test-driven-development

To enforce a test-first workflow, you apply a strict red-green-refactor cycle by writing a failing test for new behavior, implementing just enough code to pass, and then refactoring. This reduces regressions and design drift.

Yes, you can configure TDD strictness using mode-based discipline with settings for strict, recommended, or off. This allows teams to adjust the test-first enforcement level to match their specific development rituals.

The red-green-refactor cycle guides bugfixes across languages by first writing a failing test that reproduces the bug, implementing the minimal code fix to make it pass, and then refactoring the implementation to ensure quality assurance.

The best way to start is to write a failing test that accurately captures the new expected behavior, run it to confirm it fails, and then incrementally implement the production code until the test passes.

You should avoid strict mode for test-driven development when your team requires flexible iteration without immediate test-first enforcement, switching instead to recommended or off modes to better fit exploratory programming contexts.