test-updates

What this skill does

## Table of Contents

- [Overview](#overview)
- [Core Philosophy](#core-philosophy)
- [What It Is](#what-it-is)
- [Quick Start](#quick-start)
- [Quick Checklist for First Time Use](#quick-checklist-for-first-time-use)
- [detailed Test Update](#detailed-test-update)
- [Targeted Test Updates](#targeted-test-updates)
- [TDD for New Features](#tdd-for-new-features)
- [Using the Scripts Directly](#using-the-scripts-directly)
- [When to Use It](#when-to-use-it)
- [Workflow Integration](#workflow-integration)
- [Phase 1: Discovery](#phase-1:-discovery)
- [Phase 2: Strategy](#phase-2:-strategy)
- [Phase 3: Implementation](#phase-3:-implementation)
- [Phase 4: Validation](#phase-4:-validation)
- [Quality Assurance](#quality-assurance)
- [Examples](#examples)
- [BDD-Style Test Generation](#bdd-style-test-generation)
- [Test Enhancement](#test-enhancement)
- [Integration with Existing Skills](#integration-with-existing-skills)
- [Success Metrics](#success-metrics)
- [Troubleshooting FAQ](#troubleshooting-faq)
- [Common Issues](#common-issues)
- [Performance Tips](#performance-tips)
- [Getting Help](#getting-help)


# Test Updates and Maintenance

## Overview

detailed test management system that applies TDD/BDD principles to maintain, generate, and enhance tests across codebases. This skill practices what it preaches - it uses TDD principles for its own development and serves as a living example of best practices.

### Core Philosophy

- **RED-GREEN-REFACTOR**: Strict adherence to TDD cycle
- **Behavior-First**: BDD patterns that describe what code should do
- **Invariant-Encoding**: Tests guard design decisions, not just behavior
- **Meta Dogfooding**: The skill's own tests demonstrate the principles it teaches
- **Quality Gates**: detailed validation before considering tests complete

## What It Is

A modular test management system that:
- Discovers what needs testing or updating
- Generates tests following TDD principles
- Enhances existing tests with BDD patterns
- Validate test quality through multiple lenses

## Quick Start

### Quick Checklist for First Time Use
- [ ] validate pytest is installed (`pip install pytest`)
- [ ] Have your source code in `src/` or similar directory
- [ ] Create a `tests/` directory if it doesn't exist
- [ ] Run `Skill(sanctum:git-workspace-review)` first to understand changes
- [ ] Start with `Skill(test-updates) --target <specific-module>` for focused updates

### detailed Test Update
```bash
# Run full test update workflow
Skill(test-updates)
```
**Verification:** Run `pytest -v` to verify tests pass.

### Targeted Test Updates
```bash
# Update tests for specific paths
Skill(test-updates) --target src/sanctum/agents
Skill(test-updates) --target tests/test_commit_messages.py
```
**Verification:** Run `pytest -v` to verify tests pass.

### TDD for New Features
```bash
# Apply TDD to new code
Skill(test-updates) --tdd-only --target new_feature.py
```
**Verification:** Run `pytest -v` to verify tests pass.

### Using the Scripts Directly

**Human-Readable Output:**
```bash
# Analyze test coverage gaps
python plugins/sanctum/scripts/test_analyzer.py --scan src/

# Generate test scaffolding
python plugins/sanctum/scripts/test_generator.py \
    --source src/my_module.py --style pytest_bdd

# Check test quality
python plugins/sanctum/scripts/quality_checker.py \
    --validate tests/test_my_module.py
```
**Verification:** Run `pytest -v` to verify tests pass.

