---
title: "A Test Suite Signed Real Commits"
canonical: https://dxdev.com/blog/test-identity-reached-real-commits/
datePublished: 2026-10-03
---
Pushed commits carried the author `t <an email address>` instead of the repo identity. The likely source was a test fixture's `GIT_AUTHOR_*` or `GIT_COMMITTER_*` environment leaking into the child process that made the commit.

## A commit helper that refuses test identities

The commit helper now refuses to commit as a test identity. It reads the identity from two places:

- git config
- the `GIT_AUTHOR_*` and `GIT_COMMITTER_*` environment variables

It treats either of these as a test identity:

- the address `t@t`
- the name `t`

The test suite opts out of the check through `conftest`. Tests cover the refusal.

## When `git var` fails or times out

The identity check also refuses the commit when `git var` fails or times out, instead of proceeding. Tests cover this path too.

## What we don't know

We know the symptom, the suspected source and the guard. The cause stays "likely a fixture's environment."

The guard refuses the commit in two cases: a test identity found, and an identity check that can't complete. A `git var` that fails or times out is refused instead of proceeding.