From 4c96a8c87a1c8e9a482590452639d493c4bbe107 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2026 02:59:45 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 01/35] improve error messaging

---
 test/runners/test_generation/scripts/sh/generate_matcher.sh | 1 +
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)

diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/sh/generate_matcher.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/sh/generate_matcher.sh
index 0aecbc6..4aea15f 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/sh/generate_matcher.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/sh/generate_matcher.sh
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ fi
 if [ ! -s "$OUT_FL" ]; then
     if [ "$allow_no_output" != "true" ]; then
         printf "\n ❌ Error: zelta produced no output\n"
+        printf " 🛠️⚙️➡️ If that is expected, 💡 add option 'allow_no_output: true' to your test\n"
         printf "****-> review and update zelta cmd: \"%s\"\n" "$zelta_cmd"
         exit 1
     else

From 219272f7ada75ee2aa8143fa1cdb6c9db12398cc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2026 03:17:16 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 02/35] add prune and policy test, add zelta policy config file
 generator, support local and full paths on generators, add better debugging
 support, add all tests runner

---
 test/runners/test_generation/bin/debug_gen.sh | 49 +++++----------
 .../test_generation/bin/generate_all_tests.sh |  8 +++
 .../bin/generate_policy_test.sh               | 14 +++++
 .../bin/generate_prune_test.sh                | 16 +++++
 ...ew_tests.sh => generate_tests_40_50_60.sh} |  6 +-
 .../bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh       | 27 ++++++++
 .../bin/setup_debug_state.bash                | 62 +++++++++++++++++++
 .../config/test_defs/070_zelta_prune_test.yml | 16 +++++
 .../test_defs/080_zelta_policy_test.yml       | 15 +++++
 9 files changed, 177 insertions(+), 36 deletions(-)
 create mode 100755 test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_all_tests.sh
 create mode 100755 test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_policy_test.sh
 create mode 100755 test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_prune_test.sh
 rename test/runners/test_generation/bin/{generate_new_tests.sh => generate_tests_40_50_60.sh} (91%)
 create mode 100755 test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh
 create mode 100644 test/runners/test_generation/bin/setup_debug_state.bash
 create mode 100644 test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/070_zelta_prune_test.yml
 create mode 100644 test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/080_zelta_policy_test.yml

diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/debug_gen.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/debug_gen.sh
index 12cf650..c733cf6 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/debug_gen.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/debug_gen.sh
@@ -1,44 +1,29 @@
-# This is a helper for debugging and testing your generated tests
-# This can be helpful if you use the generate_new_tests.sh approach
-# and your test confirmation fails.
-#
-# Why? Because you can fine-tune the tree setup and run your test commands
-# by hand to determine the cause of problems. Your test yml definition may
-# need additional setup or a modified command. So the ability to iteratively
-# test out the new spec can help you resolve problems.
-#
-# SPECS    - the shellspec examples you run to setup the tree before running your test
-# NEW_SPEC - the generated test you are debugging or verifying
-
-REPO_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
-
-# standard locations under test
-RUNNERS_DIR="$REPO_ROOT/test/runners"
-TEST_GEN_DIR="$REPO_ROOT/test/runners/test_generation"
-
-# tree setup utility
-. "$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh"
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Get the directory where this script is located
+SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
 
+# SPECS    - the shellspec examples you run to setup the tree before running your test
 # prepare the zfs tree with the state represented by running the following examples/tests
-SPECS="test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh"
+# TODO: change the SPECS variable to include all tests you need to run before the new test
+SPECS="test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/03_*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh|test/050_*_spec.sh|test/060_*_spec.sh"
+
+if ! . "$SCRIPT_DIR/setup_debug_state.bash" "$SPECS"; then
+    printf "\n ❌ ERROR: debug state setup failed\n"
+    exit 1
+fi
 
 # use the directory where your generated test is created
 # by default we're using a temp directory off of test/runners/test_generation
-NEW_SPEC="$TEST_GEN_DIR/tmp/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh"
+# TODO: change the NEWS_SPEC variable to be spec of the new test you debugging
+NEW_SPEC="$TEST_GEN_DIR/tmp/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh"
 echo "confirming new spec: {$NEW_SPEC}"
 
-if setup_tree "$SPECS"; then
-    printf "\n ✅ initial tree setup succeeded for specs: %s\n" "$SPECS"
-else
-    printf "\n ❌ Goodbye, initial tree setup failed for specs: %s\n" "$SPECS"
-    exit 1
-fi
-
-#
-. "$RUNNERS_DIR/env/setup_debug_env.sh"
 
 # show a detailed trace of the commands you are executing in your new test
-TRACE_OPTIONS="--xtrace --shell /opt/homebrew/bin/bash"
+# macOS BASH_SH=/opt/homebrew/bin/bash
+# Arch  BASH_SH=/usr/bin/bash
+BASH_SH=/usr/bin/bash
+TRACE_OPTIONS="--xtrace --shell $BASH_SH"
 # if you don't want/need a detailed trace unset the options var
 #unset TRACE_OPTIONS
 
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_all_tests.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_all_tests.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..961bec8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_all_tests.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Get the directory where this script is located
+SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
+
+"$SCRIPT_DIR/generate_tests_40_50_60.sh"
+"$SCRIPT_DIR/generate_prune_test.sh"
+"$SCRIPT_DIR/generate_policy_test.sh"
+
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_policy_test.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_policy_test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..b754260
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_policy_test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Get the directory where this script is located
+SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
+TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
+CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config/test_defs"
+GENERATE_TEST="$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh"
+
+if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
+ "$CONFIG_DIR/080_zelta_policy_test.yml" \
+ "test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh|test/050_*_spec.sh|test/060_*_spec.sh|test/070_*_spec.sh"; then
+
+  printf "\n ❌ Failed to generate 080 test\n"
+  exit 1
+fi
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_prune_test.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_prune_test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..aaac3ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_prune_test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Get the directory where this script is located
+SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
+TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
+CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config/test_defs"
+GENERATE_TEST="$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh"
+
+# Generate tests for 40,50,60 examples
+
+if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
+ "$CONFIG_DIR/070_zelta_prune_test.yml" \
+ "test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh|test/050_*_spec.sh|test/060_*_spec.sh"; then
+
+  printf "\n ❌ Failed to generate 070 test\n"
+  exit 1
+fi
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_new_tests.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_tests_40_50_60.sh
similarity index 91%
rename from test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_new_tests.sh
rename to test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_tests_40_50_60.sh
index 31a0efd..3c1dcbc 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_new_tests.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_tests_40_50_60.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
 # Get the directory where this script is located
-SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
 TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
 CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config/test_defs"
 GENERATE_TEST="$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh"
@@ -24,7 +23,6 @@ if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
   exit 1
 fi
 
-
 if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
  "$CONFIG_DIR/060_zelta_clone_test.yml" \
  "test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh|test/050_*_spec.sh"; then
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..9299dff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# called by shellspec test for policy, this script
+# will generate a basic zelta policy file for the
+# current SANDBOX environment variables
+
+# Get the directory where this script is located
+SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
+TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
+CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config"
+ZELTA_TEST_POLICY_CONFIG_FILE="$CONFIG_DIR/zelta_test_policy.conf"
+
+# remove any existing policy file
+rm -f "$ZELTA_TEST_POLICY_CONFIG_FILE"
+
+CUR_TIME_STAMP=$(date -u +%Y-%m-%d_%H.%M.%S)
+BACKUP_NAME="zelta_policy_backup_${CUR_TIME_STAMP}"
+
+# generate new policy file
+cat <<EOF > $ZELTA_TEST_POLICY_CONFIG_FILE
+# shellspec auto generated test zelta policy file at: ($CUR_TIME_STAMP)
+# NOTE: any modification will be lost
+BACKUP_SITE:
+  ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE}:
+    datasets:
+    - ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE}:${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}/${BACKUP_NAME}
+EOF
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/setup_debug_state.bash b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/setup_debug_state.bash
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7195e9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/setup_debug_state.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# Check if arguments were provided
+if [ $# -ne 1 ]; then
+    echo "Missing SPECS argument!"
+    echo "Usage: $0 'specs list'"
+    return 1
+fi
+
+SPECS=$1
+
+#VAR="${VAR-default_value}"
+# *** only source this script in bash, do not execute it
+
+# This is a helper for setting up a test environment with the datasets
+# as they would exist after running all the specs defined by SPECS
+#
+# This can be helpful if you use the generate_new_tests.sh approach
+# and your test confirmation fails.
+#
+# Why? Because you can fine-tune the tree setup and run your test commands
+# by hand to determine the cause of problems. Your test yml definition may
+# need additional setup or a modified command. So the ability to iteratively
+# test out the new spec can help you resolve problems.
+
+REPO_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
+
+# standard locations under test
+RUNNERS_DIR="$REPO_ROOT/test/runners"
+TEST_GEN_DIR="$REPO_ROOT/test/runners/test_generation"
+
+# Requires Bash — will produce syntax errors in fish, csh, etc.
+# Usage: source setup.bash
+
+# Guard: reject non-Bash POSIX shells (sh, dash, zsh)
+if [ -z "$BASH_VERSION" ] || case "$SHELLOPTS" in *posix*) true;; *) false;; esac; then
+    echo "Error: This script requires Bash (not sh)." >&2
+    return 1 2>/dev/null || exit 1
+fi
+
+# Guard: reject direct execution
+if [[ "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" == "$0" ]]; then
+    echo "Error: This script must be sourced, not executed." >&2
+    echo "Usage: source ${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# tree setup utility
+. "$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh"
+
+if setup_tree "$SPECS"; then
+    printf "\n ✅ initial tree setup succeeded for specs: %s\n" "$SPECS"
+else
+    printf "\n ❌ Goodbye, initial tree setup failed for specs: %s\n" "$SPECS"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# setup the debugging environment
+. "$RUNNERS_DIR/env/setup_debug_env.sh"
+
+# now you can execute commands as if they were in a test
+# that runs after all the SPECS hae completed
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/070_zelta_prune_test.yml b/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/070_zelta_prune_test.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d8101ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/070_zelta_prune_test.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+output_dir: tmp
+shellspec_name: "060_zelta_clone_spec"
+describe_desc: "Test clone"
+skip_if_list:
+  - condition: if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS"
+
+test_list:
+  - test_name: clone_sub2
+    it_desc: zelta clone sub2 - %{when_command}
+    when_command: zelta clone "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/sub2" "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/copy_of_sub2"
+
+  - test_name: zfs_list_for_clone
+    setup_scripts:
+      - "test/test_helper.sh"
+    it_desc: verifies the clone - %{when_command}
+    when_command: src_exec zfs list -ro name,origin $SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS/copy_of_sub2
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/080_zelta_policy_test.yml b/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/080_zelta_policy_test.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c63a5c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/080_zelta_policy_test.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+output_dir: tmp
+shellspec_name: "070_zelta_prune_spec"
+describe_desc: "Test prune"
+skip_if_list:
+  - condition: if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS"
+  - condition: if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS"
+
+test_list:
+  - test_name: backup_with_snapshot
+    it_desc: backup with snapshot - %{when_command}
+    when_command: zelta backup --snapshot "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP" "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP"
+
+  - test_name: prune_check
+    it_desc: only suggest snapshots existing on target - %{when_command}
+    when_command: zelta prune --keep-snap-num=0 --keep-snap-days=0 "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP" "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP"

From 7a2e0fd4e72d0dad5b112c753c1ec84506c07e0b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2026 03:19:33 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 03/35] add prune and policy test, remove warnings from clone
 and revert for FreeBSD compatibility

---
 .../test_defs/050_zelta_revert_test.yml       |  5 +++--
 .../config/test_defs/060_zelta_clone_test.yml |  5 +++--
 .../config/test_defs/070_zelta_prune_test.yml | 19 +++++++++----------
 .../test_defs/080_zelta_policy_test.yml       | 19 ++++++++++---------
 4 files changed, 25 insertions(+), 23 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/050_zelta_revert_test.yml b/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/050_zelta_revert_test.yml
index 5423773..31fb8a1 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/050_zelta_revert_test.yml
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/050_zelta_revert_test.yml
@@ -25,8 +25,9 @@ test_list:
     when_command: zelta snapshot --snap-name "another_test" "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP"
 
   - test_name: revert
-    it_desc: revert to last snapshot - %{when_command}
-    when_command: zelta revert "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP"@manual_test
+    it_desc: revert to last snapshot (ignore warnings) - %{when_command}
+    allow_no_output: true
+    when_command: zelta revert -qq "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP"@manual_test
 
   - test_name: rotate_after_revert
     it_desc: rotates after divergence - %{when_command}
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/060_zelta_clone_test.yml b/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/060_zelta_clone_test.yml
index d8101ce..fac22d7 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/060_zelta_clone_test.yml
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/060_zelta_clone_test.yml
@@ -6,8 +6,9 @@ skip_if_list:
 
 test_list:
   - test_name: clone_sub2
-    it_desc: zelta clone sub2 - %{when_command}
-    when_command: zelta clone "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/sub2" "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/copy_of_sub2"
+    it_desc: zelta clone sub2 (ignore warnings) - %{when_command}
+    allow_no_output: true
+    when_command: zelta clone -qq "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/sub2" "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/copy_of_sub2"
 
   - test_name: zfs_list_for_clone
     setup_scripts:
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/070_zelta_prune_test.yml b/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/070_zelta_prune_test.yml
index d8101ce..c63a5c1 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/070_zelta_prune_test.yml
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/070_zelta_prune_test.yml
@@ -1,16 +1,15 @@
 output_dir: tmp
-shellspec_name: "060_zelta_clone_spec"
-describe_desc: "Test clone"
+shellspec_name: "070_zelta_prune_spec"
+describe_desc: "Test prune"
 skip_if_list:
   - condition: if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS"
+  - condition: if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS"
 
 test_list:
-  - test_name: clone_sub2
-    it_desc: zelta clone sub2 - %{when_command}
-    when_command: zelta clone "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/sub2" "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/copy_of_sub2"
+  - test_name: backup_with_snapshot
+    it_desc: backup with snapshot - %{when_command}
+    when_command: zelta backup --snapshot "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP" "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP"
 
