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Alpha Status - Inside Huckleberry's Testing Process

· 4 min read
Tim Morris
Tim Morris
Huckleberry Creator

Huckleberry is still in alpha, and for good reason.

If you've taken a glimpse at our README.md, you'll notice that we're quite open about Huckleberry's alpha status. This isn't marketing modesty, it's an honest assessment of where we stand in our journey toward delivering a rock-solid task management experience for developers.

Today, I want to pull back the curtain and show you exactly what we mean by "alpha" and why rigorous testing is the backbone of our development process.

What Does "Alpha" Mean to Us?​

When we say Huckleberry is in alpha, we're not just being cautious. We're acknowledging that while the core functionality works, and works well for our daily use, there's still a gap between what we have and what we consider "production ready."

Alpha, to us, means:

  • Core features are implemented and functional
  • The extension installs and activates properly
  • Basic workflows are supported
  • But: edge cases may not be handled gracefully
  • But: not all features are fully tested across platforms
  • But: performance hasn't been optimized for all scenarios

We could have slapped a "v1.0" label on it and called it a day. But that wouldn't be honest to ourselves or to you.

Our Testing Methodology​

Instead of rushing to market, we've taken a methodical approach to quality. Central to this is our comprehensive manual testing checklist, a living document that tracks every feature, interaction, and edge case that needs validation before we consider Huckleberry ready for prime time.

This checklist isn't just a formality. It's our source of truth, guiding both our development priorities and our testing efforts.

The document breaks down Huckleberry's functionality into logical sections:

  • Installation and setup
  • Core chat participant functionality
  • Task initialization and management
  • Task status workflows
  • TODO comment scanning
  • Requirements document parsing
  • Language model tools integration
  • Settings and configuration
  • Error handling and edge cases
  • Cross-platform compatibility

For each feature, we meticulously verify behavior against our product requirements, documenting any deviations or unexpected behavior.

Where We Stand Today​

As of today, April 20th, 2025, we've completed testing of the installation process and core chat functionality. Huckleberry installs properly from its VSIX file, activates correctly in workspaces, and registers as a chat participant. The language model tools register properly, and the extension appears in the Command Palette as expected.

But we're still working through validating the rest of the feature set. Task initialization, creation, status management, TODO scanning, and requirements parsing all have open test items. Some features work perfectly in our development environments but behave differently on other platforms or with different configurations.

Why This Matters​

You might wonder why we're being so transparent about our testing process. Wouldn't it be better to just focus on the positives?

We don't think so. Huckleberry is a tool built by developers, for developers. And as developers, we appreciate honesty about what works, what doesn't, and what's still being figured out.

More importantly, task management isn't just a nice-to-have feature. It's a critical part of your workflow. If you're going to trust Huckleberry with your tasks, we want to earn that trust through reliability and transparency.

Getting to Beta​

Our path to beta is clear: complete the testing checklist, fix any issues that surface, and ensure consistent behavior across platforms and configurations. Once we're confident that Huckleberry meets our quality standards, we'll graduate it to beta status and invite broader participation from the community.

In the meantime, if you're using the alpha release, we'd love to hear about your experience. What works? What doesn't? What would make Huckleberry more valuable to your workflow?

After all, there's no normal life, just tasks, and we want to make sure Huckleberry handles them with the reliability they deserve.

FAQs​

Q: What kind of testing is being done during the alpha phase?​

A: We're following a comprehensive testing checklist that covers installation and setup, core chat functionality, task management, TODO scanning, requirements parsing, language model integration, settings, error handling, and cross-platform compatibility.

Q: How can I participate in alpha testing?​

A: You can participate by installing the alpha release from our GitHub repository and providing feedback through issues, suggestions, or pull requests. We especially value real-world usage feedback and edge case discoveries.

Q: What level of stability can I expect from the alpha release?​

A: While the core functionality is implemented and usable, you may encounter some bugs, incomplete features, or behavior that needs refinement. We recommend having a backup task management solution for critical work during the alpha phase.