test: make TUI render assertions fail on an empty render

Assertions that indexed or folded over a render result treated a
missing row as an empty string or an empty array, so they passed
when the component rendered nothing. They now assert a row exists
first. Also match braille loader frames when checking that a
terminal workflow stopped animating.

Author: elkaix

apps/pythinker-code/test/tui/activity-pane.test.ts

@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ describe('updateActivityPane terminal progress', () => {
       expect(state.activityContainer.children).toHaveLength(0);
       expect(vi.getTimerCount()).toBe(timersBeforeMissionControl);
       const output = strip(missionControl.render(100).join('\n'));
-      expect(output).toMatch(/[⠋⠙⠹⠸⠼⠴⠦⠧⠇⠏] Orchestrating/);
+      expect(output).toMatch(/[⠋⠙⠹⠸⠼⠴⠦⠧⠇⠏] Orchestrating/u);
       expect(output).not.toContain(formatThinkingSpinnerLabel());
 
       state.activitySpinner?.instance.stop();
@@ -289,6 +289,7 @@ describe('updateActivityPane terminal progress', () => {
       const output = strip(missionControl.render(100).join('\n'));
       expect(output).toContain('✓ Completed');
       expect(output).not.toMatch(/[◐◓◑◒] Orchestrating/);
+      for (const frame of BRAILLE_SPINNER_FRAMES) expect(output).not.toContain(frame);
 
       state.activitySpinner?.instance.stop();
       driver.sessionEventHandler.clearDynamicWorkflowMissionControls();
@@ -370,7 +371,7 @@ describe('updateActivityPane terminal progress', () => {
       driver.updateActivityPane();
       const missionControl = startDynamicWorkflow(driver, state);
       expect(strip(missionControl.render(100).join('\n'))).toMatch(
-        /[⠋⠙⠹⠸⠼⠴⠦⠧⠇⠏] Orchestrating/,
+        /[⠋⠙⠹⠸⠼⠴⠦⠧⠇⠏] Orchestrating/u,
       );
 
       cleanup(driver);
@@ -379,6 +380,7 @@ describe('updateActivityPane terminal progress', () => {
       const output = strip(missionControl.render(100).join('\n'));
       expect(output).toContain('– Cancelled');
       expect(output).not.toMatch(/[◐◓◑◒] Orchestrating/);
+      for (const frame of BRAILLE_SPINNER_FRAMES) expect(output).not.toContain(frame);
       state.activitySpinner?.instance.stop();
     } finally {
       vi.useRealTimers();

apps/pythinker-code/test/tui/components/messages/thinking.test.ts

@@ -90,15 +90,18 @@ describe('ThinkingComponent', () => {
 
       vi.advanceTimersByTime(BRAILLE_SPINNER_INTERVAL_MS * (BRAILLE_SPINNER_FRAMES.length - 1));
       const fullCycleHeader = component.render(80)[1];
-      expect(strip(fullCycleHeader ?? '')).toBe(strip(firstHeader ?? ''));
+      expect(fullCycleHeader).toBeDefined();
+      expect(firstHeader).toBeDefined();
+      expect(strip(fullCycleHeader as string)).toBe(strip(firstHeader as string));
 
       const shimmerHeaders = [firstHeader, fullCycleHeader];
       for (let sample = 0; sample < 3; sample++) {
         vi.advanceTimersByTime(BRAILLE_SPINNER_INTERVAL_MS * BRAILLE_SPINNER_FRAMES.length);
         shimmerHeaders.push(component.render(80)[1]);
       }
-      expect(shimmerHeaders.map((header) => strip(header ?? ''))).toEqual(
-        shimmerHeaders.map(() => strip(firstHeader ?? '')),
+      for (const header of shimmerHeaders) expect(header).toBeDefined();
+      expect(shimmerHeaders.map((header) => strip(header as string))).toEqual(
+        shimmerHeaders.map(() => strip(firstHeader as string)),
       );
       expect(new Set(shimmerHeaders).size).toBeGreaterThan(1);
 

