OpenAgentsControl/evals/agents/openagent/tests/03-delegation/README.md

Delegation Tests

Priority: MEDIUM (Best practices)
Timeout: 90-180s
Must Pass: SHOULD (not absolute, but important)

Purpose

Tests for delegation rules from openagent.md (lines 252-295):

1. scale - 4+ files → delegate
2. expertise - Specialized knowledge → delegate
3. complexity - Multi-step dependencies → delegate
4. review - Multi-component review → delegate
5. perspective - Fresh eyes/alternatives → delegate
6. context-bundles - Context bundle creation and passing

Subfolders

scale/

Tests the 4+ files delegation rule.

Positive tests:

• 1-3 files → Execute directly
• 4+ files → Delegate to task-manager
• Exactly 4 files → Delegate (boundary test)

Negative tests:

• 4+ files → Execute directly without delegation (violation)

Override tests:

• User says "don't delegate" → Execute directly (allowed)

Timeout: 90s (delegation involves subagent coordination)

Example test:

id: delegation-scale-4-files
prompt: |
  Create a new feature that adds user authentication.
  This will require changes to:
  - src/auth/login.ts
  - src/auth/register.ts
  - src/auth/middleware.ts
  - src/models/user.ts

behavior:
  mustUseTools: [task]  # Should delegate
  requiresApproval: true

expectedViolations:
  - rule: delegation
    shouldViolate: false  # Should delegate, not violate

expertise/

Tests delegation for specialized knowledge tasks.

Examples of specialized knowledge:

• Security audits
• Performance optimization
• Algorithm design
• Architecture patterns
• Database optimization

Positive tests:

• Security task → Delegates to security specialist
• Performance task → Delegates to performance specialist

Timeout: 90s

complexity/

Tests delegation for multi-step dependencies.

Positive tests:

• Task with dependencies → Delegates to task-manager
• Sequential steps required → Delegates

Timeout: 90s

review/

Tests delegation for multi-component review tasks.

Positive tests:

• Review multiple components → Delegates to reviewer
• Code review request → Delegates

Timeout: 90s

context-bundles/

Tests context bundle creation and passing to subagents.

What to verify:

• Context bundle created at .tmp/context/{session-id}/bundle.md
• Bundle contains:
  • Task description and objectives
  • All loaded context files
  • Constraints and requirements
  • Expected output format
• Subagent receives bundle path in delegation prompt

Positive tests:

• Delegation → Creates bundle → Passes to subagent
• Bundle contains all required context

Timeout: 120s (needs time for bundle creation + delegation)

Example test:

id: delegation-context-bundle-creation
prompt: |
  Create a new feature with 5 files (triggers delegation).
  Verify context bundle is created.

behavior:
  mustUseTools: [read, task]  # Read context, then delegate
  requiresApproval: true

# After test, verify bundle exists
postConditions:
  - fileExists: ".tmp/context/*/bundle.md"
  - fileContains: 
      path: ".tmp/context/*/bundle.md"
      text: "Task description"

File Creation Rules

Tests should verify agent creates files in correct locations:

# Agent should create context bundles here:
.tmp/context/{session-id}/bundle.md

# Test files should go here:
evals/test_tmp/

Running These Tests

# Run all delegation tests
npm run eval:sdk -- --agent=openagent --pattern="03-delegation/**/*.yaml"

# Run specific category
npm run eval:sdk -- --agent=openagent --pattern="03-delegation/scale/*.yaml"
npm run eval:sdk -- --agent=openagent --pattern="03-delegation/context-bundles/*.yaml"

Success Criteria

These tests validate best practices, not absolute requirements:

• SHOULD delegate when criteria met
• MAY execute directly if user overrides
• MUST create context bundles when delegating

Failures here indicate suboptimal behavior, not critical errors.