Refactor HCP test client initialization to use dynamic kubeconfig retrieval

- Remove HC_KUBECONFIG flag and related global variables from test suite
- Remove hardcoded crClientForHC global client initialization
- Add GetHostedClusterKubeconfig() method to dynamically retrieve kubeconfig from HostedCluster status
- Update pre/post backup verification to create client on-demand using retrieved kubeconfig
- Clean up Makefile to remove HC_KUBECONFIG parameter handling
- Simplify HCHandler by removing ClientGuest field

This change improves test reliability by ensuring the guest cluster client
is always created with the current kubeconfig rather than relying on
potentially stale configuration passed via flags.

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.ai/code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <[email protected]>

Author: mgencur

Makefile

@@ -67,10 +67,6 @@ ENVTEST_K8S_VERSION = 1.32 # Kubernetes version from OpenShift 4.19.x https://op
 # HC_NAME is the name of the HostedCluster to use for HCP tests when
 # hc_backup_restore_mode is set to external. Otherwise, HC_NAME is ignored.
 HC_NAME ?= ""
-# HC_KUBECONFIG is the path to the kubeconfig file for the HostedCluster
-# to use for HCP tests when hc_backup_restore_mode is set to external.
-# Otherwise, HC_KUBECONFIG is ignored.
-HC_KUBECONFIG ?= ""
 
 # Get the currently used golang install path (in GOPATH/bin, unless GOBIN is set)
 ifeq (,$(shell go env GOBIN))
@@ -764,7 +760,7 @@ else
 endif
 ifeq ($(TEST_HCP_EXTERNAL),true)
 	TEST_FILTER += && (hcp_external)
-	HCP_EXTERNAL_ARGS = -hc_backup_restore_mode=external -hc_name=$(HC_NAME) -hc_kubeconfig=$(HC_KUBECONFIG)
+	HCP_EXTERNAL_ARGS = -hc_backup_restore_mode=external -hc_name=$(HC_NAME)
 else
 	TEST_FILTER += && (! hcp_external)
 endif

docs/developer/testing/TESTING.md

@@ -107,7 +107,6 @@ Set common env variables as mentioned above, then run:
 ```bash
 TEST_HCP_EXTERNAL=true \
 HC_NAME=hc1 \
-HC_KUBECONFIG=/path/to/kubeconfig/for/hosted/cluster \
 make test-e2e
 ```
 

tests/e2e/e2e_suite_test.go

@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/client-go/dynamic"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/rest"
-	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/clientcmd"
 	ctrl "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client/config"
@@ -25,11 +24,10 @@ import (
 
 var (
 	// Common vars obtained from flags passed in ginkgo.
-	bslCredFile, namespace, instanceName, provider, vslCredFile, settings, artifact_dir, hcKubeconfig string
-	flakeAttempts                                                                                     int64
+	bslCredFile, namespace, instanceName, provider, vslCredFile, settings, artifact_dir string
+	flakeAttempts                                                                       int64
 
 	kubernetesClientForSuiteRun *kubernetes.Clientset
-	crClientForHC               client.Client
 	runTimeClientForSuiteRun    client.Client
 	dynamicClientForSuiteRun    dynamic.Interface
 
@@ -39,7 +37,6 @@ var (
 	vslSecretName                   string
 
 	kubeConfig          *rest.Config
-	kubeConfigForHC     *rest.Config
 	knownFlake          bool
 	accumulatedTestLogs []string
 
@@ -66,7 +63,6 @@ func init() {
 	flag.BoolVar(&skipMustGather, "skipMustGather", false, "avoid errors with local execution and cluster architecture")
 	flag.StringVar(&hcBackupRestoreMode, "hc_backup_restore_mode", string(HCModeCreate), "Type of HC test to run")
 	flag.StringVar(&hcName, "hc_name", "", "Name of the HostedCluster to use for HCP tests")
-	flag.StringVar(&hcKubeconfig, "hc_kubeconfig", "", "Path to kubeconfig file for HostedCluster")
 
 	// helps with launching debug sessions from IDE
 	if os.Getenv("E2E_USE_ENV_FLAGS") == "true" {
@@ -131,11 +127,7 @@ func init() {
 		if os.Getenv("HC_NAME") != "" {
 			hcName = os.Getenv("HC_NAME")
 		}
-		if os.Getenv("HC_KUBECONFIG") != "" {
-			hcKubeconfig = os.Getenv("HC_KUBECONFIG")
-		}
 	}
-
 }
 
 func TestOADPE2E(t *testing.T) {
@@ -152,18 +144,6 @@ func TestOADPE2E(t *testing.T) {
 	kubernetesClientForSuiteRun, err = kubernetes.NewForConfig(kubeConfig)
 	gomega.Expect(err).NotTo(gomega.HaveOccurred())
 
