Improve e2e testing posture to make it sliiiightly less unfriendly for others to get working

tests/e2e/helpers/api.ts

@@ -282,14 +282,19 @@ export function deleteFanoutConfig(id: string): Promise<{ deleted: boolean }> {
 // --- Helpers ---
 
 /**
- * Ensure #flightless channel exists, creating it if needed.
+ * Ensure a channel exists by name, creating it if needed.
  * Returns the channel object.
  */
-export async function ensureFlightlessChannel(): Promise<Channel> {
+export async function ensureChannel(name: string): Promise<Channel> {
   const channels = await getChannels();
-  const existing = channels.find((c) => c.name === '#flightless');
+  const existing = channels.find((c) => c.name === name);
   if (existing) return existing;
-  return createChannel('#flightless');
+  return createChannel(name);
+}
+
+/** Convenience alias — ensures #flightless exists. */
+export async function ensureFlightlessChannel(): Promise<Channel> {
+  return ensureChannel('#flightless');
 }
 
 /**

tests/e2e/helpers/env.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+/**
+ * Centralized E2E environment configuration.
+ *
+ * All environment-dependent values live here with sensible defaults that
+ * match the maintainer's test rig. Contributors can override any of these
+ * via environment variables to match their own hardware setup.
+ *
+ * See CONTRIBUTING.md § "E2E Testing" for what each variable means and
+ * how to set up a test environment from scratch.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Channel used to trigger echo-bot traffic generation.
+ *
+ * The echo bot (running on a second "partner" radio) should monitor this
+ * channel and reply to any message, generating incoming RF traffic that
+ * mesh-traffic tests can observe. The channel is created automatically if
+ * it doesn't exist in the test database.
+ */
+export const E2E_ECHO_CHANNEL =
+  process.env.E2E_ECHO_CHANNEL ?? '#flightless';
+
+/**
+ * Message sent to the echo channel to nudge the bot into replying.
+ * The bot just needs to see *any* message and respond; the exact text
+ * doesn't matter as long as the bot doesn't filter it out.
+ */
+export const E2E_ECHO_TRIGGER_MESSAGE =
+  process.env.E2E_ECHO_TRIGGER_MESSAGE ?? '!echo please give incoming message';
+
+/**
+ * Public key (64-char hex) of a nearby node that will ACK direct messages
+ * sent by the test radio. This node must have the test radio's public key
+ * in its contact list. Used only by the partner-radio DM ACK test.
+ */
+export const E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_PUBKEY =
+  process.env.E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_PUBKEY ??
+  'ae92577bae6c269a1da3c87b5333e1bdb007e372b66e94204b9f92a6b52a62b1';
+
+/**
+ * Display name for the partner radio node above. Used in UI assertions
+ * (searching the sidebar, verifying the conversation header, etc.).
+ */
+export const E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_NAME =
+  process.env.E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_NAME ?? 'FlightlessDt\u{1F95D}';
+

tests/e2e/helpers/meshTrafficTest.ts

@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@
  * long polling timeout for environments without the bot.
  */
 import { test as base, expect } from '@playwright/test';
-import { ensureFlightlessChannel, sendChannelMessage } from './api';
+import { ensureChannel, sendChannelMessage } from './api';
+import { E2E_ECHO_CHANNEL, E2E_ECHO_TRIGGER_MESSAGE } from './env';
 
 export { expect };
 
@@ -26,15 +27,18 @@ const TRAFFIC_ADVISORY =
   'network. Failure may indicate insufficient mesh traffic rather than a bug.';
 
 /**
- * Best-effort: send a message to #flightless that triggers a remote echo
- * bot. If the bot is within radio range it will reply, generating the
- * incoming traffic the test needs. Failures are silently ignored — the
- * test will fall back to waiting for organic mesh traffic.
+ * Best-effort: send a message to the echo channel that triggers a remote
+ * echo bot on a partner radio. If the bot is within radio range it will
+ * reply, generating the incoming traffic the test needs. Failures are
+ * silently ignored — the test will fall back to waiting for organic mesh
+ * traffic.
+ *
+ * Configure the channel via E2E_ECHO_CHANNEL (default: #flightless).
  */
 export async function nudgeEchoBot(): Promise<void> {
   try {
-    const channel = await ensureFlightlessChannel();
-    await sendChannelMessage(channel.key, '!echo please give incoming message');
+    const channel = await ensureChannel(E2E_ECHO_CHANNEL);
+    await sendChannelMessage(channel.key, E2E_ECHO_TRIGGER_MESSAGE);
   } catch {
     // Best-effort — bot may not be reachable
   }

tests/e2e/specs/dev-flightless-direct-route.spec.ts

@@ -6,50 +6,46 @@ import {
   getMessages,
   setContactRoutingOverride,
 } from '../helpers/api';
+import {
+  E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_PUBKEY,
+  E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_NAME,
+} from '../helpers/env';
 
-const DEV_ONLY_ENV = 'MESHCORE_ENABLE_DEV_FLIGHTLESS_ROUTE_E2E';
-const FLIGHTLESS_NAME = 'FlightlessDt🥝';
-const FLIGHTLESS_PUBLIC_KEY =
-  'ae92577bae6c269a1da3c87b5333e1bdb007e372b66e94204b9f92a6b52a62b1';
-const DEVELOPER_ONLY_NOTICE =
-  `Developer-only hardware test. This scenario assumes ${FLIGHTLESS_NAME} ` +
-  `(${FLIGHTLESS_PUBLIC_KEY.slice(0, 12)}...) is a nearby reachable node for the author's test radio. ` +
-  `Set ${DEV_ONLY_ENV}=1 to run it intentionally.`;
+const PARTNER_RADIO_NOTICE =
+  `Partner-radio hardware test. Requires a nearby node "${E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_NAME}" ` +
+  `(${E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_PUBKEY.slice(0, 12)}...) that will ACK DMs from this radio. ` +
+  `Set E2E_USE_PARTNER_RADIO_FOR_DM_ACK_TEST=1 to run, and override ` +
+  `E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_PUBKEY / E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_NAME to match your hardware.`;
 
 function escapeRegex(value: string): string {
   return value.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&');
 }
 
