# Meta Testing - Quick Start Guide
## What is Meta Testing?
Meta testing simulates **3 different chat conversations** to comprehensively test the QuickBooks MCP server from different user perspectives:
1. **Chat 1 - Accountant**: Month-end financial reporting workflow
2. **Chat 2 - Operations Manager**: Daily billing and vendor management
3. **Chat 3 - Business Owner**: Executive overview and business health metrics
## Prerequisites
```bash
# 1. Build the project
npm run build
# 2. Ensure you have QuickBooks credentials in .env
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your credentials
```
## Running Tests
### Run All 3 Chat Scenarios (Sequential)
```bash
npm run test:meta
```
This will:
- ✅ Start the MCP server
- ✅ Execute Chat 1 (Accountant workflow)
- ✅ Execute Chat 2 (Operations workflow)
- ✅ Execute Chat 3 (Owner workflow)
- ✅ Generate comprehensive report
- ✅ Stop the server
### Run Individual Scenarios
```bash
# Test accountant workflow only
npm run test:meta:chat1
# Test operations workflow only
npm run test:meta:chat2
# Test business owner workflow only
npm run test:meta:chat3
```
### Run All in Parallel (Stress Test)
```bash
npm run test:meta:parallel
```
This tests concurrent request handling.
## Understanding the Output
### During Execution
```
🚀 Starting QuickBooks MCP Server...
✅ Server started successfully
============================================================
📋 Running: chat1-accountant
👤 Persona: Martinez Cleaning LLC Accountant
📝 Month-end closing workflow
============================================================
🔹 Step 1: Show me the profit and loss statement
🔧 Calling: qbo_profit_loss_report
📥 Params: { start_date: "2025-12-01", end_date: "2025-12-31" }
✅ Success (1234ms)
🔹 Step 2: What's the current balance in bank accounts?
🔧 Calling: qbo_list_accounts
📥 Params: { account_type: "Bank" }
✅ Success (567ms)
```
### Final Summary
```
============================================================
📊 META TESTING SUMMARY
============================================================
✅ PASS - chat1-accountant
Duration: 8234ms
Steps: 5/5
Tools: 5/5 successful
Avg Response: 1646ms
✅ PASS - chat2-operations
Duration: 12456ms
Steps: 6/6
Tools: 6/6 successful
Avg Response: 2076ms
✅ PASS - chat3-owner
Duration: 15234ms
Steps: 7/7
Tools: 7/7 successful
Avg Response: 2176ms
============================================================
Total: 3/3 scenarios passed
============================================================
📄 Detailed report saved: tests/meta-testing/results/meta-test-1234567890.json
```
## Scenario Details
### Chat 1: Accountant (5 steps)
1. Generate P&L report for December 2025
2. Check bank account balances
3. List all unpaid invoices (AR)
4. List all unpaid bills (AP)
5. View full chart of accounts
**Focus**: Financial accuracy, reporting, reconciliation
### Chat 2: Operations Manager (6 steps)
1. Search for a customer
2. Create an invoice for services
3. Review invoices created this month
4. List active vendors
5. Check bills due in 30 days
6. Find customers with outstanding balances
**Focus**: Daily operations, invoice creation, vendor management
### Chat 3: Business Owner (7 steps)
1. Q4 2025 P&L report
2. Total cash in bank
3. Top customers by balance
4. Total accounts receivable
5. Total accounts payable
6. Expense account breakdown
7. Year-to-date P&L for 2026
**Focus**: High-level metrics, cash flow, business health
## Success Criteria
Each scenario passes if:
- ✅ All tool calls succeed
- ✅ Responses contain expected data
- ✅ Response times are under thresholds
- ✅ Data validation passes
- ✅ No errors or exceptions
## Troubleshooting
### Server won't start
```bash
# Make sure dist/ is built
npm run build
# Check if port 3000 is available
lsof -ti:3000
# Verify .env has correct credentials
cat .env
```
### Tool calls failing
```bash
# Check QuickBooks API credentials
# Verify sandbox/production environment setting
# Check internet connectivity
# Review QuickBooks API rate limits
```
### Tests timing out
```bash
# Increase timeout in run-meta-tests.ts
# Check QuickBooks API response times
# Verify network latency
```
## Customizing Scenarios
Edit scenario files in `tests/meta-testing/scenarios/`:
```json
{
"step": 1,
"user_message": "Your question here",
"tool_calls": [{
"tool": "qbo_list_customers",
"params": {
"limit": 100,
"active_only": true
}
}],
"validation": {
"should_contain": ["DisplayName", "Balance"],
"response_type": "json"
}
}
```
## Viewing Detailed Results
Results are saved in JSON format:
```bash
# View latest results
cat tests/meta-testing/results/meta-test-*.json | jq .
# See summary only
cat tests/meta-testing/results/meta-test-*.json | jq '.summary'
# See specific scenario results
cat tests/meta-testing/results/meta-test-*.json | jq '.results[] | select(.scenario == "chat1-accountant")'
```
## Next Steps
After meta testing passes:
1. ✅ All 7 tools work correctly
2. ✅ Server handles different workflows
3. ✅ Response times are acceptable
4. ✅ Data validation works
Ready for:
- Production deployment
- User acceptance testing
- Performance optimization
- Adding more tools
## Questions?
See:
- [CLAUDE.md](../../CLAUDE.md) - Project overview
- [SKILL.md](../../.claude/skills/quickbooks-mcp/SKILL.md) - Development guide
- [README.md](../../README.md) - Setup instructions