apps/pythinker-code/test/tui/components/messages/tool-call.test.ts

@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ describe('ToolCallComponent', () => {
       },
       undefined,
     );
-
     try {
       const pending = component.render(40);
       const pendingBody = pending.slice(1);
@@ -96,15 +95,16 @@ describe('ToolCallComponent', () => {
       },
       undefined,
     );
-
     try {
       const backgrounds = [
         '\u001B[48;2;29;33;41m',
         '\u001B[48;2;20;23;27m',
         '\u001B[48;2;41;29;29m',
       ];
+      const lines = component.render(40);
+      expect(lines.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
       expect(
-        component.render(40).every((line) => backgrounds.every((code) => !line.includes(code))),
+        lines.every((line) => backgrounds.every((code) => !line.includes(code))),
       ).toBe(true);
     } finally {
       chalk.level = previousLevel;

apps/pythinker-code/test/tui/components/panels/footer-bg-agents.test.ts

@@ -53,16 +53,16 @@ describe('FooterComponent — background task / agent badges', () => {
     const footer = new FooterComponent(baseState());
     footer.setBackgroundCounts({ bashTasks: 1, agentTasks: 0 });
     const out = backgroundExtras(1, 0);
-    expect(out).toMatch(/\[1 task running\]/);
-    expect(out).not.toMatch(/agents? running/);
+    expect(out).toMatch(/\[1 task running\]/u);
+    expect(out).not.toMatch(/agents? running/u);
   });
 
   it('renders the agent badge alone when only agent tasks are running', () => {
     const footer = new FooterComponent(baseState());
     footer.setBackgroundCounts({ bashTasks: 0, agentTasks: 1 });
     const out = backgroundExtras(0, 1);
-    expect(out).toMatch(/\[1 agent running\]/);
-    expect(out).not.toMatch(/tasks? running/);
+    expect(out).toMatch(/\[1 agent running\]/u);
+    expect(out).not.toMatch(/tasks? running/u);
   });
 
   it('renders both badges side by side when both are non-zero', () => {

apps/pythinker-code/test/tui/components/status-bar.test.ts

@@ -13,6 +13,12 @@ function stripAnsi(text: string): string {
   return text.replaceAll(/\u001B\[[0-9;]*m/gu, '');
 }
 
+function renderRow(component: StatusBarComponent, width: number): string {
+  const rows = component.render(width);
+  expect(rows.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  return rows[0] as string;
+}
+
 function status(overrides: Partial<StatusBarStatus> = {}): StatusBarStatus {
   return {
     model: 'Model Alpha',
@@ -40,14 +46,14 @@ describe('StatusBarComponent', () => {
     const lines = component.render(80);
 
     expect(lines).toHaveLength(1);
-    expect(stripAnsi(lines[0] ?? '')).toContain('Model Alpha · high');
+    expect(stripAnsi(lines[0] as string)).toContain('Model Alpha · high');
   });
 
   it('omits the effort suffix when thinking is off', () => {
     const component = new StatusBarComponent();
     component.update(status({ thinkingLevel: 'off' }));
 
-    const line = stripAnsi(component.render(80)[0] ?? '');
+    const line = stripAnsi(renderRow(component, 80));
 
     expect(line).toContain('Model Alpha');
     expect(line).not.toContain('· off');
@@ -58,17 +64,15 @@ describe('StatusBarComponent', () => {
     component.update(status({
       statusLine: { ...DEFAULT_STATUS_LINE_CONFIG, showModel: false },
     }));
-
-    expect(stripAnsi(component.render(80)[0] ?? '')).not.toContain('Model Alpha');
+    expect(stripAnsi(renderRow(component, 80))).not.toContain('Model Alpha');
   });
 
   it('hides the modes chip when showModes is false', () => {
     const component = new StatusBarComponent();
     component.update(status({
       statusLine: { ...DEFAULT_STATUS_LINE_CONFIG, showModes: false },
     }));
-
-    const line = stripAnsi(component.render(80)[0] ?? '');
+    const line = stripAnsi(renderRow(component, 80));
 
     expect(line).not.toContain('plan');
     expect(line).not.toContain('auto');
@@ -81,7 +85,7 @@ describe('StatusBarComponent', () => {
       statusLine: { ...DEFAULT_STATUS_LINE_CONFIG, showEffort: false },
     }));
 
-    const line = stripAnsi(component.render(80)[0] ?? '');
+    const line = stripAnsi(renderRow(component, 80));
 
     expect(line).toContain('Model Alpha');
     expect(line).not.toContain('· high');
@@ -97,7 +101,7 @@ describe('StatusBarComponent', () => {
       const component = new StatusBarComponent();
       component.update(status({ permissionMode: 'yolo' }));
 
