test: add interface_gui.py to test bitcoin-qt startup #35551

pull ryanofsky wants to merge 1 commits into bitcoin:master from ryanofsky:pr/guistart changing 6 files +54 −11

ryanofsky commented at 6:55 PM on June 17, 2026: contributor

Adds a functional test that starts bitcoin-qt using QT_QPA_PLATFORM=offscreen for headless operation, then verifies it responds to a stop RPC call. This should detect startup crashes in the GUI that have no CI coverage today like https://github.com/bitcoin-core/gui/issues/940

test: add interface_gui.py to test bitcoin-gui startup via RPC

Adds a functional test that starts bitcoin-gui (via the bitcoin wrapper
with "gui" subcommand) using QT_QPA_PLATFORM=offscreen for headless
operation, then verifies it responds to a stop RPC call. This catches
startup regressions in the GUI that have no CI coverage today.

Extends the test framework to support use_gui=True in TestNode, which
invokes "bitcoin gui" instead of "bitcoin node" and automatically sets
QT_QPA_PLATFORM=offscreen. Adds BUILD_GUI to test/config.ini.in and
is_gui_compiled()/skip_if_no_gui() helpers to BitcoinTestFramework.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

0d0f797419

DrahtBot added the label Tests on Jun 17, 2026
DrahtBot commented at 6:55 PM on June 17, 2026: contributor



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For details see: https://corecheck.dev/bitcoin/bitcoin/pulls/35551.



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Type Reviewers

Concept ACK sedited, pablomartin4btc, hebasto

If your review is incorrectly listed, please copy-paste <code></code> into the comment that the bot should ignore.
sedited commented at 7:01 PM on June 17, 2026: contributor

Concept ACK
pablomartin4btc commented at 7:45 PM on June 17, 2026: member

Concept ACK

It seems that the offscreen platform plugin isn't available in all CI environments, perhaps adding -feature-offscreen to depends/packages/qt.mk fixes it.
DrahtBot added the label CI failed on Jun 17, 2026
in test/functional/interface_gui.py:19 in 0d0f797419
```
  14 | +
  15 | +    def skip_test_if_missing_module(self):
  16 | +        self.skip_if_no_gui()
  17 | +
  18 | +    def setup_nodes(self):
  19 | +        self.extra_init = [{"use_gui": True}]
```
maflcko commented at 6:05 AM on June 18, 2026:

I wonder if this should be a test-level option, similar to --usecli, so that all tests can be run under the gui (modulo those that ask a question or show a message box with an error or warning)?

Type	Reviewers
Concept ACK	sedited, pablomartin4btc, hebasto

in test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py:285 in 0d0f797419

 280 | @@ -279,6 +281,8 @@ def start(self, extra_args=None, *, cwd=None, stdout=None, stderr=None, env=None
 281 |  
 282 |          # add environment variable LIBC_FATAL_STDERR_=1 so that libc errors are written to stderr and not the terminal
 283 |          subp_env = dict(os.environ, LIBC_FATAL_STDERR_="1")
 284 | +        if self.use_gui:
 285 | +            subp_env.setdefault("QT_QPA_PLATFORM", "offscreen")

maflcko commented at 6:08 AM on June 18, 2026:

Could also set something like LC_ALL=nl_NL.UTF-8 to check the RPC response is not translated by accident?

hebasto commented at 8:23 AM on June 18, 2026: member

Concept ACK.

It seems that the offscreen platform plugin isn't available ...

--- a/src/qt/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/qt/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ get_target_property(qt_lib_type Qt6::Core TYPE)
 function(import_plugins target)
   if(qt_lib_type STREQUAL "STATIC_LIBRARY")
     set(plugins Qt6::QMinimalIntegrationPlugin)
+    list(APPEND plugins Qt6::QOffscreenIntegrationPlugin)
     if(CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME MATCHES "^(Linux|FreeBSD)$")
       list(APPEND plugins Qt6::QXcbIntegrationPlugin)
     elseif(WIN32)
```

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test: add interface_gui.py to test bitcoin-qt startup #35551

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