From c37134b642d9a0bc0903b4053fe2990927d8c56d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: jawwad-ali <alijawwad001@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 2026 20:46:48 +0500
Subject: [PATCH] fix(workflows): require a 'cases' block on switch steps
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`SwitchStep.validate` requires `expression` and type-checks `cases`, but
never checks that `cases` is PRESENT. It is the only control-flow step whose
branch payload is optional:

  if       -> requires 'then'
  fan-out  -> requires 'items' and 'step'
  fan-in   -> requires a non-empty 'wait_for'
  gate     -> requires 'message'
  switch   -> cases optional

So a switch whose branch table is absent or mistyped — `case:` for `cases:`
is the obvious slip — passes validation with zero errors:

  if   missing then : ["If step 'x' is missing 'then' field."]
  fanout missing all: ["Fan-out step 'y' is missing 'items' field.", ...]
  switch typo case: : []
  switch no cases   : []

and then at run time reports COMPLETED with
`matched_case: "__default__"` — a default it does not even declare — having
dispatched nothing, so the whole run "succeeds". That is the "silent empty
result + COMPLETED" wiring bug the fan-in guard exists to prevent.

An explicitly declared but empty `cases: {}` is still a declaration and
stays valid, pinned by a test.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
---
 .../workflows/steps/switch/__init__.py        | 13 ++++++++
 tests/test_workflows.py                       | 32 +++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 45 insertions(+)

diff --git a/src/specify_cli/workflows/steps/switch/__init__.py b/src/specify_cli/workflows/steps/switch/__init__.py
index 690df0f19a..977c8cbf3e 100644
--- a/src/specify_cli/workflows/steps/switch/__init__.py
+++ b/src/specify_cli/workflows/steps/switch/__init__.py
@@ -96,6 +96,19 @@ def validate(self, config: dict[str, Any]) -> list[str]:
                 f"Switch step {config.get('id', '?')!r} is missing "
                 f"'expression' field."
             )
+        # Every other control-flow step requires its branch payload: ``if``
+        # requires ``then``, ``fan-out`` requires ``items`` and ``step``,
+        # ``fan-in`` a non-empty ``wait_for``, ``gate`` a ``message``. Without
+        # the same check, a switch whose ``cases:`` block is missing or mistyped
+        # (``case:`` is the obvious slip) validates clean and then reports
+        # COMPLETED with ``matched_case: "__default__"`` -- a default it may not
+        # even declare -- having dispatched nothing. That is the "silent empty
+        # result + COMPLETED" wiring bug the fan-in guard exists to prevent.
+        if "cases" not in config:
+            errors.append(
+                f"Switch step {config.get('id', '?')!r} is missing "
+                f"'cases' field."
+            )
         cases = config.get("cases", {})
         if not isinstance(cases, dict):
             errors.append(
diff --git a/tests/test_workflows.py b/tests/test_workflows.py
index afd70adecf..08c61d1440 100644
--- a/tests/test_workflows.py
+++ b/tests/test_workflows.py
@@ -3309,6 +3309,38 @@ def test_validate_missing_expression(self):
         errors = step.validate({"id": "test", "cases": {}})
         assert any("missing 'expression'" in e for e in errors)
 
+    def test_validate_missing_cases(self):
+        """`cases` is the switch's branch payload and must be required.
+
+        Every other control-flow step requires its own: `if` requires `then`,
+        `fan-out` requires `items` and `step`, `fan-in` a non-empty `wait_for`,
+        `gate` a `message`. Without it, a `case:` typo validated clean and then
+        reported COMPLETED with `matched_case: "__default__"` having dispatched
+        nothing.
+        """
+        from specify_cli.workflows.steps.switch import SwitchStep
+
+        step = SwitchStep()
+
+        # Absent entirely.
+        errors = step.validate({"id": "route", "expression": "{{ inputs.x }}"})
+        assert any("missing 'cases'" in e for e in errors), errors
+
+        # The realistic slip: `case:` instead of `cases:`.
+        errors = step.validate(
+            {"id": "route", "expression": "{{ inputs.x }}", "case": {"a": []}}
+        )
+        assert any("missing 'cases'" in e for e in errors), errors
+
+    def test_validate_accepts_an_empty_cases_mapping(self):
+        """An explicitly declared but empty `cases:` is still a declaration."""
+        from specify_cli.workflows.steps.switch import SwitchStep
+
+        errors = SwitchStep().validate(
+            {"id": "route", "expression": "{{ inputs.x }}", "cases": {}}
+        )
+        assert not any("missing 'cases'" in e for e in errors), errors
+
     def test_validate_invalid_cases_and_default(self):
         from specify_cli.workflows.steps.switch import SwitchStep