tdd-guide

---
name: "tdd-guide"
description: "Test-driven development skill for writing unit tests, generating test fixtures and mocks, analyzing coverage gaps, and guiding red-green-refactor workflows across Jest, Pytest, JUnit, Vitest, and Mocha. Use when the user asks to write tests, improve test coverage, practice TDD, generate mocks or stubs, or mentions testing frameworks like Jest, pytest, or JUnit. Handles test generation from source code, coverage report parsing (LCOV/JSON/XML), quality scoring, and framework conversion for TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, and Java projects."
triggers:
  - generate tests
  - analyze coverage
  - TDD workflow
  - red green refactor
  - Jest tests
  - Pytest tests
  - JUnit tests
  - coverage report
---

# TDD Guide

Test-driven development skill for generating tests, analyzing coverage, and guiding red-green-refactor workflows across Jest, Pytest, JUnit, and Vitest.

---

## Workflows

### Generate Tests from Code

1. Provide source code (TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Java)
2. Specify target framework (Jest, Pytest, JUnit, Vitest)
3. Run `test_generator.py` with requirements
4. Review generated test stubs
5. **Validation:** Tests compile and cover happy path, error cases, edge cases

### Analyze Coverage Gaps

1. Generate coverage report from test runner (`npm test -- --coverage`)
2. Run `coverage_analyzer.py` on LCOV/JSON/XML report
3. Review prioritized gaps (P0/P1/P2)
4. Generate missing tests for uncovered paths
5. **Validation:** Coverage meets target threshold (typically 80%+)

### TDD New Feature

1. Write failing test first (RED)
2. Run `tdd_workflow.py --phase red` to validate
3. Implement minimal code to pass (GREEN)
4. Run `tdd_workflow.py --phase green` to validate
5. Refactor while keeping tests green (REFACTOR)
6. **Validation:** All tests pass after each cycle

---

## Examples

### Test Generation — Input → Output (Pytest)

**Input source function (`math_utils.py`):**
```python
def divide(a: float, b: float) -> float:
    if b == 0:
        raise ValueError("Cannot divide by zero")
    return a / b
```

**Command:**
```bash
python scripts/test_generator.py --input math_utils.py --framework pytest
```

**Generated test output (`test_math_utils.py`):**
```python
import pytest
from math_utils import divide

class TestDivide:
    def test_divide_positive_numbers(self):
        assert divide(10, 2) == 5.0

    def test_divide_negative_numerator(self):
        assert divide(-10, 2) == -5.0

    def test_divide_float_result(self):
        assert divide(1, 3) == pytest.approx(0.333, rel=1e-3)

    def test_divide_by_zero_raises_value_error(self):
        with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="Cannot divide by zero"):
            divide(10, 0)

    def test_divide_zero_numerator(self):
        assert divide(0, 5) == 0.0
```

---

### Coverage Analysis — Sample P0/P1/P2 Output

**Command:**
```bash
python scripts/coverage_analyzer.py --report lcov.info --threshold 80
```

**Sample output:**
```
Coverage Report — Overall: 63% (threshold: 80%)

P0 — Critical gaps (uncovered error paths):
  auth/login.py:42-58   handle_expired_token()       0% covered
  payments/process.py:91-110  handle_payment_failure()   0% covered

P1 — High-value gaps (core logic branches):
  users/service.py:77   update_profile() — else branch  0% covered
  orders/cart.py:134    apply_discount() — zero-qty guard  0% covered

P2 — Low-risk gaps (utility / helper functions):
  utils/formatting.py:12  format_currency()            0% covered

Recommended: Generate tests for P0 items first to reach 80% threshold.
```

---

## Key Tools

| Tool | Purpose | Usage |
|------|---------|-------|
| `test_generator.py` | Generate test cases from code/requirements | `python scripts/test_generator.py --input source.py --framework pytest` |
| `coverage_analyzer.py` | Parse and analyze coverage reports | `python scripts/coverage_analyzer.py --report lcov.info --threshold 80` |
| `tdd_workflow.py` | Guide red-green-refactor cycles | `python scripts/tdd_workflow.py --phase red --test test_auth.py` |
| `fixture_generator.py` | Generate test data and mocks | `python scripts/fixture_generator.py --entity User --count 5` |

Additional scripts: `framework_adapter.py` (convert between frameworks), `metrics_calculator.py` (quality metrics), `format_detector.py` (detect language/framework), `output_formatter.py` (CLI/desktop/CI output).

---

## Input Requirements

**For Test Generation:**
- Source code (file path or pasted content)
- Target framework (Jest, Pytest, JUnit, Vitest)
- Coverage scope (unit, integration, edge cases)

**For Coverage Analysis:**
- Coverage report file (LCOV, JSON, or XML format)
- Optional: Source code for context
- Optional: Target threshold percentage

**For TDD Workflow:**
- Feature requirements or user story
- Current phase (RED, GREEN, REFACTOR)
- Test code and implementation status

---

## Limitations

| Scope | Details |
|-------|---------|
| Unit test focus | Integration and E2E tests require different patterns |
| Static analysis | Cannot execute tests or measure runtime behavior |
| Language support | Best for TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Java |
| Report formats | LCOV, JSON, XML only; other formats need conversion |
| Generated tests | Provide scaffolding; require human review for complex logic |

**When to use other tools:**
- E2E testing: Playwright, Cypress, Selenium
- Performance testing: k6, JMeter, Locust
- Security testing: OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite