qa-tdd-orchestrate

name	qa-tdd-orchestrate
description	Orchestrate RED/GREEN/REFACTOR TDD cycle with context-isolated agents. Use when implementing features test-first.
allowed-tools	Read, Glob, Grep, Task, AskUserQuestion, Write($JAAN_OUTPUTS_DIR/qa/tdd-orchestrate/**), Edit(jaan-to/config/settings.yaml)
argument-hint	[feature-description | acceptance-criteria | qa-test-cases-output]
license	PROPRIETARY
context	fork
disable-model-invocation	true
codex-support	false

qa-tdd-orchestrate

Context isolation between AI agents is the single most important architectural decision for TDD.

Context Files

• $JAAN_CONTEXT_DIR/tech.md - Tech stack context (CRITICAL -- determines test framework and runner)
  • Uses sections: #current-stack, #frameworks, #constraints
• $JAAN_LEARN_DIR/jaan-to-qa-tdd-orchestrate.learn.md - Past lessons (loaded in Pre-Execution)
• $JAAN_TEMPLATES_DIR/jaan-to-qa-tdd-orchestrate.template.md - Output template
• ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/docs/extending/language-protocol.md - Language resolution protocol
• Research: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/docs/research/76-tdd-bdd-ai-orchestration.md (Sections 1, 3)

Input

Feature Source: $ARGUMENTS

Input modes:

1. Feature description -- Plain text describing the feature to implement
2. Acceptance criteria -- Formal AC to drive outer BDD loop
3. qa-test-cases output -- Path to BDD test cases (from /jaan-to:qa-test-cases) for outer loop
4. Interactive -- Empty arguments triggers wizard

IMPORTANT: The input above is your starting point. Determine mode and proceed accordingly.

Claude Code Only

This skill requires the Task tool for spawning context-isolated sub-agents. Context isolation (the core research premise) requires Task-based sub-agents; single-context sequential mode fundamentally breaks this guarantee. This skill is NOT available in Codex runtime.

---

Pre-Execution Protocol

MANDATORY -- Read and execute ALL steps in: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/docs/extending/pre-execution-protocol.md Skill name: qa-tdd-orchestrate Execute: Step 0 (Init Guard) -> A (Load Lessons) -> B (Resolve Template) -> C (Offer Template Seeding)

Also read context files if available:

• $JAAN_CONTEXT_DIR/tech.md -- Know the tech stack for test framework detection

If files do not exist, continue without them.

Language Settings

Read and apply language protocol: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/docs/extending/language-protocol.md Override field for this skill: language_qa-tdd-orchestrate

Language exception: Generated code output is NOT affected by this setting.

---

PHASE 1: Analysis (Read-Only)

Thinking Mode

ultrathink

Use extended reasoning for:

• Decomposing feature into TDD-able components
• Mapping acceptance criteria to outer BDD loop
• Planning RED/GREEN/REFACTOR cycle sequence
• Designing context isolation boundaries

Step 1: Parse Feature Input

Based on input mode:

Feature description: Decompose into testable components (functions, modules, endpoints). Acceptance criteria / qa-test-cases output: Use as outer BDD acceptance test. Each AC becomes an outer loop iteration target.

Present decomposition:

TDD DECOMPOSITION
-------------------------------------------------------------
Feature:           {feature name}
Outer Loop:        {count} acceptance criteria
Inner Components:  {count} TDD-able units

Components:
  1. {component_name} -- {brief description}
  2. {component_name} -- {brief description}
  ...

Test Framework:    {detected from tech.md}
Test Command:      {detected test command}

Step 2: Detect Test Framework

Read $JAAN_CONTEXT_DIR/tech.md for test framework detection:

• Extract test runner and assertion library
• Extract project structure patterns (src/, lib/, test/, etc.)
• Determine test file naming convention

If tech.md unavailable, use AskUserQuestion:

• "Which test framework does this project use?" -- Options: "Vitest", "Jest", "pytest", "PHPUnit/Pest", "Go testing"

Step 3: Plan TDD Cycle

For each component, plan the RED/GREEN/REFACTOR sequence:

TDD CYCLE PLAN
-------------------------------------------------------------
Outer Loop: BDD Acceptance Test
  "{acceptance criterion text}"

Inner Cycles:
  Cycle 1: {component_1}
    RED:      Write failing test for {specific behavior}
    GREEN:    Minimal implementation to pass
    REFACTOR: Clean up, extract patterns

  Cycle 2: {component_2}
    RED:      Write failing test for {specific behavior}
    GREEN:    Minimal implementation to pass
    REFACTOR: Clean up, apply DRY

  ...

