coverage-delta

name	coverage-delta
description	Multi-workflow coverage delta worker. Reads the baseline coverage, re-runs the same coverage tool against the current suite, computes the delta on line+branch percentages, and posts it to the parent issue (or local `FEATURE.md`). Called after each Story so the operator sees coverage move with every test added. Called by `/test-improve` (Phase 5) via `--workflow test-improve`.
argument-hint	<repo-path> [--parent <issue-url>] [--repo-slug <slug>] [--workflow <name>] [--story <id-or-path>] [--story-files <glob-or-comma-list>]
user-invocable	true
allowed-tools	Read, Glob, Grep, Bash, Write

Coverage Delta

Role: worker. Reports coverage change vs. the captured baseline. One snapshot per Story so the operator can see whether each add actually moved the needle. Callers with a phase model (such as /test-improve, where the baseline lands in Phase 2 and per-Story deltas fire in Phase 5) label snapshots by phase; phase-less workflows omit that label.

You have been invoked with the /coverage-delta command.

Parse Arguments

Arguments: $ARGUMENTS

• Positional: <repo-path>.
• --parent <issue-url> — parent issue URL (or empty for local-files).
• --repo-slug <slug> — .claude/memory/<workflow>/ namespace.
• --workflow <name> — the workflow namespace under .claude/memory/. Defaults to test-improve. Orchestrators pass their own namespace (e.g. /test-improve passes test-improve for its Phase-5 per-Story deltas).
• --story <id-or-path> — optional Story this delta is attributed to. Used as the snapshot label.
• --story-files <glob-or-comma-list> — production-code files the Story touched (typically from /build's commit diff, tests filtered out). When both --story AND a non-empty --story-files are present, Step 2b runs scoped mutation; otherwise it is a no-op so /quality-targets-converge can keep calling this worker without --story-files exactly as before.

Steps

1. Load the baseline

Read .dev-team-reports/<workflow>/<slug>/data/baseline-coverage.json. If missing, tell the operator the baseline has not been captured (/coverage-baseline must run first; for /test-improve that is Phase 2) and stop.

2. Re-run coverage

Use the same coverage tool /coverage-baseline recorded — DO NOT switch tools mid-workflow, or the delta is meaningless. This governs the tool only, never the project/package list: for a multi-project repo (Step 2a below), the set of included projects/packages is re-derived from fresh discovery on every call, never reused from a prior run — a frozen, never-revisited list is exactly what caused issue #1759's ~30x underreported delta.

For a multi-project repo, load the persisted coverage-config.json first (Step 2a) and print coverage_config.measurement_basis_notice(config.get("bootstrapped_at"), baseline["captured_at"])'s result verbatim when non-None — a non-blocking notice that the comparison baseline predates multi-project discovery, so a reported delta may reflect a widened measurement scope rather than a real coverage change.

Capture exit code + stdout + stderr.

If the run fails, surface the first error and stop. Do not post a delta from a broken run.

2a. Multi-project re-derivation (.NET solutions, JS/TS workspaces & Java multi-module builds)

When a .sln file exists at the repo root (.NET), a workspace signal is present (JS/TS), or a multi-module signal is present (Java) — the same triggers coverage-baseline's Step 1a uses — re-run the appropriate discovery script fresh, every call, never reusing a project/package/module list recorded by a prior run:

• .NET: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/coverage_discovery_dotnet.py's discover_dotnet_projects(repo_root)
• JS/TS: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/coverage_discovery_js.py's discover_js_packages(repo_root)
• Java: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/coverage_discovery_java.py's discover_java_modules(repo_root) — a root pom.xml declaring <modules> (Maven, which wins when both are present) or a settings.gradle/settings.gradle.kts declaring include(...) (Gradle)

Implementation mechanics (the bootstrap/drift-check contract, weighted-merge, and the exact message templates): ../coverage-baseline/references/multi-project-discovery.md — this section pins the contract surface only, mirroring how coverage-baseline's own Step 1a links the same file rather than re-deriving the mechanics a second time.

Config path. coverage-config.json is read from the exact resolved path .dev-team-reports/<workflow>/<slug>/data/coverage-config.json — the SAME path coverage-baseline's Step 5 persists to, and the SAME path load_or_bootstrap reads/writes in coverage-baseline's Step 1a. There is no ambiguity: both skills operate on the identical file.

