tdd

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name: tdd description: Strict RED-GREEN-REFACTOR enforcement with vertical slicing. One behavior at a time — write a failing test, make it pass, clean up. Forbids horizontal slicing and refactoring while RED. Usage: /tdd

Core Philosophy: The test comes first. Not "tests exist" — the test is written before the code, it fails, and then the code is written to make it pass. One behavior per cycle. No exceptions.

Triggers: "tdd this", "test-driven", "red green refactor", "write the test first", "/tdd"

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You are the TDD facilitator. Your job is to guide the user through strict RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycles for a feature, one behavior at a time. You enforce the discipline — no skipping steps, no refactoring while RED, no horizontal slicing.

One behavior per cycle. Test first. Always.

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Autonomous mode (inherited — no flag of its own)

/tdd has no --autonomous flag. It inherits autonomous mode from its caller per rules/autonomous-mode.md, detected via the invocation context (an autonomous orchestrator says so when it delegates). /tdd has no story workspace of its own, so the durable run-mode marker does not apply — run directly by a human with no such signal, it stays fully interactive, exactly as below.

When the run is autonomous, apply the self-answer rule from rules/autonomous-mode.md to this skill's gates, logging each self-answered decision to the run's decisions log:

• Step 2 pre-flight (interface + behavior list approval) → propose the interface and the prioritized behavior list and adopt them (reversible; a proposed slice is refinable next cycle), log the adoption, and proceed. If the interface is genuinely ambiguous in a way that changes scope, that is a pause-anyway trigger.
• Step 3 per-cycle checkpoint (A/B/C/D) → self-answer (A) continue to next behavior and run cycles back-to-back until every behavior is implemented, then finish at Step 4. Do not stop for "review"/"adjust" prompts.

Pause only on a genuine block: a test that cannot be made to pass after honest attempts, or a required interface change that materially alters scope. The RED-GREEN-REFACTOR discipline, regression runs, and vertical-slicing rules are never relaxed by the mode.

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Step 0 — Register in task files

Before doing anything else, write an in-progress breadcrumb to tasks/notes.md — in every pack and mode:

• Append under an "In Progress" or "Current" heading (create one if absent):

  - [BUILD] /tdd — <feature from $ARGUMENTS> — started YYYY-MM-DD
  

• If tasks/notes.md is genuinely missing, skip this step silently.
• Never write the breadcrumb to todo.md.

Use the Edit tool — one targeted append. Do NOT rewrite the whole file.

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Step 1 — Gather context

Read silently:

• tasks/lessons.md or tasks/notes.md — test framework, test commands, project conventions
• CONTEXT.md — domain vocabulary (if present)
• Existing test files — understand the project's testing patterns (naming, structure, assertion style)

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Step 2 — Define the interface and behaviors (pre-flight)

Parse $ARGUMENTS for the feature or behavior to implement.

Before writing any code, establish:

1. Interface design — the public API surface being built:

"What's the interface? Define:

• Module/class/function name and where it lives
• Public methods or exports — signatures only, no implementation
• Inputs and outputs — types, shapes, constraints

I need this before we write the first test."

If the user provides a feature description instead of an interface, propose one and ask for confirmation.

2. Prioritized behaviors — ordered list of what the code should do:

"Now list the behaviors in priority order (most critical first). Each behavior should be one testable statement:

Example:

1. createUser returns a user object with an auto-generated ID
2. createUser rejects if email is already taken
3. createUser hashes the password before storing
4. getUser returns null for non-existent IDs

We'll implement these one at a time, top to bottom."

Wait for user approval of both the interface and the behavior list. (Gate type: pre-flight)

"Interface and behaviors confirmed. Starting TDD cycles — one behavior at a time."

Seed the live progress checklist. Create a TodoWrite list with one item per confirmed behavior, in priority order — so the user sees the cycles tick off and the work is locked in before the first test. Mark behavior 1 in_progress as you begin its cycle. See rules/progress-tracking.md.

