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package/docs/explanation/tea/knowledge-base-system.md

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+---
+title: "Knowledge Base System Explained"
+description: Understanding how TEA uses tea-index.csv for context engineering and consistent test quality
+---
+
+# Knowledge Base System Explained
+
+TEA's knowledge base system is how context engineering works - automatically loading domain-specific standards into AI context so tests are consistently high-quality regardless of prompt variation.
+
+## Overview
+
+**The Problem:** AI without context produces inconsistent results.
+
+**Traditional approach:**
+```
+User: "Write tests for login"
+AI: [Generates tests with random quality]
+- Sometimes uses hard waits
+- Sometimes uses good patterns
+- Inconsistent across sessions
+- Quality depends on prompt
+```
+
+**TEA with knowledge base:**
+```
+User: "Write tests for login"
+TEA: [Loads test-quality.md, network-first.md, auth-session.md]
+TEA: [Generates tests following established patterns]
+- Always uses network-first patterns
+- Always uses proper fixtures
+- Consistent across all sessions
+- Quality independent of prompt
+```
+
+**Result:** Systematic quality, not random chance.
+
+## The Problem
+
+### Prompt-Driven Testing = Inconsistency
+
+**Session 1:**
+```
+User: "Write tests for profile editing"
+
+AI: [No context loaded]
+// Generates test with hard waits
+await page.waitForTimeout(3000);
+```
+
+**Session 2:**
+```
+User: "Write comprehensive tests for profile editing with best practices"
+
+AI: [Still no systematic context]
+// Generates test with some improvements, but still issues
+await page.waitForSelector('.success', { timeout: 10000 });
+```
+
+**Session 3:**
+```
+User: "Write tests using network-first patterns and proper fixtures"
+
+AI: [Better prompt, but still reinventing patterns]
+// Generates test with network-first, but inconsistent with other tests
+```
+
+**Problem:** Quality depends on prompt engineering skill, no consistency.
+
+### Knowledge Drift
+
+Without a knowledge base:
+- Team A uses pattern X
+- Team B uses pattern Y
+- Both work, but inconsistent
+- No single source of truth
+- Patterns drift over time
+
+## The Solution: tea-index.csv Manifest
+
+### How It Works
+
+**1. Manifest Defines Fragments**
+
+`src/bmm/testarch/tea-index.csv`:
+```csv
+id,name,description,tags,fragment_file
+test-quality,Test Quality,Execution limits and isolation rules,quality;standards,knowledge/test-quality.md
+network-first,Network-First Safeguards,Intercept-before-navigate workflow,network;stability,knowledge/network-first.md
+fixture-architecture,Fixture Architecture,Composable fixture patterns,fixtures;architecture,knowledge/fixture-architecture.md
+```
+
+**2. Workflow Loads Relevant Fragments**
+
+When user runs `*atdd`:
+```
+TEA reads tea-index.csv
+Identifies fragments needed for ATDD:
+- test-quality.md (quality standards)
+- network-first.md (avoid flakiness)
+- component-tdd.md (TDD patterns)
+- fixture-architecture.md (reusable fixtures)
+- data-factories.md (test data)
+
+Loads only these 5 fragments (not all 33)
+Generates tests following these patterns
+```
+
+**3. Consistent Output**
+
+Every time `*atdd` runs:
+- Same fragments loaded
+- Same patterns applied
+- Same quality standards
+- Consistent test structure
+
+**Result:** Tests look like they were written by the same expert, every time.