Iteration Limits:
  Max RED-GREEN cycles per component: {5-10}
  Same-test failure escalation: 3 attempts
  Max total cycles: {configurable, default 10}

---

HARD STOP -- Human Review Check

Show complete plan before executing:

TDD ORCHESTRATION PLAN
-------------------------------------------------------------
Feature:         {feature name}
Components:      {count}
Outer Loop:      {count} acceptance criteria
Inner Cycles:    {estimated count} RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycles
Test Framework:  {framework}
Test Command:    {command}

Context Isolation:
  Level 1: Artifact-only handoffs (no reasoning text)
  Level 2: Prompt exclusion lists (per agent)
  Level 3: Handoff manifest verification

Output Folder:   $JAAN_OUTPUTS_DIR/qa/tdd-orchestrate/{id}-{slug}/

Use AskUserQuestion:

• Question: "Proceed with TDD orchestration?"
• Header: "Start TDD"
• Options:
  • "Yes" -- Begin RED/GREEN/REFACTOR cycles
  • "No" -- Cancel
  • "Edit" -- Adjust components or cycle limits

Do NOT proceed to Phase 2 without explicit approval.

---

PHASE 2: Execution (Write Phase)

Context Isolation Architecture

Reference: See ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/docs/extending/qa-tdd-orchestrate-reference.md section "Agent Prompt Templates" for RED/GREEN/REFACTOR agent prompts with explicit exclusion rules.

Isolation is enforced at three levels:

Level 1 -- Artifact-only handoffs: No reasoning text transfer between agents. Only file paths and test runner stdout/stderr cross boundaries.

Level 2 -- Prompt exclusion lists: Each agent's Task prompt explicitly excludes information from other phases.

Level 3 -- Handoff manifest verification: Each phase gate writes handoff-{phase}.json listing only artifact paths being passed. Next agent's prompt is built ONLY from allowlisted paths.

Step 4: Execute Double-Loop TDD

4.0 Performance Optimization

Parallel Component Execution: When multiple components have no data dependencies, run their TDD cycles concurrently via separate Task agents. Each agent handles a full RED/GREEN/REFACTOR cycle independently. Merge results after all complete.

Outer Loop Batching: Run all AC acceptance tests once upfront before starting inner cycles. Only TDD components whose acceptance tests fail. This avoids unnecessary cycles for already-passing ACs.

Handoff Optimization: Compress test runner output in handoff manifests -- include only failure messages and assertion diffs, exclude verbose logs and stack traces. This significantly reduces Task prompt token overhead.

4.1 Outer Loop (BDD Acceptance)

For each acceptance criterion:

1. If qa-test-cases output provided, extract the corresponding BDD scenario
2. Create or identify the acceptance test file
3. Run acceptance test -- confirm it FAILS (expected: feature not yet implemented)
4. Begin inner TDD cycles (Step 4.2)
5. After all inner cycles complete, re-run acceptance test
6. If acceptance test PASSES: feature complete for this AC (outer GREEN)
7. If acceptance test still FAILS: diagnose and iterate

4.2 Inner Loop (RED/GREEN/REFACTOR)

For each component within current AC:

RED Phase

Spawn isolated sub-agent via Task tool:

Task prompt for RED agent:
- ONLY includes: requirements text, test framework docs, existing test patterns
- EXCLUDED: implementation plans, existing source code (src/**), scaffold output
- Goal: Write a failing test for {component} that tests {specific behavior}
- Output: test file path

Phase gate: Run test command. Verify test FAILS (non-zero exit code).

• If test passes: RED phase invalid (test is not testing new behavior). Abort and ask RED agent to write a more specific test.
• Write handoff-red.json:

  {
    "phase": "red",
    "test_file": "{path to test file}",
    "runner_output": "{stdout/stderr from failed test run}",
    "exit_code": 1
  }
  

GREEN Phase

Spawn isolated sub-agent via Task tool:

Task prompt for GREEN agent:
- ONLY includes: failing test file content, test runner output (from handoff-red.json)
- EXCLUDED: RED agent's reasoning, requirements text, implementation plans
- Goal: Write MINIMAL code to make the failing test pass
- Output: implementation file path(s)

Allowlist verification: Assert GREEN agent's prompt contains ONLY content from files listed in handoff-red.json. Any non-manifest content = isolation violation, abort cycle.

Phase gate: Run test command. Verify test PASSES (zero exit code).

• If test fails: GREEN implementation insufficient. Allow up to 3 retries.
• After 3 failures on same test: escalate to human via AskUserQuestion.
• Write handoff-green.json:

  {
    "phase": "green",
    "implementation_files": ["{path1}", "{path2}"],
    "test_file": "{path to test file}",
    "runner_output": "{stdout/stderr from passing test run}",
    "exit_code": 0
  }
  

REFACTOR Phase

Spawn isolated sub-agent via Task tool:

Task prompt for REFACTOR agent:
- INCLUDES: all code files + passing test suite output
- EXCLUDED: RED and GREEN agent prompts/reasoning
- Goal: Improve code quality without changing behavior. All tests must still pass.
- Output: modified file path(s)

Phase gate: Run ALL tests. Verify ALL still PASS (zero exit code).

• If any test fails: revert refactoring, keep GREEN implementation.

4.3 Iteration Tracking

Track progress per component:

Component: {name}
  Cycle 1: RED(pass) -> GREEN(pass) -> REFACTOR(pass)
  Cycle 2: RED(pass) -> GREEN(fail x2, pass) -> REFACTOR(pass)
  ...
  Same-test failures: {count}/3
  Total cycles: {count}/{max}

If same test fails 3 times with same error pattern: escalate via AskUserQuestion with error details.