-test.describe('Developer-only direct-route learning for FlightlessDt🥝', () => {
-  test('zero-hop adverts then DM ACK learns a direct route', { tag: '@developer-only' }, async ({
+test.describe('Partner-radio direct-route learning via DM ACK', () => {
+  test('zero-hop adverts then DM ACK learns a direct route', { tag: '@partner-radio' }, async ({
     page,
   }, testInfo) => {
-    testInfo.annotations.push({ type: 'notice', description: DEVELOPER_ONLY_NOTICE });
-    if (process.env[DEV_ONLY_ENV] !== '1') {
-      test.skip(true, DEVELOPER_ONLY_NOTICE);
-    }
-
+    testInfo.annotations.push({ type: 'notice', description: PARTNER_RADIO_NOTICE });
     test.setTimeout(180_000);
-    console.warn(`[developer-only e2e] ${DEVELOPER_ONLY_NOTICE}`);
 
     try {
-      await deleteContact(FLIGHTLESS_PUBLIC_KEY);
+      await deleteContact(E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_PUBKEY);
     } catch {
       // Best-effort reset; the contact may not exist yet in the temp E2E DB.
     }
 
-    await createContact(FLIGHTLESS_PUBLIC_KEY, FLIGHTLESS_NAME);
-    await setContactRoutingOverride(FLIGHTLESS_PUBLIC_KEY, '');
+    await createContact(E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_PUBKEY, E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_NAME);
+    await setContactRoutingOverride(E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_PUBKEY, '');
 
     await expect
       .poll(
         async () => {
-          const contact = await getContactByKey(FLIGHTLESS_PUBLIC_KEY);
+          const contact = await getContactByKey(E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_PUBKEY);
           return contact?.direct_path_len ?? null;
         },
         {
           timeout: 10_000,
-          message: 'Waiting for recreated FlightlessDt contact to start in flood mode',
+          message: 'Waiting for recreated partner contact to start in flood mode',
         }
       )
       .toBe(-1);
@@ -74,22 +70,22 @@ test.describe('Developer-only direct-route learning for FlightlessDt🥝', () =>
     });
 
     const searchInput = page.getByLabel('Search conversations');
-    await searchInput.fill(FLIGHTLESS_PUBLIC_KEY.slice(0, 12));
-    await expect(page.getByText(FLIGHTLESS_NAME, { exact: true })).toBeVisible({
+    await searchInput.fill(E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_PUBKEY.slice(0, 12));
+    await expect(page.getByText(E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_NAME, { exact: true })).toBeVisible({
       timeout: 15_000,
     });
-    await page.getByText(FLIGHTLESS_NAME, { exact: true }).click();
+    await page.getByText(E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_NAME, { exact: true }).click();
     await expect
       .poll(() => page.url(), {
         timeout: 15_000,
-        message: 'Waiting for FlightlessDt conversation route to load',
+        message: 'Waiting for partner contact conversation route to load',
       })
-      .toContain(`#contact/${encodeURIComponent(FLIGHTLESS_PUBLIC_KEY)}`);
+      .toContain(`#contact/${encodeURIComponent(E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_PUBKEY)}`);
     await expect(
-      page.getByPlaceholder(new RegExp(`message\\s+${escapeRegex(FLIGHTLESS_NAME)}`, 'i'))
+      page.getByPlaceholder(new RegExp(`message\\s+${escapeRegex(E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_NAME)}`, 'i'))
     ).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
 
-    const text = `dev-flightless-direct-${Date.now()}`;
+    const text = `dm-ack-route-test-${Date.now()}`;
     const input = page.getByPlaceholder(/message/i);
     await input.fill(text);
     await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Send', exact: true }).click();
@@ -100,7 +96,7 @@ test.describe('Developer-only direct-route learning for FlightlessDt🥝', () =>
         async () => {
           const messages = await getMessages({
             type: 'PRIV',
-            conversation_key: FLIGHTLESS_PUBLIC_KEY,
+            conversation_key: E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_PUBKEY,
             limit: 25,
           });
           const match = messages.find((message) => message.outgoing && message.text === text);
@@ -108,7 +104,7 @@ test.describe('Developer-only direct-route learning for FlightlessDt🥝', () =>
         },
         {
           timeout: 90_000,
-          message: 'Waiting for FlightlessDt DM ACK',
+          message: 'Waiting for partner radio DM ACK',
         }
       )
       .toBeGreaterThan(0);
@@ -116,17 +112,17 @@ test.describe('Developer-only direct-route learning for FlightlessDt🥝', () =>
     await expect
       .poll(
         async () => {
-          const contact = await getContactByKey(FLIGHTLESS_PUBLIC_KEY);
+          const contact = await getContactByKey(E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_PUBKEY);
           return contact?.direct_path_len ?? null;
         },
         {
           timeout: 90_000,
-          message: 'Waiting for FlightlessDt route to update from flood to direct',
+          message: 'Waiting for partner radio route to update from flood to direct',
         }
       )
       .toBe(0);
 
-    const learnedContact = await getContactByKey(FLIGHTLESS_PUBLIC_KEY);
+    const learnedContact = await getContactByKey(E2E_PARTNER_RADIO_PUBKEY);
     expect(learnedContact?.direct_path ?? '').toBe('');
 
     await page.locator('[title="View contact info"]').click();