| name | nw-optimize-tests |
| description | Minimizes test count while preserving coverage. Detects byte-identical pairs, parametrize-inflation, language-guarantee tests, AST-shape tests, stale migration nets. Approval gate before any change. |
| user-invocable | true |
| argument-hint | [scope] - Optional: a path (e.g. tests/des/unit/), a feature-id (auto-resolves to tests/<id>/), or omit for full unit suite. --reviewer to chain reviewer agent. |
NW-OPTIMIZE-TESTS: Test Suite Optimization
Wave: CROSS_WAVE
Agent: Trim (nw-test-optimizer)
Reviewer: Trim Review (nw-test-optimizer-reviewer)
Overview
Dispatches Trim to inventory a test scope, detect duplication and anti-patterns, propose a consolidation plan, and apply it after explicit approval. Coverage is preserved; production code is never modified. Use after a feature lands, when a suite feels slow or noisy, on weekly audit, or whenever overtesting is suspected.
Context Files Required
- The scope path (passed as argument or auto-detected)
~/.claude/skills/nw-test-optimization/SKILL.md — methodology (loaded by agent)
Timing Baseline
Trim compares against the wall-clock figures recorded in the execution-log.json.
Agent Invocation
@nw-test-optimizer
Execute test optimization for {scope}.
Configuration:
- scope: <path | feature-id | empty for full unit suite>
- approval_required: true # always; gate is non-negotiable
- mutation_validation: false # set true for critical scopes (financial, safety, infra)
- reviewer_chain: false # set true to dispatch nw-test-optimizer-reviewer after apply
Approval Gate
Trim presents the plan as a markdown table after Phase 3 (PLAN). The orchestrator (or invoking user) responds with one of:
- APPROVE — full plan, all rows
- APPROVE WITH EXCLUSIONS — list row IDs to skip
- REJECT — abort, return findings as deferred report
- REPLAN — provide new scope or constraint
No changes are applied without one of these responses. Trim never assumes approval.
Reviewer Chain (optional)
If reviewer_chain: true:
@nw-test-optimizer-reviewer
Validate the optimization output for {scope}.
Reviewer hard-blocks on: production drift, coverage drop without justification, unmapped removal, missing approval gate evidence.
Success Criteria
Examples
Example 1: Full unit suite audit
/nw-optimize-tests
Trim inventories the unit suite, runs md5sum cross-check, scans for anti-patterns, produces a leverage-sorted plan covering byte-identical pairs and parametrize-inflated files.
Example 2: Scoped to a feature
/nw-optimize-tests lean-wave-documentation
Trim resolves to tests/<feature-id>/ paths from the execution-log.json if available, otherwise scopes to test files referencing the feature-id.
Example 3: Single fat file
/nw-optimize-tests tests/build/unit/test_skill_restructuring.py
Trim probes the single file (315 collected tests), checks migration-collapse lifecycle (skill 3.5), proposes collapse to ~3 tests.
Example 4: With reviewer
/nw-optimize-tests tests/des/unit/ --reviewer
Trim runs the workflow, then dispatches Trim Review for adversarial validation. Reviewer issues YAML verdict.
Out of Scope
- Authoring new tests (crafter scope, DELIVER wave)
- Production code refactoring (
/nw-refactor, crafter scope)
- Test infrastructure changes (platform-architect, troubleshooter)
Expected Outputs
git log --oneline {base}..HEAD (atomic commits per pattern)
<scope> (test files modified or deleted)
report (returned inline by agent) (baseline, after, deltas, SHAs)