**Programmatic Output (for Claude Code):**
```bash
# Get JSON output for programmatic parsing - test_analyzer
python plugins/sanctum/scripts/test_analyzer.py \
    --scan src/ --output-json

# Returns:
# {
#   "success": true,
#   "data": {
#     "source_files": ["src/module.py", ...],
#     "test_files": ["tests/test_module.py", ...],
#     "uncovered_files": ["module_without_tests", ...],
#     "coverage_gaps": [{"file": "...", "reason": "..."}]
#   }
# }

# Get JSON output - test_generator
python plugins/sanctum/scripts/test_generator.py \
    --source src/my_module.py --output-json

# Returns:
# {
#   "success": true,
#   "data": {
#     "test_file": "path/to/test_my_module.py",
#     "source_file": "src/my_module.py",
#     "style": "pytest_bdd",
#     "fixtures_included": true,
#     "edge_cases_included": true,
#     "error_cases_included": true
#   }
# }

# Get JSON output - quality_checker
python plugins/sanctum/scripts/quality_checker.py \
    --validate tests/test_my_module.py --output-json

# Returns:
# {
#   "success": true,
#   "data": {
#     "static_analysis": {...},
#     "dynamic_validation": {...},
#     "metrics": {...},
#     "quality_score": 85,
#     "quality_level": "QualityLevel.GOOD",
#     "recommendations": [...]
#   }
# }
```
**Verification:** Run `pytest -v` to verify tests pass.

## When To Use It

**Use this skill when you need to:**
- Update tests after code changes
- Generate tests for new features
- Improve existing test quality
- validate detailed test coverage

**Perfect for:**
- Pre-commit test validation
- CI/CD pipeline integration
- Refactoring with test safety
- Onboarding new developers

## When NOT To Use

- Auditing
  test suites - use pensive:test-review
- Writing production code
  - focus on implementation first
- Auditing
  test suites - use pensive:test-review
- Writing production code
  - focus on implementation first

## Workflow Integration

### Phase 1: Discovery
1. Scan codebase for test gaps
2. Analyze recent changes
3. Identify broken or outdated tests

See `modules/test-discovery.md` for detection patterns.

### Phase 2: Strategy
1. Choose appropriate BDD style (see `modules/bdd-patterns.md`)
2. Plan test structure
3. Define quality criteria
4. Identify design invariants to encode as tests

### Phase 2.5: Invariant-Encoding Tests

Before writing behavioral tests, identify the design
invariants that the code relies on and write tests
that would break if those invariants were violated.

**What to encode:**

- Module boundary constraints (A never imports from B)
- Data flow direction (events flow publisher-to-subscriber,
  never the reverse)
- API contract shapes (public interfaces don't change
  without versioning)
- Data structure choices (if a map was chosen over a list,
  test the properties that justify that choice)
- Error handling strategies (fail-fast boundaries, recovery
  zones)

**Example:**

```python
def test_plugins_never_import_from_other_plugins():
    """Encode the invariant: plugins are independent modules.

    If this test breaks, someone is coupling plugins
    directly. Present the 3 options to a human:
    1. Preserve: revert the import, keep plugins independent
    2. Layer: add a shared interface in leyline instead
    3. Revise: merge the plugins (requires ADR)
    """
    for plugin_dir in plugin_dirs:
        imports = extract_imports(plugin_dir)
        for imp in imports:
            assert not imp.startswith("plugins."), (
                f"{plugin_dir} imports {imp} — "
                f"violates plugin independence invariant"
            )
```

**Why this matters:** Tests that encode invariants are
load-bearing. When an agent later encounters a feature
that clashes with the invariant, the test failure forces
a conscious decision rather than a silent drift. Without
these tests, bad invariant decisions compound until the
codebase is unsalvageable.

**When updating existing tests:**

If an invariant-encoding test needs to change, do NOT
silently update the assertion. Flag it for human review
with the three options: preserve the invariant, layer
on top, or revise the invariant. This is a judgment
call that requires human wisdom: models default to
the "average" of training data and get these wrong far
too often.

### Phase 3: Implementation
1. Write failing tests (RED) - see `modules/tdd-workflow.md`
2. Implement minimal passing code (GREEN)
3. Refactor for clarity (REFACTOR)

See `modules/test-generation.md` for generation templates.

### Phase 4: Validation
1. Static analysis and linting
2.