test-design-reviewer

Review test suites for quality, coverage, and bug-catching efficacy using a weighted scoring rubric.

2|2|Updated Jun 28, 2015
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/camercu/dotfiles --skill test-design-reviewer-camercu
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: test-design-reviewer
Source: https://github.com/camercu/dotfiles/tree/main/common/.config/agents/skills/test-design-reviewer
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/camercu/dotfiles --skill test-design-reviewer-camercu

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Test suites often look healthy while hiding weak assertions, tautological tests, flaky behavior, and untested error paths. This Skill audits a suite on three separate axes — design quality, completeness, and efficacy — so you can see whether your tests would actually catch bugs. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Farley Index scoring: Rates eight test properties (Understandable, Maintainable, Repeatable, Atomic, Necessary, Granular, Fast, First) on a weighted 0-10 scale with file:line evidence for every score. - Tautology theatre detection: Finds mock tautologies, trivial asserts, framework tests, and source-text guards that pass regardless of production code. - Coverage and efficacy reviews: Hunts behavior gaps manually, runs coverage tools (cargo llvm-cov, pytest --cov, vitest, JaCoCo) when available, and triages mutation-testing survivors into real gaps versus equivalent mutants. - Use Case: Ask for a review of your Rust or Python test suite and receive a structured report with the Farley Index, worst offenders, ranked recommendations, uncovered behavior spans, and weak assertions that mutation testing would expose. ## Quick Start Review the test suite in this repository and produce a Farley Index report with coverage and efficacy findings.

Frequently Asked Questions about test-design-reviewer

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I review the quality of my test suite?▼

Run a structured review that scores eight properties — Understandable, Maintainable, Repeatable, Atomic, Necessary, Granular, Fast, and First — on a weighted 0-10 scale. Each score cites file:line evidence, and the weighted mean produces a Farley Index rating from Critical to Exemplary.

What is mutation testing and how does it find weak tests?▼

Mutation testing perturbs production code (flipping operators, deleting statements) and re-runs the tests. A mutant the tests fail to kill is a surviving mutant, indicating a behavior no assertion pins. Tools include cargo mutants for Rust, mutmut for Python, and Stryker for JavaScript.

How to detect tautological tests that always pass?▼

Ask whether the test would still pass if all production code were deleted. Tests that configure a mock and assert the mock's return, assert literal constants like assertTrue(true), or only verify framework behavior are tautologies with zero bug-catching value.

Does the review work with Python, Rust, and JavaScript test frameworks?▼

Yes, the review detects the language and test/mock frameworks first and applies language-appropriate patterns. Coverage tools are mapped per stack: cargo llvm-cov for Rust, pytest --cov for Python, vitest or jest --coverage for JavaScript and TypeScript.

Can the reviewer modify my tests to fix coverage gaps?▼

No, the reviewer never modifies source or tests and does not add tests to chase coverage. It may run the suite, coverage, or mutation tools, but its output is a structured report with ranked recommendations that the caller implements.

Why is high code coverage not proof of good tests?▼

A covered line with a weak assertion is executed but unverified — coverage cannot see assertion strength. Tests that assert only existence, shape, or mock interactions run the code without noticing it break, a pattern called coverage theatre.