qa

name	qa
description	Verify a feature works after implementation. Actively try to break it — edge cases, error paths, integration wiring, and real usage flows.

QA

Planner Entry

Run /qa only when the user explicitly requests adversarial validation or an actionable PR/CI finding needs it. Do not add QA as a pre-PR quality gate: task-defined tests and the two PR AI reviewers are the default evidence.

Verify that a feature works as intended after implementation. Assume bugs exist and hunt for them.

Mindset: you are not confirming it works — you are discovering where it breaks.

Available skills

• /tdd — Use when unit or integration coverage is missing.
• /e2e — Use when a user-facing flow lacks browser coverage.

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Before starting: create the pipeline

Create these tasks immediately (use your task/todo tracking tool if available):

1. Understand the intent — Read task/PR/commits to understand what was built
2. Trace the wiring — Verify the feature is actually connected end-to-end
3. Test the happy path — Run the feature as a user would
4. Try to break it — Boundary values, error paths, concurrency, auth
5. Verify test coverage — Check for missing tests and report gaps
6. Report — Summarize findings with verdict

Mark each task in_progress when you begin it and completed when you finish it.

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Phase 1: Understand the intent

Mark task 1 as in_progress.

Read the task description, PR, or recent commits to understand what was built and what it should do. Identify:

• The expected behavior (happy path)
• System boundaries (user input, API endpoints, external data)
• Integration points (what calls what, data flow end-to-end)

Mark task 1 as completed.

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Phase 2: Trace the wiring

Mark task 2 as in_progress.

Before testing behavior, verify the feature is actually connected:

• Exports are imported and used (not just defined)
• API routes have consumers (frontend calls them, or tests exercise them)
• Data flows end-to-end: input -> handler -> storage -> response -> display
• New config/env vars are documented and have defaults

If something is orphaned or unwired, stop and report it — no point testing disconnected code.

Mark task 2 as completed.

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Phase 3: Test the happy path

Mark task 3 as in_progress.

Run the feature as a user would. For backend changes, call the API. For frontend changes, trace the UI flow. For both, follow the full path:

• Does the basic use case work?
• Does the response/output match expectations?
• Is the data persisted correctly?

Mark task 3 as completed.

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Phase 4: Try to break it

Mark task 4 as in_progress.

Systematically test these categories (skip what doesn't apply):

Boundary values:

• Empty input, nil/null, zero, negative numbers, max values
• Empty arrays/maps, single element, very large collections
• Strings: empty, whitespace-only, special characters, very long

Error paths:

• What happens when dependencies fail (DB down, API timeout, invalid response)?
• Are errors surfaced clearly or silently swallowed?
• Does the system recover or get stuck in a bad state?

Concurrency:

• What happens with simultaneous requests to the same resource?
• Race conditions: create/update/delete at the same time
• Does it handle duplicate submissions?

Authorization:

• Can the feature be accessed without proper auth?
• Does it respect permission boundaries?

Mark task 4 as completed.

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Phase 5: Verify test coverage

Mark task 5 as in_progress.

Check that the implementation has tests covering the behaviors you just verified:

• Are the happy path and key error paths tested?
• Are edge cases from Phase 4 covered?
• Are tests at the right level: unit for pure logic, integration for boundaries, E2E for critical browser flows?
• Do tests assert behavior/state/output rather than implementation details or mock behavior?
• If tests are missing, report the exact behavior and recommended test level so add the focused test in the same conversation.
• Avoid snapshot tests unless the snapshot change will be deliberately reviewed.

Mark task 5 as completed.

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Phase 6: Report

Mark task 6 as in_progress.

Summarize what was tested and what was found:

Verified working:

• List of behaviors confirmed working

Issues found:

• file:line - description, how to reproduce, severity (blocker/suggestion)

Missing test coverage:

• Behaviors that work but have no automated test

Verdict: Feature complete / Has issues — fix before merge

Mark task 6 as completed.