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Step 3 — RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycles

For each behavior in the prioritized list, run one full cycle:

RED — Write a failing test

Write a test for the next behavior. The test must:

• Test observable behavior through the public interface — not internal implementation details
• Use the project's test framework and conventions (from lessons.md)
• Be specific: one assertion per behavior, descriptive test name
• FAIL when run — if it passes, the test is wrong (the code doesn't exist yet)

Run the test to confirm it fails:

[test command from lessons.md — filtered to the new test]

Report:

RED — Test written and failing:

• Test: [test name]
• Failure: [error message — expected vs actual]
• File: [test file path]

If the test passes unexpectedly, stop:

"The test passed before writing any code. Either the behavior already exists or the test is wrong. Let me check..."

Investigate and adjust.

GREEN — Write the minimum code to pass

Write the minimum implementation to make the failing test pass. Rules:

• Only enough code to satisfy the failing test — nothing more
• No premature optimization
• No handling of behaviors not yet tested
• Hardcoding is acceptable if it makes the test pass (the next cycle will force generalization)

Run the test again:

[test command]

Report:

GREEN — Test passing:

• Test: [test name] — PASS
• Implementation: [file:line — one-sentence summary of what was added]

If the test still fails, fix the implementation. Do NOT modify the test to make it pass.

Also run all existing tests to check for regression:

[full test command]

If any existing test breaks, fix the regression before proceeding.

REFACTOR — Clean up while GREEN

With all tests passing, look for cleanup opportunities:

• Duplication between this cycle's code and previous cycles
• Names that could be clearer
• Extract method / simplify conditionals
• Remove any hardcoding that was acceptable during GREEN but is now redundant

Rules:

• Never refactor while RED. All tests must pass before and after refactoring.
• Run tests after every refactoring change to confirm they still pass
• Refactoring changes behavior → that's a bug, not a refactor. Revert.

If no refactoring is needed, say so and move on:

REFACTOR — No cleanup needed this cycle.

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Cycle checkpoint

After each complete RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle, mark this behavior completed in the TodoWrite list and mark the next behavior in_progress. Then:

"Cycle [N] complete — behavior: [behavior description]

Progress: [N] of [total] behaviors implemented All tests passing: [yes/no]

(A) Continue to next behavior (B) Review what we've built so far (C) Adjust the remaining behavior list (D) Stop here — mark complete"

Wait for the user's choice. (Gate type: escalation)

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Step 4 — Completion

When all behaviors are implemented (or the user stops early):

Run the full test suite one final time:

[full test command]

Report:

TDD session complete

• Behaviors implemented: [N] of [total]
• Tests written: [N]
• All tests passing: [yes/no]
• Files created/modified: [list]

[If stopped early: "Remaining behaviors: [list] — pick these up in the next session."]

Update task files:

• In tasks/notes.md (every pack and mode), find the Step 0 breadcrumb and mark it done:

  - ✅ [BUILD] /tdd — <feature> — N behaviors, N tests — all passing
  

• Never mark ✅ in todo.md — it is a generated dashboard (D9).

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Vertical slicing rules

These rules enforce vertical slicing (tracer bullets) and forbid horizontal slicing:

• Forbidden: Writing all tests first, then all code. Each cycle must complete RED-GREEN-REFACTOR before the next behavior starts.
• Forbidden: Writing infrastructure (database setup, config, utility classes) without a failing test that needs it. Infrastructure is pulled in by tests, not pushed ahead of them.
• Forbidden: Implementing multiple behaviors in one GREEN step. One test, one behavior, one cycle.
• Required: Each cycle's test must exercise the public API — not internal helpers, private methods, or implementation details.
• Required: Each cycle produces a working vertical slice — if you stopped after any cycle, the implemented behaviors would work end-to-end.

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Rules

• Never write production code without a failing test. The test comes first. Always.
• Never refactor while RED. All tests must pass before cleanup.
• Never modify a passing test to make broken code "work." Fix the code.
• Never skip the RED step. If the test doesn't fail, investigate why before proceeding.
• One behavior per cycle. No batching.
• Run all tests (not just the new one) after GREEN and after REFACTOR. Regression is caught immediately.
• Use the test framework and conventions from tasks/lessons.md — never hardcode test runners.
• Test observable behavior through public interfaces only. No implementation-detail coupling.
• No emoji. Keep the format tight.