Agent skill

Writing Tests

by spencerpauly in spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills

Analyze existing code and write comprehensive unit and integration tests for it.

CC0-1.0Auto-check passedTesting & QA

Install Writing Tests

skills CLI

$ npx skills add spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills --skill writing-tests -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills writing-tests --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/resources/writing-tests .claude/skills/writing-tests && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "writing-tests" agent skill from https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills/tree/main/resources/writing-tests into .claude/skills/writing-tests/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "writing-tests", 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

$skill-installer install https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills/tree/main/resources/writing-tests

Type 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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills --skill writing-tests -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills writing-tests --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/resources/writing-tests .agents/skills/writing-tests && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "writing-tests" agent skill from https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills/tree/main/resources/writing-tests into .agents/skills/writing-tests/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "writing-tests", 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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills --skill writing-tests -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills writing-tests --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/resources/writing-tests .cursor/skills/writing-tests && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "writing-tests" agent skill from https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills/tree/main/resources/writing-tests into .cursor/skills/writing-tests/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "writing-tests", 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

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills.git --path resources/writing-tests

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills --skill writing-tests -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills writing-tests --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/resources/writing-tests .gemini/skills/writing-tests && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "writing-tests" agent skill from https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills/tree/main/resources/writing-tests into .gemini/skills/writing-tests/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "writing-tests", 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.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills writing-tests

Installs 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).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills --skill writing-tests -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/resources/writing-tests .github/skills/writing-tests && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "writing-tests" agent skill from https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills/tree/main/resources/writing-tests into .github/skills/writing-tests/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "writing-tests", 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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills --skill writing-tests -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills writing-tests --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/resources/writing-tests .opencode/skills/writing-tests && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "writing-tests" agent skill from https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills/tree/main/resources/writing-tests into .opencode/skills/writing-tests/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "writing-tests", 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: writing-tests
GitHub stars: 844
Token cost: ~1k tokens
SKILL.md length: 306 words
Files: 1
Skills in repo: 60
Repo updated: Aug 2, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: CC0-1.0

At a glance

Analyze existing code and write comprehensive unit and integration tests for it.

Works in 8 steps: Detect the test setup — check what's… → If no test runner exists — set one up → Analyze the target code — read the… → …
The user asks to add tests
SKILL.md covers Steps, What to Test and Notes
Calls npm, vitest and playwright

What it does

Writing Tests is an agent skill from spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills. Analyze existing code and write comprehensive unit and integration tests for it. Detects the test framework, identifies untested code paths, and generates tests with proper mocking, edge cases, and assertions. Use when the user asks to add tests, improve coverage, or test a specific module.

Its SKILL.md is about 1k 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 Test coverage, Integration testing and Unit testing. The repository describes itself as: A curated list of awesome skills for Cursor. The licence is CC0-1.0.

When your agent uses it

The user asks to add tests
Improve coverage
Test a specific module

Example prompts

“/writing-tests”

Requirements

Node.js

Workflow steps

8 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

Detect the test setup — check what's already configured
If no test runner exists — set one up
Analyze the target code — read the file(s) to test and identify
Create the test file — place it next to the source file or in a tests/ directory, matching the project's convention
Write tests following this structure
Mock external dependencies — don't make real API calls or database queries in unit tests
Test React components with Testing Library
Run the tests and verify they pass

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 99cd265. 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
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
- npm
- vitest
- playwright
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use npm, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.
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

Writing Tests loads about 1k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 76 tokens; SKILL.md has 306 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~76
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~1k

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 spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills at commit 99cd265, republished under its CC0-1.0 licence (© spencerpauly). 306 words, ~1,005 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/writing-tests/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).

name: writing-tests
description: Analyze existing code and write comprehensive unit and integration tests for it. Detects the test framework, identifies untested code paths, and generates tests with proper mocking, edge cases, and assertions. Use when the user asks to add tests, improve coverage, or test a specific module.

Writing Tests

Use this skill when the user asks to add tests to existing code, improve test coverage, or write tests for a specific file or module.

Steps

Detect the test setup — check what's already configured:
bash
```
# Check package.json for test runner
cat package.json | grep -E "jest|vitest|mocha|playwright|cypress"
```
Look for config files: vitest.config.ts, jest.config.ts, playwright.config.ts, .mocharc.*. Check for existing test files to understand the project's test patterns and conventions.

