Mock Castle

trigger

"21 vi.mock() calls, 65 lines of mock setup, 45 lines of assertions. Testing a 4-line function."

what it is

Mock scaffolding consumes more lines and cognitive load than the actual assertions. The test primarily verifies mock wiring, not product behaviour. A 4:1 mock-to-assertion ratio provides less regression confidence than its line count implies.

how to detect

Count mock declarations vs test assertions per file. If mock setup exceeds 3x assertion code, the test is a castle built on sand.

instead

Extract pure functions into a separate module with no side-effect imports. Test them without mocking the universe.

refs

• wake:tests/unit/bout-engine-helpers.test.ts: 21 vi.mock()