tdd
Test-driven development with red-green-refactor loop. Use when user wants to build features or fix bugs using TDD, mentions "red-green-refactor", wants integration tests, or asks for test-first development.
npx skills add stevesolun/ctx --skill tdd --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Test-Driven Development ## Philosophy **Core principle**: Tests should verify behavior through public interfaces, not implementation details. Code can change entirely; tests shouldn't. **Good tests** are integration-style: they exercise real code paths through public APIs. They describe _what_ the system does, not _how_ it does it. A good test reads like a specification - "user can checkout with valid cart" tells you exactly what capability exists. These tests survive refactors because they don't care about internal structure. **Bad tests** are coupled to implementation. They mock internal collaborators, test private methods, or verify through external means (like querying a database directly instead of using the interface). The warning sign: your test breaks when you refactor, but behavior hasn't changed. If you rename an internal function and tests fail, those tests were testing implementation, not behavior. See [tests.md](tests.md) for examples and [mocking.md](mocking.md) for mocking guidelines. ## Anti-Pattern: Horizontal Slices **DO NOT write all tests first, then all implementation.** This is "horizontal slicing" - treating RED as "write all tests" and GREEN as "write all
- Philosophy
- Anti-Pattern: Horizontal Slices
- Workflow
- 1. Planning
- 2. Tracer Bullet
- 3. Incremental Loop
- 4. Refactor
- Checklist Per Cycle
What does the tdd skill do?
Test-driven development with red-green-refactor loop. Use when user wants to build features or fix bugs using TDD, mentions "red-green-refactor", wants integration tests, or asks for test-first development.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add stevesolun/ctx --skill tdd --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From stevesolun/ctx, a repository with 569 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.