Polish

Skill: Pest Polish

"Tests are specifications. Polish them like production code."

Tests are production code. They earn all seven passes — 1. Docblocks · 2. Names · 3. Methods · 4. Framework internals · 5. Whitespace · 6. Conditionals · 7. Tests — plus the test-specific standards below. One concern per pass, in order. Zero behavior change.

Pairs with kernel:polish for the wider protocol — enumeration, reporting, team mode.

Pass 7: Tests — Specification Grade

it() Descriptions Are Requirements

Present tense. No "should." No "correctly handles." No "tests that."

// Requirement
it('syncs only the receipted portion')
it('rejects negative quantities')
it('calculates total from line items')

// Narration — fix these
it('should correctly handle the split payment case')
it('tests that the sync works properly')

~8 Lines Max

Arrange (builder chain) → Act (one call) → Assert (one expectation).

If longer, the helpers aren't absorbing enough.

No Raw Factory Calls

The arrange phase uses builders or helper methods, not raw factory chains.

Domain Assertions Over Raw

$order->assertTotal(50_00) — not expect($response->json('data.total'))->toBe(50_00).

describe() Blocks Name Concerns

// Concerns
describe('split-item orders', function () { ... });
describe('partial payments', function () { ... });

// Categories — fix these
describe('edge cases', function () { ... });
describe('regression tests', function () { ... });

Boring Variable Names

$order, $result, $coverage. Not $splitItemOrderWithPartialFiscalCoverage.

See examples.md for full before/after test polish patterns.