Writes a single failing test that reproduces a bug after its root-cause analysis is complete, before any fix is written. TRIGGER when: a bug has a completed root-cause analysis and you need the failing reproduction test, writing a test that proves a bug exists, the second step of the bug-fixing pipeline. DO NOT TRIGGER when: still triaging or diagnosing the bug → opsmill-dev-analyzing-bugs; implementing the fix once the test exists → opsmill-dev-fixing-bugs; general feature test-first work → superpowers test-driven-development.
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Writes a single failing test that reproduces a bug after its root-cause analysis is complete, before any fix is written. TRIGGER when: a bug has a completed root-cause analysis and you need the failing reproduction test, writing a test that proves a bug exists, the second step of the bug-fixing pipeline. DO NOT TRIGGER when: still triaging or diagnosing the bug → opsmill-dev-analyzing-bugs; implementing the fix once the test exists → opsmill-dev-fixing-bugs; general feature test-first work → superpowers test-driven-development.
argument-hint
<issue number or URL, or bug description> [pr]
compatibility
Works in any git repo with a test suite; discovers testing conventions from the OpsMill `dev/` layout with auto-detection fallback. The draft-PR step needs `gh` and a GitHub remote.
metadata
{"pipeline":"bug-fixing (2 of 3 — analyze → test-drive → fix)","version":"0.1.0","author":"OpsMill"}
user-invocable
true
disable-model-invocation
true
Bug test-writer
User Input
$ARGUMENTS
Your role
You are a senior QA engineer writing a targeted failing test that reproduces a confirmed bug.
/opsmill-dev-analyzing-bugs has already identified the root cause. Your job is to write ONE test that
fails on the current code, proving the bug exists.
Tool usage
Use the Read tool to read files -- do NOT use cat or head/tail in Bash.
Use the Glob tool to find files -- do NOT use find or ls -R in Bash.
Use the Grep tool to search file contents -- do NOT use grep or rg in Bash.
Reserve Bash for git commands, gh CLI, and commands that require shell execution.
Shell state (variables, cd) does not persist across separate Bash calls -- re-derive
any shell value you reuse rather than relying on one set in an earlier step. The pipeline's
logical flags like OPEN_PR are decisions you carry in your own reasoning, not shell variables,
so they do persist across steps.
Input and setup
Parse $ARGUMENTS for an optional pr flag: if the word pr appears anywhere in the
arguments (case-insensitive), set OPEN_PR=true. Otherwise OPEN_PR=false. The rest of
$ARGUMENTS (issue number / URL / description) is only used to disambiguate when more than one
analysis exists -- do not re-derive the slug from it.
Discover the handoff file /opsmill-dev-analyzing-bugs wrote, using Glob for .bug-analysis-*.md in the repo
root:
No match: inform the developer "Run /opsmill-dev-analyzing-bugs <issue> first." and STOP.
Exactly one match: use it.
Multiple matches: pick the one whose <key> best matches $ARGUMENTS (issue number, then
slug words). If still ambiguous, list them and ask the developer which to use.
Read the full analysis. Take the canonical and branch from its and
header fields rather than re-deriving a slug -- this keeps the branch/PR names
consistent across steps. (If those fields are absent -- an older analysis -- fall back to the
key embedded in the filename, , and .)
<key>
Key:
Branch:
.bug-analysis-<key>.md
ai-bug-pipeline-<key>
If the analysis file is missing required fields (Root cause, Affected files), inform the
developer and STOP.
Write the test
Follow steps 0--9 below. Step 10 (draft PR) runs only when OPEN_PR=true. If
OPEN_PR=false, the run stays fully local: stop after step 9 with the test committed on the
local branch <branch> -- do NOT push and do NOT open a PR. Display the test results and the
branch name, and tell the developer that /opsmill-dev-fixing-bugs will pick it up from that local branch.
Step 0: Create working branch
Detect the default branch and create a working branch from it:
DEFAULT_BRANCH=$(git symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD 2>/dev/null | sed 's@^refs/remotes/origin/@@')
# Fallback when origin/HEAD is unset (shallow/CI clones, manually-added remotes):
[ -z "$DEFAULT_BRANCH" ] && DEFAULT_BRANCH=$(git remote show origin 2>/dev/null | sed -n 's/.*HEAD branch: //p')
[ "$DEFAULT_BRANCH" = "(unknown)" ] && DEFAULT_BRANCH=""# git prints "(unknown)" when remote HEAD is indeterminate
DEFAULT_BRANCH=${DEFAULT_BRANCH:-main}
git fetch origin "$DEFAULT_BRANCH" || { echo"Cannot fetch origin/$DEFAULT_BRANCH -- set the default branch manually and retry."; exit 1; }
# Fetch the working branch into a tracking ref with an explicit refspec, so origin/<branch> is# created even on single-branch/shallow clones (a bare `git fetch origin <branch>` only updates# FETCH_HEAD there). Silently a no-op when the branch doesn't exist on the remote yet.
