QA Test Reviewer
Purpose
Perform code review on test files to assess quality, identify anti-patterns, and recommend improvements. Analyzes test structure, assertion quality, coverage alignment, naming conventions, and mocking correctness. Produces a structured review report with severity ratings and suggested fixes.
Trigger Phrases
- "Review my test code" / "Code review for tests"
- "Analyze test quality" / "Test code quality review"
- "Find test anti-patterns" / "Test code smells"
- "Review [test file] for best practices"
- "Improve test assertions" / "Fix test structure"
- "Test coverage alignment check"
- "DRY vs DAMP in tests"
Review Criteria
| Criterion |
What to Check |
| Test structure |
describe/it nesting, setup/teardown placement, logical grouping |
| Assertion quality |
Specific vs vague assertions; one logical assertion per test |
| Coverage alignment |
Test ↔ requirement traceability; tests map to intended behavior |
| Anti-patterns |
Hardcoded data, shared state, sleep waits, implementation coupling |
| Naming conventions |
Descriptive test names; consistent style (should/expect format) |
| DRY vs DAMP |
Shared setup where appropriate; readable tests over excessive abstraction |
| Mocking correctness |
Mocks verify behavior; no over-mocking; correct setup/teardown |
See references/anti-patterns.md for the full catalog with before/after examples.
Code Smell Catalog
| Smell |
Description |
See |
| Magic numbers in tests |
Unexplained literals (timeouts, IDs, counts) |
references/anti-patterns.md |
| Copy-paste test duplication |
Nearly identical tests; should use parametrize/fixtures |
references/anti-patterns.md |
| Assertion-free tests |
Tests that run code but never assert |
references/anti-patterns.md |
| Over-mocking |
Mocking everything; tests verify mocks, not behavior |
references/anti-patterns.md |
| Test logic (if/for in tests) |
Conditional logic inside tests; tests should be deterministic |
references/anti-patterns.md |
| Ignored tests without explanation |
skip/xfail/todo with no reason |
references/anti-patterns.md |
| Hardcoded URLs/selectors |
Brittle strings; should use constants or config |
references/anti-patterns.md |
Each smell includes before/after examples in references/anti-patterns.md.
Output Format
Review Report Template
# Test Review Report: [file/module name]
## Summary
- **Files reviewed:** [count]
- **Issues found:** [count] (Critical: X, High: Y, Medium: Z, Low: W)
- **Overall assessment:** Pass / Needs improvement / Fail
## Issues
### [Severity] [Issue title]
**Location:** [file:line]
**Smell:** [from catalog]
**Description:** [what's wrong]
**Suggested fix:**
[before/after code or instructions]
## Recommendations
1. [Priority action]
2. [Secondary action]
## References
- Anti-patterns: references/anti-patterns.md
- Checklist: references/review-checklist.md
Severity Levels
| Level |
When to use |
| Critical |
Tests are broken, misleading, or will cause false confidence |
| High |
Significant maintainability or reliability issues |
| Medium |
Best-practice violations; improves quality |
| Low |
Style or minor improvements |
Workflow
- Receive test files — User provides path(s) or content
- Apply review checklist — Use
references/review-checklist.md systematically
- Identify smells — Map findings to
references/anti-patterns.md catalog
- Assign severity — Critical/High/Medium/Low per impact
- Suggest fixes — Provide before/after examples where applicable
- Produce report — Structured output per template above
Scope
Can do (autonomous):
- Review test files for structure, assertions, anti-patterns
- Produce review report with severity and suggested fixes
- Reference anti-patterns catalog and review checklist
- Suggest refactors with before/after examples
Cannot do (requires confirmation):
- Apply fixes directly to test code (review only; user applies)
- Change test framework or migrate tests
- Override organizational coding standards
Will not do (out of scope):
- Modify production/application code
- Execute tests or generate coverage (consume existing reports)
- Implement fixes; this skill reviews and recommends only
References
| Topic |
File |
| Anti-patterns catalog with before/after examples |
references/anti-patterns.md |
| Comprehensive test review checklist |
references/review-checklist.md |
Quality Checklist
Troubleshooting
| Symptom |
Likely Cause |
Fix |
| Report too verbose |
Every minor issue listed |
Focus on High/Critical; group Low by category |
| Before/after unclear |
Example too abstract |
Use concrete code from reviewed file |
| Checklist incomplete |
Missing framework-specific checks |
See review-checklist.md for Jest/pytest/Playwright sections |
| Severity inconsistent |
Subjective judgment |
Use severity table; Critical = broken/misleading |
| User wants fixes applied |
Skill is review-only |
Clarify scope; offer to generate patch as separate step |
