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test_runner: todo/skip/expectFailure are truthy per docs, but implementation is otherwise #61815

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test_runner: todo/skip/expectFailure are truthy per docs, but implementation is otherwise#61815
@vassudanagunta

Description

@vassudanagunta
vassudanagunta
opened on Feb 14, 2026

Version

v25.6.1

Subsystem

node:test

What steps will reproduce the bug?

Add the todo, skip or testFailure option to a test, setting it to an empty string. The result will be the same as if you set it to true or a non-empty string.

What is the expected behavior? Why is that the expected behavior?

Unsure whether the bug is in the code or in the API docs.

The code clearly does not treat these options as truthy:

node/lib/internal/test_runner/test.js

Lines 639 to 641 in 2de3482

this.expectFailure = expectFailure !== undefined && expectFailure !== false;
this.skipped = skip !== undefined && skip !== false;
this.isTodo = (todo !== undefined && todo !== false) || this.parent?.isTodo;

But the docs specifically state they should be:

node/doc/api/test.md

Lines 1691 to 1696 in 2de3482

* `skip` {boolean|string} If truthy, the test is skipped. If a string is
provided, that string is displayed in the test results as the reason for
skipping the test. **Default:** `false`.
* `todo` {boolean|string} If truthy, the test marked as `TODO`. If a string
is provided, that string is displayed in the test results as the reason why
the test is `TODO`. **Default:** `false`.

Additional information

Previous discussions:

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