git fetch origin "+refs/heads/<branch>:refs/remotes/origin/<branch>" 2>/dev/null
# Resume the branch reconciled to the pushed tip if it exists on the remote; else a local-only# branch (a no-pr run not yet pushed); else create it fresh from the default branch:if git rev-parse --verify -q "origin/<branch>" >/dev/null; then
git checkout -B "<branch>""origin/<branch>"# remote tip wins -> never reuse a stale local copyelif git rev-parse --verify -q "<branch>" >/dev/null; then
git checkout "<branch>"# local-only branch (no-pr run, never pushed)else
git checkout -b "<branch>""origin/$DEFAULT_BRANCH"fi
<branch> is the Branch: value from the analysis (ai-bug-pipeline-<key>) -- use it verbatim
so /opsmill-dev-fixing-bugs finds the same branch.
Re-runs are deterministic -- see the inline comments for how each branch state (pushed,
local-only, absent) is handled and why the remote tip wins.
If the default-branchgit fetch fails, STOP and report it -- do not continue to write a
test with no working branch (the exit 1 only fails that one shell call). The working-branch
fetch is best-effort (a missing remote branch is normal); a network failure there only means the
branch can't be resumed from the remote, in which case STOP rather than recreating from default.
Step 1: Read testing documentation
Determine which area the bug lives in (backend, frontend, etc.) and read the project's testing
conventions. Anchor on the dev/ layout, falling back to detection:
Read root AGENTS.md and dev/documentation-architecture.md (if present) to map the bug to a
code package.
Backend testing docs, if present: dev/knowledge/**/testing.md and dev/guidelines/**/testing.md.
Frontend testing docs, if present: dev/guides/frontend/writing-unit-tests.md,
writing-component-tests.md, writing-e2e-tests.md.
Fallback (no dev/ testing docs): detect the test runner and layout from the project
itself -- pyproject.toml / tox.ini / pytest.ini (pytest), package.json scripts
(vitest / jest / playwright), or a Makefile / AGENTS.md documenting the test command.
Step 2: Discover existing test setup
Read the test setup local to the target test directory and its parents (e.g. conftest.py
files up the tree for pytest, shared setup/setup.ts for JS suites). Understand the available
fixtures, their scopes, and setup/teardown patterns. Do NOT reinvent setup logic that already
exists.
Step 3: Check reusable utilities
Look for the project's reusable test helpers, base classes, factories, and fakes/adapters
(commonly under tests/helpers/, tests/adapters/, tests/fake/, or similar). Use these
instead of writing your own test infrastructure.
Step 4: Read existing tests
Read 2--3 existing tests in the target test directory to learn the naming conventions, class
structure, and import patterns before writing your own.
Step 5: Choose the test type
Pick the right test level using whatever guidance you found in step 1. Examples of common
levels:
Python / pytest: unit, component, functional, integration. Reuse existing schema fixtures
and helpers when available.
Frontend: unit/component (e.g. Vitest, colocated .test.ts), E2E (e.g. Playwright). Use
a GIVEN/WHEN/THEN structure and existing factories when the project does.
Step 6: Write the test
Write a single targeted test that reproduces the bug:
Assert the CORRECT/EXPECTED behavior. The test fails because the bug prevents the expected
behavior. Do NOT assert that the buggy behavior succeeds. For example: if the bug is
"duplicate records can be created," assert that the second creation raises an error or that
only one record exists -- this FAILS on buggy code and PASSES once fixed.
The test MUST exercise the actual production code path, not a reimplementation. Call the
real functions/classes from the source. Do NOT copy production logic into the test.
Test observable behavior, not internal implementation details (test that an API returns
wrong data or that a constraint is violated -- not that a constructor received specific
kwargs).
Test the affected code path identified in the analysis "Affected files" section, not a
lower-level abstraction it calls internally. A test that can pass without changing the
affected code path is testing the wrong thing.
Place it in the correct test folder following project conventions (test files usually mirror
source structure). If adding to an existing test file is more appropriate than creating a new
one, do that.
Step 7: Verify the test FAILS
CRITICAL: verify the test FAILS on the current code. Run just this test using the project's
detected runner (e.g. uv run pytest path::Test::test -x -v, npm run test -- <path>,
npx playwright test path). Note the -- for npm run: without it npm swallows the path
instead of forwarding it to the test runner.
If a test run takes more than ~5 minutes, kill it and investigate why.
The failure must be an assertion error that directly relates to the root cause (e.g.
AssertionError: Expected ValidationError but none was raised, or assert 2 == 1 when
duplicates were found).
If the test PASSES, your assertions are wrong -- you are likely asserting buggy behavior.
Flip them to assert what SHOULD happen.
If it fails for the wrong reason (import error, missing fixture, syntax error), fix those
and re-run until it fails for the reason in the root cause.
Gate (T2-verify · P1): paste the actual failing test run proving it fails for the documented reason (not an import/collection error). See ../quality-gates/gates/primitives/evidence-before-done.md.
