tdd-workflow

Test-Driven Development workflow principles. RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle.

Quality

35%

Does it follow best practices?

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tessl review fix ./skills/tdd-workflow/SKILL.md

Quality

Content

35%Scale 1-5

Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.

This skill reads as a TDD philosophy reference card rather than an actionable skill for Claude. It thoroughly covers TDD concepts and principles but fails to provide any concrete, executable examples—no test code, no commands, no language-specific guidance. Claude already understands TDD fundamentals, so the skill's value-add is minimal without actionable specifics.

Suggestions

Add concrete, executable code examples showing the full RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle in at least one language (e.g., write a failing test, show the minimal implementation, show the refactored version).

Include specific test runner commands (e.g., `pytest`, `npm test`) and show how to verify a test fails before writing implementation code.

Remove sections explaining concepts Claude already knows (Three Laws of TDD, AAA pattern, YAGNI definition) and replace with project-specific conventions or tool-specific guidance.

Add a concrete workflow with validation steps, e.g., 'Run `pytest -x` to confirm failure → write code → run `pytest -x` to confirm pass → refactor → run full suite to confirm no regressions.'

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Conciseness	The content is reasonably structured with tables for brevity, but includes several sections that explain concepts Claude already knows well (TDD fundamentals, AAA pattern, YAGNI). The 'Three Laws of TDD' and general principles are common knowledge for Claude and don't add actionable value.	3 / 5
Actionability	The skill is entirely conceptual with zero executable code, commands, or concrete examples. It describes TDD principles and philosophy but never shows an actual test being written, a command to run tests, or a concrete code example of the RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle in any language.	1 / 5
Workflow Clarity	The RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle is clearly sequenced and the phases are well-defined, but there are no validation checkpoints, no concrete steps for how to actually execute the workflow (e.g., which commands to run, how to verify a test fails), and no feedback loops for error recovery.	3 / 5
Progressive Disclosure	The content is organized into numbered sections with tables, which aids readability. However, it's a fairly long single file with no references to supporting materials, and some sections (like the anti-patterns table and AI-augmented TDD) could be separated or omitted. The structure is adequate but not optimized.	3 / 5
	Total	10 / 20 Passed

Description

36%Scale 1-5

Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.

The description is too terse and abstract, naming the TDD methodology and its core cycle without describing concrete actions or specifying when the skill should be selected. It lacks a 'Use when...' clause and misses natural trigger terms users would employ. While the RED-GREEN-REFACTOR mention provides some distinctiveness, the description needs significantly more detail to be effective for skill selection.

Suggestions

Add a 'Use when...' clause with trigger phrases like 'write tests first', 'TDD', 'test-driven', 'failing test', 'red green refactor'.

Expand the 'what' with concrete actions such as 'Guides writing a failing test first, implementing minimal code to pass, then refactoring for quality'.

Include natural synonyms and related terms users might say, such as 'unit tests', 'test-first development', 'test coverage', or 'testing workflow'.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Specificity	Names the domain (TDD) and mentions the RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle, but does not describe any concrete actions like 'write failing tests', 'implement minimal code', or 'refactor for clarity'. The description stays at the conceptual level.	2 / 5
Completeness	Provides a vague 'what' (TDD workflow principles) but has no 'when' clause at all. The absence of explicit trigger guidance caps this dimension. It does not tell Claude when to select this skill.	2 / 5
Trigger Term Quality	Includes 'Test-Driven Development', 'TDD' (implied), and 'RED-GREEN-REFACTOR' which are relevant keywords, but misses natural user phrases like 'write tests first', 'failing test', 'unit testing', or 'test workflow'.	3 / 5
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk	The mention of TDD and RED-GREEN-REFACTOR provides some specificity, but 'workflow principles' is broad enough to overlap with general testing skills, coding workflow skills, or software development methodology skills.	3 / 5
	Total	10 / 20 Passed

Validation

90%

Warnings & errors only

Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.

Validation — 10 / 11 Passed

Validation for skill structure

Criteria	Description	Result
frontmatter_unknown_keys	Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata	Warning

	Total	10 / 11 Passed

Repository: administrakt0r/AI-Agents-Safe-Coding-Skills
Path: skills/tdd-workflow/SKILL.md
Commit: debb2ec

Reviewed: 18 hours ago

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