-  - test_name: zfs_list_for_clone
-    setup_scripts:
-      - "test/test_helper.sh"
-    it_desc: verifies the clone - %{when_command}
-    when_command: src_exec zfs list -ro name,origin $SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS/copy_of_sub2
+  - test_name: prune_check
+    it_desc: only suggest snapshots existing on target - %{when_command}
+    when_command: zelta prune --keep-snap-num=0 --keep-snap-days=0 "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP" "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP"
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/080_zelta_policy_test.yml b/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/080_zelta_policy_test.yml
index c63a5c1..8e0e0af 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/080_zelta_policy_test.yml
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/080_zelta_policy_test.yml
@@ -1,15 +1,16 @@
 output_dir: tmp
-shellspec_name: "070_zelta_prune_spec"
-describe_desc: "Test prune"
+shellspec_name: "080_zelta_policy_spec"
+describe_desc: "Test zelta policy"
 skip_if_list:
   - condition: if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS"
   - condition: if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS"
+  - condition: if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE"
+  - condition: if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE"
 
 test_list:
-  - test_name: backup_with_snapshot
-    it_desc: backup with snapshot - %{when_command}
-    when_command: zelta backup --snapshot "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP" "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP"
-
-  - test_name: prune_check
-    it_desc: only suggest snapshots existing on target - %{when_command}
-    when_command: zelta prune --keep-snap-num=0 --keep-snap-days=0 "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP" "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP"
+  - test_name: policy_check
+    setup_scripts:
+      # generate zelta policy config file from env variables
+      - "test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh"
+    it_desc: test zelta policy - %{when_command}
+    when_command: zelta policy -C ./test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf

From f0f7470994831369a5dc8ae0cee4fdb9e56e82a7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2026 03:20:41 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 04/35] regenerate tests, add new prune and policy test

---
 test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh  |  2 +-
 test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh | 37 ++------------------
 test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh  | 25 ++------------
 test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh  | 65 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh | 35 +++++++++++++++++++
 5 files changed, 107 insertions(+), 57 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh
 create mode 100644 test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh

diff --git a/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh b/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh
index 930ef66..f602efa 100644
--- a/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh
+++ b/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-02-12 13:28:34 -0500
+# Generated at: 2026-03-10 03:07:56 -0400
 # Source: 040_zelta_tests_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
diff --git a/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh b/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh
index 99d0fac..2b05087 100644
--- a/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh
+++ b/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-02-12 13:29:24 -0500
+# Generated at: 2026-03-10 03:08:42 -0400
 # Source: 050_zelta_revert_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
@@ -53,25 +53,6 @@ output_for_snapshot_again() {
   return 0
 }
 
-output_for_revert() {
-  while IFS= read -r line; do
-    # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
-    case "$normalized" in
-        "renaming '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}' to '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}_manual_test'"|\
-        "cloned 12/12 datasets to ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}"|\
-        "snapshotting: @zelta_"*""|\
-        "to retain replica history, run: zelta rotate '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}' 'TARGET'")
-        ;;
-      *)
-        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
-        return 1
-        ;;
-    esac
-  done
-  return 0
-}
-
 output_for_rotate_after_revert() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
@@ -118,20 +99,8 @@ Describe 'Test revert'
     The status should be success
   End
 
-  It "revert to last snapshot - zelta revert \"$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP\"@manual_test"
-    When call zelta revert "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP"@manual_test
-    The output should satisfy output_for_revert
-    The error should equal "warning: unexpected 'zfs clone' output: filesystem successfully created, but it may only be mounted by root
-warning: unexpected 'zfs clone' output: filesystem successfully created, but it may only be mounted by root
-warning: unexpected 'zfs clone' output: filesystem successfully created, but it may only be mounted by root
-warning: unexpected 'zfs clone' output: filesystem successfully created, but it may only be mounted by root
-warning: unexpected 'zfs clone' output: filesystem successfully created, but it may only be mounted by root
-warning: unexpected 'zfs clone' output: filesystem successfully created, but it may only be mounted by root
-warning: unexpected 'zfs clone' output: filesystem successfully created, but it may only be mounted by root
-warning: unexpected 'zfs clone' output: filesystem successfully created, but it may only be mounted by root
-warning: unexpected 'zfs clone' output: filesystem successfully created, but it may only be mounted by root
-warning: unexpected 'zfs clone' output: cannot open '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}_manual_test/sub5@manual_test': dataset does not exist
-warning: unexpected 'zfs clone' output: cannot open '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}_manual_test/sub5/child1@manual_test': dataset does not exist"
+  It "revert to last snapshot (ignore warnings) - zelta revert -qq \"$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP\"@manual_test"
+    When call zelta revert -qq "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP"@manual_test
     The status should be success
   End
 
diff --git a/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh b/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh
index 7b4d46c..399a9d0 100644
--- a/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh
+++ b/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh
@@ -1,24 +1,8 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-02-12 13:30:29 -0500
+# Generated at: 2026-03-10 03:09:43 -0400
 # Source: 060_zelta_clone_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
-output_for_clone_sub2() {
-  while IFS= read -r line; do
-    # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
-    case "$normalized" in
-        "cloned 2/2 datasets to ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/copy_of_sub2")
-        ;;
-      *)
-        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
-        return 1
-        ;;
-    esac
-  done
-  return 0
-}
-
 output_for_zfs_list_for_clone() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
@@ -40,11 +24,8 @@ output_for_zfs_list_for_clone() {
 Describe 'Test clone'
   Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS"
 
-  It "zelta clone sub2 - zelta clone \"$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/sub2\" \"$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/copy_of_sub2\""
-    When call zelta clone "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/sub2" "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/copy_of_sub2"
-    The output should satisfy output_for_clone_sub2
-    The error should equal "warning: unexpected 'zfs clone' output: filesystem successfully created, but it may only be mounted by root
-warning: unexpected 'zfs clone' output: filesystem successfully created, but it may only be mounted by root"
+  It "zelta clone sub2 (ignore warnings) - zelta clone -qq \"$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/sub2\" \"$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/copy_of_sub2\""
+    When call zelta clone -qq "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/sub2" "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP/copy_of_sub2"
     The status should be success
   End
 
diff --git a/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh b/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8e06a63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
+# Generated at: 2026-03-10 03:10:49 -0400
+# Source: 070_zelta_prune_spec
+# WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
+
+output_for_backup_with_snapshot() {
+  while IFS= read -r line; do
+    # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
+    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    case "$normalized" in
+        "snapshotting: @zelta_"*""|\
+        "syncing 12 datasets"|\
+        "* sent, 12 streams received in * seconds")
+        ;;
+      *)
+        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        return 1
+        ;;
+    esac
+  done
+  return 0
+}
+
+output_for_prune_check() {
+  while IFS= read -r line; do
+    # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
+    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    case "$normalized" in
+        "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}@zelta_"*""|\
+        "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/sub1@zelta_"*""|\
+        "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/sub1/child@zelta_"*""|\
+        "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/sub2@zelta_"*""|\
+        "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/sub2/orphan@zelta_"*""|\
+        "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/sub3@zelta_"*""|\
+        "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/sub3/space name@zelta_"*""|\
+        "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/sub4@zelta_"*""|\
+        "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/sub4/encrypted@zelta_"*""|\
+        "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/sub4/zvol@zelta_"*"")
+        ;;
+      *)
+        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        return 1
+        ;;
+    esac
+  done
+  return 0
+}
+
+Describe 'Test prune'
+  Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS"
+  Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS"
+
+  It "backup with snapshot - zelta backup --snapshot \"$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP\" \"$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP\""
+    When call zelta backup --snapshot "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP" "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP"
+    The output should satisfy output_for_backup_with_snapshot
+    The status should be success
+  End
+
+  It "only suggest snapshots existing on target - zelta prune --keep-snap-num=0 --keep-snap-days=0 \"$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP\" \"$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP\""
+    When call zelta prune --keep-snap-num=0 --keep-snap-days=0 "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP" "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP"
+    The output should satisfy output_for_prune_check
+    The status should be success
+  End
+
+End
diff --git a/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh b/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a776af2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+# Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
+# Generated at: 2026-03-10 03:12:05 -0400
+# Source: 080_zelta_policy_spec
+# WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
+
+output_for_policy_check() {
+  while IFS= read -r line; do
+    # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
+    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    case "$normalized" in
+        "[BACKUP_SITE: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP}/zelta_policy_backup_2026-03-10_07.11.59] ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP}: syncing 12 datasets"|\
+        "[BACKUP_SITE: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP}/zelta_policy_backup_2026-03-10_07.11.59] ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP}: * sent, 22 streams received in * seconds")
+        ;;
+      *)
+        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        return 1
+        ;;
+    esac
+  done
+  return 0
+}
+
+Describe 'Test zelta policy'
+  Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS"
+  Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS"
+  Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE"
+  Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE"
+
+  It "test zelta policy - zelta policy -C ./test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf"
+    When call zelta policy -C ./test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
+    The output should satisfy output_for_policy_check
+    The status should be success
+  End
+
+End

From 9a7d1bd98826b85963d06cbd1e6d545900fbce1e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2026 03:22:26 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 05/35] add more context on sudoers update to include Ubuntu
 and FreeBSD

---
 test/README.md | 25 ++++++++++++++++++-------
 1 file changed, 18 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/README.md b/test/README.md
index de8fca2..96e31b3 100644
--- a/test/README.md
+++ b/test/README.md
@@ -13,14 +13,25 @@
 
 ### If testing remotely:
 - Setup your test user on your source and target machines
-  - update sudoers, for example on Linux
+  - update sudoers
     - create /etc/sudoers.d/zelta-tester
-    ```
-    # Allow (mytestuser) to run ZFS commands without password for zelta testing
-    # NOTE: This is for test environments only - DO NOT use in production
-    # CAUTION: The wildcards show intent only, with globbing other commands may be allowed as well
-    (mytestuser) ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/dd *, /usr/bin/rm -f /tmp/*, /usr/bin/truncate *, /usr/sbin/zpool *, /usr/sbin/zfs *    
-    ```
+    - add this comment to the file
+      ```
+      # Allow (mytestuser) to run ZFS commands without password for zelta testing
+      # NOTE: This is for test environments only - DO NOT use in production
+      # CAUTION: The wildcards show intent only, with globbing other commands may be allowed as well
+      ```
+  
+    - Ubuntu entry
+      ```
+      (mytestuser) ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/dd *, /usr/bin/rm -f /tmp/*, /usr/bin/truncate *, /usr/sbin/zpool *, /usr/sbin/zfs *
+      ```
+  
+    - FreeBSD entry
+      ```
+      (mytestuser) ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /bin/dd *, /bin/rm -f /tmp/*, /usr/bin/truncate *, /sbin/zpool *, /sbin/zfs *
+      ```
+  
    - TODO: confirm if usr/bin/mount *, /usr/bin/mkdir * are needed
  
   - setup zfs allow on your source and target machines will be set up automatically for your test pools

From 6f1cb369e6d53f89b7d1a7c30838616ef72cafe8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2026 03:22:59 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 06/35] add zman alias

---
 test/runners/doc/README_AliasHelpers.md | 4 ++++
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+)

