bats-testing-patterns

Master Bash Automated Testing System (Bats) for comprehensive shell script testing. Use when writing tests for shell scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or requiring test-driven development of shell utilities.

Quality

56%

Does it follow best practices?

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tessl review fix ./skills/bats-testing-patterns/SKILL.md

Quality

Content

22%Scale 1-3

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

This skill is essentially a thin table of contents that defers all substantive content to a referenced file that doesn't exist in the bundle. It lacks any concrete code examples, executable Bats test patterns, or specific commands, making it nearly useless as standalone guidance. The content reads more like a project brief than an actionable skill.

Suggestions

Add at least one complete, executable Bats test example (e.g., a simple @test block with setup/teardown) directly in the SKILL.md so Claude has immediate actionable guidance.

Replace the abstract instruction bullets with concrete steps including actual commands (e.g., `bats test/`, `setup()` and `teardown()` function templates, `run` and `assert_output` usage).

Include a minimal quick-start workflow with validation: create test file → write test → run `bats test.bats` → check output → fix failures.

Either provide the referenced `resources/implementation-playbook.md` bundle file or inline the most critical patterns from it into the SKILL.md body.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Conciseness	The 'Use this skill when' and 'Do not use this skill when' sections add moderate bloat—Claude doesn't need to be told when shell scripts aren't involved. The limitations section is boilerplate. However, the instructions section itself is reasonably brief.	2 / 3
Actionability	There are no concrete code examples, no executable Bats test snippets, no specific commands, and no copy-paste ready content. The instructions are entirely abstract ('Write tests for exit codes, output, and side effects') with no demonstration of how to actually do any of it.	1 / 3
Workflow Clarity	The five bullet points in Instructions are vague high-level steps with no validation checkpoints, no specific commands, and no feedback loops. For a testing skill that involves multi-step setup and execution, this is insufficient.	1 / 3
Progressive Disclosure	The skill references `resources/implementation-playbook.md` for detailed patterns, which is a reasonable one-level-deep reference. However, no bundle files were provided, so the reference cannot be verified, and the SKILL.md itself contains almost no substantive content—it defers nearly everything to the external file without providing a useful quick-start overview.	2 / 3
	Total	6 / 12 Passed

Description

89%Scale 1-3

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

This is a solid description with a clear 'Use when' clause and good trigger terms that target the Bats testing niche effectively. Its main weakness is the lack of specific concrete actions—it says 'comprehensive shell script testing' but doesn't enumerate what capabilities it provides (e.g., writing test cases, using setup/teardown, mocking, assertions). Adding specific actions would elevate the specificity score.

Suggestions

Add specific concrete actions such as 'write Bats test cases, use setup/teardown hooks, mock shell commands, assert exit codes and output' to improve specificity.

Consider adding file extension triggers like '.bats files' or mentioning '@test' syntax to further improve trigger term coverage.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Specificity	Names the domain (Bats/shell script testing) and mentions some contexts (CI/CD pipelines, test-driven development), but doesn't list specific concrete actions like 'write test cases', 'mock commands', 'assert exit codes', or 'generate test fixtures'.	2 / 3
Completeness	Clearly answers both 'what' (Bash Automated Testing System for shell script testing) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when' clause covering writing tests for shell scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or TDD of shell utilities).	3 / 3
Trigger Term Quality	Includes strong natural trigger terms: 'Bats', 'shell script testing', 'CI/CD pipelines', 'test-driven development', 'shell utilities'. These cover the main ways a user would describe needing this skill.	3 / 3
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk	Bats is a very specific testing framework for shell scripts, creating a clear niche. The combination of 'Bats', 'shell script testing', and 'shell utilities' makes it highly unlikely to conflict with other skills like general testing or general shell scripting skills.	3 / 3
	Total	11 / 12 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: popey/claude-code-skills
Path: skills/bats-testing-patterns/SKILL.md
Commit: a5a6601

Reviewed: 5 days ago

Table of Contents

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