superpowers:test-driven-development

Test-driven development prevents untested code by requiring you to write a failing test that defines new behavior before any implementation. This regression-proof approach ensures high code quality by verifying requirements upfront through the Red-Green-Refactor cycle.

Mocking behavior instead of real logic creates testing anti-patterns by decoupling tests from actual production behavior and reducing validation accuracy. Strict test-first principles provide guardrails against improper mocking and prevent polluting production code with test-only methods.

Yes, test-first principles apply directly to bug fixes and refactoring tasks. For bug fixes, you first write a failing test reproducing the issue, then implement the solution. This maintains high code quality and prevents regressions across all task types.

The best way to start TDD for a new authentication feature is to write a failing test case that defines the expected authentication behavior. This initial failing test verifies requirements before you implement any production code for the feature.

To avoid test-only production code during Red-Green-Refactor, rely on anti-pattern detection guardrails that prevent polluting production logic with test-specific methods. Maintain strict separation by testing real behavior rather than injecting test-only code paths.