Good AI Tools

>> engineering-workflow-plugin/skills/test-fixing

stars: 116
forks: 12
watches: 116
last updated: 2025-12-09 14:26:05

Test Fixing

Systematically identify and fix all failing tests using smart grouping strategies.

When to Use

  • Explicitly asks to fix tests ("fix these tests", "make tests pass")
  • Reports test failures ("tests are failing", "test suite is broken")
  • Completes implementation and wants tests passing
  • Mentions CI/CD failures due to tests

Systematic Approach

1. Initial Test Run

Run make test to identify all failing tests.

Analyze output for:

  • Total number of failures
  • Error types and patterns
  • Affected modules/files

2. Smart Error Grouping

Group similar failures by:

  • Error type: ImportError, AttributeError, AssertionError, etc.
  • Module/file: Same file causing multiple test failures
  • Root cause: Missing dependencies, API changes, refactoring impacts

Prioritize groups by:

  • Number of affected tests (highest impact first)
  • Dependency order (fix infrastructure before functionality)

3. Systematic Fixing Process

For each group (starting with highest impact):

  1. Identify root cause

    • Read relevant code
    • Check recent changes with git diff
    • Understand the error pattern
  2. Implement fix

    • Use Edit tool for code changes
    • Follow project conventions (see CLAUDE.md)
    • Make minimal, focused changes
  3. Verify fix

    • Run subset of tests for this group
    • Use pytest markers or file patterns:
      uv run pytest tests/path/to/test_file.py -v
      uv run pytest -k "pattern" -v
      
    • Ensure group passes before moving on
  4. Move to next group

4. Fix Order Strategy

Infrastructure first:

  • Import errors
  • Missing dependencies
  • Configuration issues

Then API changes:

  • Function signature changes
  • Module reorganization
  • Renamed variables/functions

Finally, logic issues:

  • Assertion failures
  • Business logic bugs
  • Edge case handling

5. Final Verification

After all groups fixed:

  • Run complete test suite: make test
  • Verify no regressions
  • Check test coverage remains intact

Best Practices

  • Fix one group at a time
  • Run focused tests after each fix
  • Use git diff to understand recent changes
  • Look for patterns in failures
  • Don't move to next group until current passes
  • Keep changes minimal and focused

Example Workflow

User: "The tests are failing after my refactor"

  1. Run make test → 15 failures identified
  2. Group errors:
    • 8 ImportErrors (module renamed)
    • 5 AttributeErrors (function signature changed)
    • 2 AssertionErrors (logic bugs)
  3. Fix ImportErrors first → Run subset → Verify
  4. Fix AttributeErrors → Run subset → Verify
  5. Fix AssertionErrors → Run subset → Verify
  6. Run full suite → All pass ✓