Comprehensive testing guide for Anisurge .asx extension packs — schema validation, deep link installation testing, playback smoke tests, update verification, and troubleshooting common issues.

Testing Extensions — Validation, Smoke Tests & Debugging

This guide covers everything from automated schema validation to manual smoke tests for verifying that an .asx extension pack installs correctly and produces working video streams.

Schema Validation

The official validate.mjs script checks all pack files for structural correctness:

node scripts/validate.mjs

What It Checks

Check	Description	Error Example
JSON syntax	All `.asx` files must be valid JSON	`Unexpected token at line 3`
`schemaVersion`	Must equal `1`	`Expected schemaVersion 1, got 2`
`id` format	Must match `[a-z0-9-]+`	`ID "My_Cool_Pack!" contains invalid characters`
`versionCode`	Must be a positive integer	`versionCode must be a positive integer`
Pipeline completeness	At least one step, must end with `map.videos`	`Pipeline must end with map.videos step`
Step field validation	Required fields present and correct type	`http.get step missing required 'url' field`
Unknown fields	No unrecognized top-level fields	`Unknown field: 'pipeline.resolve.0.randomField'`
Index consistency	Index entries match pack files	`Pack 'anokoto' has version 1.0.1 but index says 1.0.0`

Running Validation

# Validate all packs and index
node scripts/validate.mjs

# Regenerate index.json from packs (run after adding/modifying packs)
node scripts/generate-index.mjs

# Validate again after regenerating
node scripts/validate.mjs

Testing Installation via Deep Link

On Android (Build ≥ 140)

Host the .asx file at an HTTPS URL (raw GitHub URLs work well: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/<user>/<repo>/main/extensions/<id>/<id>.asx)
Generate the install deep link:

anisurgex://extensions/install?type=source&engine=ANISURGE&url=<URL>&name=<NAME>&version=<VERSION>

Open on device — tap the link or paste it into a browser address bar
Confirm installation in the app dialog
Check Extensions list — the pack should appear under installed sources

Install Confirmation Dialog

The app shows a dialog with:

Pack name and version
Engine type (ANISURGE)
Download URL
Icon (if iconUrl provided)
Confirm and Cancel buttons

On confirm, ExtensionManager.install() runs:

Detects .asx extension → calls installAsxPack()
Downloads the .asx file to a staging path
Parses and validates the file content via AsxPackParser.parsePack()
Writes the validated pack to {dataDir}/anisurge/{id}/extension.asx
Updates the installed sources list

Testing Repository Install

For repository-level testing:

anisurgex://extensions/install?type=repo&engine=ANISURGE&url=<INDEX_URL>&name=<REPO_NAME>

The app adds the index URL as a repository, fetches the pack list, and shows available packs.

Playback Smoke Tests

After installation, verify the pack produces working streams:

Basic Playback Test

Open any anime with a known AniList ID that maps to your source
On the Watch screen, select your extension from the server selector
If the pack declares subDub: true, verify both language options
Tap play and observe:
- Video loads within 10 seconds
- Audio plays in sync with video
- Player controls respond (play/pause, seek, volume)

Additional Checks

Test Case	Expected Result	How to Test
Valid AniList + episode	At least one video URL returned	Play any episode of a known anime
Dub when claimed	Dub track plays without errors	Toggle to Dub in server selector
Subtitles	Subtitles appear on screen	Enable subtitles in player if supported
Missing mapping	Clear error, no app crash	Try an AniList ID that doesn't exist in the source
Corrupt pack	Install rejected with error message	Modify the `.asx` to have invalid JSON, attempt install
Network error during fetch	Graceful fallback or timeout error	Disconnect network, attempt playback
Multiple episodes	Each episode resolves correctly	Play episode 1, then episode 12
Intro/outro skip	Skip button appears at correct times	If pack provides `intro`/`outro` timestamps
Session resume	Playback resumes from last position	Start episode, seek to midpoint, close, reopen

Update Testing

To verify the auto-update mechanism:

Install the pack at versionCode 1
Bump versionCode to 2 (and version string) in the .asx and index.json
Regenerate index: node scripts/generate-index.mjs
Push changes to the repository
Refresh the app's Extensions list (pull down or tap Refresh)
Verify: the pack shows an Update badge
Tap Update: the app re-downloads and replaces the pack
Verify: version displays as the new version

Troubleshooting

"Failed to install" Error

Cause	Solution
Invalid JSON syntax	Run `node scripts/validate.mjs` to detect syntax errors
`schemaVersion` ≠ 1	Set `"schemaVersion": 1`
`id` contains invalid characters	Use only `[a-z0-9-]` characters
`versionCode` missing or zero	Set a positive integer (start at 1)
Pipeline missing `map.videos`	Add `{ "step": "map.videos", "file": "...", ... }` as final step
Network error downloading `.asx`	Verify the URL is accessible over HTTPS

"No streams found" Error

Cause	Solution
Provider API changed	Inspect the current provider response with browser dev tools
Rate limiting	Add delay between requests or use `try` branches for fallbacks
Region blocking	Test with VPN or proxy
Incorrect variable path in `map.videos`	Check `{{sources.sources.file}}` matches actual JSON structure
Headers missing (Referer, User-Agent)	Add required headers to `map.videos.headers`
AniList ID not found in source	Test with a known popular anime ID (e.g., `21` for One Piece)

Playback Issues

Symptom	Possible Cause	Check
Black screen with audio	CDN requires specific Referer/Origin headers	Add headers to `map.videos.headers`
Video stutters	HLS segments too large or CDN throttling	Try a different quality or server
Subtitles not showing	Subtitle URL incorrect or CORS blocked	Verify subtitle URL directly in browser
Wrong episode loads	Episode number mapping differs (0-indexed vs 1-indexed)	Check provider's episode numbering
App crashes on playback	M3U8 format not supported or corrupt segments	Test the M3U8 URL in VLC/mpv desktop

Debugging Tools

Browser DevTools

Most providers serve HTML or JSON that you can inspect:

curl -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" "https://provider.example.com/api/21/1" | jq .

Testing Without the App

You can simulate the pipeline manually using curl and jq:

# Step 1: http.get
curl -s "https://provider.example.com/api/21/1" -o response.json

# Step 2: json.parse + json.get
cat response.json | jq '.sources[0].file'

# Step 3: verify the stream URL works
ffprobe "$(cat response.json | jq -r '.sources[0].file')" 2>&1 | head -5

Logcat (Android Debug)

Monitor deep link handling on Android:

adb logcat -s Anisurge:D *:S | grep -E "deepLink|extension|Deeplink"

Pack Validation Checklist

Before submitting a pull request, verify:

node scripts/validate.mjs passes without errors
Pack installs via deep link on Android build ≥ 140
At least one episode plays successfully with video and audio
Sub and Dub both tested (if subDub: true)
versionCode incremented for any behavior change
index.json regenerated with node scripts/generate-index.mjs
No hardcoded API keys, tokens, or private URLs
nsfw: true if content requires age restriction
Icon included (optional but recommended)

Testing Extensions — Validation, Smoke Tests, and Debugging