| name | btt-testing |
| user-invocable | true |
| description | Write bulloak tree specifications (.tree files) for smart contract integration tests. Trigger phrases - write a tree, create test tree, BTT spec, bulloak tree, Branching Tree Technique, or when writing integration tests for contract functions. |
Branching Tree Technique (BTT) Skill
Write bulloak tree specifications for smart contract tests.
Bundled References
| Reference | Content | When to Read |
|---|
.claude/skills/btt-testing/references/examples.md | Complete tree and generated test examples | When learning BTT syntax |
.claude/skills/btt-testing/references/sablier-conventions.md | Sablier-specific terminology and examples | When working in Sablier repos |
What is Bulloak?
Bulloak is a Solidity test generator that creates test scaffolds from .tree specification files. It offers a
structured approach to test case design that ensures comprehensive coverage of all possible scenarios and edge cases in
your smart contract tests.
Commands
To install Bulloak, if not found
cargo install bulloak
Generate test contract from a .tree file
bulloak scaffold -wf --skip-modifiers --format-descriptions <path/to/file.tree>
where:
--format-descriptions capitalizes the first letter of the branch in the test contract and add a period at the end of
it.
--skip-modifiers skips the generation of modifiers. We do this because we put all the modifiers in a separate
Modifiers.sol file.
Check if the code in .t.sol file matches the specification in the .tree file
bulloak check --skip-modifiers <path/to/file.tree>
Important: Tree Files Should NOT Have Periods
Tree files should not have periods at the end of it branches. The --format-descriptions flag automatically:
- Capitalizes the first letter
- Adds a period at the end
# Correct (no period)
āāā it should revert
# Wrong (has period)
āāā it should revert.
Tree Syntax
Structure
FunctionName_ContractName_Integration_Test
āāā condition1
ā āāā outcome1
āāā condition2
āāā outcome2
Terminology
| Keyword | Purpose |
|---|
when | Conditional branch (user input or timestamp) |
given | Pre-condition contract state branch |
it | Action/assertion (leaf node) |
when and given become modifiers if they have nested branches.
Spec
- In case of single tree per file, the root should be just the function name followed by
_Integration_Concrete_Test.
- In case of multiple trees in the same file, each root must be
Contract::function, using :: as a separator, and
all roots must share the same contract name (e.g., Foo::hashPair, Foo::min).
- bulloak expects you to use ā and ā characters to denote branches
- If a branch starts with either
when or given, it is a condition. when and given are interchangeable.
- If a branch starts with
it, it is an action. Any child branch an action has is called an action description.
Examples
For examples, see examples.
Rules
- The test file must be placed in the
tests/integration/concrete/{function} directory.
- The directory name must use
- format. For example, if the function name is createFlowStream, the corrresponding
test tree and test file must be placed in the tests/integration/concrete/create-flow-stream directory.
- The tree file name must be
{function}.tree.
- The test file name must be
{function}.t.sol.
- The root node of the spec and the Contract name must be
{FunctionName}_Integration_Concrete_Test.
Workflow
1. Create the Tree File
Location for tree file: tests/integration/concrete/{function-name}/{functionName}.tree
Note: Your repo's agent will provide the exact directory structure.
2. Generate Test Scaffold
bulloak scaffold -wf --skip-modifiers --format-descriptions <path/to/file.tree>
This generates a .t.sol file.
3. Check Tree-Test Alignment
bulloak check --skip-modifiers <path/to/file.tree>
If it returns false, your repo agent will look into it and fix the issues.
Best Practices
1. Order Conditions Logically
Start with guard conditions that cause early reverts:
āāā when delegate call // First: delegation check
ā āāā it should revert
āāā when no delegate call
āāā given null // Second: existence check
ā āāā it should revert
āāā given not null
āāā when amount zero // Third: input validation
ā āāā it should revert
āāā when amount not zero
āāā ... // Finally: business logic
2. Use Consistent Terminology
Some examples below:
| Concept | Convention |
|---|
| Resource doesn't exist | given null |
| Resource exists | given not null |
| Caller check | when caller {role} |
| Amount check | when amount {condition} |
Whenever possible, try to use less words and more concise language for the branches.
3. Group Related Conditions
āāā when withdrawal address not zero
āāā when withdrawal address not owner // Non-owner cases
ā āāā when caller sender
ā āāā when caller unknown
ā āāā when caller recipient
āāā when withdrawal address owner // Owner cases
āāā ...
4. Detailed Leaf Nodes for Happy Path
For success cases, enumerate all side effects:
āāā it should make the withdrawal
āāā it should reduce the entry balance by the withdrawn amount
āāā it should reduce the aggregate amount by the withdrawn amount
āāā it should update the entry state
āāā it should update the timestamp
āāā it should emit {Transfer}, {Withdraw} and {MetadataUpdate} events
Put events in parenthesis: {EventName}.
5. Don't Add a Modifier with the Same Name as the Function
A test function should NEVER have a modifier that matches its own name. The function name already encodes the condition
ā adding a same-name modifier is redundant.
// WRONG: modifier matches the function name
function test_WhenWithdrawAmountNotZero()
external
whenWithdrawalAddressNotZero
whenWithdrawAmountNotZero // <- WRONG: redundant, same as the function name
{ }
// CORRECT:
function test_WhenWithdrawAmountNotZero() external whenWithdrawalAddressNotZero { }
6. Use proper indentation
Child branch symbols (ā/ā) must align with the tail of parent's āāā or āāā (3 spaces, not 4):
āāā when withdrawal address not zero
āāā when withdrawal address not owner ā Correct (3 spaces)
ā āāā when caller sender
Running Bulloak
bulloak scaffold -wf --skip-modifiers --format-descriptions <path/to/file.tree>
bulloak check --skip-modifiers tests/**/*.tree
Full Documentation
https://github.com/alexfertel/bulloak/blob/main/README.md
Example Invocations
Test this skill with these prompts:
- Basic tree: "Write a BTT tree for a
deposit function that reverts when amount is zero and succeeds otherwise"
- Complex tree: "Create a tree spec for
withdraw that checks null stream, caller authorization, and amount
validation"
- Sablier-specific: "Write a BTT tree for
cancel in the Lockup protocol with proper stream state checks"