testing-base

name	testing-base
description	Enforces project shared testing conventions for test structure, file naming, description patterns, assertions, and anti-patterns. This base skill is loaded by all test-type specialists.
user-invocable	false

Testing Base Skill

Purpose

This skill provides shared testing conventions used across all test types (unit, component, integration, E2E). It establishes consistent patterns for test structure, file organization, naming conventions, and common anti-patterns to avoid.

Activation

This skill activates when:

• Creating or modifying any test file (.test.ts, .test.tsx, .spec.ts)
• Working with test setup files in tests/setup/
• Implementing test factories or mock handlers

Workflow

1. Detect testing work (file path contains tests/ or matches test file patterns)
2. Load references/Testing-Base-Conventions.md
3. Apply shared conventions to all test code
4. Validate against common anti-patterns
5. Report any violations found

Key Patterns (REQUIRED)

Test Structure

• Follow the project's test directory organization
• Use correct file naming patterns for each test type
• Keep test files close to their corresponding source files in the test hierarchy

Description Conventions

• Use describe/it blocks with clear, behavior-focused descriptions
• Organize tests: positive cases first, edge cases, then error cases
• Use globals (no imports needed for describe/it/expect/vi)

Assertion Patterns

• Use semantic assertions (toBeInTheDocument, toHaveLength, etc.)
• Prefer specific matchers over generic toBe(true)
• Use async/await properly with async assertions

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

• Never test implementation details
• Never use test.only in committed code
• Never skip test cleanup
• Never use arbitrary timeouts
• Never hardcode test data (use factories)
• Never test multiple behaviors in one test

References

• references/Testing-Base-Conventions.md - Complete shared testing conventions