dev-test

---

name: dev-test description: "This skill should be used when the user needs to 'debug web applications', 'test UI interactions', 'capture screenshots or network requests', 'test desktop automation', or needs to select between testing tools. Routes to platform-specific E2E testing skills: Chrome MCP for debugging, Playwright for CI/CD, Hammerspoon for macOS, Linux for X11/Wayland."

Where This Fits

CopyMain Chat                          Task Agent
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
dev-implement
  → dev-ralph-loop (loads dev-tdd)
    → dev-delegate
      → Task agent ──────────────→ uses dev-test (this skill)
                                     ↓ loads dev-tdd again
                                   has TDD protocol + gates
                                     → routes to specific tool

Before choosing testing tools, you MUST load the TDD skill to ensure gate compliance:

CopySkill(skill="workflows:dev-tdd")

This loads:

• Task reframing (your job is writing tests, not features)
• The Execution Gate (6 mandatory gates before E2E testing)
• GATE 5: READ LOGS (mandatory - cannot skip)
• The Iron Law of TDD (test-first approach)

Read dev-tdd skill content now before selecting testing tools.

This skill routes to the right testing tool. The loaded dev-tdd skill provides TDD protocol details.

Contents

• The Iron Law
• Browser Testing Decision Tree
• Platform Detection
• Sub-Skills Reference
• Unit & Integration Tests

YOU MUST WRITE E2E TESTS FOR USER-FACING FEATURES. This is not negotiable.

When your changes affect what users see or interact with, you MUST:

1. Write an E2E test that simulates user behavior
2. Run it and verify it PASSES (not just unit tests)
3. Document: "E2E: [test name] passes with [evidence]"
4. Include screenshot/snapshot for visual changes

Unit tests prove components work. E2E tests prove YOUR feature works for users.

Rationalization Prevention

When you catch yourself thinking these rationalizations, STOP—you're about to skip E2E tests:

Fake E2E Detection - STOP

If your "E2E test" does any of these, it's NOT E2E:

The test: If removing the actual implementation still passes your "E2E test", it's fake.

Example of fake E2E that caught nothing:

Copy# FAKE E2E - only checks logs
def test_icon_theme_change():
    run_command("set-theme papirus")
    logs = read_logs()
    assert "papirus" in logs  # ❌ FAKE - only proves code ran
    # BUG: 89% of icons weren't changed, test still passed!

Real E2E that would have caught the bug:

Copy# REAL E2E - verifies actual output
def test_icon_theme_change():
    run_command("set-theme papirus")
    screenshot = capture_desktop()
    assert visual_diff(screenshot, "expected_papirus.png") < threshold  # ✅ REAL
    # This would have shown 89% of icons were wrong

Red Flags - STOP If Thinking:

If you catch yourself thinking these patterns, STOP—you're about to skip E2E:

Browser Testing Decision Tree

Copy┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    BROWSER TESTING REQUIRED?                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
        ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
        │  Need to debug JS errors or API calls?       │
        │  (console.log, network requests, XHR)        │
        └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                    │                    │
                   YES                   NO
                    │                    │
                    ▼                    ▼
        ┌───────────────────┐  ┌──────────────────────────┐
        │   CHROME MCP      │  │  Running in CI/CD?        │
        │   (debugging)     │  │  (headless, automated)    │
        └───────────────────┘  └──────────────────────────┘
                                      │           │
                                     YES          NO
                                      │           │
                                      ▼           ▼
                        ┌──────────────┐  ┌───────────────────┐
                        │ PLAYWRIGHT   │  │ Cross-browser     │
                        │ MCP          │  │ needed?           │
                        └──────────────┘  └───────────────────┘
                                                │          │
                                               YES         NO
                                                │          │
                                                ▼          ▼
                                    ┌──────────────┐ ┌────────────┐
                                    │ PLAYWRIGHT   │ │ Either OK  │
                                    │ MCP          │ │ (prefer    │
                                    └──────────────┘ │ Playwright)│
                                                     └────────────┘

YOU MUST USE CHROME MCP FOR API/CONSOLE DEBUGGING. NO EXCEPTIONS. YOU MUST USE PLAYWRIGHT MCP FOR CI/CD TESTING. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Quick Decision Table

Capability Comparison

Rationalization Prevention (Browser MCP)

Platform Detection

Detect the operating system and display server to select the appropriate testing tool:

Copy# Detect platform for desktop automation
case "$(uname -s)" in
    Darwin) echo "macOS - use dev-test-hammerspoon" ;;
    Linux)
        if [ "$XDG_SESSION_TYPE" = "wayland" ]; then
            echo "Linux/Wayland - use dev-test-linux (ydotool)"
        else
            echo "Linux/X11 - use dev-test-linux (xdotool)"
        fi
        ;;
esac

Desktop Automation Decision Tree

Copy┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   DESKTOP AUTOMATION REQUIRED?                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
                    ┌─────────────────┐
                    │   Platform?      │
                    └─────────────────┘
                    /        |         \
                 macOS    Linux      Windows
                   │         │           │
                   ▼         ▼           ▼
        ┌──────────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐
        │ HAMMERSPOON  │ │ LINUX   │ │ NOT     │
        │ (dev-test-   │ │ (dev-   │ │ SUPPORTED│
        │ hammerspoon) │ │ test-   │ └─────────┘
        └──────────────┘ │ linux)  │
                         └─────────┘
                              │
                    ┌─────────┴─────────┐
                    │   Display Server?  │
                    └───────────────────┘
                         /         \
                    Wayland        X11
                       │            │
                       ▼            ▼
                 ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐
                 │ ydotool  │ │ xdotool  │
                 └──────────┘ └──────────┘

Sub-Skills Reference

Verify tools are available BEFORE proceeding. Missing tools = FULL STOP.

Each sub-skill has its own availability gate. Load the appropriate skill and follow its gate.

Browser Testing

Desktop Automation

Unit & Integration Tests

Test Discovery

Locate test directories and identify the test framework used in the project:

Copy# Find test directory
ls -d tests/ test/ spec/ __tests__/ 2>/dev/null

# Find test framework
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E "(test|jest)"
cat pyproject.toml 2>/dev/null | grep -i pytest
cat Cargo.toml 2>/dev/null | grep -i "\[dev-dependencies\]"
cat meson.build 2>/dev/null | grep -i test

Common Test Frameworks

CLI Application Testing

Execute CLI applications with test inputs and verify outputs against expected results:

Copy# Run with test inputs
./app --test-mode input.txt > output.txt

# Compare to expected
diff expected.txt output.txt

# Check exit code
./app --validate file && echo "PASS" || echo "FAIL"

Output Requirements

Every test run MUST be documented in LEARNINGS.md:

Copy## Test Run: [Description]

**Tool:** [Chrome MCP / Playwright / Hammerspoon / ydotool / pytest / etc.]

**Command:**
```bash
pytest tests/ -v

Output:

Copytests/test_feature.py::test_basic PASSED
tests/test_feature.py::test_edge_case PASSED
tests/test_feature.py::test_error FAILED

1 failed, 2 passed

Result: 2/3 PASS, 1 FAIL

Next: Fix test_error failure

Copy
## Integration

For TDD protocol (RED-GREEN-REFACTOR), see:

Skill(skill="workflows:dev-tdd")

Copy
This skill is invoked by Task agents during `dev-implement` phase.