Testing Setup Skill

Ensure the project has a working test framework configured.

Purpose

Before writing or running tests, verify that a test framework is installed and properly configured. If not, set up an appropriate framework for the project's language.

Detection Logic

Check for test framework indicators based on project type:

TypeScript/JavaScript Projects

Look for:

• jest.config.js, jest.config.ts, or vitest.config.ts config files
• "test" script in package.json
• Test dependencies in package.json: jest, vitest, @types/jest

Python Projects

Look for:

• pytest.ini, setup.cfg, or pyproject.toml with [tool.pytest] section
• Test dependencies: pytest in requirements or pyproject.toml

Kotlin/Android Projects

Look for:

• Test dependencies in build.gradle.kts:
  • testImplementation("junit:junit:...")
  • testImplementation("org.junit.jupiter:...")
• src/test/ directory structure

Setup Actions

If no test framework is detected, install and configure one:

For TypeScript/JavaScript

Option 1: Jest (most common)

npm install --save-dev jest @types/jest ts-jest
npx ts-jest config:init

Option 2: Vitest (modern alternative)

npm install --save-dev vitest @vitest/ui

Add test script to package.json:

{
  "scripts": {
    "test": "jest",
    "test:watch": "jest --watch"
  }
}

Create jest.config.js:

module.exports = {
  preset: 'ts-jest',
  testEnvironment: 'node',
  roots: ['<rootDir>/src', '<rootDir>/tests'],
  testMatch: ['**/__tests__/**/*.ts', '**/?(*.)+(spec|test).ts'],
  collectCoverageFrom: [
    'src/**/*.ts',
    '!src/**/*.d.ts'
  ]
};

For Python

pip install pytest pytest-cov

Create pytest.ini:

[pytest]
testpaths = tests
python_files = test_*.py *_test.py
python_classes = Test*
python_functions = test_*
addopts = 
    --verbose
    --cov=.
    --cov-report=term-missing
    --cov-report=html

Or add to pyproject.toml:

[tool.pytest.ini_options]
testpaths = ["tests"]
python_files = ["test_*.py", "*_test.py"]
addopts = [
    "--verbose",
    "--cov=.",
    "--cov-report=term-missing"
]

For Kotlin/Android

Ensure build.gradle.kts has:

dependencies {
    testImplementation("junit:junit:4.13.2")
    testImplementation("org.junit.jupiter:junit-jupiter:5.9.0")
    testImplementation("org.mockito:mockito-core:5.0.0")
    testImplementation("org.mockito.kotlin:mockito-kotlin:5.0.0")
}

tasks.test {
    useJUnitPlatform()
}

Verification

After setup, verify the framework works:

# TypeScript/JavaScript
npm test

# Python
pytest

# Kotlin/Android
./gradlew test

The command should run successfully, even if there are no tests yet (should report "0 tests" or similar).

Create Example Test

If setup is fresh, create a simple example test to verify it works:

TypeScript

Create tests/example.test.ts:

describe('Example Test Suite', () => {
  it('should verify testing works', () => {
    expect(true).toBe(true);
  });
});

Python

Create tests/test_example.py:

def test_example():
    """Verify testing framework works."""
    assert True

Kotlin

Create src/test/kotlin/ExampleTest.kt:

import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test
import kotlin.test.assertTrue

class ExampleTest {
    @Test
    fun exampleTest() {
        assertTrue(true, "Testing framework works")
    }
}

Output Confirmation

Once testing is configured and verified, confirm:

✓ Testing framework configured: [jest/pytest/junit]
✓ Test command works: [npm test/pytest/gradle test]
✓ Example test passes

Edge Cases

Monorepo with multiple packages:

• Each package may need its own test configuration
• Check for workspace-level test scripts vs package-level

Existing tests but no framework:

• User may have written tests manually
• Still need to install framework to run them

Multiple test frameworks:

• Some projects use both unit and integration test frameworks
• Document both, ensure both work

Next Steps

After testing is set up, you can proceed to:

• Writing tests for new features (see testing-tdd skill)
• Running tests as part of quality gates
• Setting up CI/CD test runs