+
+### Knowledge Base Loading Diagram
+
+```mermaid
+%%{init: {'theme':'base', 'themeVariables': { 'fontSize':'14px'}}}%%
+flowchart TD
+    User([User: *atdd]) --> Workflow[TEA Workflow<br/>Triggered]
+    Workflow --> Read[Read Manifest<br/>tea-index.csv]
+
+    Read --> Identify{Identify Relevant<br/>Fragments for ATDD}
+
+    Identify -->|Needed| L1[✓ test-quality.md]
+    Identify -->|Needed| L2[✓ network-first.md]
+    Identify -->|Needed| L3[✓ component-tdd.md]
+    Identify -->|Needed| L4[✓ data-factories.md]
+    Identify -->|Needed| L5[✓ fixture-architecture.md]
+
+    Identify -.->|Skip| S1[✗ contract-testing.md]
+    Identify -.->|Skip| S2[✗ burn-in.md]
+    Identify -.->|Skip| S3[+ 26 other fragments]
+
+    L1 --> Context[AI Context<br/>5 fragments loaded]
+    L2 --> Context
+    L3 --> Context
+    L4 --> Context
+    L5 --> Context
+
+    Context --> Gen[Generate Tests<br/>Following patterns]
+    Gen --> Out([Consistent Output<br/>Same quality every time])
+
+    style User fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#1565c0,stroke-width:2px
+    style Read fill:#fff3e0,stroke:#e65100,stroke-width:2px
+    style L1 fill:#c8e6c9,stroke:#2e7d32,stroke-width:2px
+    style L2 fill:#c8e6c9,stroke:#2e7d32,stroke-width:2px
+    style L3 fill:#c8e6c9,stroke:#2e7d32,stroke-width:2px
+    style L4 fill:#c8e6c9,stroke:#2e7d32,stroke-width:2px
+    style L5 fill:#c8e6c9,stroke:#2e7d32,stroke-width:2px
+    style S1 fill:#e0e0e0,stroke:#616161,stroke-width:1px
+    style S2 fill:#e0e0e0,stroke:#616161,stroke-width:1px
+    style S3 fill:#e0e0e0,stroke:#616161,stroke-width:1px
+    style Context fill:#f3e5f5,stroke:#6a1b9a,stroke-width:3px
+    style Out fill:#4caf50,stroke:#1b5e20,stroke-width:3px,color:#fff
+```
+
+## Fragment Structure
+
+### Anatomy of a Fragment
+
+Each fragment follows this structure:
+
+```markdown
+# Fragment Name
+
+## Principle
+[One sentence - what is this pattern?]
+
+## Rationale
+[Why use this instead of alternatives?]
+Why this pattern exists
+Problems it solves
+Benefits it provides
+
+## Pattern Examples
+
+### Example 1: Basic Usage
+```code
+[Runnable code example]
+```
+[Explanation of example]
+
+### Example 2: Advanced Pattern
+```code
+[More complex example]
+```
+[Explanation]
+
+## Anti-Patterns
+
+### Don't Do This
+```code
+[Bad code example]
+```
+[Why it's bad]
+[What breaks]
+
+## Related Patterns
+- [Link to related fragment]
+```
+
+<!-- markdownlint-disable MD024 -->
+### Example: test-quality.md Fragment
+
+```markdown
+# Test Quality
+
+## Principle
+Tests must be deterministic, isolated, explicit, focused, and fast.
+
+## Rationale
+Tests that fail randomly, depend on each other, or take too long lose team trust.
+[... detailed explanation ...]
+
+## Pattern Examples
+
+### Example 1: Deterministic Test
+```typescript
+// ✅ Wait for actual response, not timeout
+const promise = page.waitForResponse(matcher);
+await page.click('button');
+await promise;
+```
+
+### Example 2: Isolated Test
+```typescript
+// ✅ Self-cleaning test
+test('test', async ({ page }) => {
+  const userId = await createTestUser();
+  // ... test logic ...
+  await deleteTestUser(userId);  // Cleanup
+});
+```
+
+## Anti-Patterns
+
+### Hard Waits
+```typescript
+// ❌ Non-deterministic
+await page.waitForTimeout(3000);
+```
+[Why this causes flakiness]
+```
+
+**Total:** 24.5 KB, 12 code examples
+<!-- markdownlint-enable MD024 -->
+
+## How TEA Uses the Knowledge Base
+
+### Workflow-Specific Loading
+
+**Different workflows load different fragments:**
+
+| Workflow | Fragments Loaded | Purpose |
+|----------|-----------------|---------|
+| `*framework` | fixture-architecture, playwright-config, fixtures-composition | Infrastructure patterns |
+| `*test-design` | test-quality, test-priorities-matrix, risk-governance | Planning standards |
+| `*atdd` | test-quality, component-tdd, network-first, data-factories | TDD patterns |
+| `*automate` | test-quality, test-levels-framework, selector-resilience | Comprehensive generation |
+| `*test-review` | All quality/resilience/debugging fragments | Full audit patterns |
+| `*ci` | ci-burn-in, burn-in, selective-testing | CI/CD optimization |
+
+**Benefit:** Only load what's needed (focused context, no bloat).
