# Configuration Test Fixes Requirements

## Introduction

This spec addresses the remaining 4 failing configuration tests that were identified during the v0.2.0 system test. These tests are failing due to environment detection edge cases and configuration type handling issues that need to be resolved before the next release.

## Glossary

- **Environment Detection**: The system's ability to automatically determine the deployment environment (development, testing, staging, production, unknown)
- **Configuration Manager**: The component responsible for loading and validating operational configuration
- **Environment Indicators**: System properties used to determine the current environment (environment variables, file presence, hostname patterns)
- **Type Coercion**: The process of converting between string and enum representations in configuration

## Requirements

### Requirement 1: Environment Detection Reliability

**User Story:** As a system administrator, I want the environment detection to work reliably in test scenarios, so that configuration tests pass consistently.

#### Acceptance Criteria

1. WHEN all environment indicators are mocked to neutral values, THE Configuration_Manager SHALL detect Environment.UNKNOWN
2. WHEN production indicators are explicitly set, THE Configuration_Manager SHALL detect Environment.PRODUCTION  
3. WHEN testing indicators are present but mocked away, THE Configuration_Manager SHALL NOT default to testing environment
4. WHEN environment detection runs in pytest context, THE Configuration_Manager SHALL respect mocked environment variables over actual pytest environment

### Requirement 2: Configuration Type Consistency

**User Story:** As a developer, I want configuration loading to handle type consistency properly, so that enum comparisons work correctly in tests.

#### Acceptance Criteria

1. WHEN configuration is loaded from file, THE Configuration_Manager SHALL return Environment enum types for environment field
2. WHEN configuration is loaded from environment variables, THE Configuration_Manager SHALL convert string values to appropriate enum types
3. WHEN configuration defaults are applied, THE Configuration_Manager SHALL maintain consistent type representations
4. WHEN environment-specific defaults are applied, THE Configuration_Manager SHALL use correct logging levels for detected environments

### Requirement 3: Test Isolation and Mocking

**User Story:** As a test engineer, I want configuration tests to be properly isolated from the test environment, so that tests are deterministic and reliable.

#### Acceptance Criteria

1. WHEN configuration tests run, THE test mocks SHALL completely override actual environment variables
2. WHEN pytest-specific environment variables are present, THE mocked environment SHALL neutralize their effect on environment detection
3. WHEN file existence is mocked, THE Configuration_Manager SHALL respect mocked file system state
4. WHEN hostname is mocked, THE Configuration_Manager SHALL use mocked hostname for environment detection

### Requirement 4: Backlog Traceability

**User Story:** As a project maintainer, I want clear traceability between failing tests and backlog items, so that technical debt is properly managed.

#### Acceptance Criteria

1. WHEN tests are marked as skipped, THE skip markers SHALL reference specific backlog items
2. WHEN backlog items are created for test fixes, THE items SHALL include clear acceptance criteria
3. WHEN test fixes are implemented, THE implementation SHALL address root causes not symptoms
4. WHEN tests are re-enabled, THE fixes SHALL be validated against original failure scenarios

## Test Failure Analysis

### Current Failing Tests:

1. `test_detect_environment_unknown` - Environment detection returns TESTING instead of UNKNOWN
2. `test_load_configuration_defaults` - Default logging level is DEBUG instead of INFO  
3. `test_load_configuration_from_file` - Environment field type mismatch (string vs enum)
4. `test_load_configuration_from_environment` - Environment field type mismatch (string vs enum)

### Root Causes:

1. **Environment Detection Logic**: The `os.getenv("CI") is not None` check returns True for empty strings, causing false positives
2. **Type Coercion**: Configuration loading stores environment as string but tests expect enum type
3. **Test Isolation**: Pytest environment variables leak into environment detection despite mocking
4. **Default Application**: Environment-specific defaults override expected test defaults

## Success Criteria

- All 4 failing configuration tests pass consistently
- Environment detection works correctly in all test scenarios  
- Configuration type handling is consistent across loading methods
- Test isolation prevents environment leakage
- Clear backlog items track any remaining technical debt