-	// Set up kubeConfigForHC if kubeconfig_hc flag is provided
-	if hcKubeconfig != "" {
-		kubeConfigForHC, err = clientcmd.BuildConfigFromFlags("", hcKubeconfig)
-		gomega.Expect(err).NotTo(gomega.HaveOccurred())
-
-		kubeConfigForHC.QPS = kubeConfig.QPS
-		kubeConfigForHC.Burst = kubeConfig.Burst
-
-		crClientForHC, err = client.New(kubeConfigForHC, client.Options{Scheme: lib.Scheme})
-		gomega.Expect(err).NotTo(gomega.HaveOccurred())
-	}
-
 	runTimeClientForSuiteRun, err = client.New(kubeConfig, client.Options{Scheme: lib.Scheme})
 	gomega.Expect(err).NotTo(gomega.HaveOccurred())
 

tests/e2e/hcp_backup_restore_suite_test.go

@@ -69,7 +69,11 @@ func runHCPBackupAndRestore(
 		// Pre-backup verification for guest cluster
 		if brCase.PreBackupVerifyGuest != nil {
 			log.Printf("Validating guest cluster pre-backup")
-			err := brCase.PreBackupVerifyGuest(crClientForHC, "" /*unused*/)
+			hcKubeconfig, err := h.GetHostedClusterKubeconfig(h.HostedCluster)
+			gomega.Expect(err).ToNot(gomega.HaveOccurred())
+			crClientForHC, err := client.New(hcKubeconfig, client.Options{Scheme: lib.Scheme})
+			gomega.Expect(err).ToNot(gomega.HaveOccurred())
+			err = brCase.PreBackupVerifyGuest(crClientForHC, "" /*unused*/)
 			gomega.Expect(err).ToNot(gomega.HaveOccurred(), "failed to run pre-backup verification for guest cluster: %v", err)
 		}
 	}
@@ -102,7 +106,11 @@ func runHCPBackupAndRestore(
 		// Post-restore verification for guest cluster
 		if brCase.PostRestoreVerifyGuest != nil {
 			log.Printf("Validating guest cluster post-restore")
-			err := brCase.PostRestoreVerifyGuest(crClientForHC, "" /*unused*/)
+			hcKubeconfig, err := h.GetHostedClusterKubeconfig(h.HostedCluster)
+			gomega.Expect(err).ToNot(gomega.HaveOccurred())
+			crClientForHC, err := client.New(hcKubeconfig, client.Options{Scheme: lib.Scheme})
+			gomega.Expect(err).ToNot(gomega.HaveOccurred())
+			err = brCase.PostRestoreVerifyGuest(crClientForHC, "" /*unused*/)
 			gomega.Expect(err).ToNot(gomega.HaveOccurred(), "failed to run post-restore verification for guest cluster: %v", err)
 		}
 	}

tests/e2e/hcp_external_cluster_backup_restore_suite_test.go

@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ var _ = ginkgo.Describe("HCP external cluster Backup and Restore tests", ginkgo.
 		h = &libhcp.HCHandler{
 			Ctx:            context.Background(),
 			Client:         runTimeClientForSuiteRun,
-			ClientGuest:    crClientForHC,
 			HCOCPTestImage: libhcp.HCOCPTestImage,
 		}
 	})

tests/e2e/lib/hcp/hcp.go

@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait"
+	"k8s.io/client-go/rest"
+	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/clientcmd"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/controller/controllerutil"
 
@@ -685,3 +687,29 @@ func RestartHCPPods(HCPNamespace string, c client.Client) error {
 	}
 	return nil
 }
+
+func buildConfigFromBytes(kubeconfigData []byte) (*rest.Config, error) {
+	clientConfig, err := clientcmd.NewClientConfigFromBytes(kubeconfigData)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	config, err := clientConfig.ClientConfig()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return config, nil
+}
+
+func (h *HCHandler) GetHostedClusterKubeconfig(hc *hypershiftv1.HostedCluster) (*rest.Config, error) {
+	kubeconfigSecret := &corev1.Secret{}
+	err := h.Client.Get(h.Ctx,
+		types.NamespacedName{
+			Namespace: hc.Namespace,
+			Name:      hc.Status.KubeConfig.Name},
+		kubeconfigSecret)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	kubeconfigData := kubeconfigSecret.Data["kubeconfig"]
+	return buildConfigFromBytes(kubeconfigData)
+}

tests/e2e/lib/hcp/types.go

@@ -145,7 +145,6 @@ var (
 type HCHandler struct {
 	Ctx            context.Context
 	Client         client.Client
-	ClientGuest    client.Client
 	HCOCPTestImage string
 	HCPNamespace   string
 	HostedCluster  *hypershiftv1.HostedCluster