# Python Development Guidelines
Guidance for Python automation under `scripts/`.
The Rust library is the primary product, but the Python benchmark, changelog, hardware, coverage, and workflow utilities are part of the trusted development
loop. Keep them typed and predictable so failures are visible in CI instead of being hidden behind loose mocks or broad exception handling.
---
## Validation
Run Python validators through the repository toolchain:
```bash
uv run ruff check scripts/
uv run ty check scripts/
uv run pytest scripts/tests
```
`ty check scripts/` is the type-checking authority. Prefer reducing untyped surfaces in code and tests over adding more `ty` configuration.
`just check` also runs Python formatting checks, Ruff, `ty`, and repository-owned Semgrep rules as part of the normal validation bundle.
---
## Typing
- Add return annotations to functions and methods.
- Prefer concrete standard-library types over `Any`, `dict`, or bare `Mock` when the shape is known.
- Keep helper signatures precise enough that `ty` can validate call sites.
- Avoid growing type-checker configuration unless a demonstrated false positive cannot be solved cleanly in code.
---
## Subprocess Mocks
When mocking command wrappers such as `run_git_command()`, `run_cargo_command()`, or `run_safe_command()`, prefer real typed subprocess results:
```python
import subprocess
def completed_process(stdout: str = "", *, returncode: int = 0) -> subprocess.CompletedProcess[str]:
"""Return a typed subprocess result for command-wrapper mocks."""
return subprocess.CompletedProcess(args=[], returncode=returncode, stdout=stdout, stderr="")
```
Use that helper instead of ad-hoc mocks such as:
```python
mock_result = Mock()
mock_result.stdout = "..."
mock_result.returncode = 0
```
Structured results keep tests close to production behavior and give `ty` real attributes to check.
---
## Exceptions
- Catch specific recoverable error families in production code. Avoid `except Exception`.
- In tests, raise concrete exceptions that match the production recovery path (`OSError`, `RuntimeError`, `subprocess.CalledProcessError`,
`subprocess.TimeoutExpired`, etc.).
- Do not use raw `Exception` in mocks just to force a fallback branch; doing so weakens the contract that the production code is meant to enforce.
---
## Test Helpers
Put reusable typed test helpers near the top of the test module or in `scripts/tests/conftest.py` when they are shared. Prefer one helper that returns the real
structured type over repeating partially configured mocks throughout a file.
## Parser and File-Format Contracts
When a script both writes and parses a text format, add a focused round-trip test that writes representative records and parses them back. The test should cover
stable identifiers, optional sections, units, and numeric forms such as scientific notation when those values can be emitted by production code.
For parser refactors, keep malformed-input regression tests for behavior that callers depend on, such as skipping incomplete sections or failing loudly on
invalid numerical data.