Step 5: Quality Check

Before preview, validate:

• All acceptance tests pass (outer loop complete)
• All unit tests pass (inner loops complete)
• Context isolation maintained (no reasoning text in handoff manifests)
• Handoff manifests written for each phase gate
• Iteration counts within configured limits

Step 6: Preview & Approval

6.1 Generate Output Metadata

source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/lib/id-generator.sh"
SUBDOMAIN_DIR="$JAAN_OUTPUTS_DIR/qa/tdd-orchestrate"
mkdir -p "$SUBDOMAIN_DIR"
NEXT_ID=$(generate_next_id "$SUBDOMAIN_DIR")

Generate slug from feature name, lowercase-kebab-case, max 50 chars.

6.2 Generate Executive Summary

Template:

TDD orchestration for {feature_name} completed with {component_count} components
across {cycle_count} RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycles. {ac_count} acceptance criteria
satisfied. Context isolation enforced via artifact-only handoffs with manifest
verification. Final test suite: {test_count} tests, all passing.

6.3 Show Preview

TDD ORCHESTRATION RESULTS
-------------------------------------------------------------
ID:              {NEXT_ID}
Folder:          $JAAN_OUTPUTS_DIR/qa/tdd-orchestrate/{NEXT_ID}-{slug}/

Feature:         {feature name}
Components:      {count}
Total Cycles:    {count}
Tests Written:   {count}
Tests Passing:   {count}/{count}

Acceptance Criteria:
  AC1: {text} -- PASS
  AC2: {text} -- PASS
  ...

Files:
  {id}-{slug}.md                      (Orchestration report)
  handoff-red.json                     (RED phase manifest)
  handoff-green.json                   (GREEN phase manifest)
  orchestration-log.json               (Full cycle history)

Use AskUserQuestion:

• Question: "Write TDD orchestration results?"
• Header: "Write Results"
• Options:
  • "Yes" -- Write output files
  • "No" -- Cancel

Step 7: Write Output Files

If approved:

7.1 Create Folder

OUTPUT_FOLDER="$JAAN_OUTPUTS_DIR/qa/tdd-orchestrate/${NEXT_ID}-${slug}"
mkdir -p "$OUTPUT_FOLDER"

7.2 Write Main Report

Path: $OUTPUT_FOLDER/${NEXT_ID}-${slug}.md

Sections:

• Title, Executive Summary
• Feature Decomposition
• TDD Cycle Summary (per component: RED/GREEN/REFACTOR results)
• Acceptance Criteria Results
• Context Isolation Verification
• Iteration History
• Recommendations

7.3 Write Orchestration Log

Path: $OUTPUT_FOLDER/orchestration-log.json

Contains full cycle-by-cycle history with timestamps, agent outputs, and phase gate results.

7.4 Update Index

source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/lib/index-updater.sh"
add_to_index \
  "$SUBDOMAIN_DIR/README.md" \
  "$NEXT_ID" \
  "${NEXT_ID}-${slug}" \
  "{Feature Name} TDD Report" \
  "{Executive Summary}"

7.5 Confirm Completion

TDD ORCHESTRATION COMPLETE
-------------------------------------------------------------
ID:          {NEXT_ID}
Folder:      $JAAN_OUTPUTS_DIR/qa/tdd-orchestrate/{NEXT_ID}-{slug}/
Index:       Updated $JAAN_OUTPUTS_DIR/qa/tdd-orchestrate/README.md

Components:  {count}
Cycles:      {count}
Tests:       {count} (all passing)

Next Steps:
- Review generated tests and implementation
- Run /jaan-to:qa-test-mutate to validate test effectiveness
- Run /jaan-to:dev-verify to verify build pipeline

Step 8: Capture Feedback

Use AskUserQuestion:

• Question: "How did TDD orchestration turn out?"
• Header: "Feedback"
• Options:
  • "Perfect!" -- Done
  • "Needs fixes" -- What should I improve?
  • "Learn from this" -- Capture a lesson for future runs

If "Learn from this": Run /jaan-to:learn-add qa-tdd-orchestrate "{feedback}"

---

Skill Alignment

• Two-phase workflow with HARD STOP for human approval
• Multi-stack support via tech.md detection
• Template-driven output structure
• Output to standardized $JAAN_OUTPUTS_DIR path
• Context isolation via Task-based sub-agents (Claude Code only)

Definition of Done

• Feature decomposed into TDD-able components
• Test framework detected
• RED/GREEN/REFACTOR cycles executed per component
• Context isolation enforced (artifact-only handoffs, manifest verification)
• All acceptance tests pass (outer loop)
• All unit tests pass (inner loop)
• Iteration limits respected
• Same-test failures escalated (if any)
• Executive Summary generated
• Sequential ID generated
• Folder created: {id}-{slug}/
• Main report written: {id}-{slug}.md
• Orchestration log written
• Index updated
• User approved