Name: running-unit-tests
Rating: 72.8 (1 reviews)
Author: dotnet

running-unit-tests

Guide for running MSBuild unit tests efficiently. Use when running, scoping, filtering, or speeding up unit tests in this repository, or when finalizing a change with a heavier validation pass. Covers xUnit v3 + Microsoft.Testing.Platform (MTP) specifics and which `dotnet test` flags do and don't apply.

Quality

90%

Does it follow best practices?

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Securityby

Passed

No findings from the security scan

Quality

Content

88%Weight 40%Scale 1-5

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

A dense, actionable skill body with executable commands, a clear dev-loop vs final-validation workflow, and validation checkpoints; slightly verbose in a few explanatory passages.

Suggestions

Trim explanatory caveats in 'Reading the summary line' and the DOTNET_HOST_PATH bullet to the essential rule to improve conciseness.

Consolidate the repeated 'skip coverage on Linux/macOS' guidance (stated in both the knobs section and the speed-up section) into a single reference.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Conciseness	Largely efficient, assuming Claude's competence with repo-specific knobs and flag pitfalls; minor over-explanation in places like the 'Reading the summary line' and explanatory caveats that could be trimmed slightly.	4 / 5
Actionability	Copy-paste ready PowerShell commands with exact project paths, flags, and a quick-reference table cover the common cases (dev loop, direct exe, final validation, TRX).	5 / 5
Workflow Clarity	Clear two-track workflow (fast dev loop vs final validation) with sequenced numbered steps and explicit validation checkpoints — 'Restore parallelism settings', 'don't skip TFMs', and the skipped-count check act as feedback loops before declaring done.	5 / 5
Progressive Disclosure	Well-organized sections with a 'See also' list and an inline pointer to the external run-tests skill for the bulk MTP/VSTest flag reference; no bundle files exist, so deeper offloading isn't possible, keeping structure good but not at the 5-anchor level of multi-file split.	4 / 5
	Total	18 / 20 Passed

Description

92%Weight 40%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.

A specific, well-scoped description with explicit 'what' and 'when' guidance and concrete technology anchors; trigger terms are natural but could include a few more synonyms.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Specificity	Lists multiple concrete actions — 'running, scoping, filtering, or speeding up unit tests' and 'finalizing a change with a heavier validation pass' — plus specific technology (xUnit v3, MTP, dotnet test flags), giving comprehensive coverage.	5 / 5
Completeness	Explicitly answers both 'what' (guide for running/scoping/filtering/speeding up MSBuild unit tests, xUnit v3 + MTP specifics) and 'when' ('Use when running, scoping, filtering, or speeding up unit tests... or when finalizing a change with a heavier validation pass').	5 / 5
Trigger Term Quality	Natural phrases like 'running unit tests', 'speeding up', 'filtering', and 'finalizing a change' are present and aligned with what a user would say, but synonyms and variations (e.g. 'slow tests', 'test suite') are limited.	4 / 5
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk	Scoped to MSBuild unit tests with xUnit v3 + MTP specifics and dotnet test flag guidance — a clear niche unlikely to trigger for unrelated skills.	5 / 5
	Total	19 / 20 Passed

Validation

93%

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 — 15 / 16 Passed

Validation for skill structure

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

	Total	15 / 16 Passed

Repository: dotnet/msbuild
Path: .github/skills/running-unit-tests/SKILL.md
Commit: b75ae9e

Reviewed: ~23 hours ago

Table of Contents

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