1---2name: qa-test-reviewer3description: Code review for test files analyzing structure, assertions, coverage, anti-patterns, and providing a code-smell catalog with before/after improvement examples.4---56# QA Test Reviewer78## Purpose910Perform code review on test files to assess quality, identify anti-patterns, and recommend improvements. Analyzes test structure, assertion quality, coverage alignment, naming conventions, and mocking correctness. Produces a structured review report with severity ratings and suggested fixes.1112## Trigger Phrases1314- "Review my test code" / "Code review for tests"15- "Analyze test quality" / "Test code quality review"16- "Find test anti-patterns" / "Test code smells"17- "Review [test file] for best practices"18- "Improve test assertions" / "Fix test structure"19- "Test coverage alignment check"20- "DRY vs DAMP in tests"2122## Review Criteria2324| Criterion | What to Check |25|-----------|---------------|26| **Test structure** | describe/it nesting, setup/teardown placement, logical grouping |27| **Assertion quality** | Specific vs vague assertions; one logical assertion per test |28| **Coverage alignment** | Test ↔ requirement traceability; tests map to intended behavior |29| **Anti-patterns** | Hardcoded data, shared state, sleep waits, implementation coupling |30| **Naming conventions** | Descriptive test names; consistent style (should/expect format) |31| **DRY vs DAMP** | Shared setup where appropriate; readable tests over excessive abstraction |32| **Mocking correctness** | Mocks verify behavior; no over-mocking; correct setup/teardown |3334See `references/anti-patterns.md` for the full catalog with before/after examples.3536## Code Smell Catalog3738| Smell | Description | See |39|-------|-------------|-----|40| **Magic numbers in tests** | Unexplained literals (timeouts, IDs, counts) | `references/anti-patterns.md` |41| **Copy-paste test duplication** | Nearly identical tests; should use parametrize/fixtures | `references/anti-patterns.md` |42| **Assertion-free tests** | Tests that run code but never assert | `references/anti-patterns.md` |43| **Over-mocking** | Mocking everything; tests verify mocks, not behavior | `references/anti-patterns.md` |44| **Test logic (if/for in tests)** | Conditional logic inside tests; tests should be deterministic | `references/anti-patterns.md` |45| **Ignored tests without explanation** | skip/xfail/todo with no reason | `references/anti-patterns.md` |46| **Hardcoded URLs/selectors** | Brittle strings; should use constants or config | `references/anti-patterns.md` |4748Each smell includes before/after examples in `references/anti-patterns.md`.4950## Output Format5152### Review Report Template5354```markdown55# Test Review Report: [file/module name]5657## Summary58- **Files reviewed:** [count]59- **Issues found:** [count] (Critical: X, High: Y, Medium: Z, Low: W)60- **Overall assessment:** Pass / Needs improvement / Fail6162## Issues6364### [Severity] [Issue title]65**Location:** [file:line]66**Smell:** [from catalog]67**Description:** [what's wrong]68**Suggested fix:**69[before/after code or instructions]7071## Recommendations721. [Priority action]732. [Secondary action]7475## References76- Anti-patterns: references/anti-patterns.md77- Checklist: references/review-checklist.md78```7980### Severity Levels8182| Level | When to use |83|-------|-------------|84| **Critical** | Tests are broken, misleading, or will cause false confidence |85| **High** | Significant maintainability or reliability issues |86| **Medium** | Best-practice violations; improves quality |87| **Low** | Style or minor improvements |8889## Workflow90911. **Receive test files** — User provides path(s) or content922. **Apply review checklist** — Use `references/review-checklist.md` systematically933. **Identify smells** — Map findings to `references/anti-patterns.md` catalog944. **Assign severity** — Critical/High/Medium/Low per impact955. **Suggest fixes** — Provide before/after examples where applicable966. **Produce report** — Structured output per template above9798## Scope99100**Can do (autonomous):**101- Review test files for structure, assertions, anti-patterns102- Produce review report with severity and suggested fixes103- Reference anti-patterns catalog and review checklist104- Suggest refactors with before/after examples105106**Cannot do (requires confirmation):**107- Apply fixes directly to test code (review only; user applies)108- Change test framework or migrate tests109- Override organizational coding standards110111**Will not do (out of scope):**112- Modify production/application code113- Execute tests or generate coverage (consume existing reports)114- Implement fixes; this skill reviews and recommends only115116## References117118| Topic | File |119|-------|------|120| Anti-patterns catalog with before/after examples | `references/anti-patterns.md` |121| Comprehensive test review checklist | `references/review-checklist.md` |122123## Quality Checklist124125- [ ] All review criteria from checklist applied126- [ ] Issues mapped to code smell catalog where applicable127- [ ] Severity assigned per impact (Critical/High/Medium/Low)128- [ ] Suggested fixes include before/after when helpful129- [ ] Report follows template format130- [ ] No hardcoded secrets in examples131- [ ] Traceability preserved (test case IDs, requirement links)132133## Troubleshooting134135| Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |136|---------|--------------|-----|137| Report too verbose | Every minor issue listed | Focus on High/Critical; group Low by category |138| Before/after unclear | Example too abstract | Use concrete code from reviewed file |139| Checklist incomplete | Missing framework-specific checks | See review-checklist.md for Jest/pytest/Playwright sections |140| Severity inconsistent | Subjective judgment | Use severity table; Critical = broken/misleading |141| User wants fixes applied | Skill is review-only | Clarify scope; offer to generate patch as separate step |
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