Quality-First TDD

Priority: P0 (CRITICAL)

A passing test is insufficient; the test must prove an owned behavior and a distinct plausible fault.

Choose the mode

• New behavior: strict RED -> GREEN -> REFACTOR. Do not write production code before the expected RED.
• Legacy or bug fix: characterize only when needed, then reproduce the intended change as a failing regression (RED). Preserve unrelated existing code; do not delete it merely because it predates the test.

Before writing a test

Create one Test Intent Record per behavior/risk:

• contract: observable contract — an application-owned result or side effect
• fault: distinct fault — a distinct plausible regression this test would catch
• layer: smallest honest unit, component, contract, integration, or E2E layer
• cases: minimal distinct equivalence classes; use a parameterized test for equivalent inputs
• command: exact focused single-run command

Reject tests that duplicate an existing fault, assert implementation detail or mock choreography, depend on time/network/order, or force a broader behavior into a unit.

Bounded loop

1. Run configured lint/type checks, inspect nearby tests, and derive the smallest command.
2. RED: add one intent group and run it in the foreground, sequentially, single-run mode.
3. Classify RED as expected_red, invalid_red, unexpected_green, or verification_infra_failed. If it is unexpected_green, inspect existing coverage and remove a redundant or weak case before implementing production code.
4. GREEN: implement only enough to satisfy expected_red; rerun the same command.
5. REFACTOR: improve structure without changing behavior; rerun the same command.
6. Escalate only when evidence requires it: related unit target, integration/contract target, then explicit release/full-suite gate.

Execution safety

• Honor project timeouts; otherwise use a 120-second fallback to bound a focused command.
• On timeout, terminate only the agent-owned process group and verify child cleanup.
• Never watch, blanket-kill, or retry an unchanged failure. Record the new hypothesis or corrective change first.
• Coverage is repository-configured, project-owned evidence. Without a configured threshold, report risk gaps and never add padding tests for a percentage.

Red flags and rationalizations

• Stop on: add tests after, too small, passed first run, run the full suite again, or mock every collaborator.
• Urgency, manual testing, test count, or a coverage target never bypasses the intent record, expected RED, bounded command, or fault proof.

Test shape

• Use clear Arrange, Act, Assert phases; comments are optional.
• Assert observable outcomes. Assert an interaction only when that interaction is the contract.
• Mock external boundaries only when isolation requires it; prefer real pure/domain behavior and simple fakes.
• Keep test names behavior-focused, without ticket IDs or TODO/FIXME markers.

See references/quality-contract.md for the intent record, failure taxonomy, layer routing, and runner examples.