mutation-test

namespace	aiwg
name	mutation-test
description	Run mutation testing to validate test quality beyond code coverage. Use when assessing test effectiveness, finding weak tests, or validating test suite quality.
version	1.0.0
platforms	["all"]

Mutation Test Skill

Purpose

Run mutation testing to measure test suite effectiveness. Mutation testing introduces small changes (mutants) to code and checks if tests catch them. High coverage with low mutation score indicates weak tests.

Research Foundation

Concept	Source	Reference
Mutation Testing Theory	IEEE TSE (2019)	Papadakis et al. "Mutation Testing Advances"
ICST Mutation Workshop	IEEE Annual	Mutation 2024
Stryker Mutator	Industry Tool	stryker-mutator.io
PITest	Java Tool	pitest.org
mutmut	Python Tool	github.com/boxed/mutmut

When This Skill Applies

• User asks to "validate test quality" or "check test effectiveness"
• User mentions "mutation testing" or "mutation score"
• User wants to know if tests are "actually testing anything"
• High coverage but bugs still escaping
• Assessing test suite health
• Pre-release quality validation

Trigger Phrases

Natural Language	Action
"Run mutation testing"	Execute mutation analysis
"Check if my tests are effective"	Run mutation + analyze
"Validate test quality"	Mutation score report
"Are my tests catching real bugs?"	Mutation analysis
"Find weak tests"	Identify low-score tests
"Why did this bug escape tests?"	Mutation analysis on module

Mutation Testing Concepts

What is a Mutant?

A mutant is a small code change that should cause tests to fail:

// Original
if (age >= 18) { return "adult"; }

// Mutant 1: Changed >= to >
if (age > 18) { return "adult"; }

// Mutant 2: Changed >= to ==
if (age == 18) { return "adult"; }

// Mutant 3: Changed "adult" to ""
if (age >= 18) { return ""; }

Mutation Operators

Operator	Example	Tests
Arithmetic	+ → -	Math operations
Relational	>= → >	Boundary conditions
Logical	&& → ||	Boolean logic
Literal	true → false	Constant handling
Return	return x → return null	Return value handling

Mutation Score

Mutation Score = (Killed Mutants / Total Mutants) × 100

Score	Quality	Interpretation
90%+	Excellent	Tests are highly effective
80-89%	Good	Target for production
60-79%	Adequate	Room for improvement
<60%	Poor	Tests need significant work

Implementation Process

1. Detect Project and Install Tool

def setup_mutation_tool(project_type):
    if project_type == "javascript":
        # Install Stryker
        return "npx stryker init"
    elif project_type == "python":
        # Install mutmut
        return "pip install mutmut"
    elif project_type == "java":
        # PITest via Maven/Gradle
        return "Add pitest plugin to pom.xml"

2. Configure Mutation Testing

Stryker (JavaScript):

// stryker.config.json
{
  "mutate": ["src/**/*.ts", "!src/**/*.test.ts"],
  "testRunner": "vitest",
  "reporters": ["html", "progress"],
  "coverageAnalysis": "perTest",
  "thresholds": {
    "high": 80,
    "low": 60,
    "break": 50
  }
}

mutmut (Python):

# setup.cfg
[mutmut]
paths_to_mutate=src/
tests_dir=tests/
runner=pytest

PITest (Java):

<!-- pom.xml -->
<plugin>
    <groupId>org.pitest</groupId>
    <artifactId>pitest-maven</artifactId>
    <version>1.15.0</version>
    <configuration>
        <targetClasses>
            <param>com.example.*</param>
        </targetClasses>
        <mutationThreshold>80</mutationThreshold>
    </configuration>
</plugin>

3. Run Mutation Analysis

# JavaScript
npx stryker run

# Python
mutmut run

# Java
mvn org.pitest:pitest-maven:mutationCoverage

4. Parse and Report Results

def parse_mutation_results(report_path):
    """Parse mutation testing report"""
    return {
        "total_mutants": 150,
        "killed": 120,
        "survived": 25,
        "timeout": 5,
        "mutation_score": 80.0,
        "survivors": [
            {
                "file": "src/auth/validate.ts",
                "line": 45,
                "mutator": "RelationalOperator",
                "original": "age >= 18",
                "mutant": "age > 18",
                "status": "survived"
            }
            # ... more survivors
        ]
    }

Output Format

## Mutation Testing Report

**Module**: src/auth/
**Test Suite**: test/auth/

### Summary

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Total Mutants | 150 |
| Killed | 120 (80%) |
| Survived | 25 (17%) |
| Timeout | 5 (3%) |
| **Mutation Score** | **80%** |

### Status: PASSED (threshold: 80%)

### Survived Mutants (Highest Priority)

#### 1. `src/auth/validate.ts:45`
```diff
- if (age >= 18) { return "adult"; }
+ if (age > 18) { return "adult"; }

Problem: Boundary condition not tested Fix: Add test case for age = 18

2. src/auth/login.ts:23

- if (attempts < maxAttempts) { allow(); }
+ if (attempts <= maxAttempts) { allow(); }

Problem: Off-by-one boundary not tested Fix: Add test for attempts = maxAttempts

Recommended Test Improvements

1. Add boundary tests for validate.ts (3 survivors)
2. Add error path tests for login.ts (2 survivors)
3. Test null/undefined cases in session.ts (1 survivor)

Coverage vs Mutation Score

File	Line Coverage	Mutation Score	Gap
validate.ts	95%	72%	23%
login.ts	88%	85%	3%
session.ts	100%	91%	9%

High coverage with low mutation score indicates weak assertions

## Integration with CI

### GitHub Actions Integration

```yaml
- name: Run mutation testing
  run: npx stryker run --reporters json

- name: Check mutation threshold
  run: |
    SCORE=$(jq '.metrics.mutationScore' reports/mutation/stryker-incremental.json)
    if (( $(echo "$SCORE < 80" | bc -l) )); then
      echo "::error::Mutation score $SCORE% below 80% threshold"
      exit 1
    fi

Optimization Tips

Incremental Mutation Testing

Only test changed code:

# Stryker incremental
npx stryker run --incremental

# PITest history
mvn pitest:mutationCoverage -DwithHistory

Target Critical Modules First

{
  "mutate": [
    "src/auth/**/*.ts",
    "src/payment/**/*.ts",
    "src/validation/**/*.ts"
  ]
}

Related Skills

• tdd-enforce - Enforce test-first development
• flaky-detect - Identify unreliable tests
• test-sync - Maintain test-code alignment

Script Reference

mutation_runner.py

Run mutation testing for project:

python scripts/mutation_runner.py --module src/auth

mutation_analyzer.py

Analyze and prioritize survivors:

python scripts/mutation_analyzer.py --report stryker-report.json

References

• @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/addons/testing-quality/README.md — Testing quality addon overview
• @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/README.md — SDLC framework context for quality gates
• @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/addons/aiwg-utils/rules/vague-discretion.md — Measurable quality thresholds and gate criteria
• @$AIWG_ROOT/docs/cli-reference.md — CLI reference