diff --git a/test/runners/doc/README_AliasHelpers.md b/test/runners/doc/README_AliasHelpers.md
index 0421576..130f512 100644
--- a/test/runners/doc/README_AliasHelpers.md
+++ b/test/runners/doc/README_AliasHelpers.md
@@ -48,4 +48,8 @@ alias zrenv="zcd && . $ZELTA_ENV/reset_env.sh"
 # setup env vars for your test environment
 # setup pools, datasets and remotes env vars
 alias ztenv="zcd && . $ZELTA_ENV/test_env.sh"
+
+# access zelta man pages, relies on prior setting fo ZELTA_DOC env var
+# which is the location of the ZELTA man pages
+alias zman='man -M "$ZELTA_DOC"'
 ```

From d8278d19a86d12db07574bd99e8c91e2a0389fb4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2026 02:11:50 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 07/35] fix wildcarding, move all subs to ruby and out of awk,
 refactor test generators, support patterns and selectors on
 setup_debug_state, allow local policies, update Gemfile, rubocop config, show
 sandbox env vars, regeneate tests

---
 test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh                  |   6 +-
 test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh                 |   6 +-
 test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh                  |   2 +-
 test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh                  |   4 +-
 test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh                 |  15 ++-
 test/runners/env/setup_debug_env.sh           |   1 +
 test/runners/env/test_env.sh                  |  12 +-
 test/runners/test_generation/Gemfile          |   1 +
 test/runners/test_generation/Gemfile.lock     |  34 +++++
 .../bin/generate_40_divergent_test.sh         |  16 +++
 .../bin/generate_50_revert_test.sh            |  16 +++
 ..._40_50_60.sh => generate_60_clone_test.sh} |  20 +--
 ...rune_test.sh => generate_70_prune_test.sh} |   2 +-
 ...icy_test.sh => generate_80_policy_test.sh} |   2 +
 .../test_generation/bin/generate_all_tests.sh |   9 +-
 .../bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh       |  16 ++-
 .../bin/setup_debug_state.bash                |  20 ++-
 .../test_defs/080_zelta_policy_test.yml       |  11 +-
 .../config/zelta_test_policy.conf             |   6 +
 .../lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh           |  57 ++++++--
 .../lib/ruby/env_substitutor.rb               |  40 ++++++
 .../test_generation/lib/ruby/path_config.rb   |  14 ++
 .../lib/ruby/test_generator.rb                | 126 ++++++------------
 .../scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk   |  14 +-
 24 files changed, 281 insertions(+), 169 deletions(-)
 create mode 100755 test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_40_divergent_test.sh
 create mode 100755 test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_50_revert_test.sh
 rename test/runners/test_generation/bin/{generate_tests_40_50_60.sh => generate_60_clone_test.sh} (53%)
 rename test/runners/test_generation/bin/{generate_prune_test.sh => generate_70_prune_test.sh} (93%)
 rename test/runners/test_generation/bin/{generate_policy_test.sh => generate_80_policy_test.sh} (94%)
 create mode 100644 test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
 create mode 100644 test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/env_substitutor.rb
 create mode 100644 test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/path_config.rb

diff --git a/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh b/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh
index f602efa..86a689b 100644
--- a/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh
+++ b/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-10 03:07:56 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-10 23:54:05 -0400
 # Source: 040_zelta_tests_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ output_for_rotate_after_divergence() {
         "renaming '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}' to '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}_start'"|\
         "to ensure target is up-to-date, run: zelta backup ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP} ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP}"|\
         "no source: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}/sub1/kid"|\
-        "* sent, 10 streams received in * seconds")
+        ""*" sent, 10 streams received in "*" seconds")
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ output_for_backup_after_rotate() {
     case "$normalized" in
         "syncing 10 datasets"|\
         "10 datasets up-to-date"|\
-        "* sent, 3 streams received in * seconds")
+        ""*" sent, 3 streams received in "*" seconds")
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
diff --git a/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh b/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh
index 2b05087..bbb3c8c 100644
--- a/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh
+++ b/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-10 03:08:42 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-10 23:54:51 -0400
 # Source: 050_zelta_revert_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ output_for_backup_after_delta() {
     case "$normalized" in
         "source is written; snapshotting: @zelta_"*""|\
         "syncing 12 datasets"|\
-        "* sent, 22 streams received in * seconds")
+        ""*" sent, 22 streams received in "*" seconds")
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ output_for_rotate_after_revert() {
         "to ensure target is up-to-date, run: zelta backup ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP} ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP}"|\
         "no source: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}/sub5"|\
         "no source: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}/sub5/child1"|\
-        "* sent, 10 streams received in * seconds")
+        ""*" sent, 10 streams received in "*" seconds")
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
diff --git a/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh b/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh
index 399a9d0..95eb892 100644
--- a/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh
+++ b/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-10 03:09:43 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-10 23:55:50 -0400
 # Source: 060_zelta_clone_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
diff --git a/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh b/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh
index 8e06a63..8c5b05d 100644
--- a/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh
+++ b/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-10 03:10:49 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-10 23:56:54 -0400
 # Source: 070_zelta_prune_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ output_for_backup_with_snapshot() {
     case "$normalized" in
         "snapshotting: @zelta_"*""|\
         "syncing 12 datasets"|\
-        "* sent, 12 streams received in * seconds")
+        ""*" sent, 12 streams received in "*" seconds")
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
diff --git a/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh b/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh
index a776af2..6816d7d 100644
--- a/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh
+++ b/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-10 03:12:05 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-10 23:58:06 -0400
 # Source: 080_zelta_policy_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ output_for_policy_check() {
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
     normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
-        "[BACKUP_SITE: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP}/zelta_policy_backup_2026-03-10_07.11.59] ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP}: syncing 12 datasets"|\
-        "[BACKUP_SITE: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP}/zelta_policy_backup_2026-03-10_07.11.59] ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP}: * sent, 22 streams received in * seconds")
+        "[BACKUP_SITE: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP}/zelta_policy_backup_"*"] ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP}: syncing 12 datasets"|\
+        "[BACKUP_SITE: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP}/zelta_policy_backup_"*"] ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP}: "*" sent, 22 streams received in "*" seconds")
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
@@ -23,8 +23,13 @@ output_for_policy_check() {
 Describe 'Test zelta policy'
   Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS"
   Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS"
-  Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE"
-  Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE"
+  #Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE"
+  #Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE"
+
+  It "generate zelta policy - ./test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh"
+    When call ./test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh
+    The status should be success
+  End
 
   It "test zelta policy - zelta policy -C ./test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf"
     When call zelta policy -C ./test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
diff --git a/test/runners/env/setup_debug_env.sh b/test/runners/env/setup_debug_env.sh
index 8293103..a7c5b9a 100644
--- a/test/runners/env/setup_debug_env.sh
+++ b/test/runners/env/setup_debug_env.sh
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ printf "\n*\n* Running in DEBUG MODE, sourcing setup files\n*\n"
 if . test/runners/env/set_reuse_tmp_env.sh; then
    . test/runners/env/test_env.sh     # set dataset, pools and remote env vars
    . test/test_helper.sh          # make all the helper functions available
+   env | grep -i sandbox
 else
     return 1
 fi
diff --git a/test/runners/env/test_env.sh b/test/runners/env/test_env.sh
index 6fb6d8a..06f5897 100644
--- a/test/runners/env/test_env.sh
+++ b/test/runners/env/test_env.sh
@@ -9,7 +9,15 @@ export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS=apool/treetop
 export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS=bpool/backups
 
 # remotes setup
+
+# unset the current remotes
+unset SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE
+unset SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE
+
 #   * leave these undefined if you're running locally
 #   * the endpoints are defined automatically and are REMOTE + DS
-export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE=dever@zfsdev # Ubuntu source
-export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE=dever@zfsdev # Ubuntu remote
+#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE=dever@uvm1 # Ubuntu source
+#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE=dever@uvm1 # Ubuntu remote
+
+#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE=dever@lusvr01 # FreeBSD source
+#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE=dever@lusvr01 # FreeBSD remote
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/Gemfile b/test/runners/test_generation/Gemfile
index 27aee2b..f7a03d7 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/Gemfile
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/Gemfile
@@ -3,3 +3,4 @@
 source 'https://rubygems.org'
 
 gem 'json-schema', '~> 4.0'
+gem 'rubocop', '~> 1.60'
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/Gemfile.lock b/test/runners/test_generation/Gemfile.lock
index 8d8f3f6..5132158 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/Gemfile.lock
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/Gemfile.lock
@@ -3,9 +3,42 @@ GEM
   specs:
     addressable (2.8.8)
       public_suffix (>= 2.0.2, < 8.0)
+    ast (2.4.3)
+    json (2.19.1)
     json-schema (4.3.1)
       addressable (>= 2.8)
+    language_server-protocol (3.17.0.5)
+    lint_roller (1.1.0)
+    mcp (0.8.0)
+      json-schema (>= 4.1)
+    parallel (1.27.0)
+    parser (3.3.10.2)
+      ast (~> 2.4.1)
+      racc
+    prism (1.9.0)
     public_suffix (7.0.2)
+    racc (1.8.1)
+    rainbow (3.1.1)
+    regexp_parser (2.11.3)
+    rubocop (1.85.1)
+      json (~> 2.3)
+      language_server-protocol (~> 3.17.0.2)
+      lint_roller (~> 1.1.0)
+      mcp (~> 0.6)
+      parallel (~> 1.10)
+      parser (>= 3.3.0.2)
+      rainbow (>= 2.2.2, < 4.0)
+      regexp_parser (>= 2.9.3, < 3.0)
+      rubocop-ast (>= 1.49.0, < 2.0)
+      ruby-progressbar (~> 1.7)
+      unicode-display_width (>= 2.4.0, < 4.0)
+    rubocop-ast (1.49.1)
+      parser (>= 3.3.7.2)
+      prism (~> 1.7)
+    ruby-progressbar (1.13.0)
+    unicode-display_width (3.2.0)
+      unicode-emoji (~> 4.1)
+    unicode-emoji (4.2.0)
 
 PLATFORMS
   arm64-darwin-23
@@ -13,6 +46,7 @@ PLATFORMS
 
 DEPENDENCIES
   json-schema (~> 4.0)
+  rubocop (~> 1.60)
 
 BUNDLED WITH
    2.6.4
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_40_divergent_test.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_40_divergent_test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..bb304e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_40_divergent_test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Get the directory where this script is located
+SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
+TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
+CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config/test_defs"
+GENERATE_TEST="$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh"
+
+# Generate tests for 40 examples
+
+if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
+ "$CONFIG_DIR/040_zelta_tests.yml" \
+ "test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh"; then
+
+  printf "\n ❌ Failed to generate 040 test\n"
+  exit 1
+fi
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_50_revert_test.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_50_revert_test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..9fbbfdf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_50_revert_test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Get the directory where this script is located
+SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
+TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
+CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config/test_defs"
+GENERATE_TEST="$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh"
+
+# Generate tests for 50 examples
+
+if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
+ "$CONFIG_DIR/050_zelta_revert_test.yml" \
+ "test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh"; then
+
+  printf "\n ❌ Failed to generate 050 test\n"
+  exit 1
+fi
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_tests_40_50_60.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_60_clone_test.sh
similarity index 53%
rename from test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_tests_40_50_60.sh
rename to test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_60_clone_test.sh
index 3c1dcbc..ee296b0 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_tests_40_50_60.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_60_clone_test.sh
@@ -5,23 +5,7 @@ TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
 CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config/test_defs"
 GENERATE_TEST="$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh"
 
-# Generate tests for 40,50,60 examples
-
-if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
- "$CONFIG_DIR/040_zelta_tests.yml" \
- "test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh"; then
-
-  printf "\n ❌ Failed to generate 040 test\n"
-  exit 1
-fi
-
-if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
- "$CONFIG_DIR/050_zelta_revert_test.yml" \
- "test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh"; then
-
-  printf "\n ❌ Failed to generate 050 test\n"
-  exit 1
-fi
+# Generate tests for 60 examples
 
 if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
  "$CONFIG_DIR/060_zelta_clone_test.yml" \
@@ -29,4 +13,4 @@ if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
 
   printf "\n ❌ Failed to generate 060 test\n"
   exit 1
-fi
+fi
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_prune_test.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_70_prune_test.sh
similarity index 93%
rename from test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_prune_test.sh
rename to test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_70_prune_test.sh
index aaac3ef..611ef73 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_prune_test.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_70_prune_test.sh
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
 CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config/test_defs"
 GENERATE_TEST="$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh"
 
-# Generate tests for 40,50,60 examples
+# Generate tests for 70 examples
 
 if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
  "$CONFIG_DIR/070_zelta_prune_test.yml" \
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_policy_test.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_80_policy_test.sh
similarity index 94%
rename from test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_policy_test.sh
rename to test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_80_policy_test.sh
index b754260..6c6b4e6 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_policy_test.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_80_policy_test.sh
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
 CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config/test_defs"
 GENERATE_TEST="$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh"
 
+# Generate tests for 80 examples
+
 if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
  "$CONFIG_DIR/080_zelta_policy_test.yml" \
  "test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh|test/050_*_spec.sh|test/060_*_spec.sh|test/070_*_spec.sh"; then
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_all_tests.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_all_tests.sh
index 961bec8..41c3e0d 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_all_tests.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_all_tests.sh
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 # Get the directory where this script is located
 SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
 
-"$SCRIPT_DIR/generate_tests_40_50_60.sh"
-"$SCRIPT_DIR/generate_prune_test.sh"
-"$SCRIPT_DIR/generate_policy_test.sh"
-
+"$SCRIPT_DIR/generate_40_divergent_test.sh"
+"$SCRIPT_DIR/generate_50_revert_test.sh"
+"$SCRIPT_DIR/generate_60_clone_test.sh"
+"$SCRIPT_DIR/generate_70_prune_test.sh"
+"$SCRIPT_DIR/generate_80_policy_test.sh"
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh
index 9299dff..9851b5e 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh
@@ -10,6 +10,18 @@ TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
 CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config"
 ZELTA_TEST_POLICY_CONFIG_FILE="$CONFIG_DIR/zelta_test_policy.conf"
 
+
+if [ -n "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE" ]; then
+   src_host="$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE"
+else
+   src_host="localhost"
+fi
+
+tgt_host=""
+if  [ -n "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE}" ]; then
+   tgt_host="${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE}:"
+fi
+
 # remove any existing policy file
 rm -f "$ZELTA_TEST_POLICY_CONFIG_FILE"
 
@@ -21,7 +33,7 @@ cat <<EOF > $ZELTA_TEST_POLICY_CONFIG_FILE
 # shellspec auto generated test zelta policy file at: ($CUR_TIME_STAMP)
 # NOTE: any modification will be lost
 BACKUP_SITE:
-  ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE}:
+  ${src_host}:
     datasets:
-    - ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE}:${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}/${BACKUP_NAME}
+    - ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}: ${tgt_host}${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}/${BACKUP_NAME}
 EOF
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/setup_debug_state.bash b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/setup_debug_state.bash
index 7195e9a..2646017 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/setup_debug_state.bash
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/setup_debug_state.bash
@@ -1,14 +1,12 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 
 # Check if arguments were provided
-if [ $# -ne 1 ]; then
-    echo "Missing SPECS argument!"
-    echo "Usage: $0 'specs list'"
+if [ $# -lt 1 ] || [ $# -gt 2 ]; then
+    echo "Invalid number of arguments!"
+    echo "Usage: $0 'pattern specs list' 'selector specs list"
     return 1
 fi
 
-SPECS=$1
-
 #VAR="${VAR-default_value}"
 # *** only source this script in bash, do not execute it
 
@@ -42,21 +40,21 @@ fi
 if [[ "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" == "$0" ]]; then
     echo "Error: This script must be sourced, not executed." >&2
     echo "Usage: source ${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" >&2
-    exit 1
+    return 1
 fi
 
 # tree setup utility
 . "$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh"
 
-if setup_tree "$SPECS"; then
-    printf "\n ✅ initial tree setup succeeded for specs: %s\n" "$SPECS"
+if setup_tree "$@"; then
+    printf "\n ✅ initial tree setup succeeded for specs: %s\n" "$@"
 else
-    printf "\n ❌ Goodbye, initial tree setup failed for specs: %s\n" "$SPECS"
-    exit 1
+    printf "\n ❌ Goodbye, initial tree setup failed for specs: %s\n" "$@"
+    return 1
 fi
 
 # setup the debugging environment
 . "$RUNNERS_DIR/env/setup_debug_env.sh"
 
 # now you can execute commands as if they were in a test
-# that runs after all the SPECS hae completed
\ No newline at end of file
+# that runs after all the SPECS hae completed
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/080_zelta_policy_test.yml b/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/080_zelta_policy_test.yml
index 8e0e0af..5ad2eff 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/080_zelta_policy_test.yml
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/config/test_defs/080_zelta_policy_test.yml
@@ -4,13 +4,14 @@ describe_desc: "Test zelta policy"
 skip_if_list:
   - condition: if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS"
   - condition: if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS"
-  - condition: if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE"
-  - condition: if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE"
 
 test_list:
+  - test_name: generate_policy_config
+    it_desc: generate zelta policy - %{when_command}
+    allow_no_output: true
+    # generate zelta policy config file from env variables
+    when_command: ./test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh
+
   - test_name: policy_check
-    setup_scripts:
-      # generate zelta policy config file from env variables
-      - "test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh"
     it_desc: test zelta policy - %{when_command}
     when_command: zelta policy -C ./test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf b/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e21d2ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# shellspec auto generated test zelta policy file at: (2026-03-12_04.50.29)
+# NOTE: any modification will be lost
+BACKUP_SITE:
+  localhost:
+    datasets:
+    - apool/treetop: bpool/backups/zelta_policy_backup_2026-03-12_04.50.29
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh
index cb1dbce..37a5580 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh
@@ -6,19 +6,48 @@ REPO_ROOT=${REPO_ROOT:=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)}
 echo "REPO ROOT: $REPO_ROOT"
 
 setup_tree() {
-   setup_specs=$1
-   trace_options=$2
-
-   cd "$REPO_ROOT" || exit 1
-   . ./test/test_helper.sh
-   . ./test/runners/env/helpers.sh
-   setup_env "1"      # setup debug environment
-   clean_ds_and_pools # reset tree
-
-    if shellspec $trace_options --pattern "$setup_specs"; then
-        printf "\n ✅ setup succeeded for specs: %s\n" "$setup_specs"
-    else
-        printf "\n ❌ setup failed for specs: %s\n" "$setup_specs"
-        exit 1
+    pattern_specs=$1
+    selector_specs=$2
+    trace_options=$3
+
+    cd "$REPO_ROOT" || exit 1
+    . ./test/test_helper.sh
+    . ./test/runners/env/helpers.sh
+    setup_env "1"      # setup debug environment
+    clean_ds_and_pools # reset tree
+
+    cmd1=()
+    if [ -n "$pattern_specs" ]; then
+        cmd1=(shellspec)
+        if [ -n "$trace_options" ]; then
+            cmd1+=("$trace_options")
+        fi
+        cmd1+=(--pattern "$pattern_specs")
+    fi
+
+    cmd2=()
+    if [ -n "$selector_specs" ]; then
+        cmd2=(shellspec)
+        if [ -n "$trace_options" ]; then
+            cmd2+=("$trace_options")
+        fi
+        cmd2+=("$selector_specs")
+    fi
+
+    set -x
+    if [ ${#cmd1[@]} -gt 0 ] && ! "${cmd1[@]}"; then
+        printf "\n ❌ setup failed for command: %s\n" "${cmd1[*]}"
+        set +x
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    if [ ${#cmd2[@]} -gt 0 ] && ! "${cmd2[@]}"; then
+        printf "\n ❌ setup failed for command: %s\n" "${cmd2[*]}"
+        set +x
+        return 1
     fi
+    set +x
+
+    printf "\n ✅ setup succeeded\n"
+
 }
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/env_substitutor.rb b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/env_substitutor.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f306795
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/env_substitutor.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+# EnvSubstitutor - Handles environment variable substitution in test output
+class EnvSubstitutor
+  attr_reader :sorted_env_map
+
+  def initialize(env_var_names)
+    @sorted_env_map = build_sorted_env_map(env_var_names)
+  end
+
+  def substitute(line)
+    # Substitute env var names for values (longest first)
+    # Use a placeholder to prevent already-substituted values from being re-matched
+    replaced = line
+    placeholder_map = {}
+    @sorted_env_map.each_with_index do |(name, value), idx|
+      placeholder = "__ENV_PLACEHOLDER_#{idx}__"
+      replaced.gsub!(value, placeholder)
+      placeholder_map[placeholder] = "${#{name}}"
+    end
+
+    # Replace placeholders with actual env var references
+    placeholder_map.each do |placeholder, replacement|
+      replaced.gsub!(placeholder, replacement)
+    end
+    replaced
+  end
+
+  private
+
+  def build_sorted_env_map(env_var_names)
+    # Parse and sort env vars by value length (descending)
+    env_map = env_var_names.split(':').each_with_object({}) do |name, hash|
+      hash[name] = ENV[name] if ENV[name]
+    end
+
+    # Sort by value length descending to replace longest matches first
+    env_map.sort_by { |_name, value| -value.length }
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/path_config.rb b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/path_config.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e47ab74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/path_config.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+# PathConfig - Manages file paths for test generation
+class PathConfig
+  attr_reader :output_dir, :wip_file_path, :final_file_path
+
+  def initialize(output_dir, shellspec_name, test_gen_dir)
+    @output_dir = output_dir.start_with?('/') ? output_dir : File.join(test_gen_dir, output_dir)
+    @wip_file_path = File.join(@output_dir, "#{shellspec_name}_wip.sh")
+    # remove _spec to prevent shellspec from finding the WIP file
+    @wip_file_path.sub!('_spec', '')
+    @final_file_path = File.join(@output_dir, "#{shellspec_name}.sh")
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/test_generator.rb b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/test_generator.rb
index 1acf825..30b8f54 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/test_generator.rb
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/test_generator.rb
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@
 require 'time'
 require_relative 'placeholders'
 require_relative 'sys_exec'
+require_relative 'env_substitutor'
+require_relative 'path_config'
 
 # TestGenerator - Generates ShellSpec test files from YAML configuration
 class TestGenerator
@@ -22,8 +24,8 @@ class TestGenerator
 
   private_constant :REPO_ROOT, :TEST_GEN_DIR, :GENERATE_MATCHER_SH_SCRIPT
 
-  attr_reader :config, :output_dir, :shellspec_name, :describe_desc, :test_list, :skip_if_list,
-              :matcher_files, :wip_file_path, :final_file_path, :env_var_names, :sorted_env_map
+  attr_reader :config, :shellspec_name, :describe_desc, :test_list, :skip_if_list,
+              :matcher_files, :paths
 
   def initialize(yaml_file_path, env_var_names = DEFAULT_ENV_VAR_NAMES)
     # Resolve path relative to this file's directory if it's a relative path
@@ -36,20 +38,14 @@ def initialize(yaml_file_path, env_var_names = DEFAULT_ENV_VAR_NAMES)
 
     @shellspec_name = @config['shellspec_name']
     @describe_desc = @config['describe_desc']
-
-    # Resolve output_dir relative to test_generation directory
-    output_dir = @config['output_dir']
-    @output_dir = output_dir.start_with?('/') ? output_dir : File.join(TEST_GEN_DIR, output_dir)
-
     @test_list = @config['test_list'] || []
     @skip_if_list = @config['skip_if_list'] || []
     @matcher_files = []
-    @wip_file_path = File.join(@output_dir, "#{@shellspec_name}_wip.sh")
-    # remove _spec to prevent shellspec from finding the WIP file
-    @wip_file_path.sub!('_spec', '')
-    @final_file_path = File.join(@output_dir, "#{@shellspec_name}.sh")
-    @env_var_names = env_var_names
-    @sorted_env_map = build_sorted_env_map
+
+    # Initialize helper objects
+    @paths = PathConfig.new(@config['output_dir'], @shellspec_name, TEST_GEN_DIR)
+    @env_substitutor = EnvSubstitutor.new(env_var_names)
+
     puts "Loading configuration from: #{@config.inspect}\n"
     puts '=' * 60
   end
@@ -64,16 +60,6 @@ def generate
 
   private
 
-  def build_sorted_env_map
-    # Parse and sort env vars by value length (descending)
-    env_map = @env_var_names.split(':').each_with_object({}) do |name, hash|
-      hash[name] = ENV[name] if ENV[name]
-    end
-
-    # Sort by value length descending to replace longest matches first
-    env_map.sort_by { |_name, value| -value.length }
-  end
-
   def matcher_func_name(test_name)
     "output_for_#{test_name}"
   end
@@ -84,12 +70,12 @@ def validate_config!(schema_path = File.join(TEST_GEN_DIR, 'config', 'test_confi
   end
 
   def create_output_directory
-    FileUtils.mkdir_p(@output_dir)
-    puts "Created output directory: #{@output_dir}"
+    FileUtils.mkdir_p(@paths.output_dir)
+    puts "Created output directory: #{@paths.output_dir}"
   end
 
   def create_wip_file
-    File.open(@wip_file_path, 'w') do |file|
+    File.open(@paths.wip_file_path, 'w') do |file|
       file.puts "Describe '#{@describe_desc}'"
 
       # Add Skip If statements for each condition
@@ -98,7 +84,7 @@ def create_wip_file
       end
       file.puts '' unless @skip_if_list.empty?
     end
-    puts "Created WIP file: #{@wip_file_path}"
+    puts "Created WIP file: #{@paths.wip_file_path}"
   end
 
   def process_tests
@@ -121,7 +107,7 @@ def process_tests
     end
 
     # Close Describe block
-    File.open(@wip_file_path, 'a') do |file|
+    File.open(@paths.wip_file_path, 'a') do |file|
       file.puts 'End'
     end
   end
@@ -141,13 +127,13 @@ def generate_matcher_files(test_name, when_command, setup_scripts, allow_no_outp
     # Add allow_no_output flag
     allow_no_output_flag = allow_no_output ? "true" : "false"
 
-    cmd = "#{matcher_script} \"#{full_command}\" #{matcher_function_name} #{@output_dir} #{allow_no_output_flag}"
+    cmd = "#{matcher_script} \"#{full_command}\" #{matcher_function_name} #{@paths.output_dir} #{allow_no_output_flag}"
     SysExec.run(cmd, timeout: 10)
 
     unless allow_no_output
       # Track the generated matcher file
       func_name = matcher_func_name(test_name)
-      matcher_file = File.join(@output_dir, func_name, "#{func_name}.sh")
+      matcher_file = File.join(@paths.output_dir, func_name, "#{func_name}.sh")
 
       # Post-process the matcher file to apply env substitutions
       if File.exist?(matcher_file)
@@ -206,67 +192,39 @@ def build_command_with_setup(when_command, setup_scripts)
   end
 
   def append_it_clause(test_name, it_desc, when_command, allow_no_output)
-    File.open(@wip_file_path, 'a') do |file|
+    File.open(@paths.wip_file_path, 'a') do |file|
       file.puts "  It \"#{it_desc.gsub('"', '\\"')}\""
 
       func_name = matcher_func_name(test_name)
 
-      # TODO: clean up all the trial and error with shellspec error output, documented approaches don't work!
      # Check for stderr output
-      stderr_file = File.join(@output_dir, func_name, "#{func_name}_stderr.out")
+      stderr_file = File.join(@paths.output_dir, func_name, "#{func_name}_stderr.out")
       expected_error = nil
       if File.exist?(stderr_file) && !File.zero?(stderr_file)
         expected_error = format_expected_error(stderr_file)
-        #file.puts expected_error
-        #status_line = '    The status should be failure'
-      else
-        #status_line = '    The status should equal 0'
       end
 
-      # TODO: zelta exits with 0 even when there is error output
-      #status_line = '    The status should equal 0'
+      # TODO: double check if zelta exits with 0 even when there is error output
       status_line = '    The status should be success'
 
       file.puts "    When call #{when_command}"
-
       file.puts "    The output should satisfy #{matcher_func_name(test_name)}" unless allow_no_output
 
+      # NOTE: this style of checking error output was the only one that worked for me, inline equal
       file.puts "    The error should equal \"#{expected_error}\"\n" if expected_error
       file.puts status_line
-
       file.puts '  End'
       file.puts ''
     end
   end
 
-  def v1_format_expected_error(stderr_file)
-    lines = read_stderr_file(stderr_file)
-    result = "    expected_error=%text\n"
-    lines.each do |line|
-      result += "    #|#{line}\n"
-    end
-    "#{result}    End\n"
-  end
-  # expected_error() { %text
-  # #|warning: insufficient snapshots; performing full backup for 3 datasets
-  # #|warning: missing `zfs allow` permissions: readonly,mountpoint
-  # }
-  def v2_format_expected_error(stderr_file)
-    lines = read_stderr_file(stderr_file)
-    result = "    expected_error() { %text\n"
-    lines.each do |line|
-      result += "    #|#{line}\n"
-    end
-    "#{result}    }\n"
-  end
-
   def format_expected_error(stderr_file)
     lines = read_stderr_file(stderr_file)
     lines.map! { |line| normalize_output_line(line) }
     lines.join("\n")
   end
 
-  def normalize_output_line(line)
+  def clean_up_output_line(line)
     # Normalize whitespace
     normalized = line.gsub(/\s+/, ' ').strip
 
@@ -274,6 +232,9 @@ def normalize_output_line(line)
     normalized.gsub!(/@zelta_\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}_\d{2}\.\d{2}\.\d{2}/, '@zelta_"*"')
     normalized.gsub!(/_zelta_\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}_\d{2}\.\d{2}\.\d{2}/, '_zelta_"*"')
 
+    # replace timestamp for generated zelta policy files is YYYY-MM-DD_HH.MM.SS with *
+    normalized.gsub!(/_[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}_[0-9]{2}\.[0-9]{2}\.[0-9]{2}/, '_"*"')
+
     # Escape backticks
     normalized.gsub!('`', '\\\`')
 
@@ -281,26 +242,20 @@ def normalize_output_line(line)
     if normalized =~ /(\d+[KMGT]? sent, )(\d+ streams)( received in \d+\.\d+ seconds)/
       stream_count = $2
       normalized.gsub!(/\d+[KMGT]? sent, \d+ streams received in \d+\.\d+ seconds/,
-                      "* sent, #{stream_count} received in * seconds")
-    end
-
-    # Substitute env var names for values (longest first)
-    # Use a placeholder to prevent already-substituted values from being re-matched
-    placeholder_map = {}
-    @sorted_env_map.each_with_index do |(name, value), idx|
-      placeholder = "__ENV_PLACEHOLDER_#{idx}__"
-      normalized.gsub!(value, placeholder)
-      placeholder_map[placeholder] = "${#{name}}"
+                       "\"*\" sent, #{stream_count} received in \"*\" seconds")
     end
-
-    # Replace placeholders with actual env var references
-    placeholder_map.each do |placeholder, replacement|
-      normalized.gsub!(placeholder, replacement)
-    end
-
     normalized
   end
 
+  def normalize_output_line(line)
+    result = @env_substitutor.substitute(
+      clean_up_output_line(line)
+    )
+    puts("line subs; before: #{line}")
+    puts("line subs; before: #{result}")
+    result
+  end
+
