Glossary · AI-native development
Test Oracle
The mechanism, specification, reference, invariant, or human judgment used to decide whether observed program behavior is correct.
Why it matters
Generating test inputs is not enough; automated verification requires an independent basis for classifying each result.
In practice
Prefer executable invariants, reference implementations, schemas, and deterministic expected outputs, then document where human judgment remains necessary.
Common confusion
The model that wrote the code should not be treated as an independent oracle merely because you ask it whether its own output is correct.
Related terms
Sources
Browse the learning paths to see this term in context — every lesson is free to read.