gold-standards

Use absolute imports like from kailash.workflow.builder import WorkflowBuilder, connect nodes with the 4-parameter add_connection syntax, and always call workflow.build() before passing it to runtime.execute. Access results via dict pattern results["node_id"]["result"].

Mocking is allowed only in Tier 1 unit tests. Tier 2 integration and Tier 3 E2E tests must use real Docker infrastructure such as PostgreSQL, Redis, and mock-api services, because mocks hide real connection and timing issues.

Extend the Node base class, implement get_parameters() returning NodeParameter definitions, and implement run() with type hints and docstrings. Declare all parameters explicitly for security and validation; the only reserved name is _node_id.

The most common cause is passing the workflow object directly instead of calling workflow.build() first. Other causes include missing required parameters, which raise ValueError, and incorrect 2-parameter connection syntax.

Never hardcode credentials in node configurations. Load API keys and connection strings from environment variables using os.environ, use parameterized SQL queries to prevent injection, and validate all user inputs before processing.