Testing
Resolve the repository's testing authority, establish durable workflow docs when needed, then route downstream test authoring, alteration, or execution with authority-aware instructions. Do not default to standalone broad test edits or commands.
Always
- Canonical interface: root
AGENTS.mdshould contain only a concise lazy pointer for testing work, and root-relativedocs/testing/workflow.mdis the reusable workflow entry point. Companion docs live underdocs/testing/and are loaded only when the workflow points to them. - Authority precedence: system/developer/current user/current skill safety rules outrank project workflow docs; approved project workflow docs outrank optional skill-local references.
- Keep this eager prompt meta-level. Put project methodology in
docs/testing/workflow.mdor linked companion docs; use skill references only as optional proposal/adaptation aids. - Choose a mode before acting: initialize/update workflow, author/alter tests, execute a bounded command, or delegate execution-oriented work.
- Testing authority is required before test writes, harness/test commands, or delegation. Authority is canonical workflow, routine-safe fallback for one parent-run local command, or task-local Testing Authorization.
- Canonical workflow remains the durable authority for broad/reusable delegation, recurring, browser/E2E, live service, shared-data, network, credentialed, dependency/config/CI/orchestration, multi-stage harness, long-running, destructive, or unclear-cleanup test work.
- Routine-safe fallback is narrow and command-specific: repo-local/project-owned, provenance clear from existing scripts/docs, bounded timeout/scope/completion, no network/credentials/browser/live/shared data/dependency/ config/CI/destructive effects, no source/fixture/snapshot/config writes except known local cache/report artifacts, and trivial owned cleanup. It is not enough for delegation.
- Task-local Testing Authorization is a current-task one-off. It must explicitly name exact paths, commands, writes, timeout, cleanup, and side effects; it is not reusable, not project policy, and does not weaken higher safety gates or make high-blast-radius work routine-safe.
- Explicit initialize/update/adopt/migrate/link/revise requests require a strategy interview after repository inspection, including greenfield/no-strategy repositories or minimal-test repositories; existing docs are source material, not a skip.
- Missing workflow alone permits read-only discovery and planning. It does not force workflow creation unless the requested write/command/delegation lacks applicable authority, or the policy should be reusable.
- Initialization/update is recommendation-led: inspect repo evidence before broad questions, propose the best project-fit strategy, ask focused confirmation questions one at a time, starting with confidence goals, resolve mandatory strategy domains or user deferrals, then present a draft summary and proposed file changes before writing workflow docs.
- Workflow documentation writes to root
AGENTS.mdordocs/testing/*require explicit current-task approval after the draft. Preserve unrelated existingAGENTS.mdcontent surgically. - Authoring, alteration, and execution are delegated only after canonical workflow or task-local Testing Authorization covers the delegated act. If no executor/sub-agent is available, return a packet and stop.
- Current-task approval is required for workflow doc writes, task-local Testing Authorization, test writes when the governing authority requires approval, browser/live/network/dependency/config/CI/orchestration actions, unsafe commands, and any other gated side effect.
- Strategy establishment, including browser E2E strategy, may recommend/adapt optional references from repo evidence; it does not authorize installs, test writing, test runs, live services, recordings, secrets, network access, config/CI edits, or orchestration changes.
- Redact secrets, credentials, tokens, PII, proprietary content, sensitive screenshots/videos/logs, and local environment details from prompts, summaries, docs, packets, and reports.
- Skipped, not-run, timed-out, flaky, inconclusive, or cleanup-uncertain work is never reported as passed.
Do
- Resolve the user's testing goal, target repo/worktree, requested mode, allowed scope, risk boundaries, and whether they are asking to establish/update strategy, change tests, execute tests, or receive a reusable packet.
