claude-skills-reference/docs/skills/engineering-team/tdd-guide.md

---
title: "TDD Guide — Agent Skill & Codex Plugin"
description: "Test-driven development skill for writing unit tests, generating test fixtures and mocks, analyzing coverage gaps, and guiding red-green-refactor. Agent skill for Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, OpenClaw."
---

# TDD Guide

<div class="page-meta" markdown>
<span class="meta-badge">:material-code-braces: Engineering - Core</span>
<span class="meta-badge">:material-identifier: `tdd-guide`</span>
<span class="meta-badge">:material-github: <a href="https://github.com/alirezarezvani/claude-skills/tree/main/engineering-team/tdd-guide/SKILL.md">Source</a></span>
</div>

<div class="install-banner" markdown>
<span class="install-label">Install:</span> <code>claude /plugin install engineering-skills</code>
</div>


Test-driven development skill for generating tests, analyzing coverage, and guiding red-green-refactor workflows across Jest, Pytest, JUnit, and Vitest.

---

## Workflows

### Generate Tests from Code

1. Provide source code (TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Java)
2. Specify target framework (Jest, Pytest, JUnit, Vitest)
3. Run `test_generator.py` with requirements
4. Review generated test stubs
5. **Validation:** Tests compile and cover happy path, error cases, edge cases

### Analyze Coverage Gaps

1. Generate coverage report from test runner (`npm test -- --coverage`)
2. Run `coverage_analyzer.py` on LCOV/JSON/XML report
3. Review prioritized gaps (P0/P1/P2)
4. Generate missing tests for uncovered paths
5. **Validation:** Coverage meets target threshold (typically 80%+)

### TDD New Feature

1. Write failing test first (RED)
2. Run `tdd_workflow.py --phase red` to validate
3. Implement minimal code to pass (GREEN)
4. Run `tdd_workflow.py --phase green` to validate
5. Refactor while keeping tests green (REFACTOR)
6. **Validation:** All tests pass after each cycle

---

## Examples

### Test Generation — Input → Output (Pytest)

**Input source function (`math_utils.py`):**
```python
def divide(a: float, b: float) -> float:
    if b == 0:
        raise ValueError("Cannot divide by zero")
    return a / b
```

**Command:**
```bash
python scripts/test_generator.py --input math_utils.py --framework pytest
```

**Generated test output (`test_math_utils.py`):**
```python
import pytest
from math_utils import divide

class TestDivide:
    def test_divide_positive_numbers(self):
        assert divide(10, 2) == 5.0

    def test_divide_negative_numerator(self):
        assert divide(-10, 2) == -5.0

    def test_divide_float_result(self):
        assert divide(1, 3) == pytest.approx(0.333, rel=1e-3)

    def test_divide_by_zero_raises_value_error(self):
        with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="Cannot divide by zero"):
            divide(10, 0)

    def test_divide_zero_numerator(self):
        assert divide(0, 5) == 0.0
```

---

### Coverage Analysis — Sample P0/P1/P2 Output

**Command:**
```bash
python scripts/coverage_analyzer.py --report lcov.info --threshold 80
```

**Sample output:**
```
Coverage Report — Overall: 63% (threshold: 80%)

P0 — Critical gaps (uncovered error paths):
  auth/login.py:42-58   handle_expired_token()       0% covered
  payments/process.py:91-110  handle_payment_failure()   0% covered

P1 — High-value gaps (core logic branches):
  users/service.py:77   update_profile() — else branch  0% covered
  orders/cart.py:134    apply_discount() — zero-qty guard  0% covered

P2 — Low-risk gaps (utility / helper functions):
  utils/formatting.py:12  format_currency()            0% covered

Recommended: Generate tests for P0 items first to reach 80% threshold.
```

---

## Key Tools

| Tool | Purpose | Usage |
|------|---------|-------|
| `test_generator.py` | Generate test cases from code/requirements | `python scripts/test_generator.py --input source.py --framework pytest` |
| `coverage_analyzer.py` | Parse and analyze coverage reports | `python scripts/coverage_analyzer.py --report lcov.info --threshold 80` |
| `tdd_workflow.py` | Guide red-green-refactor cycles | `python scripts/tdd_workflow.py --phase red --test test_auth.py` |
| `fixture_generator.py` | Generate test data and mocks | `python scripts/fixture_generator.py --entity User --count 5` |

Additional scripts: `framework_adapter.py` (convert between frameworks), `metrics_calculator.py` (quality metrics), `format_detector.py` (detect language/framework), `output_formatter.py` (CLI/desktop/CI output).

---

## Input Requirements

**For Test Generation:**
- Source code (file path or pasted content)
- Target framework (Jest, Pytest, JUnit, Vitest)
- Coverage scope (unit, integration, edge cases)

**For Coverage Analysis:**
- Coverage report file (LCOV, JSON, or XML format)
- Optional: Source code for context
- Optional: Target threshold percentage

**For TDD Workflow:**
- Feature requirements or user story
- Current phase (RED, GREEN, REFACTOR)
- Test code and implementation status

---

## Limitations

| Scope | Details |
|-------|---------|
| Unit test focus | Integration and E2E tests require different patterns |
| Static analysis | Cannot execute tests or measure runtime behavior |
| Language support | Best for TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Java |
| Report formats | LCOV, JSON, XML only; other formats need conversion |
| Generated tests | Provide scaffolding; require human review for complex logic |

**When to use other tools:**
- E2E testing: Playwright, Cypress, Selenium
- Performance testing: k6, JMeter, Locust
- Security testing: OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite