Testing & Debugging Agents

👶 Explained like I'm 5

When you build something, you need to test it to make sure it works! Like testing a toy to see if all the pieces fit together.

Testing agents is the same - you check:

• Does it do what it's supposed to?
• Does it handle errors well?
• Does it work with different inputs?
• Is it fast enough?

Testing helps you find problems before users do!

❓ Why we need this

Agents can have bugs:

• Wrong answers
• Infinite loops
• Tool failures
• Memory issues
• Performance problems

Testing helps you:

• Find bugs early
• Ensure reliability
• Improve performance
• Build confidence
• Save time debugging

🧠 How it works

Types of Testing

1. Unit Tests: Test individual components
2. Integration Tests: Test how components work together
3. End-to-End Tests: Test complete workflows
4. Performance Tests: Check speed and efficiency
5. Error Tests: Verify error handling

Testing Strategies

1. Unit Testing Agents

import unittest
from crewai import Agent, Task, Crew

class TestAgent(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_agent_creation(self):
        agent = Agent(
            role='Tester',
            goal='Test things',
            backstory='You are a test agent'
        )
        self.assertIsNotNone(agent)
        self.assertEqual(agent.role, 'Tester')
    
    def test_agent_with_tools(self):
        agent = Agent(
            role='Researcher',
            tools=[search_tool]
        )
        self.assertEqual(len(agent.tools), 1)

2. Integration Testing

def test_crew_workflow():
    researcher = Agent(role='Researcher', goal='Research')
    writer = Agent(role='Writer', goal='Write')
    
    research_task = Task(description='Research X', agent=researcher)
    write_task = Task(description='Write about X', agent=writer, context=[research_task])
    
    crew = Crew(agents=[researcher, writer], tasks=[research_task, write_task])
    
    # Test that crew runs without errors
    result = crew.kickoff()
    assert result is not None
    assert len(result) > 0

3. Error Handling Tests

def test_error_handling():
    agent = Agent(role='Tester', goal='Test')
    
    # Test with invalid input
    try:
        result = agent.process("")
        assert False, "Should have raised error"
    except Exception as e:
        assert "empty" in str(e).lower()

🧪 Example

Complete Testing Suite

import pytest
from crewai import Agent, Task, Crew

class TestResearchCrew:
    def setup_method(self):
        self.researcher = Agent(
            role='Researcher',
            goal='Research topics',
            verbose=False
        )
        self.writer = Agent(
            role='Writer',
            goal='Write content',
            verbose=False
        )
    
    def test_research_task(self):
        task = Task(
            description='Research AI agents',
            agent=self.researcher
        )
        assert task.agent == self.researcher
    
    def test_crew_execution(self):
        research_task = Task(
            description='Research topic',
            agent=self.researcher
        )
        write_task = Task(
            description='Write article',
            agent=self.writer,
            context=[research_task]
        )
        
        crew = Crew(
            agents=[self.researcher, self.writer],
            tasks=[research_task, write_task]
        )
        
        result = crew.kickoff()
        assert result is not None
    
    def test_error_recovery(self):
        # Test that crew handles errors gracefully
        task = Task(
            description='Invalid task that might fail',
            agent=self.researcher
        )
        # Should not crash, should handle error
        try:
            crew = Crew(agents=[self.researcher], tasks=[task])
            crew.kickoff()
        except Exception:
            # Error handling should catch this
            pass

🎯 Real-World Case Studies

🛠 Hands-on Task

Create tests for your agent:

1. Unit Tests: Test agent creation, tool usage
2. Integration Tests: Test agent workflows
3. Error Tests: Test error handling
4. Performance Tests: Measure execution time
5. Edge Cases: Test unusual inputs

✅ Checklist

Understand testing:

🚨 Common Pitfalls & Solutions

Pitfall 1: Not Testing Edge Cases

Problem: Agent works for normal inputs but fails on edge cases.

Solution: Test with empty inputs, very long inputs, special characters, etc.

Pitfall 2: No Error Testing

Problem: Agent crashes on errors instead of handling gracefully.

Solution: Test error scenarios. Ensure graceful failure.

💡 Best Practices

1. Test Early: Write tests as you build
2. Test Often: Run tests frequently
3. Automate: Use test runners
4. Test Edge Cases: Don't just test happy paths
5. Mock External Services: Don't depend on real APIs in tests
6. Measure Performance: Ensure agents are fast enough
7. Document Tests: Explain what you're testing

🔗 Additional Resources

Pytest Testing Guide

Official documentation for the Pytest testing framework

TestingPython

🚀 Challenge for GitHub

Create a complete test suite for an agent:

1. Unit tests
2. Integration tests
3. Error handling tests
4. Performance benchmarks
5. Test documentation

Share your test suite on GitHub!