- Resolve testing authority. Check
docs/testing/workflow.mdfirst; if accepted/current and adequate, load it and relevant companions. If absent or inadequate, loadreferences/workflow-contract.md, classify the request, and use bounded read-only candidate discovery only as source material. Do not edit tests or run harness commands until authority covers the act; do not delegate without canonical workflow or task-local Testing Authorization. - For initialization/update, inspect relevant repo evidence, load
references/strategy-interview.md, optionally load proposal references, recommend the project-fit workflow, ask focused confidence-first confirmation/approval questions, and present a draft covering theAGENTS.mdlazy pointer,docs/testing/workflow.md, companion docs, plan/report paths, execution choices, approval gates, evidence/reporting, reliability/cleanup, redaction, stale/conflict handling, and update procedure. - After explicit approval, the main agent may create or surgically update root
AGENTS.mdanddocs/testing/*in the target repo. Without approval, continue discovery or stop with the draft; leave no partial workflow docs as accepted. - For author/alter or execution with sufficient authority, or delegation with canonical/task-local authority, load
references/delegation-packets.md, build a packet naming the authority source, scope, approval gates, outcome language, and cleanup. Executors must report that they consulted the authority before edits or commands. - Treat executor output as evidence, not authority. Verify authority provenance, files changed, command identity/ classification/bounds, readiness order, sanitized evidence, progress/termination/cleanup, rerun deltas, product-failure routing, blocked approvals, skipped/not-run handling, and unresolved risks.
- If optional generic, web, or browser references are useful, load them only after testing authority is resolved or while drafting an initialization/update proposal; never let them override approved project workflow docs.
Load if needed
- Testing authority model, canonical workflow interface, candidate discovery, routine-safe fallback,
task-local Testing Authorization, approval-gated docs, and browser E2E strategy establishment →
references/workflow-contract.md - Explicit initialize/update/adopt/migrate/link/revise strategy interview domains, confidence-first sequencing,
starter plan/report/execution contracts, conditional browser/web prompts, legacy handling, and reliability/
cleanup defaults →
references/strategy-interview.md - Authority-aware delegation packet, no-executor fallback, executor receipt/report, stop conditions,
product-failure routing, and command/write safety boundaries →
references/delegation-packets.md - Optional stack-agnostic test design, command safety, outcomes, durable plan/report schema, and write boundaries
→
references/core/generic-testing.md - Optional web/frontend/backend/API/live/browser coverage planning and evidence concerns →
references/web/application-testing.md - Optional browser E2E stack/evidence/reporting setup proposal material, including Playwright/Allure conventions
→
references/web/browser-e2e-stack-setup.md - The request is actually bug diagnosis/fixing, feature implementation, code review, audit, release, or README/docs polish → use the owning skill instead of this one.
Stop if
- Required testing authority is absent, stale, ambiguous, conflicting, unsafe, refused, or insufficient, and no applicable routine-safe fallback or task-local Testing Authorization covers the exact next action.
- The next action is broad, reusable, recurring, browser/E2E, live, shared-data, network, credentialed, dependency/config/CI/orchestration, multi-stage, long-running, destructive, or unclear-cleanup test work and the user has not approved establishing, updating, adopting, migrating, or linking the canonical workflow needed for it.
- The user refuses canonical workflow creation/update when reusable or high-risk policy is needed, or does not approve proposed workflow doc writes needed for the next step.
- No executor/sub-agent is available for downstream delegated work; return the prepared packet instead of doing the delegated work directly.
- The next action crosses an approval-gated category without explicit current-task approval.
- Optional references conflict with approved project workflow docs, or repo evidence contradicts the authority enough that proceeding would be unsafe or misleading.
- The next useful step needs credentials, secrets, production access, unsafe data mutation, or unredacted sensitive evidence.
- Passing tests requires production/application/runtime code changes or weakening assertions; route product failures with reproduction evidence.
Output
Return testing authority status, consulted paths/candidates, recommendation or adoption decision, approval status, docs changed or proposed, approved plan/report linkage, selected execution choices, delegation packet or executor receipt/report, files changed by allowed category, commands proposed/run with identity/classification/bounds/outcome, readiness/rerun decisions, sanitized evidence, skipped/not-run items, progress/termination/redaction/cleanup status, blocked approvals, product-failure routing, and risks.