TDD Workflow
hellangleZ/burn-in-cceverywhere-ralph
A skill your agent uses when writing new features, fixing bugs, or refactoring code.
Conventions for writing xUnit tests. An agent skill from ardalis/RiverBooks.
Install Test Authoring
$ npx skills add ardalis/RiverBooks --skill test-authoring -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install ardalis/RiverBooks test-authoring --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ardalis/RiverBooks.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/test-authoring .claude/skills/test-authoring && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "test-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/ardalis/RiverBooks/tree/main/.claude/skills/test-authoring into .claude/skills/test-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "test-authoring", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/ardalis/RiverBooks/tree/main/.claude/skills/test-authoringType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add ardalis/RiverBooks --skill test-authoring -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install ardalis/RiverBooks test-authoring --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ardalis/RiverBooks.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/test-authoring .agents/skills/test-authoring && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "test-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/ardalis/RiverBooks/tree/main/.claude/skills/test-authoring into .agents/skills/test-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "test-authoring", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add ardalis/RiverBooks --skill test-authoring -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install ardalis/RiverBooks test-authoring --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ardalis/RiverBooks.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/test-authoring .cursor/skills/test-authoring && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "test-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/ardalis/RiverBooks/tree/main/.claude/skills/test-authoring into .cursor/skills/test-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "test-authoring", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/ardalis/RiverBooks.git --path .claude/skills/test-authoring--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add ardalis/RiverBooks --skill test-authoring -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install ardalis/RiverBooks test-authoring --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ardalis/RiverBooks.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/test-authoring .gemini/skills/test-authoring && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "test-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/ardalis/RiverBooks/tree/main/.claude/skills/test-authoring into .gemini/skills/test-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "test-authoring", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install ardalis/RiverBooks test-authoringInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add ardalis/RiverBooks --skill test-authoring -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ardalis/RiverBooks.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/test-authoring .github/skills/test-authoring && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "test-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/ardalis/RiverBooks/tree/main/.claude/skills/test-authoring into .github/skills/test-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "test-authoring", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add ardalis/RiverBooks --skill test-authoring -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install ardalis/RiverBooks test-authoring --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ardalis/RiverBooks.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/test-authoring .opencode/skills/test-authoring && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "test-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/ardalis/RiverBooks/tree/main/.claude/skills/test-authoring into .opencode/skills/test-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "test-authoring", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
test-authoring- GitHub stars
- 135
- Token cost
- ~1.5k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 436 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 3
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- None found
At a glance
Conventions for writing xUnit tests. An agent skill from ardalis/RiverBooks.
- Tasks that involve Unit testing
- SKILL.md covers Stack, Naming, Structure and Assertions (Shouldly), plus 6 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Test Authoring is an agent skill from ardalis/RiverBooks. Conventions for writing xUnit tests. Covers naming, assertion style (Shouldly), mocking (NSubstitute), fixture patterns, and the rules that make tests meaningful vs. ornamental. Load this skill before writing or reviewing any test file.
Its SKILL.md is about 1.5k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
It sits in Testing & QA, covering Unit testing. The repository describes itself as: Modular Monolith sample for Dometrain.
When your agent uses it
- Tasks that involve Unit testing
Example prompts
- “Use the test-authoring skill to convention for writing xUnit tests. An agent skill from ardalis/RiverBooks”
- “/test-authoring”
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 94fa32a. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are csharp).
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Test Authoring loads about 1.5k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 63 tokens; SKILL.md has 436 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
Without a licence we can't republish the file, so here is its outline and opening line. It has 436 words (~1,511 tokens).
- name
- test-authoring
- invocable
- true
Files
Just SKILL.md in .claude/skills/test-authoring of ardalis/RiverBooks.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 94fa32a
Compare with similar skills
Test Authoring next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test Authoring this skillardalis/RiverBooks | 135 | — | ~1.5k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| TDD WorkflowhellangleZ/burn-in-cceverywhere-ralph | 112 | 11 repos | ~2.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Testing OpenLogi UIAprilNEA/OpenLogi | 23k | — | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Go Testingcxuu/golang-skills | 172 | 1 repos | ~1.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Contractssamchon/nestia | 2.2k | — | ~1.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Cohesion Over TestabilityEpicenterHQ/epicenter | 4.8k | — | ~2k | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence |
Similar skills
Testing OpenLogi UI
AprilNEA/OpenLogi
Verifies OpenLogi's native GPUI interface with focused tests, the component gallery and a mock agent, choosing the evidence that fits each change.
Go Testing
cxuu/golang-skills
A skill your agent uses when writing, reviewing, or improving Go test code — including table-driven tests, subtests, parallel tests, test helpers, test doubles, and assertions with cmp.Diff.
Contracts
samchon/nestia
Defines self-acknowledgments for production declarations and tests.
Cohesion Over Testability
EpicenterHQ/epicenter
Collapse test-shaped production boundaries while preserving behavior and coverage.
JS-in-HTML Testing
liaohch3/claude-tap
Tests JavaScript embedded in an HTML file in two layers: pytest checks of the logic ported to Python, and Playwright runs in a real browser for the DOM.
More from ardalis/RiverBooks
Crap Analysis
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Analyze code coverage and CRAP (Change Risk Anti-Patterns) scores to identify high-risk code.
Stryker Dotnet
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Run Stryker.NET mutation testing against a specific .NET source file.
Related
Categories
Questions about Test Authoring
What does Test Authoring do?
Conventions for writing xUnit tests. An agent skill from ardalis/RiverBooks. Test Authoring is an agent skill from ardalis/RiverBooks. Conventions for writing xUnit tests.
When should I use Test Authoring?
Test Authoring fits situations like: tasks that involve Unit testing.
How do I install Test Authoring in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add ardalis/RiverBooks --skill test-authoring -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.claude/skills/test-authoring in ardalis/RiverBooks) into .claude/skills/test-authoring in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Test Authoring in Codex?
Run `npx skills add ardalis/RiverBooks --skill test-authoring -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.claude/skills/test-authoring in ardalis/RiverBooks) into .agents/skills/test-authoring in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Test Authoring in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add ardalis/RiverBooks --skill test-authoring -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/test-authoring, .gemini/skills/test-authoring, .github/skills/test-authoring and .opencode/skills/test-authoring in your project.
What does Test Authoring need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Test Authoring is instructions for the agent only.
Does Test Authoring access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Test Authoring safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Test Authoring use?
No licence was found for Test Authoring or its repository. Without one, default copyright applies: ask the author before reusing or redistributing it.
How many tokens does Test Authoring use?
About 1.5k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 6k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Test Authoring?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Test Authoring: TDD Workflow (hellangleZ/burn-in-cceverywhere-ralph, 112 stars), Testing OpenLogi UI (AprilNEA/OpenLogi, 23k stars), Go Testing (cxuu/golang-skills, 172 stars) and Contracts (samchon/nestia, 2.2k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Test Authoring?
ardalis (a GitHub user) maintains it in ardalis/RiverBooks, which has 135 GitHub stars. The repository holds 3 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 9, 2026.
Source: ardalis/RiverBooks on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.