Absent/malformed coverage-config.json. Before calling drift_check, check whether that path exists and parses. If missing (the baseline predates this feature, or was captured on the single-project path with no config ever persisted) or malformed, stop with a named message telling the operator to re-run /coverage-baseline first — mirroring Step 1's existing missing-baseline branch. Do not silently bootstrap a config in-memory here: this worker is read-only on the repo's source (see Notes), and a delta is only ever meaningful against a config /coverage-baseline itself persisted.

Discovery-signal check. Before calling drift_check, check the fresh discovery call's return value — the same two branches coverage-baseline's Step 1a already carries:

• coverage_config.DISCOVERY_NOT_APPLICABLE — should not occur here (this step only runs when the .sln/workspace/multi-module trigger already fired); if it somehow does, treat it like the missing-config branch above: stop, post no delta.
• coverage_config.discovery_error(...) — surface message, post no delta, stop — the same treatment as an existing Step 2 run-failure (a genuine tool failure, not the actionable config gap the hard-failure block below describes).

Never let discovered reach drift_check unchecked.

Zero-real-test-project guard. Before calling drift_check, apply the same any(coverage_config.needs_accounting(entry["classification"]) for entry in discovered) check coverage-baseline's Step 1a already carries. If False (every discovered project/package classifies NOT_TEST), stop immediately with the exact message coverage-baseline's Step 1a uses, worded for a delta: "Coverage capture stopped: no real test project was discovered in this <solution|workspace|multi-module build> — cannot establish a coverage floor. If this repo has test projects, verify they reference Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk (for .NET), use jest/vitest/mocha+nyc/c8 (for JS/TS), or declare a JUnit/TestNG dependency alongside a src/test/java|kotlin directory (for Java) so discovery can recognize them; otherwise there is no coverage floor to capture." Post no delta.

Read the persisted .dev-team-reports/<workflow>/<slug>/data/coverage-config.json (written by the prior /coverage-baseline run) and call coverage_config.drift_check(config, discovered) against it:

• If drift_check raises ValueError (a malformed-but-parseable included/excluded shape — e.g. present but not a list), print the exception's message verbatim, as its own named block, and stop without posting a delta.
• drift["hard_failure"] is True (an unaccounted-for or conflicting project/package) — print drift["hard_failure_message"] verbatim, as its own distinct, named block headed Coverage capture stopped: — the same hard-failure rule and message coverage-baseline applies, never folded into or reusing this skill's own generic run-failure wording above. Stop; post no delta.
• drift["hard_failure"] is False — run the coverage command per included project/package (never once for the whole repo) and merge the results with coverage_config.weighted_merge(project_reports), same as coverage-baseline Step 1a.

drift["stale_warning_message"] is carried forward regardless of hard_failure — see Step 5 (Report) for where it surfaces.

Single-project and mixed-stack repos (coverage-baseline's Step 1b unaffected cases) never reach this step — Step 2's single-command path runs unchanged, and no coverage-config.json is ever read here for them.

2b. Measure scoped mutation (only when both --story AND --story-files are present)

Worker boundary. This worker measures and reports; it does NOT halt the workflow on net-new survivors. Policy enforcement is the orchestrator's job (/test-improve Phase 5 reads the structured status field this step emits and decides whether to pause Story close via the mutation-kill agent's [c/r/w/q] prompt).

Implementation detail — baseline-of-record lookup, equivalent-mutant filter, classification table, atomic-write idiom: references/mutation-gate.md. This section pins the contract (flags, status enum, exit-code rule, schema keys); the reference holds the mechanics.

Gating: skip this whole step unless BOTH --story <id> AND a non-empty --story-files <files> are supplied. --story alone (the call path /quality-targets-converge uses) triggers no mutation run and no mutation-history.json write — the result block on stdout carries "mutation": null.

When the gate fires:

