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Skillstest-first-discipline

test-first-discipline

Testing & quality

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Updated 10-15 21:47

About this skill

Test-First Discipline

Internal shared skill. Single source of truth for failing-test-first implementation order. Hosts declare it in dependencies and abort if missing — no silent fallback.

Name note: intentionally not named tdd or test-driven-development (external skills repos). Use this name only.

Iron Law

NO PRODUCTION BEHAVIOR CODE WITHOUT A FAILING TEST OBSERVED FIRST.

  1. Write the failing test (or equivalent automated failing check).
  2. Run it and observe the failure in the current session.
  3. Write the minimal production code to pass.
  4. Re-run; then refactor if needed while staying green.

If production behavior code was written before step 2: delete it and restart from the failing test. Do not keep it as "reference" or "adapt while writing tests".

When it applies

Applies: new features, bug fixes, behavior-affecting refactors.

Exceptions (unless the user asks otherwise):

  • Throwaway prototypes
  • Generated code
  • Pure configuration with no behavior under test
  • Pure documentation
  • User-explicit skip with a short recorded reason

Rationalizing "skip just this once" without an exception or user skip is forbidden.

Distinct from test-suite-ensure

Skill Owns
test-first-discipline Order — red before production behavior code
test-suite-ensure Post-hoc — stack detect, scaffold, generate/run coverage for existing logic

A green test-suite-ensure run MUST NOT be reported as compliance with this skill. Hosts that use both: follow test-first during behavior implementation; call test-suite-ensure afterward for gaps/scaffold (advisory or mandatory per host).

Forbidden

  • Claiming test-first compliance after only post-hoc test-suite-ensure
  • Renaming or aliasing this skill to tdd / test-driven-development inside this repository
  • Skipping the observed-red step for normal behavior changes without an exception or user skip

Integration guide

  • Hosts: one-line pointer in the execution stage — load this skill for behavior changes; keep test-suite-ensure as the separate post-task ensure step.
  • Prefer user-invocable: false; users reach it through PDCA hosts.
  • Compose with completion-evidence-discipline: the observed failing (and later passing) run must be fresh evidence when claiming red/green.