| name | go-testing |
| description | Trigger: Go tests, go test coverage, Bubbletea teatest, golden files. Apply focused Go testing patterns. |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| metadata | {"author":"gentleman-programming","version":"1.0"} |
Activation Contract
Load this skill when writing or reviewing Go tests, adding coverage, testing Bubbletea/TUI flows, using teatest, or updating golden files.
Hard Rules
- Prefer table-driven tests for multiple cases; use
t.Run(tt.name, ...).
- Test behavior and state transitions, not implementation trivia.
- Use
t.TempDir() for filesystem tests; never rely on a real home directory.
- Keep integration tests skippable with
testing.Short() when they run external commands or slow flows.
- For Bubbletea, test
Model.Update() directly for state changes; use teatest only for interactive flows.
- Golden files must be deterministic; update only through the repo's
-update path and rerun tests without -update.
- Use small mocks/interfaces around system or command execution boundaries.
Decision Gates
| Target | Test pattern |
|---|
| Pure function or parser | Table-driven unit test. |
| Error behavior | Explicit success and failure cases. |
| File operations | t.TempDir() plus focused assertions. |
| TUI state transition | Direct Model.Update() call with tea.Msg. |
| Full TUI interaction | teatest.NewTestModel(). |
| Rendered output | Golden file test. |
| Real external command | Integration test; skip in -short. |
Execution Steps
- Identify behavior under test and the smallest public boundary that proves it.
- Choose the test pattern from the decision gate.
- Name cases by scenario, not input mechanics.
- Assert outputs, errors, state, and side effects explicitly.
- Run the narrow package test first, then the relevant broader suite.
- For golden updates: run with
-update, inspect diff, then rerun without -update.
Output Contract
Report test files changed, scenarios covered, commands executed, golden files updated, and any skipped integration scope.
References
