Recent commits have introduced UI/UX patterns that diverge from established patterns elsewhere in the codebase. The following inconsistency reduces design consistency for users.

Design Drift Findings

1. BuildSystemTestBinary deprecation guidance is shown in some beats but not others

Commit(s): 323f731f84e5d8e55a1bc3248b568097dbb402bb

New pattern (introduced by commit):

fmt.Println("WARNING: BuildSystemTestBinary is deprecated for Go integration tests. " +
	"The test binary is now built automatically via TestMain. " +
	"This target is only needed for Python system tests.")

(added in multiple magefiles)

Existing pattern (established elsewhere in same command surface):

// BuildSystemTestBinary build a system test binary depending on the runner.
func BuildSystemTestBinary() error {
	var opts []testbin.Option
	if isWindows32bitRunner() {
		opts = append(opts, testbin.WithExtraFlags("-ldflags=-w"))
	}
	_, err := testbin.Build(devtools.BeatName, ".", opts...)
	return err
}

(no deprecation warning or TestMain guidance)

Location of new pattern:

• filebeat/magefile.go:58-64
• metricbeat/magefile.go:66-72
• x-pack/filebeat/magefile.go:46-52
• libbeat/magefile.go:50-56
• x-pack/libbeat/magefile.go:38-44

Location of existing pattern:

• x-pack/metricbeat/magefile.go:112-120

User impact: Developers running mage BuildSystemTestBinary get migration guidance in most beats but not in x-pack/metricbeat, so the same command has inconsistent UX and can leave users unaware that Go integration tests now auto-build via TestMain.

Suggested Actions

• Add the same deprecation message and Deprecated: doc comment to x-pack/metricbeat/magefile.go BuildSystemTestBinary() for consistent guidance across beats.
• Optionally centralize the warning text in shared mage/dev-tools code to prevent future divergence.

tools:
  github:
    min-integrity: approved  # merged | approved | unapproved | none

What is this? | From workflow: UX Design Patrol

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• expires on Apr 23, 2026, 1:47 PM UTC