TDD Workflow
hellangleZ/burn-in-cceverywhere-ralph
A skill your agent uses when writing new features, fixing bugs, or refactoring code.
Test-driven development for factory builders. An agent skill from DanMcInerney/architect-loop.
Install TDD
$ npx skills add DanMcInerney/architect-loop --skill tdd -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install DanMcInerney/architect-loop tdd --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/DanMcInerney/architect-loop.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/tdd .claude/skills/tdd && 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 "tdd" agent skill from https://github.com/DanMcInerney/architect-loop/tree/main/skills/tdd into .claude/skills/tdd/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "tdd", 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/DanMcInerney/architect-loop/tree/main/skills/tddType 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 DanMcInerney/architect-loop --skill tdd -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install DanMcInerney/architect-loop tdd --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DanMcInerney/architect-loop.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/tdd .agents/skills/tdd && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "tdd" agent skill from https://github.com/DanMcInerney/architect-loop/tree/main/skills/tdd into .agents/skills/tdd/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "tdd", 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 DanMcInerney/architect-loop --skill tdd -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install DanMcInerney/architect-loop tdd --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DanMcInerney/architect-loop.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/tdd .cursor/skills/tdd && 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 "tdd" agent skill from https://github.com/DanMcInerney/architect-loop/tree/main/skills/tdd into .cursor/skills/tdd/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "tdd", 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/DanMcInerney/architect-loop.git --path skills/tdd--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 DanMcInerney/architect-loop --skill tdd -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install DanMcInerney/architect-loop tdd --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DanMcInerney/architect-loop.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/tdd .gemini/skills/tdd && 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 "tdd" agent skill from https://github.com/DanMcInerney/architect-loop/tree/main/skills/tdd into .gemini/skills/tdd/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "tdd", 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 DanMcInerney/architect-loop tddInstalls 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 DanMcInerney/architect-loop --skill tdd -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DanMcInerney/architect-loop.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/tdd .github/skills/tdd && 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 "tdd" agent skill from https://github.com/DanMcInerney/architect-loop/tree/main/skills/tdd into .github/skills/tdd/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "tdd", 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 DanMcInerney/architect-loop --skill tdd -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install DanMcInerney/architect-loop tdd --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DanMcInerney/architect-loop.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/tdd .opencode/skills/tdd && 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 "tdd" agent skill from https://github.com/DanMcInerney/architect-loop/tree/main/skills/tdd into .opencode/skills/tdd/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "tdd", 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
tdd- GitHub stars
- 626
- Token cost
- ~730 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 393 words
- Files
- 3
- Skills in repo
- 11
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Test-driven development for factory builders. An agent skill from DanMcInerney/architect-loop.
- A ship job implements at the issues pre-agreed seams — the red - green loop
- SKILL.md covers Seams are pre-agreed, not…, What a good test is, Anti-patterns and Rules of the loop, plus 1 more section
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
- One test then one minimal implementation per cycle
What it does
TDD is an agent skill from DanMcInerney/architect-loop. Test-driven development for factory builders. Use when a ship job implements at the issue's pre-agreed seams — the red - green loop, one test then one minimal implementation per cycle, never a refactor while RED.
Its SKILL.md is about 730 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 2 other files (for example `mocking.md` and `tests.md`).
It sits in Testing & QA, covering Test-driven development and Refactoring. The repository describes itself as: Super optimized /goal loop. Massive token savings and higher quality. Smart model designs and reviews, cheaper model builds.. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- A ship job implements at the issues pre-agreed seams — the red - green loop
- One test then one minimal implementation per cycle
- Never a refactor while RED
Example prompts
- “/tdd”
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 28dca7d. 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.
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
TDD loads about 730 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 54 tokens; SKILL.md has 393 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
The full file from DanMcInerney/architect-loop at commit 28dca7d, republished under its MIT licence (© DanMcInerney). 393 words, ~730 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/tdd/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 2 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- tdd
- description
- Test-driven development for factory builders. Use when a ship job implements at the issue's pre-agreed seams — the red -> green loop, one test then one minimal implementation per cycle, never a refactor while RED.
<!-- Adapted from mattpocock/skills (MIT). -->Test-Driven Development
TDD is the red -> green loop. This skill is the reference that makes that loop
produce tests worth keeping. Consult it before and during the loop, not after.
Name things with the codebase-design vocabulary
(skills/codebase-design/SKILL.md), preloaded beside this skill.
Seams are pre-agreed, not interviewed
A seam is the public boundary you test at — the interface where you observe behavior without reaching inside. In this factory the seams are already agreed before you start: they're named in the issue body and the spec. A builder never interviews a user to find seams; if an issue names none, that's a spec gap to report, not a prompt to go ask someone.
