>> 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):
-
Identify root cause
- Read relevant code
- Check recent changes with
git diff - Understand the error pattern
-
Implement fix
- Use Edit tool for code changes
- Follow project conventions (see CLAUDE.md)
- Make minimal, focused changes
-
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
-
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 diffto 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"
- Run
make test→ 15 failures identified - Group errors:
- 8 ImportErrors (module renamed)
- 5 AttributeErrors (function signature changed)
- 2 AssertionErrors (logic bugs)
- Fix ImportErrors first → Run subset → Verify
- Fix AttributeErrors → Run subset → Verify
- Fix AssertionErrors → Run subset → Verify
- Run full suite → All pass ✓
