A fresh copy every run
Each run tests against an untouched copy of your data.
A clean database for every test run
Create a Postgres branch when the pipeline starts, run migrations and tests against it, and delete it when the job ends. Each run tests against an untouched copy of your data.
Parallel jobs
Each job gets its own branch. Nothing is shared.
Deleted at the end
The last step removes the branch.
The problem
Flaky tests often start in the database
Tests fail for reasons that have nothing to do with the code under test.
- A shared test database turns CI into a queue
- Parallel jobs trip over each other’s rows
- Cleanup scripts miss a table
- A migration from one branch leaks into another branch’s run
- Mocking the database stops testing what production runs
How it works
Create, test, delete. Every run.
- 01
Create
The first step creates a branch from your baseline: production, staging, or a masked copy. It copies no data, so it is ready in about three seconds.
- 02
Migrate and test
Apply pending migrations, seed if you need to, run the suite. Integration tests hit real Postgres with the real data shape.
- 03
Delete
The last step deletes the branch. Nothing carries over to the next run.
The whole pipeline
Four commands, any CI
The same commands run anywhere a shell does.
Set it up
Works with the CI you already run
Copy the workflows
- GitHub Actions
- 01Create a branch for the job
- 02Block the merge if the migration fails
- 03Sweep up branches left behind by cancelled jobs
GitLab, CircleCI, Buildkite, Jenkins
- 01Install the CLI
- 02Set XATA_API_KEY to a key scoped to the one project
- 03Store it in your CI secret manager
Install
Agents run the suite before you review
- Claude Code
- Cursor
- Codex
- 01Create a branch for the task
- 02Migrate, test and report
- 03Delete it before a human sees the change
Coding agents
Your agent can run the whole workflow
Connect the Xata MCP server or install the CLI, and your coding agent can create branches, apply migrations and read schema without touching production.
- Claude Code
- Cursor
- Codex
- VS Code (Copilot)
- Windsurf
- Cline
- OpenCode
- Zed
Keep it cheap and safe
No bill for cancelled jobs, no exposed data
Cancelled jobs do not leave a bill
If a job is cancelled before its delete step, the leftover branch can scale to zero until the cleanup workflow removes it.
Learn moreTest against real data without exposing it
If production holds personal data, branch CI runs from a masked copy. The distributions stay realistic and the values do not.
Learn moreMore branching workflows
Give every test run its own database
Stop sharing a test database. Branch it per run and delete it when the job ends.