Frozen checks under docs/checks/ are read-only grading — not your tests.
They verify the slice from outside, after the fact. Write your own tests at
the issue's named seams and run them yourself before you report. A green
frozen check with no tests of your own is not done.
What a good test is
Tests verify behavior through the seam, not implementation details. A good test reads like a specification and survives refactors because it doesn't care about internal structure. See tests.md for examples and mocking.md for mocking guidance.
Show full SKILL.md (194 more words)Show less
Anti-patterns
- Implementation-coupled — mocks internal collaborators, tests private methods, or verifies through a side channel. Tell: it breaks on refactor with no behavior change.
- Tautological — the assertion recomputes the expected value the way the implementation does, so it passes by construction. Expected values come from an independent source: a known-good literal, a worked example, the spec.
- Horizontal slicing — writing every test first, then all implementation. Work in vertical slices instead: one test -> one minimal implementation -> repeat, each test a tracer bullet answering what the last cycle taught you.
Rules of the loop
- Red before green. Write the failing test first, then only enough code to pass it. Don't anticipate future tests or add speculative features.
- One slice at a time. One seam, one test, one minimal implementation per cycle.
- Never refactor while RED. Refactoring belongs to review, not the red -> green cycle.
- Mock at system boundaries only — external systems, time, randomness. Never your own modules.
Report only what you proved
Evidence-ground every claim: report only what a tool result from this session actually shows — the command output and exit code from a test you ran, not a claim of passing without the run behind it.
© DanMcInerney, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
SKILL.md and 2 other files in skills/tdd of DanMcInerney/architect-loop.
- SKILL.md
- mocking.md
- tests.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 28dca7d
Compare with similar skills
TDD 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TDD this skillDanMcInerney/architect-loop | 626 | — | ~730 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| TDD WorkflowhellangleZ/burn-in-cceverywhere-ralph | 112 | 11 repos | ~2.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| TDD Methodoly Expertthedaviddias/skill-check | 190 | — | ~2.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Implementgenkovich/sdd | 171 | — | ~2.5k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| TDD Workflowaffaan-m/ECC | 275k | 1 repos | ~2.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Fixjvm-skills/jvm-skills | 140 | — | ~695 | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 |
Similar skills
TDD Methodoly Expert
thedaviddias/skill-check
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Implement
genkovich/sdd
A skill your agent uses to implement a feature from its tasks.json with test-driven development — writes a failing test first, makes it pass, refactors, gates, and commits per task.
TDD Workflow
affaan-m/ECC
Yeni özellikler yazarken, hata düzeltirken veya kod refactor ederken bu skill'i kullanın.
Fix
jvm-skills/jvm-skills
Fix a bug or missing feature using TDD — write failing test first, then fix, refactor, verify, beautify.
Test Driven Development
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Use as a workflow overlay when implementing any feature, bugfix, refactor, or behavior change before writing production code
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Related
Categories
Questions about TDD
What does TDD do?
Test-driven development for factory builders. An agent skill from DanMcInerney/architect-loop. TDD is an agent skill from DanMcInerney/architect-loop. Test-driven development for factory builders.
When should I use TDD?
TDD fits situations like: A ship job implements at the issues pre-agreed seams — the red - green loop; one test then one minimal implementation per cycle; never a refactor while RED.
How do I install TDD in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add DanMcInerney/architect-loop --skill tdd -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/tdd in DanMcInerney/architect-loop) into .claude/skills/tdd in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install TDD in Codex?
Run `npx skills add DanMcInerney/architect-loop --skill tdd -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/tdd in DanMcInerney/architect-loop) into .agents/skills/tdd in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use TDD 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 DanMcInerney/architect-loop --skill tdd -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/tdd, .gemini/skills/tdd, .github/skills/tdd and .opencode/skills/tdd in your project.
What does TDD need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: TDD is instructions for the agent only.
Does TDD 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 TDD 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 TDD use?
TDD is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does TDD use?
About 730 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.9k 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 TDD?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with TDD: TDD Workflow (hellangleZ/burn-in-cceverywhere-ralph, 112 stars), TDD Methodoly Expert (thedaviddias/skill-check, 190 stars), Implement (genkovich/sdd, 171 stars) and TDD Workflow (affaan-m/ECC, 275k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains TDD?
DanMcInerney (a GitHub user) maintains it in DanMcInerney/architect-loop, which has 626 GitHub stars. The repository holds 11 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 13, 2026.
Source: DanMcInerney/architect-loop on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.