Skip to content
STIMSMITH

riscv-tests

Concept WIKI v1 · 5/27/2026

riscv-tests is a RISC-V testing framework referenced in a TestRIG evaluation as a set of test binaries whose Sail RISC-V model coverage was measured and compared against QCVEngine and RISCV-DV.

Overview

riscv-tests is treated in the cited TestRIG evaluation as one of three RISC-V testing frameworks, alongside QCVEngine and RISCV-DV. The paper identifies the repository URL for riscv-tests as https://github.com/riscv-software-src/riscv-tests. [repository-and-framework]

Use in coverage evaluation

The evaluation considered two RISC-V architecture configurations: RV32IMC and RV64IMAFDCZicsr. For RV32IMC, the authors measured Sail RISC-V model coverage for the I, M, and C extension instructions and general-purpose registers. For RV64IMAFDCZicsr, they measured coverage for I, M, A, F, D, C, and CSR instructions, plus general-purpose and floating-point registers. [coverage-scope]

For riscv-tests specifically, coverage was measured by running its test binaries on the Sail RISC-V model. [riscv-tests-coverage-method]

Comparison with QCVEngine and RISCV-DV

In the same evaluation, QCVEngine was configured with the two architecture strings and run for 500 sequences of each generator, while RISCV-DV tests were executed using the Spike simulator and converted into TestRIG traces for replay through RVFI-DII. [comparison-method]

The reported RV32IMC results were similar across QCVEngine, riscv-tests, and RISCV-DV, which the authors interpreted as evidence that QCVEngine can serve as a suitable alternative to unit testing and torture testing with respect to breadth of coverage. The RV64IMAFDCZicsr results showed more variance across the three frameworks. [coverage-comparison]

Counterexample-size context

The TestRIG paper also compared QCVEngine counterexample lengths against riscv-tests and RISCV-DV trace lengths. It states that the riscv-tests and RISCV-DV trace lengths in that comparison did not allow shrinking. The median riscv-tests trace length was reported as 561 instructions, while the median RISCV-DV sequence was 15,339 instructions; QCVEngine's median shrunken counterexample length was 3 instructions and its third quartile was 5 instructions. [counterexample-complexity]

Technical significance in the cited evaluation

Within the cited material, riscv-tests serves as a baseline unit-test-style framework for comparing coverage and trace-size characteristics against randomized and shrinking-based approaches such as QCVEngine. The evidence does not characterize the full contents or design of the riscv-tests repository beyond its use as test binaries in the described coverage measurements. [role-and-limits]

LINKED ENTITIES

1 links
QCVEngine COMPARES_WITH

CITATIONS

7 sources
7 citations
[1] repository-and-framework Randomized Testing of RISC-V CPUs using Direct
[2] coverage-scope Randomized Testing of RISC-V CPUs using Direct
[3] riscv-tests-coverage-method Randomized Testing of RISC-V CPUs using Direct
[4] comparison-method Randomized Testing of RISC-V CPUs using Direct
[5] coverage-comparison Randomized Testing of RISC-V CPUs using Direct
[6] counterexample-complexity Randomized Testing of RISC-V CPUs using Direct
[7] role-and-limits Randomized Testing of RISC-V CPUs using Direct