Add YAML-based test selection config for e2e tests

[caseydavenport]

Adds a testconfig package that lets e2e pipeline configs be expressed as readable YAML files instead of long --ginkgo.focus/--ginkgo.skip regex strings. This is a first step - it converts the kind-based make e2e-run-test target to use the new config, with the intent to migrate the Semaphore pipeline files in follow-up work.

The problem

Test selection in our e2e pipelines looks like this:

--ginkgo.focus=(\[sig-calico\]|\[Conformance\]|Host-Protection) --ginkgo.skip=(\[Slow\]|\[Disruptive\]|Feature:SCTP|both.pod.and.service.Proxy\b|proxy.through.a.service.and.a.pod|...)

These strings are hard to read, hard to diff, mix labels with test-name regexes, and carry no documentation about why each pattern exists. Dead patterns accumulate silently.

The solution

A YAML config file with include/exclude sections and required reason fields:

extends: base.yaml

include:
  - sig-calico && Conformance
  - Conformance && sig-network
  - Feature:BGPPeer

exclude:
  labels:
    - label: Slow
      reason: "long-running tests not suitable for CI"
    - label: Feature:SCTP
      reason: "SCTP not supported on this platform"

  namePatterns:
    - group: "EKS control plane can't reach pod network"
      link: "https://docs.tigera.io/..."
      patterns:
        - "DNS.for.*"
        - "Proxy.version.v1"

Key features:

• Single-parent extends for config inheritance (e.g., eks.yaml extends base.yaml, bpf-eks.yaml extends eks.yaml)
• reason required on all exclude entries - documents why each skip exists
• group syntax for patterns sharing a reason (e.g., all EKS DNS skips)
• optional: true on exclude labels that may match 0 tests in some binaries (e.g., enterprise-only labels in OSS binary)
• Circular extends detection
• Converts to --ginkgo.label-filter + --ginkgo.skip under the hood

What changed

New e2e/pkg/testconfig/ package - types, loader (with extends resolution), converter (to ginkgo flags), and unit tests.

New e2e/config/ directory with initial configs:

• base.yaml - shared base: sig-calico + sig-network Conformance, excludes Slow/Disruptive/ExternalNode
• gcp-bpf.yaml - extends base, adds VXLAN cluster exclusions
• kind.yaml - standalone config for kind runs

Makefile - e2e-run-test now uses --calico.test-config=e2e/config/kind.yaml instead of E2E_FOCUS/E2E_SKIP.

e2e/cmd/k8s/e2e_test.go - when --calico.test-config is provided, loads the config and applies label-filter/skip to the ginkgo suite config before RunSpecs.

None

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

This PR introduces a YAML-driven mechanism for selecting e2e tests (include/exclude) and wires it into the local kind-based make e2e-run-test flow, replacing hard-to-maintain ginkgo focus/skip regex strings.

Changes:

• Added e2e/pkg/testconfig to load YAML configs (with extends inheritance) and convert them into Ginkgo v2 label-filter + skip patterns, with unit tests.
• Added initial YAML configs under e2e/config/ (base/kind/gcp-bpf).
• Updated the e2e test binary to accept --calico.test-config, and updated Makefile to pass the config to the e2e test run.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 10 out of 10 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
Makefile	Replaces E2E_FOCUS/E2E_SKIP with E2E_TEST_CONFIG and passes --calico.test-config into the e2e test binary.
e2e/pkg/testconfig/types.go	Defines YAML schema/types and validation helpers for includes/excludes.
e2e/pkg/testconfig/loader.go	Implements YAML loading + extends resolution + structural validation.
e2e/pkg/testconfig/convert.go	Converts resolved config into Ginkgo label-filter + skip regex string(s).
e2e/pkg/testconfig/testconfig_test.go	Unit tests covering loading/extends/validation and flag conversion.
e2e/pkg/config/config.go	Registers --calico.test-config flag and exposes TestConfigPath().
e2e/config/base.yaml	Base shared include/exclude label rules for CI-style runs.
e2e/config/kind.yaml	Kind-focused selection config used by make e2e-run-test.
e2e/config/gcp-bpf.yaml	GCP+BPF selection config extending base.
e2e/cmd/k8s/e2e_test.go	Loads YAML config (when provided), applies it to Ginkgo suite config, and runs specs.