-      expect(component.render(80)[0] ?? '').toContain(chalk.hex(darkColors.error)('yolo'));
+      expect(renderRow(component, 80)).toContain(chalk.hex(darkColors.error)('yolo'));
     } finally {
       chalk.level = previousLevel;
       currentTheme.setPalette(previousPalette);
@@ -108,10 +112,10 @@ describe('StatusBarComponent', () => {
     const component = new StatusBarComponent();
     component.update(status());
 
-    const wide = stripAnsi(component.render(60)[0] ?? '');
-    const withoutGap = stripAnsi(component.render(53)[0] ?? '');
-    const withoutModes = stripAnsi(component.render(45)[0] ?? '');
-    const modelOnly = stripAnsi(component.render(25)[0] ?? '');
+    const wide = stripAnsi(renderRow(component, 60));
+    const withoutGap = stripAnsi(renderRow(component, 53));
+    const withoutModes = stripAnsi(renderRow(component, 45));
+    const modelOnly = stripAnsi(renderRow(component, 25));
 
     expect(wide).toContain('─');
     expect(withoutGap).not.toContain('─');
@@ -141,7 +145,7 @@ describe('StatusBarComponent', () => {
     component.update(status({ fastMode: true }));
 
     try {
-      expect(stripAnsi(component.render(80)[0] ?? '')).toContain('↯ fast');
+      expect(stripAnsi(renderRow(component, 80))).toContain('↯ fast');
     } finally {
       chalk.level = previousLevel;
     }
@@ -155,7 +159,7 @@ describe('StatusBarComponent', () => {
       tokenSpeedEstimated: true,
     }));
 
-    const modelChip = stripAnsi(component.render(120)[0] ?? '').split('  ')[0]?.trim();
+    const modelChip = stripAnsi(renderRow(component, 120)).split('  ')[0]?.trim();
 
     expect(modelChip).toBe('Model Alpha · high · ↯ fast · ~75.7 t/s');
   });
@@ -167,7 +171,7 @@ describe('StatusBarComponent', () => {
       statusLine: { ...DEFAULT_STATUS_LINE_CONFIG, showTokenSpeed: false },
     }));
 
-    const modelChip = stripAnsi(component.render(120)[0] ?? '').split('  ')[0]?.trim();
+    const modelChip = stripAnsi(renderRow(component, 120)).split('  ')[0]?.trim();
 
     expect(modelChip).toBe('Model Alpha · high');
   });
@@ -176,7 +180,7 @@ describe('StatusBarComponent', () => {
     const component = new StatusBarComponent();
     component.update(status({ fastMode: true, tokenSpeed: null }));
 
-    const modelChip = stripAnsi(component.render(120)[0] ?? '').split('  ')[0]?.trim();
+    const modelChip = stripAnsi(renderRow(component, 120)).split('  ')[0]?.trim();
 
     expect(modelChip).toBe('Model Alpha · high · ↯ fast');
   });
@@ -185,7 +189,7 @@ describe('StatusBarComponent', () => {
     const component = new StatusBarComponent();
     component.update(status({ extras: ['6% · 55.6k/1M', 'main ± [PR#1]'] }));
 
-    const line = stripAnsi(component.render(160)[0] ?? '');
+    const line = stripAnsi(renderRow(component, 160));
 
     expect(line.indexOf('workflow')).toBeLessThan(line.indexOf('6% · 55.6k/1M'));
     expect(line.indexOf('6% · 55.6k/1M')).toBeLessThan(line.indexOf('main ± [PR#1]'));
@@ -196,7 +200,7 @@ describe('StatusBarComponent', () => {
     const component = new StatusBarComponent();
     component.update(status({ extras: ['first', 'second'] }));
 
-    const line = stripAnsi(component.render(62)[0] ?? '');
+    const line = stripAnsi(renderRow(component, 62));
 
     expect(line).toContain('Model Alpha');
     expect(line).toContain('first');
@@ -218,6 +222,6 @@ describe('StatusBarComponent', () => {
     const component = new StatusBarComponent();
     component.update(status({ cwd, homeDir }));
 
-    expect(stripAnsi(component.render(240)[0] ?? '')).toContain(expected);
+    expect(stripAnsi(renderRow(component, 240))).toContain(expected);
   });
 });