tdd-red-green-refactor

name	tdd-red-green-refactor
description	Strict red/green/refactor/simplify discipline for the `/build <task-id>` command. Use when implementing any task in Phase 4. The agent must NOT write production code without a failing test recorded in `.tdd-state.json`.
when_to_use	["Phase 4 — every task, every time.","Whenever the agent is about to edit `src/main/**`."]
authoritative_references	[".claude/checklists/implementation-dod.md",".claude/templates/implementation-log.template.md"]

TDD: red / green / refactor / simplify

The four phases (per task)

1. RED — write a failing test

• Read the task entry in 04-tasks.md. Confirm Test-IDs and AC-IDs.

• Write the smallest possible test that asserts the behavior described by the AC.

  • Annotation block on every @Test method is non-negotiable: @Test → @DisplayName("..."). Write the @DisplayName before the test body — the act of articulating the display name forces clarity about what the test verifies. Format: "given <precondition>, when <action>, then <outcome>" — pure Given/When/Then, no AC prefix. Do not use @Tag; AC traceability is tracked at the task level in 04-tasks.md.

• Run only that test (mvn -Dtest=ClassName#method test).

• The test must fail, and the failure must be for the right reason (the asserted behavior is missing, not a typo or compilation error).

• Append a red block to 05-implementation-log.md with the failing command and the first 10 lines of the failure output.

• Update .specs/<id>/.tdd-state.json:

  { "active_task": "T-001", "tasks": { "T-001": { "phase": "red", "red_at": "2026-04-18T10:00:00Z", "red_test_signature": "...", "red_failure_excerpt": "..." } } }
  

The block-impl-without-failing-test hook reads this file. No src/main/** edit is allowed unless phase == red and red_failure_excerpt is non-empty.

2. GREEN — minimum production code

• Edit only files in the task's Files in scope. The hook enforces this.
• Write the minimum code to make the failing test pass. No speculative features. No "while I'm here" cleanups.
• Re-run the test (mvn -Dtest=...). It must pass.
• Run the module's full Surefire suite to ensure no regression (mvn -q test -pl <module>).
• Append a green block to 05-implementation-log.md.
• Set .tdd-state.json phase to green.

3. REFACTOR — improve internals, hold behavior

• Eliminate duplication, extract helpers, rename for clarity, push logic to the right layer.
• Run the full module suite after every edit. Suite must stay green.
• Allowed: extract method, extract class, inline variable, rename, move to module-internal package.
• Forbidden: changing public signatures (breaks the test), changing behavior, adding features.
• Append a refactor block per substantive change.

4. SIMPLIFY — /code-simplify pass

• Apply the clarity-over-cleverness skill: if there's a simpler way to express the same logic that a junior engineer would understand at a glance, use it.
• Specifically watch for: nested ternaries, clever streams when a for loop is clearer, premature abstraction, dead options, "options bag" parameters with one used field, helper methods with one caller.
• Also scan for repeated literals: any string or number appearing 2+ times in the same class (production OR test) must be extracted to a private static final constant at the top of the class with a domain-meaningful name. Avoids SonarQube java:S1192 (string literal duplicated). Single-use literals are fine inline. (Rule: feedback_extract_repeated_literals.md.)
• Audit every newly-authored or modified test method in the diff for @DisplayName. Any @Test or @ParameterizedTest without one gets it added here using Given/When/Then format. This is the safety net for the red-phase rule — if a test slipped through without it, simplify is the last chance to catch it before the task is done. Also remove any @Tag that slipped in. Pre-existing legacy tests in the same file that were not touched by this task are NOT retroactively rewritten (scope-creep guard).
• Suite must stay green.
• Append a simplify block. Set phase to done.

5. COMMIT — surface stopping report

When phase reaches done, STOP. Do not auto-start the next task.

Surface a stopping report:

• Files changed (git status)
• Tests passing (module suite green)
• Suggested commit message (e.g., feat(gift-card): T-001 apply gift card to order)

Recommend the 3-step follow-up:

git status               # review what changed
git commit               # commit the task
/build <next-task-id>    # start the next task

If the user asks the agent to run git commit, the agent must ask for explicit permission immediately before that specific commit. Permission is single-use and never carries forward to later commits.

Next /build includes a pre-flight commit check: if uncommitted changes from a prior task are detected, refuse to start and surface this reminder.

Exception: The user can explicitly request task chaining (e.g., "chain to T-002", "continue without committing") — respect the explicit instruction.

Logging format

Each block in 05-implementation-log.md:

### T-001 · red · 2026-04-18T10:00:00Z
**Command:** `mvn -q -Dtest=ApplyGiftCardRequestTest#rejectsBlankCode test`
**Result:** FAIL (expected)
**Excerpt:**

[ERROR] ApplyGiftCardRequestTest.rejectsBlankCode:23 expected ConstraintViolationException but nothing was thrown

What "minimum code" means

• Hardcoding a constant to make the test pass is OK if there's only one test. The next test will force generalization.
• Don't introduce an interface for a single implementation.
• Don't introduce a config option for a single caller.
• Don't add a parameter "for future use".

This pressure to triangulate is the entire point of TDD.

Anti-patterns the hook will block

• Writing a test that already passes (no actual red).
• Deleting a test to make CI green.
• Editing files outside Files in scope.
• Skipping the red step ("I'll add the test after").
• Modifying an existing test's assertion to match new (wrong) behavior.
• Marking a task done without all four blocks logged.
• Don't add a method without a real consumer. A tautological test that asserts a method returns a fixed value is not a real consumer. If no genuine API boundary exists for the method, surface a Q-NNN design gap instead of writing the method.
• Auto-starting the next task without giving the user a chance to commit. Always stop at phase: done and surface the commit reminder (Step 5). Only chain tasks when the user explicitly requests it.