test(cli): add JSON output tests for skip parameter

[wbisschoff13]

Add comprehensive JSON output tests for the --skip parameter to ensure programmatic interfaces (scripts, MCP tools, CI/CD pipelines) can reliably consume the next command output. This test suite validates JSON structure, field completeness, edge cases, and backward compatibility when using --skip with --format json.

Key changes

• Add 379 new test cases covering JSON output with --skip parameter
• Validate JSON structure integrity when --skip is used
• Test edge cases: skip=0, skip exceeds available tasks, no tasks, all tasks completed
• Verify compatibility with other CLI flags: --silent, --tag
• Ensure backward compatibility for existing JSON consumers
• Test skipValue and availableTaskCount fields are correctly populated
• Validate JSON parsing for programmatic consumption

How to test

Automated Tests

• npm run test (1483 passed, 1 flaky performance test unrelated to changes)
• All new JSON output tests pass (379 new test cases)
• npm run turbo:typecheck (if you want to verify TypeScript)

Manual Testing

# Basic JSON output with skip
task-master next --format json --skip 1

# Edge case: skip exceeds available tasks
task-master next --format json --skip 999

# Verify JSON structure
task-master next --format json | jq '.'

Expected result:

• Valid JSON output with all required fields
• skipValue field reflects the --skip parameter value
• availableTaskCount shows count of eligible tasks
• task field contains the next task or null if not found
• Backward compatible with existing JSON consumers

Risk Assessment (Low)

This is a test-only PR with no production code changes. The new tests validate existing behavior and ensure JSON output remains stable for programmatic consumers. No breaking changes or user-facing modifications.

Checklist

• Tests added (379 new test cases for JSON output)
• Documentation updated (not needed - test-only change)
• Backwards compatible (validates existing JSON structure)
• Secrets redacted or none present

[gemini-code-assist]

Summary of Changes

Hello @wbisschoff13, I'm Gemini Code Assist¹! I'm currently reviewing this pull request and will post my feedback shortly. In the meantime, here's a summary to help you and other reviewers quickly get up to speed!

This pull request introduces a comprehensive suite of integration tests for the next command's JSON output, specifically focusing on its behavior when the --skip parameter is utilized. The primary goal is to guarantee the reliability and stability of the JSON output for programmatic interfaces, such as scripts and CI/CD pipelines, by validating its structure, field accuracy, and handling of various edge cases and flag combinations. This is a test-only change, ensuring no impact on production code while significantly improving the robustness of the CLI's JSON output.

Highlights

• New Test Cases: Added 379 new test cases specifically for the next command's JSON output when the --skip parameter is used.
• JSON Structure Validation: Comprehensive validation of the JSON output structure, ensuring integrity and completeness of fields like skipValue and availableTaskCount.
• Edge Case Testing: Thorough testing of various edge cases, including skip=0, skip values exceeding available tasks, scenarios with no tasks, and when all tasks are completed.
• Compatibility Testing: Verification of compatibility with other CLI flags such as --silent and --tag when used in conjunction with --format json and --skip.
• Backward Compatibility: Ensured that the JSON output remains backward compatible for existing programmatic consumers and scripts.

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[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This pull request adds a comprehensive and well-structured test suite for the next command's JSON output, specifically focusing on the --skip parameter. The coverage of different scenarios and edge cases is excellent.

My review focuses on improving the robustness and maintainability of the new test code. I've provided suggestions to:

1. Simplify a complex and potentially brittle JSON parsing helper function.
2. Refactor duplicated test logic using it.each to make the suite more concise.
3. Strengthen an assertion to provide a more thorough comparison of test results.

[gemini-code-assist]

This custom JSON parsing logic is complex and can be brittle. For instance, it might fail if a string value within the JSON object contains { or } characters, as this would throw off the brace-counting logic.

For testing, it's better to enforce that the command's output is exclusively valid JSON when --format json is specified. This makes tests stricter and simpler. A simple JSON.parse(output.trim()) would achieve this. If it fails, it correctly indicates an issue with the command's output that should be fixed.

If the command intentionally outputs non-JSON text, this helper hides a potential issue with the CLI's interface contract for --format json.

const parseJsonOutput = (output: string) => {
	try {
		return JSON.parse(output.trim());
	} catch (error) {
		throw new Error(`Failed to parse JSON. Output:\n${output}`);
	}
};

[gemini-code-assist]

These two tests are almost identical, leading to code duplication. You can combine them using it.each to test both cases (with and without the --skip parameter) with a single test body. This will make the test suite more concise and easier to maintain.

it.each([
	{ description: 'without skip', args: '--format json' },
	{ description: 'with skip', args: '--skip 1 --format json' }
])('should include all required fields in JSON output $description', ({ args }) => {
	const { output } = runNext(args);
	const json = parseJsonOutput(output);

	expect(json).toHaveProperty('task');
	expect(json).toHaveProperty('found');
	expect(json).toHaveProperty('tag');
	expect(json).toHaveProperty('storageType');
	expect(json).toHaveProperty('hasAnyTasks');
});

[gemini-code-assist]

Instead of just comparing task IDs, a more robust approach is to compare the entire result object. This ensures that --skip 0 behaves identically to no-skip, except for the addition of the skipValue field. Using toEqual with an object spread provides a concise and thorough assertion.

expect(jsonWithSkip).toEqual({
	...jsonWithoutSkip,
	skipValue: 0
});