experiment(confidence-engine): add alias-capable experiment runtime

tests/scripts/start-case-experiment-helper.test.js

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import { createRequire } from "module";
 const __dirname = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
 const rootDir = join(__dirname, "..", "..");
 const helperPath = join(rootDir, "scripts", "start-case-experiment-helper.cjs");
+const tsxPath = join(rootDir, "node_modules", ".bin", "tsx");
 const require = createRequire(import.meta.url);
 
 function runHelper(args = [], envOverrides = {}) {
@@ -50,6 +51,34 @@ function runHelper(args = [], envOverrides = {}) {
   });
 }
 
+function runHelperWithTsx(args = [], envOverrides = {}) {
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    execFile(
+      tsxPath,
+      [helperPath, ...args],
+      {
+        cwd: rootDir,
+        timeout: 15000,
+        env: {
+          ...process.env,
+          OLLAMA_BASE_URL: "https://mock.host.example.com:8080",
+          OLLAMA_MODEL: "mock-model-for-testing",
+          START_CASE_EXPERIMENT_HELPER_MOCK: "1",
+          ...envOverrides,
+        },
+      },
+      (error, stdout, stderr) => {
+        resolve({
+          error: !!error,
+          exitCode: error ? error.code : 0,
+          stdout: stdout || "",
+          stderr: stderr || "",
+        });
+      },
+    );
+  });
+}
+
 function parseOutput(result) {
   try {
     return JSON.parse(result.stdout.trim());
@@ -300,6 +329,18 @@ describe("start-case-experiment-helper.cjs apparatus", () => {
   // ── H — Import-only mode (production seam verification) ────────
 
   describe("H — import-only mode", () => {
+    it("loads real startCase through tsx with aliases resolved and no provider call", async () => {
+      const result = await runHelperWithTsx([], {
+        START_CASE_EXPERIMENT_HELPER_IMPORT_ONLY: "1",
+      });
+      expect(result.exitCode).toBe(0);
+      expect(parseOutput(result)).toEqual({
+        success: true,
+        mode: "import-only",
+        startCaseResolved: true,
+      });
+    });
+
     it("uses plain node subprocess with IMPORT_ONLY=1", async () => {
       const result = await runHelper([], {
         START_CASE_EXPERIMENT_HELPER_IMPORT_ONLY: "1",