Step 8: Format and lint
Run the project's formatter and linter on the test file(s) and fix any issues before committing.
Use whatever the project defines (e.g. uv run invoke format / uv run invoke lint,
npx biome check --write ., ruff format, prettier/eslint). Detect these from
AGENTS.md / Makefile / pyproject.toml / package.json.
Step 9: Commit test files
Commit ONLY the test file(s). Do NOT touch production code. Stage files by name
(git add path/to/test_file) -- never git add . or git add -A, as unrelated working-tree
files would be committed by mistake. Commit message: test: add failing test for <key>.
Step 10: Open draft PR (only if OPEN_PR=true)
Ship gate (T2 · P2 + P3) — before opening the draft PR or stamping AGENT_TEST_COMPLETE. Run the ship gate per ../quality-gates/gates/primitives/independent-judge.md (judge → on-FAIL STOP → R2 degrade → write receipt on PASS, all defined there). R1 criteria: the .bug-analysis-<key>.md verbatim (the root cause the test must prove — NOT your summary). Artifact: the test diff. Forbidden evasions: the test-gate evasions from ../quality-gates/gates/primitives/anti-gaming.md. The judge confirms the test genuinely exercises the bug (not trivially-passing, not always-failing).
Push the branch and open a draft Pull Request against the repo's default branch:
git push -u origin "<branch>" || { echo"Push rejected (non-fast-forward / protected / network). STOP and resolve before retrying -- do not open or edit a PR."; exit 1; }
# Idempotent: on a resumed run a draft PR may already exist for this branch -- edit it# instead of creating a duplicate (gh pr create errors if one already exists). Default to# CREATE when the count is empty/non-numeric (a gh error), since create reports a real# duplicate clearly, whereas edit on a missing PR would just fail.
PR_COUNT=$(gh pr list --head"<branch>" --state open --json number --jq 'length' 2>/dev/null)
if [ "${PR_COUNT:-0}" -gt 0 ] 2>/dev/null; then
gh pr edit "<branch>" --title "<title>" --body-file <tmp-body-file>
else# No --base: gh pr create defaults the base to the repo's default branch, so the# default-branch detection from Step 0 (which doesn't persist across Bash calls) isn't needed here.
gh pr create --draft --title "<title>" --body-file <tmp-body-file>
fi
Write the PR body to a temp file first (use the Write tool, e.g. under the system temp dir),
then pass it via --body-file.
Title: test: failing test for <key> -- <short description>
PR body with this exact structure:
## Analyst's findings (summary)> **Root cause:**<copiedfromanalysis>> **Affected files:**> <copiedfromanalysis>## Replication test**Test file:**`path/to/test_file.ext`**Test name:**`test_name_here`**What it tests:**<onesentenceexplainingtheobservablebehaviorbeingasserted>**Verification:** Test confirmed FAILING on current code.
**Failure reason:**<onesentenceexplainingHOWthetestfailsandwhythatprovesthebug><details><summary>Failure output (last 20 lines)</summary>```text
<paste the relevant failure output>
```</details>## Test expectations<whatthetestassertsandanyedgecasesitcovers--NOThowtofixthebug>
<!-- AGENT_TEST_COMPLETE -->
If the analysis was triggered by a GitHub issue, post a short comment on the issue linking to
the draft PR.
Escalation
If the test cannot be made to fail for the right reason after 3 attempts, inform the developer
explaining what was tried and STOP. Do NOT open a PR or include the AGENT_TEST_COMPLETE
marker.
Quality gates
Gates for this skill follow ../quality-gates/gates/gate-model.md. test-driving-bugs is Tier 2 — it writes a failing reproduction test and stamps AGENT_TEST_COMPLETE unconditionally (in PR mode it also opens a draft PR; both paths require the full ship gate).
Gate
Step / trigger
Tier
Primitives
Pass criteria
On-fail
Test-fails-right
after writing the test
T2-verify
P1
The new test FAILS for the documented reason. Paste the failing run.
STOP; fix the test
Test-catches-bug
before opening the draft PR / stamping AGENT_TEST_COMPLETE
T2-ship
P2 + P3
A fresh judge, given the .bug-analysis-<key>.md verbatim and the test diff, confirms the test actually exercises the bug (not trivially-passing, not always-failing).
STOP; do not stamp; fix and re-judge
Common mistakes
🚩 Red flag
Do instead
Test passes on the current (buggy) code
You're asserting the buggy behavior — flip the assertions to the expected behavior so it FAILS now
Copying production logic into the test
Call the real functions/classes from the source; test the actual code path
Test passes without touching the affected files
Exercise the affected code path from the analysis, not a lower-level abstraction it calls
Editing production code "to help the test"
This step writes tests only — production code is /opsmill-dev-fixing-bugs's job
git add . / git add -A
Stage the test file(s) by name
Opening the PR / writing AGENT_TEST_COMPLETE after a failed attempt
The marker is the "test ready" signal — only emit it once the test fails for the right reason
