Instead of taking a programmatic approach, it would seem that making a test that is recordable and replayable would be a path to getting more realistic integration tests.
Watch-Wolf has clients that connect, but is still using programmatic bots.
I don't know if you have seen Sliced Lime's snapshot videos, but he created a (private) fabric mod that is able to record and replay.
Instead of taking a programmatic approach, it would seem that making a test that is recordable and replayable would be a path to getting more realistic integration tests.
Watch-Wolf has clients that connect, but is still using programmatic bots.
I don't know if you have seen Sliced Lime's snapshot videos, but he created a (private) fabric mod that is able to record and replay.
https://youtu.be/h_yNLZZw0R8?t=363
I could see something similar being very useful for Minecraft Mod/Plugin debugging.