Golden tests: meaning, examples, and expert terminology.

Plain meaning

Captures known-good inputs and expected outputs so future agent changes can be compared against a trusted baseline.

Aliases

golden cases, known-good examples, golden dataset

People usually say

• automatically test my ai agent
• golden tests
• golden cases
• expected answers
• known good
• test cases for ai agent

Experts usually say

Golden tests, Regression set, Eval harness, Acceptance criteria

Use it when

Your rough ask sounds like: automatically test my ai agent, golden tests, golden cases. The term gives your coding agent a clearer problem shape.

When not to use it

Do not use this term as a request for a quick screen fix. Use it when the system needs explicit state, rules, failures, or recovery behavior.

Prompt upgrade

Weak ask: Fix this automatically test my ai agent flow.

Exact Terms ask: Create golden tests for the agent's most important tasks, including expected outputs and unacceptable failure modes.

Architecture prompt

Audit this workflow for Golden tests and related concerns: Regression set, Eval harness, Acceptance criteria. Return states, rules, failure modes, and recovery behavior before code.

Implementation prompt

Implement Golden tests for this app flow. Include data ownership, edge cases, fallback behavior, and acceptance tests.

Test prompt

Create tests that prove Golden tests works across refresh, retry, back/next movement, partial failure, and return visits.

What goes wrong

Asking for code before defining states, transitions, persistence, and failure behavior.

Better move

Use Golden tests with the related vocabulary trail: Regression set, Eval harness, Acceptance criteria.

Turn feedback into vocabulary

If this page almost names your problem but misses the exact term, send the rough phrase and the term you expected. Accepted feedback becomes a better trigger, explanation, comparison page, or new term.