Run Helix Tests Skill

Submit and monitor .NET MAUI unit tests on Helix infrastructure from your local machine.

Tools Required

This skill uses pwsh (PowerShell 7+) to run the scripts. The scripts call the local .dotnet/dotnet SDK.

When to Use

• User asks to "run tests on Helix"

• User wants to validate test changes on Helix infrastructure

• User asks to "test on multiple platforms" (Windows + macOS)

• User wants to debug Helix-specific test failures locally

• User asks about "Helix unit tests" (not device tests - those use helix_xharness.proj )

Prerequisites

Before running Helix tests, ensure:

Local SDK provisioned: The .dotnet/ folder must exist with the SDK

If missing, run:

dotnet cake --target=dotnet

Build tasks compiled (for first run):

Windows

.\build.cmd -restore -build -configuration Release -projects .\Microsoft.Maui.BuildTasks.slnf

macOS/Linux

./build.sh -restore -build -configuration Release -projects ./Microsoft.Maui.BuildTasks.slnf

Scripts

All scripts are in .github/skills/run-helix-tests/scripts/

1. Submit Unit Tests to Helix

Submit all unit tests (XAML, Core, Essentials, Resizetizer, etc.)

pwsh .github/skills/run-helix-tests/scripts/Submit-HelixTests.ps1

Submit with specific configuration

pwsh .github/skills/run-helix-tests/scripts/Submit-HelixTests.ps1 -Configuration Debug

Submit to specific queue only

pwsh .github/skills/run-helix-tests/scripts/Submit-HelixTests.ps1 -Queue "Windows.10.Amd64.Open"

2. Monitor Helix Job Status

Monitor a submitted job (use job ID from submission output)

pwsh .github/skills/run-helix-tests/scripts/Get-HelixJobStatus.ps1 -JobId <JOB_ID>

Wait for completion with polling

pwsh .github/skills/run-helix-tests/scripts/Get-HelixJobStatus.ps1 -JobId <JOB_ID> -Wait

3. Get Helix Work Item Console Logs

Get console output for a specific work item

pwsh .github/skills/run-helix-tests/scripts/Get-HelixWorkItemLog.ps1 -JobId <JOB_ID> -WorkItem <WORK_ITEM_NAME>

Get failed work items only

pwsh .github/skills/run-helix-tests/scripts/Get-HelixWorkItemLog.ps1 -JobId <JOB_ID> -FailedOnly

Quick Start (Manual)

If you prefer to run directly without scripts:

Windows

.\helix.cmd

macOS/Linux

./helix.sh

These wrapper scripts set the required environment variables and submit to Helix.

Test Projects Submitted

The following test projects are submitted to Helix (defined in eng/helix.proj ):

Project Description

Controls.Xaml.UnitTests

XAML parsing and compilation tests

Controls.Core.UnitTests

Core controls unit tests

Controls.BindingSourceGen.UnitTests

Binding source generator tests

SourceGen.UnitTests

General source generator tests

Core.UnitTests

Core framework tests

Essentials.UnitTests

Essentials APIs tests

Resizetizer.UnitTests

Image resizing tests

Helix Queues

Tests run on multiple queues in parallel:

Queue Platform

Windows.10.Amd64.Open

Windows 10 x64

osx.15.arm64.maui.open

macOS 15 ARM64

Workflow

Submit and Monitor Tests

Submit tests:

$result = pwsh .github/skills/run-helix-tests/scripts/Submit-HelixTests.ps1

Note the job IDs from output

Monitor progress:

pwsh .github/skills/run-helix-tests/scripts/Get-HelixJobStatus.ps1 -JobId $jobId -Wait

Check failures (if any):

pwsh .github/skills/run-helix-tests/scripts/Get-HelixWorkItemLog.ps1 -JobId $jobId -FailedOnly

Debug a Specific Test Failure

• Get the job ID from the Helix submission output

• Find the failed work item name

• Get the console log: pwsh .github/skills/run-helix-tests/scripts/Get-HelixWorkItemLog.ps1 -JobId <JOB_ID> -WorkItem "Microsoft.Maui.Controls.Xaml.UnitTests.dll"

Understanding Results

Helix test results are reported to the console and can be viewed at:

• Helix Portal: https://helix.dot.net/api/2019-06-17/jobs/{jobId}

• Work Item Console: https://helix.dot.net/api/2019-06-17/jobs/{jobId}/workitems/{workItemName}/console

Common Issues

Issue Solution

"dotnet not found" Run dotnet cake --target=dotnet to provision SDK

"Build failed" Run build.cmd/build.sh first to build required projects

"Queue not available" Check https://helix.dot.net for queue status

"Test timeout" Some tests have long execution times; this is normal

Difference from Device Tests

This skill runs unit tests on Helix (eng/helix.proj ).

For device tests (iOS, Android, MacCatalyst emulators/simulators), use:

Device tests use helix_xharness.proj instead

./eng/common/msbuild.sh ./eng/helix_xharness.proj /t:Test /p:TargetOS=ios

See .github/instructions/helix-device-tests.instructions.md for device test guidance.