[lava-users] Passing runtime parameters to user_commands in device configuration

Hello LAVA community,

I'm working with LAVA for automated testing of embedded systems with BMC (Baseboard Management Controller) and I've encountered a limitation that I'd like to ask about. My Use Case

I'm testing devices that support Redfish API for power management. I need to execute various Redfish commands (forceoff, poweron, forcerestart, etc.) from the dispatcher during test jobs. Currently, I define these as user_commands in my device dictionary: jinja2

{% set user_commands = { 'redfish_forceoff': { 'do': '/opt/lava-lab/shared/lab-scripts/dispatcher_command.sh 192.168.17.111 forceoff' }, 'redfish_poweron': { 'do': '/opt/lava-lab/shared/lab-scripts/dispatcher_command.sh 192.168.17.111 poweron' }, # ... more commands} %}

Then in my job file: yaml

- command: name: redfish_forceoff

The Problem

Every time I need to add a new Redfish action, I must modify the device dictionary (Jinja file) to add a new user_command entry. I'd like users to be able to specify the action dynamically from the job file without requiring device configuration changes.

*What I want to achieve:* yaml

# In job file - specify action dynamicallycontext: redfish_action: forceoff actions: - command: name: redfish_command # Generic command that uses context variable

What I've Investigated

1. *Deploy actions* support variable substitution (e.g., {IMAGE}), but this is hardcoded for deploy actions only 2. *Job context variables* can override device dictionary values, but only at device configuration rendering time (job parsing), not at action execution time 3. *user_commands* are static strings with no runtime parameter substitution mechanism 4. *Test definitions* support parameters, but they run on the DUT, not the dispatcher

I understand from the documentation that dispatcher commands are intentionally restricted for security reasons, which makes sense. My Current Workaround

I'm using Jinja2 loops to auto-generate commands from a list: jinja2

{% set redfish_actions = ['auth_test', 'forceoff', 'poweron', 'forcerestart'] %}{% set user_commands = {} %}{% for action in redfish_actions %} {% set _ = user_commands.update({'rf_' + action: {'do': rf_script + ' ' + action}}) %}{% endfor %}

This reduces the pain (just add one word to a list), but still requires device configuration edits. My Questions

1. *Is there any mechanism I've missed* that allows passing runtime parameters from job files to user_commands? 2. *Is this a known limitation* that others have encountered? 3. *Would it be feasible* to add support for parameter substitution in user_commands (similar to how deploy actions work with {IMAGE}), while maintaining security constraints? 4. *Are there alternative approaches* within LAVA's architecture that I should consider?

Any guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If this is a feature that doesn't exist but would be useful, I'd be happy to discuss potential implementation approaches or contribute to a feature request.

Thank you for your time and for maintaining LAVA!

Best regards, Mor