If no test runner exists — set one up:

bash

npm install -D vitest @testing-library/react @testing-library/jest-dom

Add a test script to package.json:

json

{ "test": "vitest run", "test:watch": "vitest" }

Analyze the target code — read the file(s) to test and identify:
- Public API: exported functions, classes, components, hooks
- Code paths: conditionals, error handling, edge cases
- Dependencies: external services, databases, APIs that need mocking
- Side effects: file I/O, network calls, DOM mutations
Create the test file — place it next to the source file or in a __tests__/ directory, matching the project's convention:
- src/utils/format.ts → src/utils/format.test.ts
- src/components/Button.tsx → src/components/Button.test.tsx

Write tests following this structure:

import { describe, it, expect, vi } from "vitest";

describe("functionName", () => {
  // Happy path
  it("returns formatted output for valid input", () => { ... });

  // Edge cases
  it("handles empty string", () => { ... });
  it("handles null/undefined input", () => { ... });

  // Error cases
  it("throws on invalid argument", () => { ... });

  // Boundary conditions
  it("handles maximum length input", () => { ... });
});

Mock external dependencies — don't make real API calls or database queries in unit tests:

vi.mock("@/lib/db", () => ({
  query: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([{ id: 1, name: "test" }]),
}));

For React components, mock hooks that fetch data:

vi.mock("@/hooks/useUser", () => ({
  useUser: () => ({ user: { name: "Test" }, isLoading: false }),
}));

Test React components with Testing Library:

tsx

import { render, screen, fireEvent } from "@testing-library/react";

it("renders the button and handles click", () => {
  const onClick = vi.fn();
  render(<Button onClick={onClick}>Click me</Button>);
  fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Click me" }));
  expect(onClick).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
});

Run the tests and verify they pass:
bash
```
npm test
```
If any fail, fix the test or the code (depending on whether the test expectation or the implementation is wrong).

Show full SKILL.md (102 more words)Show less

What to Test

Always test: public API, error handling, edge cases (empty, null, zero, negative), state transitions, async behavior
Skip testing: private implementation details, third-party library internals, simple getters/setters, type-only code

Notes

Match the project's existing test style — if they use test() instead of it(), follow that.
Don't test implementation details — test behavior and outputs, not internal method calls.
Use descriptive test names that explain the scenario: "returns 0 when cart is empty" not "test1".
One assertion concept per test — multiple expect calls are fine if they verify the same behavior.
For async code, always await the result or use resolves/rejects matchers.

Files

Just SKILL.md in resources/writing-tests of spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 99cd265

Compare with similar skills

Writing Tests 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.

Writing Tests compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Writing Tests this skillspencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills	844	—	~1k	Automated safety check: Pass	CC0-1.0	2 mo ago
Memstack Development Test Writercwinvestments/memstack	423	—	~3.7k	Automated safety check: Pass	Proprietary	13 days ago
Test Experteinverne/dotfiles	121	—	~2.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	GPL-3.0	1 mo ago
Scenario Testingaiskillstore/marketplace	433	1 repos	~830	Automated safety check: Pass	None	today
Assessing Test Coveragebitwarden/ai-plugins	155	—	~1.1k	Automated safety check: Pass	Custom licence	today
Recommending Test Layersbitwarden/ai-plugins	155	—	~2.4k	Automated safety check: Pass	Custom licence	today

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Questions about Writing Tests

What does Writing Tests do?

Analyze existing code and write comprehensive unit and integration tests for it. Writing Tests is an agent skill from spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills. Analyze existing code and write comprehensive unit and integration tests for it.

When should I use Writing Tests?

Writing Tests fits situations like: the user asks to add tests; improve coverage; test a specific module.

How do I install Writing Tests in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills --skill writing-tests -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (resources/writing-tests in spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills) into .claude/skills/writing-tests in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Writing Tests in Codex?

Run `npx skills add spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills --skill writing-tests -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (resources/writing-tests in spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills) into .agents/skills/writing-tests in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Writing Tests 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 spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills --skill writing-tests -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/writing-tests, .gemini/skills/writing-tests, .github/skills/writing-tests and .opencode/skills/writing-tests in your project.

What does Writing Tests need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Writing Tests needs the command-line tools its instructions call (npm, vitest and playwright). Our summary lists: Node.js.

Does Writing Tests access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use npm, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Writing Tests 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 Writing Tests use?

Writing Tests is published under the CC0-1.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Writing Tests use?

About 1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4k 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 Writing Tests?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Writing Tests: Memstack Development Test Writer (cwinvestments/memstack, 423 stars), Test Expert (einverne/dotfiles, 121 stars), Scenario Testing (aiskillstore/marketplace, 433 stars) and Assessing Test Coverage (bitwarden/ai-plugins, 155 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Writing Tests?

spencerpauly (a GitHub user) maintains it in spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills, which has 844 GitHub stars. The repository holds 60 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 2, 2026.

Source: spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Writing Tests

Install Writing Tests

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Requirements

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Writing Tests

Steps

What to Test

Notes

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

Memstack Development Test Writer

Test Expert

Scenario Testing

Assessing Test Coverage

Recommending Test Layers

Test Writing Workflow

More from spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills

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Grinding Until Pass

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Questions about Writing Tests

Install Writing Tests

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Requirements

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Writing Tests

Steps

What to Test

Notes

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills

Related

Questions about Writing Tests