   def read_stderr_file(stderr_file)
     File.readlines(stderr_file).map(&:chomp)
   rescue StandardError => e
@@ -309,7 +264,7 @@ def read_stderr_file(stderr_file)
   end
 
   def assemble_final_file
-    File.open(@final_file_path, 'w') do |final|
+    File.open(@paths.final_file_path, 'w') do |final|
       final.puts '# Auto-generated ShellSpec test file'
       final.puts "# Generated at: #{Time.now}"
       final.puts "# Source: #{@shellspec_name}"
@@ -325,9 +280,9 @@ def assemble_final_file
       end
 
       # Copy the WIP file content
-      final.puts File.read(@wip_file_path) if File.exist?(@wip_file_path)
+      final.puts File.read(@paths.wip_file_path) if File.exist?(@paths.wip_file_path)
     end
-    puts "Assembled final test file: #{@final_file_path}"
+    puts "Assembled final test file: #{@paths.final_file_path}"
   end
 
   def report_summary
@@ -337,16 +292,16 @@ def report_summary
     puts "YAML Configuration: #{@config.inspect}"
     puts "ShellSpec Name: #{@shellspec_name}"
     puts "Description: #{@describe_desc}"
-    puts "Output Directory: #{@output_dir}"
+    puts "Output Directory: #{@paths.output_dir}"
     puts "Tests Processed: #{@test_list.length}"
     puts "Matcher Files Generated: #{@matcher_files.length}"
     puts "\nGenerated Files:"
-    puts "  - WIP File: #{@wip_file_path}"
+    puts "  - WIP File: #{@paths.wip_file_path}"
     @matcher_files.each do |file|
       puts "  - Matcher: #{file}"
     end
     puts "\nFinal ShellSpec Test File:"
-    puts "  Location: #{@final_file_path}"
+    puts "  Location: #{@paths.final_file_path}"
     puts '=' * 60
     puts "__SHELLSPEC_NAME__:#{@shellspec_name}"
   end
@@ -380,3 +335,4 @@ def run_generator
 
 # Script execution
 run_generator if __FILE__ == $PROGRAM_NAME
+
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk b/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk
index ba51731..82793ed 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk
@@ -8,20 +8,8 @@
 
 # Process data lines
 {
+    # normalize whitespace to a single space
     gsub(/[[:space:]]+/, " ", $0)
-    gsub(/@zelta_[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}_[0-9]{2}\.[0-9]{2}\.[0-9]{2}/, "@zelta_\"*\"",$0)
-    gsub(/_zelta_[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}_[0-9]{2}\.[0-9]{2}\.[0-9]{2}/, "_zelta_\"*\"",$0)
-    gsub(/`/, "\\`", $0)
-
-    # wildcard time and quantity sent
-    if (match($0, /[0-9]+[KMGT]? sent, [0-9]+ streams/)) {
-        # Extract the part with streams
-        streams_part = substr($0, RSTART, RLENGTH)
-        # Extract just the number before " streams"
-        match(streams_part, /[0-9]+ streams/)
-        stream_count = substr(streams_part, RSTART, RLENGTH)
-        gsub(/[0-9]+[KMGT]? sent, [0-9]+ streams received in [0-9]+\.[0-9]+ seconds/, "* sent, " stream_count " received in * seconds", $0)
-    }
 
     # remove trailing spaces
     sub(/[[:space:]]+$/, "", $0)

From b1b77730596b7502a33660b0ca162ed099d24e40 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2026 03:00:39 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 08/35] streamline test gen, regenerate all tests

---
 test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh                  |  2 +-
 test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh                 |  2 +-
 test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh                  |  2 +-
 test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh                  |  2 +-
 test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh                 |  4 +--
 test/runners/env/test_env.sh                  |  4 +--
 .../bin/generate_40_divergent_test.sh         | 16 +++---------
 .../bin/generate_50_revert_test.sh            | 16 +++---------
 .../bin/generate_60_clone_test.sh             | 16 +++---------
 .../bin/generate_70_prune_test.sh             | 16 +++---------
 .../bin/generate_80_policy_test.sh            | 16 +++---------
 .../test_generation/bin/generate_all_tests.sh |  2 ++
 .../test_generation/bin/generate_test.sh      | 25 +++++++++++++++++++
 .../bin/setup_debug_state.bash                | 15 ++++++-----
 .../config/zelta_test_policy.conf             |  4 +--
 15 files changed, 58 insertions(+), 84 deletions(-)
 create mode 100755 test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_test.sh

diff --git a/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh b/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh
index 86a689b..10e2be4 100644
--- a/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh
+++ b/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-10 23:54:05 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-12 02:42:58 -0400
 # Source: 040_zelta_tests_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
diff --git a/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh b/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh
index bbb3c8c..9a279fd 100644
--- a/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh
+++ b/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-10 23:54:51 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-12 02:43:45 -0400
 # Source: 050_zelta_revert_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
diff --git a/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh b/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh
index 95eb892..b8b0bac 100644
--- a/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh
+++ b/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-10 23:55:50 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-12 02:44:46 -0400
 # Source: 060_zelta_clone_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
diff --git a/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh b/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh
index 8c5b05d..81e1c45 100644
--- a/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh
+++ b/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-10 23:56:54 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-12 02:45:52 -0400
 # Source: 070_zelta_prune_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
diff --git a/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh b/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh
index 6816d7d..7c6221c 100644
--- a/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh
+++ b/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-10 23:58:06 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-12 02:47:09 -0400
 # Source: 080_zelta_policy_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
@@ -23,8 +23,6 @@ output_for_policy_check() {
 Describe 'Test zelta policy'
   Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS"
   Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS"
-  #Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE"
-  #Skip if 'SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE undefined' test -z "$SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE"
 
   It "generate zelta policy - ./test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh"
     When call ./test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh
diff --git a/test/runners/env/test_env.sh b/test/runners/env/test_env.sh
index 06f5897..fb84a41 100644
--- a/test/runners/env/test_env.sh
+++ b/test/runners/env/test_env.sh
@@ -19,5 +19,5 @@ unset SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE
 #export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE=dever@uvm1 # Ubuntu source
 #export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE=dever@uvm1 # Ubuntu remote
 
-#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE=dever@lusvr01 # FreeBSD source
-#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE=dever@lusvr01 # FreeBSD remote
+export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE=dever@lusvr01 # FreeBSD source
+export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE=dever@lusvr01 # FreeBSD remote
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_40_divergent_test.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_40_divergent_test.sh
index bb304e6..0de67d5 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_40_divergent_test.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_40_divergent_test.sh
@@ -1,16 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-# Get the directory where this script is located
-SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
-TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
-CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config/test_defs"
-GENERATE_TEST="$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh"
 
-# Generate tests for 40 examples
+TEST_DEF=040_zelta_tests.yml
+SETUP_SPECS="test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh"
 
-if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
- "$CONFIG_DIR/040_zelta_tests.yml" \
- "test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh"; then
-
-  printf "\n ❌ Failed to generate 040 test\n"
-  exit 1
-fi
\ No newline at end of file
+./generate_test.sh $TEST_DEF "$SETUP_SPECS"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_50_revert_test.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_50_revert_test.sh
index 9fbbfdf..a104238 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_50_revert_test.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_50_revert_test.sh
@@ -1,16 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-# Get the directory where this script is located
-SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
-TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
-CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config/test_defs"
-GENERATE_TEST="$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh"
 
-# Generate tests for 50 examples
+TEST_DEF=050_zelta_revert_test.yml
+SETUP_SPECS="test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh"
 
-if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
- "$CONFIG_DIR/050_zelta_revert_test.yml" \
- "test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh"; then
-
-  printf "\n ❌ Failed to generate 050 test\n"
-  exit 1
-fi
\ No newline at end of file
+./generate_test.sh $TEST_DEF "$SETUP_SPECS"
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_60_clone_test.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_60_clone_test.sh
index ee296b0..ba30dea 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_60_clone_test.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_60_clone_test.sh
@@ -1,16 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-# Get the directory where this script is located
-SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
-TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
-CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config/test_defs"
-GENERATE_TEST="$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh"
 
-# Generate tests for 60 examples
+TEST_DEF=060_zelta_clone_test.yml
+SETUP_SPECS="test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh|test/050_*_spec.sh"
 
-if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
- "$CONFIG_DIR/060_zelta_clone_test.yml" \
- "test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh|test/050_*_spec.sh"; then
-
-  printf "\n ❌ Failed to generate 060 test\n"
-  exit 1
-fi
\ No newline at end of file
+./generate_test.sh $TEST_DEF "$SETUP_SPECS"
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_70_prune_test.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_70_prune_test.sh
index 611ef73..ccf4baf 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_70_prune_test.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_70_prune_test.sh
@@ -1,16 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-# Get the directory where this script is located
-SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
-TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
-CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config/test_defs"
-GENERATE_TEST="$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh"
 
-# Generate tests for 70 examples
+TEST_DEF=070_zelta_prune_test.yml
+SETUP_SPECS="test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh|test/050_*_spec.sh|test/060_*_spec.sh"
 
-if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
- "$CONFIG_DIR/070_zelta_prune_test.yml" \
- "test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh|test/050_*_spec.sh|test/060_*_spec.sh"; then
-
-  printf "\n ❌ Failed to generate 070 test\n"
-  exit 1
-fi
+./generate_test.sh $TEST_DEF "$SETUP_SPECS"
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_80_policy_test.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_80_policy_test.sh
index 6c6b4e6..725b69a 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_80_policy_test.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_80_policy_test.sh
@@ -1,16 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-# Get the directory where this script is located
-SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
-TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
-CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config/test_defs"
-GENERATE_TEST="$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh"
 
-# Generate tests for 80 examples
+TEST_DEF=080_zelta_policy_test.yml
+SETUP_SPECS="test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh|test/050_*_spec.sh|test/060_*_spec.sh|test/070_*_spec.sh"
 
-if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" \
- "$CONFIG_DIR/080_zelta_policy_test.yml" \
- "test/01*_spec.sh|test/01*_spec.sh|test/02*_spec.sh|test/040_*_spec.sh|test/050_*_spec.sh|test/060_*_spec.sh|test/070_*_spec.sh"; then
-
-  printf "\n ❌ Failed to generate 080 test\n"
-  exit 1
-fi
+./generate_test.sh $TEST_DEF "$SETUP_SPECS"
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_all_tests.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_all_tests.sh
index 41c3e0d..eb412eb 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_all_tests.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_all_tests.sh
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 # Get the directory where this script is located
 SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
 
+set -e
+
 "$SCRIPT_DIR/generate_40_divergent_test.sh"
 "$SCRIPT_DIR/generate_50_revert_test.sh"
 "$SCRIPT_DIR/generate_60_clone_test.sh"
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_test.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..0d7e9bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# Check if arguments were provided
+if [ $# -ne 2 ]; then
+    echo "Invalid number of arguments!"
+    echo "Usage: $0 (test yml file) (setup specs)"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+TEST_DEF=$1
+SETUP_SPECS=$2
+
+# Get the directory where this script is located
+SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
+TEST_GEN_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
+CONFIG_DIR="$TEST_GEN_DIR/config/test_defs"
+GENERATE_TEST="$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh"
+
+
+printf "\n***\n*** Generating test for %s\n***\n" "$CONFIG_DIR/$TEST_DEF"
+if ! "$GENERATE_TEST" "$CONFIG_DIR/$TEST_DEF" "$SETUP_SPECS"; then
+  printf "\n ❌ Failed to generate test for %s\n" "$TEST_DEF"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/setup_debug_state.bash b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/setup_debug_state.bash
index 2646017..04ed7b9 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/setup_debug_state.bash
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/setup_debug_state.bash
@@ -1,13 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 
-# Check if arguments were provided
-if [ $# -lt 1 ] || [ $# -gt 2 ]; then
-    echo "Invalid number of arguments!"
-    echo "Usage: $0 'pattern specs list' 'selector specs list"
-    return 1
-fi
-
-#VAR="${VAR-default_value}"
 # *** only source this script in bash, do not execute it
 
 # This is a helper for setting up a test environment with the datasets
@@ -43,6 +35,13 @@ if [[ "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" == "$0" ]]; then
     return 1
 fi
 
+# Check if arguments were provided
+if [ $# -lt 1 ] || [ $# -gt 2 ]; then
+    echo "Invalid number of arguments!"
+    echo "Usage: $0 'pattern specs list' 'selector specs list"
+    return 1
+fi
+
 # tree setup utility
 . "$TEST_GEN_DIR/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh"
 
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf b/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
index e21d2ec..738d987 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-# shellspec auto generated test zelta policy file at: (2026-03-12_04.50.29)
+# shellspec auto generated test zelta policy file at: (2026-03-12_06.57.38)
 # NOTE: any modification will be lost
 BACKUP_SITE:
   localhost:
     datasets:
-    - apool/treetop: bpool/backups/zelta_policy_backup_2026-03-12_04.50.29
+    - apool/treetop: bpool/backups/zelta_policy_backup_2026-03-12_06.57.38

From 50239429e69868b02e6b971e258590822ec4155a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2026 08:11:44 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 09/35] improve error handling, prevent shell exit from source
 files

---
 .../lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh           | 26 +++++++++++++++----
 1 file changed, 21 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh
index 37a5580..b616e27 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh
@@ -10,11 +10,27 @@ setup_tree() {
     selector_specs=$2
     trace_options=$3
 
-    cd "$REPO_ROOT" || exit 1
-    . ./test/test_helper.sh
-    . ./test/runners/env/helpers.sh
-    setup_env "1"      # setup debug environment
-    clean_ds_and_pools # reset tree
+    cd "$REPO_ROOT" || return 1
+
+    if ! . ./test/test_helper.sh; then
+        echo "source ./test/test_helper.sh failed"
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    if ! . ./test/runners/env/helpers.sh; then
+        echo "source ./test/runners/env/helpers.sh failed"
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    if ! setup_env "1"; then
+        echo "setup_env failed"
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    if ! clean_ds_and_pools; then
+        echo "clean_ds_and_pools failed"
+        return 1
+    fi
 
     cmd1=()
     if [ -n "$pattern_specs" ]; then

From 09dfd5ff5e6aaaee0df8fd6e8e09845f6b814e08 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2026 22:37:18 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 10/35] regenerate all tests with matcher function printf fix

---
