schlenks/test-driven-development

Test-Driven Development (TDD)

Core principle: If you didn't watch the test fail, you don't know if it tests the right thing.

Violating the letter of the rules is violating the spirit of the rules.

When to Use

Always: New features, bug fixes, refactoring, behavior changes.

Exceptions (ask your human partner): Throwaway prototypes, generated code, configuration files.

Thinking "skip TDD just this once"? Stop. That's rationalization.

The Iron Law

NO PRODUCTION CODE WITHOUT A FAILING TEST FIRST

Write code before the test? Delete it. Start over.

No exceptions:

• Don't keep it as "reference"
• Don't "adapt" it while writing tests
• Don't look at it
• Delete means delete

Implement fresh from tests. Period.

Red-Green-Refactor (Task-Tracked)

For each TDD cycle, create three tracking tasks:

1. RED: Write test for [feature] -- Write one failing test. MUST run and see it fail before proceeding.
2. GREEN: Implement [feature] -- Write minimal code to pass the test. No extras. MUST run and see it pass. Blocked by RED.
3. REFACTOR: Clean up [feature] -- Remove duplication, improve names. Keep tests green. Blocked by GREEN.

ENFORCEMENT:

• GREEN is blocked until RED is completed (test must fail first)
• REFACTOR is blocked until GREEN is completed (code must pass first)
• Each task requires RUNNING the test command and capturing output
• Skipping the "WATCH it fail/pass" step is now visible in TaskList

RED - Write Failing Test

Write one minimal test showing what should happen. One behavior, clear name, real code (no mocks unless unavoidable). See references/good-vs-bad-examples.md.

Verify RED

MANDATORY. Run test, confirm it fails for expected reason (feature missing, not typos). Test passes? You're testing existing behavior — fix test.

GREEN - Minimal Code

Write simplest code to pass the test. Don't add features, refactor other code, or "improve" beyond the test. See references/good-vs-bad-examples.md.

Verify GREEN

MANDATORY. Run test, confirm it passes and all other tests still pass. Output pristine (no errors, warnings). Test fails? Fix code, not test.

REFACTOR - Clean Up

After green only: remove duplication, improve names, extract helpers, reduce nesting (flatten conditionals, early returns), eliminate redundant abstractions, prefer explicit over compact.

Keep tests green. Don't add behavior.

Conditional simplification dispatch: If >50 lines changed OR cyclomatic complexity >10, dispatch code-simplifier:code-simplifier agent on changed files. Re-run tests, verify green, commit as refactor: simplify [area]. If tests fail, revert.

Good Tests

| Quality | Good | Bad | |---------|------|-----| | Minimal | One thing. "and" in name? Split it. | test('validates email and domain and whitespace') | | Clear | Name describes behavior | test('test1') | | Shows intent | Demonstrates desired API | Obscures what code should do |

Verification Checklist

Before marking work complete:

• [ ] Every new function/method has a test
• [ ] Watched each test fail before implementing
• [ ] Each test failed for expected reason (feature missing, not typo)
• [ ] Wrote minimal code to pass each test
• [ ] All tests pass
• [ ] Output pristine (no errors, warnings)
• [ ] Tests use real code (mocks only if unavoidable)
• [ ] Edge cases and errors covered

Can't check all boxes? You skipped TDD. Start over.

Reference Files

• references/tdd-cycle-diagram.dot: Visualizing the TDD cycle
• references/good-vs-bad-examples.md: RED/GREEN code examples
• references/why-order-matters.md: Rationale for test-first and rebuttals
• references/rationalizations-and-red-flags.md: Common excuses and stop signals
• references/bug-fix-workflow.md: Bug fix example and debugging integration
• references/when-stuck.md: Solutions for common TDD obstacles
• references/testing-anti-patterns.md: Pitfalls with mocks, test-only methods

Final Rule

Production code -> test exists and failed first
Otherwise -> not TDD

No exceptions without your human partner's permission.

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