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Test Code That Records Audit Entries

Use Chronicle::fake() to capture entries in memory and assert on them without touching the database.

1. Call Chronicle::fake() at the start of the test​

use Chronicle\Facades\Chronicle;

it('records an order created entry', function () {
    $chronicle = Chronicle::fake();

    // ... trigger your application code ...

    $chronicle->assertRecorded(fn ($e) => $e['action'] === 'order.created');
});

fake() flushes any entries from previous tests, swaps the driver to ArrayDriver, and returns a ChronicleAssertions helper. All validation and hashing still runs — only persistence is redirected to memory.

2. Assert what was recorded​

// At least one entry recorded (any)
$chronicle->assertRecorded();

// At least one entry matching a condition
$chronicle->assertRecorded(fn ($e) => $e['action'] === 'order.created');

// Exact count
$chronicle->assertRecordedCount(2);

// Exact count matching a condition
$chronicle->assertRecordedCount(1, fn ($e) => $e['action'] === 'order.created');

// Nothing recorded at all
$chronicle->assertNothingRecorded();

// No entry matching a condition
$chronicle->assertNotRecorded(fn ($e) => $e['action'] === 'order.deleted');

The filter callable receives the raw entry array: id, action, actor_type, actor_id, subject_type, subject_id, metadata, context, diff, tags, correlation_id.

3. Inspect entries for custom assertions​

$entries = $chronicle->entries(); // Collection of raw entry arrays

$first = $entries->first();
expect($first['metadata']['total'])->toBe(9900);
expect($first['tags'])->toContain('orders');

4. Restore the driver between tests (if needed)​

In most Pest/PHPUnit setups the container is reset per test. If you observe entries leaking between tests, call restore() in afterEach:

afterEach(fn () => $chronicle->restore());

Testing HasChronicle models​

it('records order updated with diff', function () {
    $chronicle = Chronicle::fake();

    $order = Order::factory()->create(['status' => 'pending']);
    $order->update(['status' => 'paid']);

    $chronicle->assertRecorded(function ($e) {
        return $e['action'] === 'order.updated'
            && ($e['diff']['status']['new'] ?? null) === 'paid';
    });
});

Verify it worked​

Run your test suite — a failing assertRecorded() prints a clear message:

Failed asserting that a Chronicle entry matching the filter was recorded.

See also​