 test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh  | 26 +++++++++++++++++---------
 test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh | 26 +++++++++++++++++---------
 test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh  |  8 +++++---
 test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh  | 14 +++++++++-----
 test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh | 11 ++++++-----
 5 files changed, 54 insertions(+), 31 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh b/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh
index 10e2be4..9528644 100644
--- a/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh
+++ b/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-12 02:42:58 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-13 13:27:43 -0400
 # Source: 040_zelta_tests_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
 output_for_match_after_divergence() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s
+' 11 total datasets compared | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "DS_SUFFIX MATCH SRC_LAST TGT_LAST INFO"|\
         "[treetop] @start @start @start up-to-date"|\
@@ -24,7 +25,8 @@ output_for_match_after_divergence() {
         "11 total datasets compared")
         ;;
       *)
-        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -35,7 +37,8 @@ output_for_match_after_divergence() {
 output_for_rotate_after_divergence() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s
+' 36K sent, 10 streams received in 0.38 seconds | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "source is written; snapshotting: @zelta_"*""|\
         "renaming '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}' to '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}_start'"|\
@@ -44,7 +47,8 @@ output_for_rotate_after_divergence() {
         ""*" sent, 10 streams received in "*" seconds")
         ;;
       *)
-        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -55,7 +59,8 @@ output_for_rotate_after_divergence() {
 output_for_match_after_rotate() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s
+' 10 total datasets compared | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "DS_SUFFIX MATCH SRC_LAST TGT_LAST INFO"|\
         "[treetop] @zelta_"*" @zelta_"*" @zelta_"*" up-to-date"|\
@@ -72,7 +77,8 @@ output_for_match_after_rotate() {
         "10 total datasets compared")
         ;;
       *)
-        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -83,14 +89,16 @@ output_for_match_after_rotate() {
 output_for_backup_after_rotate() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s
+' 1K sent, 3 streams received in 0.06 seconds | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "syncing 10 datasets"|\
         "10 datasets up-to-date"|\
         ""*" sent, 3 streams received in "*" seconds")
         ;;
       *)
-        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
diff --git a/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh b/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh
index 9a279fd..2e7f952 100644
--- a/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh
+++ b/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh
@@ -1,17 +1,19 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-12 02:43:45 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-13 13:28:30 -0400
 # Source: 050_zelta_revert_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
 output_for_snapshot() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s
+' snapshot created 'apool/treetop@manual_test' | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "snapshot created '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}@manual_test'")
         ;;
       *)
-        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -22,14 +24,16 @@ output_for_snapshot() {
 output_for_backup_after_delta() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s
+' 37K sent, 22 streams received in 0.47 seconds | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "source is written; snapshotting: @zelta_"*""|\
         "syncing 12 datasets"|\
         ""*" sent, 22 streams received in "*" seconds")
         ;;
       *)
-        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -40,12 +44,14 @@ output_for_backup_after_delta() {
 output_for_snapshot_again() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s
+' snapshot created 'apool/treetop@another_test' | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "snapshot created '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}@another_test'")
         ;;
       *)
-        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -56,7 +62,8 @@ output_for_snapshot_again() {
 output_for_rotate_after_revert() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s
+' 6K sent, 10 streams received in 0.38 seconds | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "renaming '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}' to '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}_zelta_"*"'"|\
         "to ensure target is up-to-date, run: zelta backup ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP} ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP}"|\
@@ -65,7 +72,8 @@ output_for_rotate_after_revert() {
         ""*" sent, 10 streams received in "*" seconds")
         ;;
       *)
-        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
diff --git a/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh b/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh
index b8b0bac..a8eaa86 100644
--- a/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh
+++ b/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh
@@ -1,19 +1,21 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-12 02:44:46 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-13 13:29:30 -0400
 # Source: 060_zelta_clone_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
 output_for_zfs_list_for_clone() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s
+' apool/treetop/copy_of_sub2/orphan apool/treetop/sub2/orphan@zelta_2026-03-13_17.29.21 | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "NAME ORIGIN"|\
         "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/copy_of_sub2 ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/sub2@zelta_"*""|\
         "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/copy_of_sub2/orphan ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/sub2/orphan@zelta_"*"")
         ;;
       *)
-        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
diff --git a/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh b/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh
index 81e1c45..150c5b1 100644
--- a/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh
+++ b/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh
@@ -1,19 +1,21 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-12 02:45:52 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-13 13:30:37 -0400
 # Source: 070_zelta_prune_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
 output_for_backup_with_snapshot() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s
+' 31K sent, 12 streams received in 0.24 seconds | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "snapshotting: @zelta_"*""|\
         "syncing 12 datasets"|\
         ""*" sent, 12 streams received in "*" seconds")
         ;;
       *)
-        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -24,7 +26,8 @@ output_for_backup_with_snapshot() {
 output_for_prune_check() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s
+' apool/treetop/sub4/zvol@zelta_2026-03-13_17.30.23 | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}@zelta_"*""|\
         "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/sub1@zelta_"*""|\
@@ -38,7 +41,8 @@ output_for_prune_check() {
         "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/sub4/zvol@zelta_"*"")
         ;;
       *)
-        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
diff --git a/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh b/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh
index 7c6221c..bbfd32c 100644
--- a/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh
+++ b/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh
@@ -1,18 +1,19 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-12 02:47:09 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-13 13:31:48 -0400
 # Source: 080_zelta_policy_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
 output_for_policy_check() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(echo "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s
+' [BACKUP_SITE: dever@uvm1:bpool/backups] dever@uvm1:apool/treetop: 12 datasets up-to-date | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
-        "[BACKUP_SITE: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP}/zelta_policy_backup_"*"] ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP}: syncing 12 datasets"|\
-        "[BACKUP_SITE: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP}/zelta_policy_backup_"*"] ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP}: "*" sent, 22 streams received in "*" seconds")
+        "[BACKUP_SITE: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP}] ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP}: 12 datasets up-to-date")
         ;;
       *)
-        printf "Unexpected line format: %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac

From d8bdd182606c58c751f0a1137653b71068e33f05 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2026 22:38:09 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 11/35] use printf instead of echo in normalization

---
 .../test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk | 6 ++++--
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk b/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk
index 82793ed..ea2ffc3 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ END {
     print func_name "() {"
     print "  while IFS= read -r line; do"
     print "    # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces"
-    print "    normalized=$(echo \"$line\" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')"
+    print "    normalized=$(printf '%s\n' "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')"
+
     print "    case \"$normalized\" in"
 
     line_continue = "\"|\\"
@@ -34,7 +35,8 @@ END {
 
     print "        ;;"
     print "      *)"
-    print "        printf \"Unexpected line format: %s\\n\" \"$line\" >&2"
+    print "        printf \"Unexpected line format : %s\\n\" \"$line\" >&2"
+    print "        printf \"Comparing to normalized: %s\\n\" \"$normalized_line\" >&2"
     print "        return 1"
     print "        ;;"
     print "    esac"

From f6d62bc471ea80619975e3e70b9b2fe88be3abe6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2026 22:38:47 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 12/35] handle localhost when generating policy

---
 .../test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh     | 2 +-
 test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf  | 6 +++---
 2 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh
index 9851b5e..1c60cc8 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/bin/generate_zelta_policy_config.sh
@@ -35,5 +35,5 @@ cat <<EOF > $ZELTA_TEST_POLICY_CONFIG_FILE
 BACKUP_SITE:
   ${src_host}:
     datasets:
-    - ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}: ${tgt_host}${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}/${BACKUP_NAME}
+    - ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP}
 EOF
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf b/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
index 738d987..6243eae 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-# shellspec auto generated test zelta policy file at: (2026-03-12_06.57.38)
+# shellspec auto generated test zelta policy file at: (2026-03-14_02.33.22)
 # NOTE: any modification will be lost
 BACKUP_SITE:
-  localhost:
+  dever@lusvr01:
     datasets:
-    - apool/treetop: bpool/backups/zelta_policy_backup_2026-03-12_06.57.38
+    - apool/treetop: dever@uvm1:bpool/backups

From 528a5a0b63ea993dd6bf9447129c9333d3dcef03 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2026 18:04:54 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 13/35] add vm helpers for mimicign github testing, first
 version of github workflow

---
 .github/workflows/shellspec.yml |  43 +++++++++++++
 .gitignore                      |   4 +-
 test/runners/vm/VM-README.md    | 111 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh     |  60 +++++++++++++++++
 4 files changed, 217 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
 create mode 100644 .github/workflows/shellspec.yml
 create mode 100644 test/runners/vm/VM-README.md
 create mode 100644 test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh

diff --git a/.github/workflows/shellspec.yml b/.github/workflows/shellspec.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c584fd3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/shellspec.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+name: ShellSpec Tests
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main, dev, "feature/**"]
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [main, dev]
+
+jobs:
+  test:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: |
+          sudo apt-get update
+          sudo apt-get install -y zfsutils-linux man-db
+
+      - name: Install ShellSpec
+        run: curl -fsSL https://git.io/shellspec | sh -s -- --yes --prefix /usr/local
+
+      - name: Create test user
+        run: |
+          sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash testuser
+          echo 'testuser ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/dd *, /usr/bin/rm -f /tmp/*, /usr/bin/truncate *, /usr/sbin/zpool *, /usr/sbin/zfs *' \
+            | sudo tee /etc/sudoers.d/testuser
+
+      - name: Copy repo for test user
+        run: |
+          sudo cp -r "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE" /home/testuser/zelta
+          sudo chown -R testuser:testuser /home/testuser/zelta
+
+      - name: Run ShellSpec tests
+        run: |
+          sudo -u testuser env \
+            SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_POOL=apool \
+            SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_POOL=bpool \
+            SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS=apool/treetop \
+            SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS=bpool/backups \
+            bash -c 'cd ~/zelta && shellspec'
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index db73fa3..83d79af 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
+.*
 !.gitignore
 !.shellspec
+!.github/
 *.swp
 *.swo
-.*
 doc/man?
 tmp
 hide.*
@@ -14,3 +15,4 @@ A*d
 retired/
 logs
 log
+ci/*
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/runners/vm/VM-README.md b/test/runners/vm/VM-README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bee7584
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runners/vm/VM-README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+# Local CI VM for ShellSpec Testing
+
+A lightweight Ubuntu 24.04 VM for running ShellSpec tests locally, matching the GitHub Actions `ubuntu-latest` environment.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- QEMU/KVM with libvirt (`virt-install`, `virsh`)
+- A working bridge network (e.g., `br0`) or the default NAT network
+
+## Creating the VM
+
+Download the Ubuntu Server 24.04 cloud image:
+
+```bash
+cd /var/lib/libvirt/images
+sudo wget https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/noble/current/noble-server-cloudimg-amd64.img
+```
+
+Create the VM:
+
+```bash
+sudo virt-install \
+    --name zelta-ci \
+    --ram 2048 \
+    --vcpus 2 \
+    --disk path=/var/lib/libvirt/images/zelta-ci.qcow2,backing_store=/var/lib/libvirt/images/noble-server-cloudimg-amd64.img,size=10 \
+    --os-variant ubuntu24.04 \
+    --network bridge=br0 \
+    --cloud-init root-password-generate=on \
+    --noautoconsole
+```
+
+Save the generated root password from the output.
+
+## Initial Setup
+
+Connect to the VM console to get networking up:
+
+```bash
+sudo virsh console zelta-ci    # Ctrl+] to disconnect
+```
+
+### Configure VM with setup script from GitHub
+From the VM console as root, pull and run the setup script:
+```bash
+curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bell-tower/zelta/main/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh | bash
+```
+
+### configure VM via scp
+Find the VM's IP:
+
+```bash
+sudo virsh domifaddr zelta-ci
+```
+
+SSH in and run the setup script:
+
+```bash
+ssh root@<vm-ip>
+# Copy vm-setup.sh to the VM, then:
+bash vm-setup.sh
+```
+
+Copy the zelta repo to the VM:
+
+```bash
+scp -r /path/to/zelta root@<vm-ip>:/home/testuser/zelta
+# Or from inside the VM:
+su - testuser -c 'git clone <repo-url> ~/zelta'
+```
+
+Make sure ownership is correct:
+
+```bash
+chown -R testuser:testuser /home/testuser/zelta
+```
+
+## Running Tests
+
+```bash
+su - testuser -c ~testuser/run_test.sh
+```
+
+## VM Management
+
+Snapshot after setup (while running):
+
+```bash
+sudo virsh snapshot-create-as zelta-ci clean-baseline --description "Fresh setup with ShellSpec and ZFS"
+```
+
+Revert to snapshot:
+
+```bash
+sudo virsh snapshot-revert zelta-ci clean-baseline
+```
+
+Start / stop / check status:
+
+```bash
+sudo virsh start zelta-ci
+sudo virsh shutdown zelta-ci
+sudo virsh dominfo zelta-ci
+```
+
+Delete the VM entirely:
+
+```bash
+sudo virsh destroy zelta-ci
+sudo virsh undefine zelta-ci --remove-all-storage
+```
diff --git a/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh b/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..98dc01e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Local CI VM setup script for zelta ShellSpec tests
+# Run as root on a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 VM
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+echo "==> Installing system packages"
+apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
+    zfsutils-linux \
+    sudo \
+    curl \
+    git \
+    man-db \
+    openssh-server
+
+echo "==> Enabling SSH"
+sed -i 's/^#*PermitRootLogin.*/PermitRootLogin yes/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
+sed -i 's/^#*PasswordAuthentication.*/PasswordAuthentication yes/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
+# Remove cloud-init drop-in that may override password auth
