TomazWang Meta-Testing Skill
Validates specifications before full implementation (Stage A).
Purpose
Catch bad specs BEFORE writing production code:
- Is this spec actually implementable?
- Does it fulfill the requirements?
- Is the design unnecessarily complex?
- Will this work at scale?
Two Approaches (Both Used)
1. Auto-Generated PoC Tests
Generate minimal proof-of-concept code:
Spec: Use Stripe for payments
PoC Test:
→ Generate: Minimal Stripe client
→ Test: Can we connect to API?
→ Test: Can we create test charge?
→ Run and verify
Results:
✅ Connection works
✅ Test charge succeeds
→ Spec is viable
When to use:
- Technical integration questions
- "Can we connect to X?"
- "Does this API do what we need?"
- "Will this pattern work?"
2. Manual Validation Questions
Ask critical questions user must answer:
Spec: Multi-tenant with database-per-tenant
Questions:
? Does this scale to 1000 tenants?
→ User answer → Might not (connection limits)
→ Recommendation: Use shared schema instead
? Is this complexity justified?
→ User answer → Maybe not for MVP
→ Recommendation: Start simpler
Updated spec based on answers
When to use:
- Scalability questions
- Complexity tradeoffs
- Business decisions
- "What if" scenarios
Case-by-Case Decision
System decides which approach:
Technical validation → Auto PoC
Business/scale validation → Manual Questions
Both often needed → Use both
PoC Test Generation
Template:
# PoC Test: [What we're validating]
# Generated: [timestamp]
# Spec: [spec-reference]
[Minimal test code]
# Expected: [what should happen]
# Actual: [what happened]
# Result: PASS/FAIL
Run and report:
Meta-Test Results:
✅ PoC-1: API connection (PASS)
✅ PoC-2: Basic operation (PASS)
⚠️ PoC-3: Load test (SLOW - 500ms, expected <100ms)
Recommendations:
- Consider caching for PoC-3
- Otherwise spec validated
Complexity Check
Red flags for over-complexity:
10 components for simple feature
5 integration points
- Custom solution when standard exists
- "Microservices" for small app
Suggest simplification:
⚠️ Complexity Alert
Spec proposes: 8 microservices for email notifications
Recommendation: Start with single service
- Can always split later
- Easier to debug
- Faster to implement
Simplify spec? [Y/n]
Iteration Loop
1. Create spec
2. Run meta-tests (auto + manual)
3. Identify issues
4. Update spec
5. Re-test
6. Repeat until validated
7. Finalize
Success Criteria
Spec is ready when:
- ✅ All PoC tests pass
- ✅ Critical questions answered
- ✅ Complexity justified
- ✅ No obvious blockers
- ✅ Requirements fulfilled
Then move to Stage B for implementation.