[quality] Python test files exist but no CI workflow executes them

[kubestellar-hive]

Finding

projectbluefin/testing-lab contains 35 Python test files across multiple test suites (tests/developer/, tests/smoke/, tests/flatcar/, tests/homelab_backup/, tests/service_catalog/, etc.) but the only CI workflow is .github/workflows/lint.yaml which exclusively lints Argo workflow YAML.

No Python tests are ever executed in CI. Tests that never run provide zero safety net — a broken helper, a refactored import, or a deleted fixture will go undetected until a human manually runs tests.

Affected test files include logic-heavy Python:

• tests/developer/test_dakota_terminal.py
• tests/developer/test_micro_editor.py
• tests/flatcar/test_flatcar_knuckle.py
• tests/homelab_backup/test_restore_drill.py

Recommendation

Add a .github/workflows/unit-tests.yml that:

1. Runs on every PR and push to main
2. Installs pytest and project dependencies
3. Runs pytest tests/ -v for any tests that can execute without a live VM (mark VM-requiring tests with @pytest.mark.vm)
4. Reports test results as a CI status check

Priority

• Impact: high — test code is never validated; regressions are invisible
• Effort: low — single workflow YAML file

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Filed by quality agent (hold-gated mode)