---

name: rails-testing description: Help with Rails testing including unit tests, integration tests, fixtures, and debugging test failures. Use when working on tests or debugging test issues.

Rails Testing

Instructions

When helping with Rails testing:

1. Understand the test structure

   • Check existing tests in test/ directory to understand project conventions
   • Look for test patterns in similar files (models, controllers, etc.)
   • Respect the project's test organization and naming conventions

2. Running tests

   • Run all tests: bin/rails test
   • Run specific file: bin/rails test test/models/user_test.rb
   • Run specific test: bin/rails test test/models/user_test.rb:5 (line number)
   • Run with verbose output: bin/rails test -v
   • Use --fail-fast to stop on first failure: bin/rails test --fail-fast

3. Test types in Rails

   • Models: Test business logic, validations, associations
   • Controllers: Test request/response, status codes, redirects, instance variables
   • Integration Tests: Test full workflows across multiple components
   • Fixtures: Use for test data setup

4. Writing effective tests

   • Use descriptive test names: test_should_create_valid_user
   • Test both success and failure cases
   • Keep tests focused and isolated
   • Use fixtures for shared test data
   • Clean up side effects after tests

5. Debugging test failures

   • Read error messages carefully - they usually point to the issue
   • Check if test data is set up correctly (fixtures, setup methods)
   • Verify assertions match the actual behavior
   • Use puts or p to inspect values
   • Check test isolation - tests shouldn't depend on each other

6. Test database

   • Rails uses a separate test database
   • Run migrations: bin/rails db:test:prepare
   • Check test/fixtures/ for test data

Examples

When user asks: "How do I test this model?" → Create a model test in test/models/ following existing patterns, test validations and associations

When user asks: "Why is this test failing?" → Analyze the error, check test data setup, verify assertions, suggest fixes

When user asks: "Add tests for this controller" → Create controller tests in test/controllers/, test CRUD actions and edge cases

When user asks: "How do I set up test data?" → Suggest fixtures in test/fixtures/ or setup methods in the test file