+
+### Dynamic Fragment Selection
+
+TEA doesn't load all 33 fragments at once:
+
+```
+User runs: *atdd for authentication feature
+
+TEA analyzes context:
+- Feature type: Authentication
+- Relevant fragments:
+  - test-quality.md (always loaded)
+  - auth-session.md (auth patterns)
+  - network-first.md (avoid flakiness)
+  - email-auth.md (if email-based auth)
+  - data-factories.md (test users)
+
+Skips:
+- contract-testing.md (not relevant)
+- feature-flags.md (not relevant)
+- file-utils.md (not relevant)
+
+Result: 5 relevant fragments loaded, 28 skipped
+```
+
+**Benefit:** Focused context = better results, lower token usage.
+
+## Context Engineering in Practice
+
+### Example: Consistent Test Generation
+
+**Without Knowledge Base (Vanilla Playwright, Random Quality):**
+```
+Session 1: User runs *atdd
+AI: [Guesses patterns from general knowledge]
+
+Generated:
+test('api test', async ({ request }) => {
+  const response = await request.get('/api/users');
+  await page.waitForTimeout(2000);  // Hard wait
+  const users = await response.json();
+  // Random quality
+});
+
+Session 2: User runs *atdd (different day)
+AI: [Different random patterns]
+
+Generated:
+test('api test', async ({ request }) => {
+  const response = await request.get('/api/users');
+  const users = await response.json();
+  // Better but inconsistent
+});
+
+Result: Inconsistent quality, random patterns
+```
+
+**With Knowledge Base (TEA + Playwright Utils):**
+```
+Session 1: User runs *atdd
+TEA: [Loads test-quality.md, network-first.md, api-request.md from tea-index.csv]
+
+Generated:
+import { test } from '@seontechnologies/playwright-utils/api-request/fixtures';
+
+test('should fetch users', async ({ apiRequest }) => {
+  const { status, body } = await apiRequest({
+    method: 'GET',
+    path: '/api/users'
+  }).validateSchema(UsersSchema);  // Chained validation
+
+  expect(status).toBe(200);
+  expect(body).toBeInstanceOf(Array);
+});
+
+Session 2: User runs *atdd (different day)
+TEA: [Loads same fragments from tea-index.csv]
+
+Generated: Identical pattern, same quality
+
+Result: Systematic quality, established patterns (ALWAYS uses apiRequest utility when playwright-utils enabled)
+```
+
+**Key Difference:**
+- **Without KB:** Random patterns, inconsistent APIs
+- **With KB:** Always uses `apiRequest` utility, always validates schemas, always returns `{ status, body }`
+
+### Example: Test Review Consistency
+
+**Without Knowledge Base:**
+```
+*test-review session 1:
+"This test looks okay" [50 issues missed]
+
+*test-review session 2:
+"This test has some issues" [Different issues flagged]
+
+Result: Inconsistent feedback
+```
+
+**With Knowledge Base:**
+```
+*test-review session 1:
+[Loads all quality fragments]
+Flags: 12 hard waits, 5 conditionals (based on test-quality.md)
+
+*test-review session 2:
+[Loads same fragments]
+Flags: Same issues with same explanations
+
+Result: Consistent, reliable feedback
+```
+
+## Maintaining the Knowledge Base
+
+### When to Add a Fragment
+
+**Good reasons:**
+- Pattern is used across multiple workflows
+- Standard is non-obvious (needs documentation)
+- Team asks "how should we handle X?" repeatedly
+- New tool integration (e.g., new testing library)
+
+**Bad reasons:**
+- One-off pattern (document in test file instead)
+- Obvious pattern (everyone knows this)
+- Experimental (not proven yet)
+
+### Fragment Quality Standards
+
+**Good fragment:**
+- Principle stated in one sentence
+- Rationale explains why clearly
+- 3+ pattern examples with code
+- Anti-patterns shown (what not to do)
+- Self-contained (minimal dependencies)
+
+**Example size:** 10-30 KB optimal
+
+### Updating Existing Fragments
+
+**When to update:**
+- Pattern evolved (better approach discovered)
+- Tool updated (new Playwright API)
+- Team feedback (pattern unclear)
+- Bug in example code
+
+**How to update:**
+1. Edit fragment markdown file
+2. Update examples
+3. Test with affected workflows
+4. Ensure no breaking changes
+
+**No need to update tea-index.csv** unless description/tags change.
+
+## Benefits of Knowledge Base System
+
+### 1. Consistency
+
+**Before:** Test quality varies by who wrote it
+**After:** All tests follow same patterns (TEA-generated or reviewed)
+
+### 2. Onboarding
+
+**Before:** New team member reads 20 documents, asks 50 questions
+**After:** New team member runs `*atdd`, sees patterns in generated code, learns by example
+
+### 3. Quality Gates
+
+**Before:** "Is this test good?" → subjective opinion
+**After:** "*test-review" → objective score against knowledge base
+
+### 4. Pattern Evolution
+
+**Before:** Update tests manually across 100 files
+**After:** Update fragment once, all new tests use new pattern
+
+### 5. Cross-Project Reuse
+
+**Before:** Reinvent patterns for each project
+**After:** Same fragments across all BMad projects (consistency at scale)
+
+## Comparison: With vs Without Knowledge Base
+
+### Scenario: Testing Async Background Job
+
+**Without Knowledge Base:**
+
+Developer 1:
+```typescript
+// Uses hard wait
+await page.click('button');
+await page.waitForTimeout(10000);  // Hope job finishes
+```
+
+Developer 2:
+```typescript
+// Uses polling
+await page.click('button');
+for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
+  const status = await page.locator('.status').textContent();
+  if (status === 'complete') break;
+  await page.waitForTimeout(1000);
+}
+```
+
+Developer 3:
+```typescript
+// Uses waitForSelector
+await page.click('button');
+await page.waitForSelector('.success', { timeout: 30000 });
+```
+
+**Result:** 3 different patterns, all suboptimal.
+
+**With Knowledge Base (recurse.md fragment):**
+
+All developers:
+```typescript
+import { test } from '@seontechnologies/playwright-utils/fixtures';
+
+test('job completion', async ({ apiRequest, recurse }) => {
+  // Start async job
+  const { body: job } = await apiRequest({
+    method: 'POST',
+    path: '/api/jobs'
+  });
+
+  // Poll until complete (correct API: command, predicate, options)
+  const result = await recurse(
+    () => apiRequest({ method: 'GET', path: `/api/jobs/${job.id}` }),
+    (response) => response.body.status === 'completed',  // response.body from apiRequest
+    {
+      timeout: 30000,
+      interval: 2000,
+      log: 'Waiting for job to complete'
+    }
+  );
+
+  expect(result.body.status).toBe('completed');
+});
+```
+
+**Result:** Consistent pattern using correct playwright-utils API (command, predicate, options).
+
+## Technical Implementation
+
+For details on the knowledge base index, see:
+- [Knowledge Base Index](/docs/reference/tea/knowledge-base.md)
+- [TEA Configuration](/docs/reference/tea/configuration.md)
+
+## Related Concepts
+
+**Core TEA Concepts:**
+- [Test Quality Standards](/docs/explanation/tea/test-quality-standards.md) - Standards in knowledge base
+- [Risk-Based Testing](/docs/explanation/tea/risk-based-testing.md) - Risk patterns in knowledge base
+- [Engagement Models](/docs/explanation/tea/engagement-models.md) - Knowledge base across all models
+
+**Technical Patterns:**
+- [Fixture Architecture](/docs/explanation/tea/fixture-architecture.md) - Fixture patterns in knowledge base
+- [Network-First Patterns](/docs/explanation/tea/network-first-patterns.md) - Network patterns in knowledge base
+
+**Overview:**
+- [TEA Overview](/docs/explanation/features/tea-overview.md) - Knowledge base in workflows
+- [Testing as Engineering](/docs/explanation/philosophy/testing-as-engineering.md) - **Foundation: Context engineering philosophy** (why knowledge base solves AI test problems)
+
+## Practical Guides
+
+**All Workflow Guides Use Knowledge Base:**
+- [How to Run Test Design](/docs/how-to/workflows/run-test-design.md)
+- [How to Run ATDD](/docs/how-to/workflows/run-atdd.md)
+- [How to Run Automate](/docs/how-to/workflows/run-automate.md)
+- [How to Run Test Review](/docs/how-to/workflows/run-test-review.md)
+
+**Integration:**
+- [Integrate Playwright Utils](/docs/how-to/customization/integrate-playwright-utils.md) - PW-Utils in knowledge base
+
+## Reference
+
+- [Knowledge Base Index](/docs/reference/tea/knowledge-base.md) - Complete fragment index
+- [TEA Command Reference](/docs/reference/tea/commands.md) - Which workflows load which fragments
+- [TEA Configuration](/docs/reference/tea/configuration.md) - Config affects fragment loading
+- [Glossary](/docs/reference/glossary/index.md#test-architect-tea-concepts) - Context engineering, knowledge fragment terms
+
+---
+
+Generated with [BMad Method](https://bmad-method.org) - TEA (Test Architect)