently no timeout feature, but it is an acceptable feature. However, I would like to know why we want this feature.

I believe there are two use cases for timeouts. One is to prevent stopping the whole tests due to infinite loops and other bugs. A timeout for this would be necessary.

The other is a test to guarantee that the command/function will finish within a specified time. It seems that many testing frameworks have the ability to specify a timeout for each test, but, if my thought is correct, I think few people want this.

Both of these features are acceptable, but I'd like to target the first use case. and I'll think about the second use case after people who need it show up.

#210

This is a really useful feature... I found myself in the situation where a test would hang indefinetly, and to find the culprit i had to check manually every single test in that file.

A timeout would just make that test fail and give evidence on WHERE did it fail

OleksandrKucherenko · 2025-12-23T08:10:28Z

OleksandrKucherenko
Dec 23, 2025

AI suggest this way: Use ShellSpec's interception mechanism to automatically wrap all When run blocks with a timeout.

# spec/support/global_timeout.sh
SHELLSPEC_GLOBAL_TIMEOUT=${SHELLSPEC_GLOBAL_TIMEOUT:-30s}

Intercept run_command
__run_command__() {
  if [[ "$1" == "timeout" ]]; then
    "$@"
  else
    timeout "$SHELLSPEC_GLOBAL_TIMEOUT" "$@"
  fi
}

in .shellspec:

# .shellspec
require "support/global_timeout"

2 replies

LukeSavefrogs Dec 23, 2025

AI suggest this way: Use ShellSpec's interception mechanism to automatically wrap all When run blocks with a timeout.
# spec/support/global_timeout.sh
SHELLSPEC_GLOBAL_TIMEOUT=${SHELLSPEC_GLOBAL_TIMEOUT:-30s}

Intercept run_command
__run_command__() {
  if [[ "$1" == "timeout" ]]; then
    "$@"
  else
    timeout "$SHELLSPEC_GLOBAL_TIMEOUT" "$@"
  fi
}
in .shellspec:
# .shellspec
require "support/global_timeout"

Does it work?

OleksandrKucherenko Dec 23, 2025

Does it work?

I will know in several minutes. applying it to my repo right now. ref: https://github.com/OleksandrKucherenko/e-bash

OleksandrKucherenko · 2025-12-23T09:34:27Z

OleksandrKucherenko
Dec 23, 2025

@LukeSavefrogs in short it does not work as expected. required a proper shellspec patching. claude code is working on it now

0 replies

OleksandrKucherenko · 2025-12-23T10:33:50Z

OleksandrKucherenko
Dec 23, 2025

timeouts implementation: #356

from: https://github.com/OleksandrKucherenko/shellspec/blob/0c87cc3aaeb26eda2a7168917104cd55ea76d333/docs/features/timeout/PATCH_INSTALLATION.md

How to Manually Apply the Timeout Feature

If you need to use the timeout feature before the official release (v0.29.0) is merged, you can apply it as a patch to your existing ShellSpec installation.

Prerequisites

curl or wget
patch utility (standard on most Unix-like systems)
Access to your ShellSpec installation directory (e.g., ~/.local/lib/shellspec or wherever it was cloned/extracted)

Instructions

Navigate to your ShellSpec installation directory:

# Common location if installed via installer
cd ~/.local/lib/shellspec
# OR if you cloned the repo manually
# cd /path/to/shellspec

Download the Patch:

We recommend using the pull request patch.

# Download patch for PR #357 (Release 0.29.0)
curl -L https://github.com/shellspec/shellspec/pull/357.patch -o shellspec-timeout.patch

Apply the Patch:
```
patch -p1 < shellspec-timeout.patch
```

Verify the Installation:

Check if the version or help output reflects the change.

./shellspec --help | grep timeout

You should see:

--timeout SECONDS           Specify the default timeout for each test [default: 60]
--no-timeout                Disable timeout for all tests

Potential Conflicts

When applying the patch to version 0.28.1 (or earlier), you may see warnings about Hunk #1 FAILED or rejected hunks. This is expected due to minor version differences.

Expected/Harmless Rejections

The following files may fail to patch cleanly, but these failures are generally harmless for the functionality of the timeout feature:

package.json & shellspec:
- Reason: The patch attempts to bump the version to 0.29.0.
- Impact: Your installation will remain on version 0.28.1 (or whatever you had). The actual logic for timeouts is separate and should still work.
lib/core/outputs.sh:
- Reason: Minor context differences in surrounding functions (e.g., shellspec_output_NO_EXPECTATION).
- Impact: The shellspec_output_TIMEOUT function might not be registered correctly if this fails completely. You can check the .rej file or manually add the function if needed, but often the patch tool is smart enough to apply the important parts.

How to Fix Rejections

If critical logic fails to apply:

Check for .rej files: find . -name "*.rej"
Manually apply the missing code blocks from the .rej files to the corresponding source files.

Rolling Back

To revert the changes:

patch -R -p1 < shellspec-timeout.patch
rm shellspec-timeout.patch

0 replies

OleksandrKucherenko · 2025-12-23T10:34:19Z

OleksandrKucherenko
Dec 23, 2025

@LukeSavefrogs done, available for testing

0 replies

Uh oh!

Timeout for tests #209

Uh oh!

Replies: 5 comments · 4 replies

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

ko1nksm Apr 13, 2021 Maintainer

Uh oh!

dkzkb Apr 14, 2021 Author

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

How to Manually Apply the Timeout Feature

Prerequisites

Instructions

Potential Conflicts

Expected/Harmless Rejections

How to Fix Rejections

Rolling Back

Uh oh!

Replies: 5 comments 4 replies

ko1nksm
Apr 13, 2021
Maintainer

dkzkb Apr 14, 2021
Author