acceptance-pipeline-catalog

name

acceptance-pipeline-catalog

description

Use when implementing, reviewing, or debugging a Gherkin acceptance-test pipeline with mutation testing. Covers parser, JSON IR, generator, runtime, step handlers, test runner, mutator, value mutation rules, execution, result classification, reporting, project layout, conformance, and agent setup. Based on Uncle Bob's Acceptance Pipeline Specification. Trigger even when the user mentions Gherkin parsing, acceptance test generation, mutation testing for acceptance tests, or building a portable test pipeline.

Robert C. Martin Acceptance Pipeline Best Practices

Language-neutral specification for a portable acceptance-test pipeline: Gherkin feature files to JSON IR to generated acceptance tests to mutation testing. Based on Robert C. Martin's Acceptance Pipeline Specification. Contains ~50 rules across 14 categories, prioritized by impact.

When to Apply

Reference these rules when:

• Building a Gherkin parser that outputs JSON IR
• Implementing an acceptance test generator from JSON IR
• Writing an acceptance runtime that expands scenarios and dispatches steps
• Implementing mutation testing for acceptance test example values
• Setting up the full pipeline (parser, generator, runner, mutator) in a new project
• Debugging pipeline failures (parse errors, generation issues, mutation classification)

Pipeline Overview

The pipeline has two modes:

Normal acceptance run:

feature file -> gherkin parser -> JSON IR -> acceptance generator -> generated tests -> test runner

Mutation run:

feature file -> gherkin parser -> base JSON IR -> mutator (one changed IR per mutation)
  -> generator (tests per mutation) -> test runner (evaluate each) -> mutation report

The normal run proves the project satisfies the feature. The mutation run probes whether tests are strong enough to fail when example data changes.