A test calls the code as its users do and asserts the exact result they see. Rewrite or delete any test that would still pass if every imported function returned undefined or a wrong value.
These shapes fail that check:
- Loose or no assertion:
toBeDefined,toBeTruthy,not.toThrow,toBeGreaterThan(0). - Call or absence only:
toHaveBeenCalled,not.toHaveBeenCalled,toBeUndefined,toEqual([]). - Expected value computed by the code under test:
expect(f(a)).toBe(f(a)). - Restated constant, config default, table row, or prompt string.
- Assertions on data the test built, with no call to the subject.
Fix: call the subject in the test body with one concrete input and assert the literal output or effect. For a mock, assert the payload it received. For an absence, also assert the presence on another input. For a constant, test the mechanism that reads it with one input instead of restating the value.
Keep relation checks across table rows (a key in two tables, a parent that exists) and *.test-d.ts type checks. Keep an absence-only test when the contract requires the absence and making the subject produce it fails the test: a denied operation must send no email, so temporarily make the denied path send one and watch the test fail. Keep a constant pin when the value is a promise to users, such as a documented default, and name that promise.