+rm -f /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/60-cloudimg-settings.conf
+systemctl enable --now ssh
+
+echo "==> Installing ShellSpec"
+if command -v shellspec &>/dev/null; then
+    echo "    ShellSpec already installed, skipping"
+else
+    curl -fsSL https://git.io/shellspec | sh -s -- --yes --prefix /usr/local
+fi
+
+echo "==> Creating test user"
+if id testuser &>/dev/null; then
+    echo "    testuser already exists, skipping"
+else
+    useradd -m -s /bin/bash testuser
+fi
+
+echo "==> Configuring sudoers"
+echo 'testuser ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/dd *, /usr/bin/rm -f /tmp/*, /usr/bin/truncate *, /usr/sbin/zpool *, /usr/sbin/zfs *' \
+    > /etc/sudoers.d/testuser
+
+echo "==> Creating test runner script"
+cat > /home/testuser/run_test.sh << 'EOF'
+#!/bin/bash
+cd ~/zelta
+export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_POOL=apool
+export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_POOL=bpool
+export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS=apool/treetop
+export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS=bpool/backups
+shellspec
+EOF
+chmod +x /home/testuser/run_test.sh
+chown testuser:testuser /home/testuser/run_test.sh
+
+echo ""
+echo "==> Setup complete!"
+echo ""
+echo "Next steps:"
+echo "  1. Clone or copy the zelta repo to /home/testuser/zelta"
+echo "  2. chown -R testuser:testuser /home/testuser/zelta"
+echo "  3. Run tests: su - testuser -c ~testuser/run_test.sh"

From 3daffb30b0415d939275562a66b0f21b899d56bb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2026 18:48:37 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 14/35] run shellspec install with sudo

---
 .github/workflows/shellspec.yml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/shellspec.yml b/.github/workflows/shellspec.yml
index c584fd3..8af360c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/shellspec.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/shellspec.yml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ jobs:
           sudo apt-get install -y zfsutils-linux man-db
 
       - name: Install ShellSpec
-        run: curl -fsSL https://git.io/shellspec | sh -s -- --yes --prefix /usr/local
+        run: curl -fsSL https://git.io/shellspec | sudo sh -s -- --yes --prefix /usr/local
 
       - name: Create test user
         run: |

From a3430b592560104b1072009a2e8df02dcf2a8b8d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:07:10 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 15/35] add ShellSpec Tests status badge before what's new

---
 README.md | 4 +---
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index efcd9b5..157072f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,14 +1,12 @@
 ![Zelta Logo](https://zelta.space/index/zelta-banner.svg)
-
 # The Zelta Backup and Recovery Suite
 *Version 1.1, 2026-01-20*
 
 ---
-
+![ShellSpec Tests](https://github.com/bell-tower/zelta/actions/workflows/shellspec.yml/badge.svg)
 > - **What's New:** Check [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for the latest changes
 > - **Found a Bug?** Please [open an issue](https://github.com/bellhyve/zelta/issues)
 > - **Previous Release:** [March 2024, Zelta v1.0](https://github.com/bellhyve/zelta/tree/release/1.0)
-
 ---
 
 [zelta.space](https://zelta.space) | [Documentation](https://zelta.space/en/home) | [GitHub](https://github.com/bellhyve/zelta)

From 4198bc5c9d6163ba1122eb0384f971acb349c1ad Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:12:07 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 16/35] reposition the ShellSpec Tests badge

---
 README.md | 3 ++-
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 157072f..c211102 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -3,10 +3,11 @@
 *Version 1.1, 2026-01-20*
 
 ---
-![ShellSpec Tests](https://github.com/bell-tower/zelta/actions/workflows/shellspec.yml/badge.svg)
 > - **What's New:** Check [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for the latest changes
 > - **Found a Bug?** Please [open an issue](https://github.com/bellhyve/zelta/issues)
 > - **Previous Release:** [March 2024, Zelta v1.0](https://github.com/bellhyve/zelta/tree/release/1.0)
+> 
+>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  ![ShellSpec Tests](https://github.com/bell-tower/zelta/actions/workflows/shellspec.yml/badge.svg)
 ---
 
 [zelta.space](https://zelta.space) | [Documentation](https://zelta.space/en/home) | [GitHub](https://github.com/bellhyve/zelta)

From b93b7bd8d320cc64d6905cb3aba67eb16504fae9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 03:18:57 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 17/35] regenerated test with matcher func fix

---
 test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh  | 22 +++++++++-------------
 test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh | 22 +++++++++-------------
 test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh  |  7 +++----
 test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh  | 12 +++++-------
 test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh |  7 +++----
 5 files changed, 29 insertions(+), 41 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh b/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh
index 9528644..983bd97 100644
--- a/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh
+++ b/test/040_zelta_tests_spec.sh
@@ -1,13 +1,12 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-13 13:27:43 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-15 02:59:07 -0400
 # Source: 040_zelta_tests_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
 output_for_match_after_divergence() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(printf '%s
-' 11 total datasets compared | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s' "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "DS_SUFFIX MATCH SRC_LAST TGT_LAST INFO"|\
         "[treetop] @start @start @start up-to-date"|\
@@ -26,7 +25,7 @@ output_for_match_after_divergence() {
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
-        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -37,8 +36,7 @@ output_for_match_after_divergence() {
 output_for_rotate_after_divergence() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(printf '%s
-' 36K sent, 10 streams received in 0.38 seconds | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s' "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "source is written; snapshotting: @zelta_"*""|\
         "renaming '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}' to '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}_start'"|\
@@ -48,7 +46,7 @@ output_for_rotate_after_divergence() {
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
-        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -59,8 +57,7 @@ output_for_rotate_after_divergence() {
 output_for_match_after_rotate() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(printf '%s
-' 10 total datasets compared | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s' "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "DS_SUFFIX MATCH SRC_LAST TGT_LAST INFO"|\
         "[treetop] @zelta_"*" @zelta_"*" @zelta_"*" up-to-date"|\
@@ -78,7 +75,7 @@ output_for_match_after_rotate() {
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
-        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -89,8 +86,7 @@ output_for_match_after_rotate() {
 output_for_backup_after_rotate() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(printf '%s
-' 1K sent, 3 streams received in 0.06 seconds | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s' "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "syncing 10 datasets"|\
         "10 datasets up-to-date"|\
@@ -98,7 +94,7 @@ output_for_backup_after_rotate() {
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
-        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
diff --git a/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh b/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh
index 2e7f952..6d32785 100644
--- a/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh
+++ b/test/050_zelta_revert_spec.sh
@@ -1,19 +1,18 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-13 13:28:30 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-15 02:59:54 -0400
 # Source: 050_zelta_revert_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
 output_for_snapshot() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(printf '%s
-' snapshot created 'apool/treetop@manual_test' | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s' "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "snapshot created '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}@manual_test'")
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
-        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -24,8 +23,7 @@ output_for_snapshot() {
 output_for_backup_after_delta() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(printf '%s
-' 37K sent, 22 streams received in 0.47 seconds | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s' "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "source is written; snapshotting: @zelta_"*""|\
         "syncing 12 datasets"|\
@@ -33,7 +31,7 @@ output_for_backup_after_delta() {
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
-        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -44,14 +42,13 @@ output_for_backup_after_delta() {
 output_for_snapshot_again() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(printf '%s
-' snapshot created 'apool/treetop@another_test' | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s' "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "snapshot created '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}@another_test'")
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
-        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -62,8 +59,7 @@ output_for_snapshot_again() {
 output_for_rotate_after_revert() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(printf '%s
-' 6K sent, 10 streams received in 0.38 seconds | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s' "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "renaming '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}' to '${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS}_zelta_"*"'"|\
         "to ensure target is up-to-date, run: zelta backup ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP} ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP}"|\
@@ -73,7 +69,7 @@ output_for_rotate_after_revert() {
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
-        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
diff --git a/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh b/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh
index a8eaa86..fb661b2 100644
--- a/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh
+++ b/test/060_zelta_clone_spec.sh
@@ -1,13 +1,12 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-13 13:29:30 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-15 03:00:54 -0400
 # Source: 060_zelta_clone_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
 output_for_zfs_list_for_clone() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(printf '%s
-' apool/treetop/copy_of_sub2/orphan apool/treetop/sub2/orphan@zelta_2026-03-13_17.29.21 | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s' "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "NAME ORIGIN"|\
         "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/copy_of_sub2 ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/sub2@zelta_"*""|\
@@ -15,7 +14,7 @@ output_for_zfs_list_for_clone() {
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
-        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
diff --git a/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh b/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh
index 150c5b1..04d9564 100644
--- a/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh
+++ b/test/070_zelta_prune_spec.sh
@@ -1,13 +1,12 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-13 13:30:37 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-15 03:01:59 -0400
 # Source: 070_zelta_prune_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
 output_for_backup_with_snapshot() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(printf '%s
-' 31K sent, 12 streams received in 0.24 seconds | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s' "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "snapshotting: @zelta_"*""|\
         "syncing 12 datasets"|\
@@ -15,7 +14,7 @@ output_for_backup_with_snapshot() {
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
-        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
@@ -26,8 +25,7 @@ output_for_backup_with_snapshot() {
 output_for_prune_check() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(printf '%s
-' apool/treetop/sub4/zvol@zelta_2026-03-13_17.30.23 | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s' "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}@zelta_"*""|\
         "${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS}/sub1@zelta_"*""|\
@@ -42,7 +40,7 @@ output_for_prune_check() {
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
-        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac
diff --git a/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh b/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh
index bbfd32c..5db0fdc 100644
--- a/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh
+++ b/test/080_zelta_policy_spec.sh
@@ -1,19 +1,18 @@
 # Auto-generated ShellSpec test file
-# Generated at: 2026-03-13 13:31:48 -0400
+# Generated at: 2026-03-15 03:03:10 -0400
 # Source: 080_zelta_policy_spec
 # WARNING: This file was automatically generated. Manual edits may be lost.
 
 output_for_policy_check() {
   while IFS= read -r line; do
     # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces
-    normalized=$(printf '%s
-' [BACKUP_SITE: dever@uvm1:bpool/backups] dever@uvm1:apool/treetop: 12 datasets up-to-date | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
+    normalized=$(printf '%s' "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')
     case "$normalized" in
         "[BACKUP_SITE: ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_EP}] ${SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_EP}: 12 datasets up-to-date")
         ;;
       *)
         printf "Unexpected line format : %s\n" "$line" >&2
-        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized_line" >&2
+        printf "Comparing to normalized: %s\n" "$normalized" >&2
         return 1
         ;;
     esac

From 411e6b436e9b3473637812bfc43b1c0f37e58b84 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 03:20:14 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 18/35] fix line evaluation in matcher function

---
 .../test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk  | 5 ++---
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk b/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk
index ea2ffc3..a750a6d 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk
@@ -21,8 +21,7 @@ END {
     print func_name "() {"
     print "  while IFS= read -r line; do"
     print "    # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces"
-    print "    normalized=$(printf '%s\n' "$line" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*$//')"
-
+    print "    normalized=\$(printf '%s' \"\$line\" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*\$//')"
     print "    case \"$normalized\" in"
 
     line_continue = "\"|\\"
@@ -36,7 +35,7 @@ END {
     print "        ;;"
     print "      *)"
     print "        printf \"Unexpected line format : %s\\n\" \"$line\" >&2"
-    print "        printf \"Comparing to normalized: %s\\n\" \"$normalized_line\" >&2"
+    print "        printf \"Comparing to normalized: %s\\n\" \"$normalized\" >&2"
     print "        return 1"
     print "        ;;"
     print "    esac"

From d9c2566898d532e7d74ec0a6e942ae78f3999bc0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 15:49:18 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 19/35] update bellhye to bell-tower in urls

---
 README.md                   | 14 +++++++-------
 contrib/install-from-git.sh |  2 +-
 2 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c211102..d408d8b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -4,13 +4,13 @@
 
 ---
 > - **What's New:** Check [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for the latest changes
-> - **Found a Bug?** Please [open an issue](https://github.com/bellhyve/zelta/issues)
-> - **Previous Release:** [March 2024, Zelta v1.0](https://github.com/bellhyve/zelta/tree/release/1.0)
+> - **Found a Bug?** Please [open an issue](https://github.com/bell-tower/zelta/issues)
+> - **Previous Release:** [March 2024, Zelta v1.0](https://github.com/bell-tower/zelta/tree/release/1.0)
 > 
 >&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  ![ShellSpec Tests](https://github.com/bell-tower/zelta/actions/workflows/shellspec.yml/badge.svg)
 ---
 
-[zelta.space](https://zelta.space) | [Documentation](https://zelta.space/en/home) | [GitHub](https://github.com/bellhyve/zelta)
+[zelta.space](https://zelta.space) | [Documentation](https://zelta.space/en/home) | [GitHub](https://github.com/bell-tower/zelta)
 
 **Zelta** provides bulletproof backups that meet strict compliance requirements while remaining straightforward to deploy and operate. It transforms complex backup and recovery operations into safe, auditable commands—protecting your data without requiring specialized expertise.
 
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ Written in portable Bourne shell and AWK, Zelta runs anywhere ZFS runs. No packa
 
 ### From Source (Recommended for Zelta 1.1)
 ```sh
-git clone https://github.com/bellhyve/zelta.git
+git clone https://github.com/bell-tower/zelta.git
 cd zelta
 sudo ./install.sh
 # The installer will guide you through setup.
@@ -58,12 +58,12 @@ pkg install zelta
 The following command clones Zelta from the `main` branch and launches the installer. Run this as a personal or backup user for a local, non-root installation. If you prefer a system-wide installation, run the command as root or via `sudo/doas`.
 
 ```sh
-curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bellhyve/zelta/main/contrib/install-from-git.sh | sh
+curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bell-tower/zelta/main/contrib/install-from-git.sh | sh
 ```
 