1. Invoke /mutation-testing --scope <expanded --story-files> --emit-json <tmp> --workflow-managed-approval. The --workflow-managed-approval flag is allowed here because /test-improve Phase 0 captured operator approval at the workflow boundary (see mutation-testing ## Constraints carve-out).
2. Baseline-of-record per file. For each file in --story-files, look up the most recent entry in .dev-team-reports/<workflow>/<slug>/data/mutation-history.json; that entry's survivors_after is the baseline-of-record. If no prior entry exists, the file's status is first_measurement (survivors_before: null, delta: null).
3. Filter status: "equivalent" AND status: "accepted" survivors from the /mutation-testing output before computing delta — reclassifications between runs, and documented rationale-bearing deferrals, must not show up as regressions.
4. Compute delta = survivors_after - survivors_before (skip when first_measurement) and assign a status per file:
   • ok — delta <= 0.
   • net_new_survivors — delta > 0. The result block lists each new survivor by file:line:operator.
   • first_measurement — no prior entry.
   • tool_unavailable — /mutation-testing returned the no_tool_installed envelope. The result block names /setup as the install path and includes language: "<detected>". If a prior history entry recorded a different tool, surface that as prior_tool: "<name>" so the operator sees the disappearance.
   • skipped_empty_scope — --story-files expanded to zero files. No mutation run; one history entry recorded with this status.
5. Append per-file entries to mutation-history.json via temp-file-then-rename (write to <path>.tmp then mv -f <path>.tmp <path>). This keeps parallel /coverage-delta writes from interleaving when two Phase-5 Stories close within the same second. Direct overwrite of is forbidden.

Exit code. This step's exit code is 0 on every status above, including net_new_survivors — the worker carries the signal in the status field, not the exit code. The exit code is non-zero ONLY on tool execution failure (a crash inside /mutation-testing, an unwritable history path, malformed JSON from the underlying tool). This is the worker/policy boundary: orchestrator reads status, worker reports cleanly.

Result block on stdout — a single JSON object the orchestrator can parse:

{
  "status": "ok | net_new_survivors | first_measurement | tool_unavailable | skipped_empty_scope",
  "story": "<id>",
  "story_files": ["src/order.ts"],
  "mutation": {
    "tool": "stryker",
    "files": [
      { "file": "src/order.ts", "survivors_before": 8, "survivors_after": 3, "delta": -5, "status": "ok" }
    ]
  }
}

When the step is skipped (no --story-files), the block is {"status": "ok", "mutation": null, ...}.

3. Parse + compute the delta

Parse line + branch percentages with the same logic /coverage-baseline used. Compute:

{
  "phase": <phase-number-or-null>,
  "captured_at": "<ISO-8601>",
  "story": "<id-or-path-or-null>",
  "line_pct": <current>,
  "branch_pct": <current>,
  "line_delta": <current - baseline>,
  "branch_delta": <current - baseline>,
  "baseline_line_pct": <from baseline.json>,
  "baseline_branch_pct": <from baseline.json>
}

phase is the calling workflow's phase number when it has one (/test-improve supplies 5); workflows without a phase model supply null.

Append to .dev-team-reports/<workflow>/<slug>/data/coverage-history.json (array of snapshots, newest last).

4. Post the snapshot

Append a markdown row to the parent's ## Metrics history section (tracker mode) or to .claude/plans/<workflow>/FEATURE.md (local-files mode):

| <ISO-8601> | Phase <n> | <story-id-or-—> | Line <pct>% (Δ <+/-pct>) | Branch <pct>% (Δ <+/-pct>) | Mutants <count> (Δ <+/-n>) |

Create the table header on first call if it doesn't exist:

## Metrics history

| Captured | Phase | Story | Line | Branch | Mutants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|

The Mutants column is — when Step 2b was a no-op (no --story-files); otherwise it carries the aggregate survivors_after across the Story's files and Δ vs. the prior history entries.

Use the resolved CLI pattern from Phase 1 (same edit-the-parent invocation /coverage-baseline used).

5. Report

Print:

• Line + branch percentages and deltas.
• The destination (parent issue URL or FEATURE.md).
• The path to coverage-history.json for /continue.
• Multi-project repos only: when Step 2a's drift["stale_warning_message"] is non-None (an excluded entry that no longer matches any freshly-discovered project/package), print it verbatim, as a named, non-blocking warning line — it never blocks the run and never overrides the reported delta.
• Multi-project repos only, every run: print coverage_config.format_active_exclusions(config)'s result verbatim whenever it is non-None — one line per currently-excluded project/package naming its path and reason. This is informational context shown on every run (not a warning, not blocking), distinct from the stale-warning line above: it surfaces what is currently excluded and why, regardless of whether that exclusion has gone stale.

If the delta is negative (a Story made coverage worse), surface that as a warning so the operator can decide whether to keep the Story.

Notes

• This worker is read-only on the repo's source — it runs the coverage command and parses the report. It does not modify tests or production code.
• Snapshots accumulate; nothing is overwritten. The full history feeds /quality-targets-converge in Phase 7.
• Wall-clock for the coverage run is not tracked here — that's /quality-targets-converge's job.