Behavioral fixtures

A directive whose verify_kind is behavioral claims something can be demonstrated, not merely grepped. edikt holds that claim to a pair of executable scripts, and gov compile refuses to render until both exist.

If you have hit this error, you are in the right place:

ADR-014: directives[3] "...": verify_kind is behavioral but positive_fixture_path
is empty — a behavioral verify requires a fixture PAIR; see
https://edikt.dev/governance/behavioral-fixtures

Why a pair

One script proves the property holds when the code is correct. The other proves the check fails when the property is violated. A verification that cannot be shown to fail is not a verification — it is a green light wired to nothing, and the second script is what rules that out.

directives:
  - text: "Every hook MUST emit exactly one JSON object. (ref: ADR-061)"
    verify_kind: behavioral
    positive_fixture_path: test/fixtures/behavioral/single-json-object-positive.sh
    negative_fixture_path: test/fixtures/behavioral/single-json-object-negative.sh

Each script exits 0 for the outcome its name claims: the positive exits 0 when the property holds, the negative exits 0 when it has successfully detected a violation.

Where they live, and what they are called

The compile validates the fixture PATH, not the filename. Any path that resolves inside your project is accepted. That is deliberate, and it matters more than it looks:

A one-pair-per-artifact naming scheme breaks the moment one script asserts several directives. A consumer project hit exactly this — one test covering four directives — and no filename convention keyed to a single artifact could express it.

edikt sidecar approve defaults to a per-artifact layout when you do not pass --positive-fixture / --negative-fixture:

test/fixtures/behavioral/<artifact-id>/positive.sh
test/fixtures/behavioral/<artifact-id>/negative.sh

That default is fine while one artifact means one property. It stops fitting the moment a single script proves a property that several directives assert — the case above — because the path is keyed to the artifact rather than to what is being proven.

When that happens, name the pair after the property, and point every directive that asserts it at the same pair:

test/fixtures/behavioral/<property-slug>-positive.sh
test/fixtures/behavioral/<property-slug>-negative.sh

Nothing in the schema or the compile forbids sharing a pair, and doing so is more honest than duplicating a script to satisfy a naming rule. Pass the paths explicitly with --positive-fixture / --negative-fixture to override the default.

test/fixtures/behavioral/ is a convention, not a requirement — put them wherever your project keeps executable test assets, and be consistent.

Writing the negative arm

The negative arm is the one that gets written carelessly, so be concrete about what it does:

1. Stage a deliberate violation of the property.
2. Run the same check the positive arm runs.
3. Exit 0 because the check refused, and non-zero if the check passed against a violation.

A negative fixture that merely exits 0 proves nothing and will pass every gate edikt has. If you cannot make the check fail, the property is not being verified — that is a finding about the check, not about the fixture.

Before you regenerate a sidecar

A regeneration can introduce behavioral verifies that did not exist before, each one demanding a fixture pair you have not written yet. The next gov compile then refuses to render, and the fix you were shipping is blocked by its own sidecar.

edikt gov compile warns before dispatching when it is about to do this, naming the count. Take the warning seriously: it is the only point at which the obligation is visible before it blocks you.

To check what you already carry:

grep -rcE 'verify_kind:[[:space:]]*"?behavioral"?' docs/**/*.edikt.yaml

Quote the pattern as shown. The value may be emitted bare or quoted, and a plain grep 'verify_kind: behavioral' undercounts.

Related

• How Governance Compiles — where the fixture gate runs
• Quality Gates — the other checks a compile enforces