 The installer will detect your privileges and guide you through adding the necessary environment variables to your shell profile.
 
-*Security Note: As with any script piped from the internet, we encourage you to [inspect the installer source](https://github.com/bellhyve/zelta/blob/main/contrib/install-from-git.sh) before execution.*
+*Security Note: As with any script piped from the internet, we encourage you to [inspect the installer source](https://github.com/bell-tower/zelta/blob/main/contrib/install-from-git.sh) before execution.*
 
 ---
 
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ We welcome contributors who are passionate about data protection and recovery. B
 
 ### Contact
 
-We welcome questions, bug reports, and feature requests at [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/bellhyve/zelta/issues).
+We welcome questions, bug reports, and feature requests at [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/bell-tower/zelta/issues).
 
 For other inquiries including business questions, you can reach the Zelta team at Bell Tower via our [contact form](https://belltower.it/contact/).
 
diff --git a/contrib/install-from-git.sh b/contrib/install-from-git.sh
index 1d9d8da..6d3a25d 100644
--- a/contrib/install-from-git.sh
+++ b/contrib/install-from-git.sh
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 # Zelta One-Shot Installer
 # Downloads latest Zelta from GitHub and runs install.sh
 #
-# Usage: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bellhyve/zelta/main/contrib/install-from-git.sh | sh
+# Usage: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bell-tower/zelta/main/contrib/install-from-git.sh | sh
 # Or specify branch: curl ... | sh -s -- --branch=develop
 
 set -e

From 2793eff40e6b1864b45c8c444b1788fdfe16c4f8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: rlogwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 15:53:21 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 20/35] fix typo fo -> of

Co-authored-by: Copilot Autofix powered by AI <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 test/runners/doc/README_AliasHelpers.md | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/doc/README_AliasHelpers.md b/test/runners/doc/README_AliasHelpers.md
index 130f512..5e379fe 100644
--- a/test/runners/doc/README_AliasHelpers.md
+++ b/test/runners/doc/README_AliasHelpers.md
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ alias zrenv="zcd && . $ZELTA_ENV/reset_env.sh"
 # setup pools, datasets and remotes env vars
 alias ztenv="zcd && . $ZELTA_ENV/test_env.sh"
 
-# access zelta man pages, relies on prior setting fo ZELTA_DOC env var
+# access zelta man pages, relies on prior setting of ZELTA_DOC env var
 # which is the location of the ZELTA man pages
 alias zman='man -M "$ZELTA_DOC"'
 ```

From f9a66da2de80dae5bc4acaed0f98ac98d82a777c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: rlogwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 15:57:20 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 21/35] better defaults for local runs, leave remotes commented
 out by default

Co-authored-by: Copilot Autofix powered by AI <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 test/runners/env/test_env.sh | 10 +++++-----
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/env/test_env.sh b/test/runners/env/test_env.sh
index fb84a41..d0e314b 100644
--- a/test/runners/env/test_env.sh
+++ b/test/runners/env/test_env.sh
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@ unset SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE
 
 #   * leave these undefined if you're running locally
 #   * the endpoints are defined automatically and are REMOTE + DS
-#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE=dever@uvm1 # Ubuntu source
-#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE=dever@uvm1 # Ubuntu remote
-
-export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE=dever@lusvr01 # FreeBSD source
-export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE=dever@lusvr01 # FreeBSD remote
+# Examples: uncomment and customize these if you want to run against remotes.
+#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE=user@example-host # e.g. Ubuntu source
+#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE=user@example-host # e.g. Ubuntu remote
+#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE=user@freebsd-host  # e.g. FreeBSD source
+#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE=user@freebsd-host  # e.g. FreeBSD remote

From ef296449887210d93ae09305360ca629bfc94e90 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:01:13 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 22/35] clean up comments

---
 test/runners/env/test_env.sh | 10 +++++-----
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/env/test_env.sh b/test/runners/env/test_env.sh
index d0e314b..bbed31a 100644
--- a/test/runners/env/test_env.sh
+++ b/test/runners/env/test_env.sh
@@ -10,14 +10,14 @@ export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS=bpool/backups
 
 # remotes setup
 
-# unset the current remotes
+# always unset the current remotes first, then override as desired below
 unset SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE
 unset SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE
 
-#   * leave these undefined if you're running locally
-#   * the endpoints are defined automatically and are REMOTE + DS
+# * leave these undefined if you're running locally
+# * the endpoints are defined automatically and are REMOTE + DS
 # Examples: uncomment and customize these if you want to run against remotes.
 #export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE=user@example-host # e.g. Ubuntu source
 #export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE=user@example-host # e.g. Ubuntu remote
-#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE=user@freebsd-host  # e.g. FreeBSD source
-#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE=user@freebsd-host  # e.g. FreeBSD remote
+#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_REMOTE=user@freebsd-host # e.g. FreeBSD source
+#export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_REMOTE=user@freebsd-host # e.g. FreeBSD remote

From 2c4f3370a1ab4a87e16ef852a9de2a36d48b1cb1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:22:19 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 23/35] do not add empty env vars to the map

---
 test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/env_substitutor.rb | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/env_substitutor.rb b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/env_substitutor.rb
index f306795..986a8e9 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/env_substitutor.rb
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/env_substitutor.rb
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ def substitute(line)
   def build_sorted_env_map(env_var_names)
     # Parse and sort env vars by value length (descending)
     env_map = env_var_names.split(':').each_with_object({}) do |name, hash|
-      hash[name] = ENV[name] if ENV[name]
+      hash[name] = ENV[name] if ENV[name]&.length&.positive?
     end
 
     # Sort by value length descending to replace longest matches first

From 521da0f1f98f4bb08d376d64f02ba8688b9d2579 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:26:44 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 24/35] remove debug info

---
 test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/test_generator.rb | 5 +----
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/test_generator.rb b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/test_generator.rb
index 30b8f54..f43dfc6 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/test_generator.rb
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/ruby/test_generator.rb
@@ -248,12 +248,9 @@ def clean_up_output_line(line)
   end
 
   def normalize_output_line(line)
-    result = @env_substitutor.substitute(
+    @env_substitutor.substitute(
       clean_up_output_line(line)
     )
-    puts("line subs; before: #{line}")
-    puts("line subs; before: #{result}")
-    result
   end
 
   def read_stderr_file(stderr_file)

From ceeabc79e78c9fe5ae41807569458fc80d3e9556 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:31:47 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 25/35] run under bash shell

---
 test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh
index 36ef186..7112105 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/bin/sh
+#!/bin/env bash
 
 # Check for required arguments
 if [ $# -lt 2 ]; then

From 3868d437e5472b600d09f459480b69f89ad7b83a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:48:01 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 26/35] fix !# path for env

---
 test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh
index 7112105..9c3072a 100755
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/generate_test.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/bin/env bash
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
 
 # Check for required arguments
 if [ $# -lt 2 ]; then

From 50b234c2273556588450a8e5377b926e2fc3a6ed Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:53:54 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 27/35] make testuser sudoer file 0440

---
 test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh | 2 ++
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)

diff --git a/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh b/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh
index 98dc01e..7256e2e 100644
--- a/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh
+++ b/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ echo "==> Configuring sudoers"
 echo 'testuser ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/dd *, /usr/bin/rm -f /tmp/*, /usr/bin/truncate *, /usr/sbin/zpool *, /usr/sbin/zfs *' \
     > /etc/sudoers.d/testuser
 
+chmod 0440 /etc/sudoers.d/testuser
+
 echo "==> Creating test runner script"
 cat > /home/testuser/run_test.sh << 'EOF'
 #!/bin/bash

From 17a87c69987b29d77e6c5b4490599e19ed05a67e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Copilot <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 17:05:07 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 28/35] Replace real user/host identifiers with fake
 placeholders in zelta_test_policy.conf (#65)

* Initial plan

* Replace real user/host identifiers with fake placeholders in zelta_test_policy.conf

Co-authored-by: rlogwood <3377419+rlogwood@users.noreply.github.com>

* Update zelta_test_policy.conf generation notes

---------

Co-authored-by: copilot-swe-agent[bot] <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: rlogwood <3377419+rlogwood@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: rlogwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
---
 .../test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf        | 9 +++++----
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf b/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
index 6243eae..c6da12e 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
-# shellspec auto generated test zelta policy file at: (2026-03-14_02.33.22)
-# NOTE: any modification will be lost
+# shellspec auto generated test zelta policy file at: (0000-00-00_00.00.00)
+# NOTE: this file is dynamically generated during shellspec runs, do not modify.
+# NOTE: shellspec will create a local version of this file from your environment.
 BACKUP_SITE:
-  dever@lusvr01:
+  user@source-host:
     datasets:
-    - apool/treetop: dever@uvm1:bpool/backups
+    - srcpool/data: user@backup-host:dstpool/backups

From 75e2cecfecf5552f46c97781c1a9f7d1501847ee Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 18:06:12 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 29/35] fix argument evaluation to allow optional arg passing

---
 .../lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh           | 25 +++++++++++++------
 1 file changed, 18 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh
index b616e27..cbec50f 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/lib/orchestration/setup_tree.sh
@@ -32,22 +32,34 @@ setup_tree() {
         return 1
     fi
 
+    # Split trace_options into array (if not empty)
+    trace_opts=()
+    if [ -n "$trace_options" ]; then
+        read -ra trace_opts <<< "$trace_options"
+    fi
+
+    # Split selector_specs into array (if not empty)
+    selector_opts=()
+    if [ -n "$selector_specs" ]; then
+        read -ra selector_opts <<< "$selector_specs"
+    fi
+
     cmd1=()
     if [ -n "$pattern_specs" ]; then
         cmd1=(shellspec)
-        if [ -n "$trace_options" ]; then
-            cmd1+=("$trace_options")
+        if [ ${#trace_opts[@]} -gt 0 ]; then
+            cmd1+=("${trace_opts[@]}")
         fi
         cmd1+=(--pattern "$pattern_specs")
     fi
 
     cmd2=()
-    if [ -n "$selector_specs" ]; then
+    if [ ${#selector_opts[@]} -gt 0 ]; then
         cmd2=(shellspec)
-        if [ -n "$trace_options" ]; then
-            cmd2+=("$trace_options")
+        if [ ${#trace_opts[@]} -gt 0 ]; then
+            cmd2+=("${trace_opts[@]}")
         fi
-        cmd2+=("$selector_specs")
+        cmd2+=("${selector_opts[@]}")
     fi
 
     set -x
@@ -65,5 +77,4 @@ setup_tree() {
     set +x
 
     printf "\n ✅ setup succeeded\n"
-
 }

From 9f5d244e79d07273818ac3fd9a4dcedbf31a3083 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: rlogwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 18:13:58 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 30/35] update ownership and perm explicitly on testuser
 sudoers and verify.

Co-authored-by: Copilot Autofix powered by AI <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .github/workflows/shellspec.yml | 3 +++
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/shellspec.yml b/.github/workflows/shellspec.yml
index 8af360c..99bac70 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/shellspec.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/shellspec.yml
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ jobs:
           sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash testuser
           echo 'testuser ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/dd *, /usr/bin/rm -f /tmp/*, /usr/bin/truncate *, /usr/sbin/zpool *, /usr/sbin/zfs *' \
             | sudo tee /etc/sudoers.d/testuser
+          sudo chown root:root /etc/sudoers.d/testuser
+          sudo chmod 0440 /etc/sudoers.d/testuser
+          sudo visudo -cf /etc/sudoers.d/testuser
 
       - name: Copy repo for test user
         run: |

From a378ae2e9a0e324973a44c729f9c6977aad61676 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 20:33:36 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 31/35] git ignore shellspec generated policy file, rename
 current file to .example for documentation

---
 .gitignore                                                   | 1 +
 ...zelta_test_policy.conf => zelta_test_policy.conf.example} | 5 +++++
 2 files changed, 6 insertions(+)
 rename test/runners/test_generation/config/{zelta_test_policy.conf => zelta_test_policy.conf.example} (59%)

diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 83d79af..5aede50 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 !.gitignore
 !.shellspec
 !.github/
+test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
 *.swp
 *.swo
 doc/man?
diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf b/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf.example
similarity index 59%
rename from test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
rename to test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf.example
index c6da12e..bc1b810 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf.example
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+# This is an example file to show the format of the automatically generated
+# shellspec test policy file. The generated file will be
+# written to test/runners/test_generation/config/zelta_test_policy.conf
+# and is ignored by git.
+
 # shellspec auto generated test zelta policy file at: (0000-00-00_00.00.00)
 # NOTE: this file is dynamically generated during shellspec runs, do not modify.
 # NOTE: shellspec will create a local version of this file from your environment.

From 4c59980b710493933910ca5e9e0db82c1785f805 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 20:43:19 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 32/35] chown, chmod, verify sudoers file

---
 test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh | 2 ++
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)

diff --git a/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh b/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh
index 7256e2e..2a430d5 100644
--- a/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh
+++ b/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh
@@ -38,7 +38,9 @@ echo "==> Configuring sudoers"
 echo 'testuser ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/dd *, /usr/bin/rm -f /tmp/*, /usr/bin/truncate *, /usr/sbin/zpool *, /usr/sbin/zfs *' \
     > /etc/sudoers.d/testuser
 
+chown root:root /etc/sudoers.d/testuser
 chmod 0440 /etc/sudoers.d/testuser
+visudo -cf /etc/sudoers.d/testuser
 
 echo "==> Creating test runner script"
 cat > /home/testuser/run_test.sh << 'EOF'

From 82e475330627f01d7dfc7f5fdf1b8f68c97b3926 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 21:05:09 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 33/35] improve setup and test instructions

---
 test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh | 15 +++++++++++----
 1 file changed, 11 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh b/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh
index 2a430d5..e70c4a2 100644
--- a/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh
+++ b/test/runners/vm/vm-setup.sh
@@ -52,13 +52,20 @@ export SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS=apool/treetop
 export SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS=bpool/backups
 shellspec
 EOF
+
 chmod +x /home/testuser/run_test.sh
 chown testuser:testuser /home/testuser/run_test.sh
+echo "created test runner: /home/testuser/run_test.sh"
+
+git clone https://github.com/bell-tower/zelta.git /home/testuser/zelta
+chown -R testuser:testuser /home/testuser/zelta
+echo "cloned zelta to: /home/testuser/zelta"
 
 echo ""
 echo "==> Setup complete!"
 echo ""
-echo "Next steps:"
-echo "  1. Clone or copy the zelta repo to /home/testuser/zelta"
-echo "  2. chown -R testuser:testuser /home/testuser/zelta"
-echo "  3. Run tests: su - testuser -c ~testuser/run_test.sh"
+echo "To run tests:"
+echo "  su - testuser"
+echo "  cd zelta"
+echo "  git checkout (branchname)"
+echo "  ~/run_test.sh"

From 89bc1681f6c3d11e03082a2d66c0f7228b757c51 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: rlogwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 21:21:50 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 34/35] ensure no dependency on ~ evaluation

Co-authored-by: Copilot Autofix powered by AI <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .github/workflows/shellspec.yml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/shellspec.yml b/.github/workflows/shellspec.yml
index 99bac70..0c91e40 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/shellspec.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/shellspec.yml
@@ -43,4 +43,4 @@ jobs:
             SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_POOL=bpool \
             SANDBOX_ZELTA_SRC_DS=apool/treetop \
             SANDBOX_ZELTA_TGT_DS=bpool/backups \
-            bash -c 'cd ~/zelta && shellspec'
+            bash -c 'cd /home/testuser/zelta && shellspec'

From 5a0977683456699d87dd3d54978f00efb27dcb18 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Richard Logwood <richard.logwood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 22:06:15 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 35/35] avoid awk implementation specific treatment of \$
 escapes

---
 .../scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk                | 7 ++++++-
 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk b/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk
index a750a6d..2791479 100644
--- a/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk
+++ b/test/runners/test_generation/scripts/awk/generate_case_stmt_func.awk
@@ -21,7 +21,12 @@ END {
     print func_name "() {"
     print "  while IFS= read -r line; do"
     print "    # normalize whitespace, remove leading/trailing spaces"
-    print "    normalized=\$(printf '%s' \"\$line\" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*\$//')"
+
+    # Use printf with %s format specifier to avoid \$ escapes
+    dollar = "$"
+    printf "    normalized=%s(printf '%%s' \"%sline\" | tr -s '[:space:]' ' ' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//; s/[[:space:]]*%s//')\n", dollar, dollar, dollar
+
+    print "    # check line against expected output"
     print "    case \"$normalized\" in"
 
     line_continue = "\"|\\"