fix: PYAUTOFIT_TEST_MODE is a dead env var — aggregator test-mode fixture is a silent no-op

[Jammy2211]

Overview

The canonical test-mode knob is PYAUTO_TEST_MODE (read authoritatively in PyAutoNerves/autonerves/test_mode.py:14 via os.environ.get("PYAUTO_TEST_MODE", "0"), alongside PYAUTO_TEST_MODE_SAMPLES). Nothing anywhere reads PYAUTOFIT_TEST_MODE — verified by grep across every library and workspace repo.

test_autocti/aggregator/conftest.py uses the dead name in an autouse=True fixture, so the entire aggregator test module intends to run in test mode but never enters it.

Plan

• Rename PYAUTOFIT_TEST_MODE → PYAUTO_TEST_MODE in test_autocti/aggregator/conftest.py (the set_test_mode fixture).
• Run the aggregator suite afterwards — enabling test mode for the first time may surface previously-masked behaviour (test mode namespaces output paths and can bypass sampling).
• Companion docstring fix in PyAutoFit (separate PR, same task): autofit/non_linear/analysis/visualize.py Visualizer.should_visualize says "If PyAutoFit test mode is on" — naming the product rather than the variable is what leads readers to invent the wrong env var. Name PYAUTO_TEST_MODE explicitly.

Detailed implementation plan

Affected Repositories

• PyAutoCTI (primary) — the real bug
• PyAutoFit — one misleading docstring

Suggested branch: feature/testmode-env-drift

The bug

test_autocti/aggregator/conftest.py:13-17

@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
def set_test_mode():
    os.environ["PYAUTOFIT_TEST_MODE"] = "1"   # <- nothing reads this
    yield
    del os.environ["PYAUTOFIT_TEST_MODE"]

Why it persisted

autocti_workspace_test/AGENTS.md:42 and autocti_assistant/skills/ac_fit_cti_model.md:126 already document that PYAUTOFIT_TEST_MODE does not exist. The trap was documented instead of deleted; this issue deletes it.

Out of scope (local-only, no PR)

Two gitignored .claude/settings.local.json allowlists (euclid_strong_lens_modeling_pipeline, autogalaxy_workspace) also use the dead name, meaning those allowlisted commands run without test mode. Fixed locally, not shipped.

Verification

• pytest test_autocti/aggregator green with the corrected var.
• Confirm the fixture actually takes effect (test mode active during those tests).

[Jammy2211]

Correction to the plan above: the fix is to DELETE the fixture, not rename it.

The issue body proposed renaming PYAUTOFIT_TEST_MODE → PYAUTO_TEST_MODE. Testing showed that is the wrong fix. Making the variable live means test mode genuinely takes effect, which bypasses sampling — so the aggregator has no samples to iterate and 6 of the 13 aggregator tests fail. Those tests were written against, and only pass under, normal sampling.

Measured three ways (pytest test_autocti/aggregator):

Variant	Result
dead var present (baseline, main)	13 passed
renamed to PYAUTO_TEST_MODE	6 failed, 7 passed
fixture deleted	13 passed

Deleting is behaviour-preserving and removes the trap outright, so that is what shipped.

PRs: #96 (delete fixture) · PyAutoLabs/PyAutoFit#1417 (docstring names the real variable).

Also revised: the two gitignored .claude/settings.local.json allowlists are deliberately left alone. Rewriting PYAUTOFIT_TEST_MODE=1 → PYAUTO_TEST_MODE=1 there would change what those commands do (they have always run as normal full runs). They are stale permission strings, not a defect.

[Jammy2211]

Both PRs merged: #96 (dead fixture deleted) and PyAutoLabs/PyAutoFit#1417 (docstring now names PYAUTO_TEST_MODE). Aggregator suite verified 13 passed with the fixture removed — behaviour-preserving. Closing.