Skill Testing Framework

Validate skill functionality with automated tests.

Test Structure

skill/
├── SKILL.md
└── test-cases/
    ├── basic.yml
    ├── edge-cases.yml
    └── integration.yml

Test Format

name: Basic Functionality
description: Test core skill behavior

setup:
  - mkdir -p /tmp/test-project
  - cd /tmp/test-project

tests:
  - name: Should load successfully
    input: invoke skill
    expected:
      status: success
      output_contains: 'Skill loaded'

  - name: Should reject invalid input
    input: invoke skill with "invalid"
    expected:
      status: error
      error_contains: 'Invalid input'

teardown:
  - rm -rf /tmp/test-project

Commands

• dotnet-agent-harness:test <skill> - Run all tests
• dotnet-agent-harness:test <skill> --filter basic - Filter tests
• dotnet-agent-harness:test all - Test all skills
• dotnet-agent-harness:test all --format junit --output results.xml - Emit CI-friendly reports

Test Types

1. Unit Tests: Individual skill components
2. Integration: Multiple skills together
3. E2E: Full workflow testing
4. Regression: Prevent known issues

Assertions

• status: success|error
• output_contains: "string"
• output_matches: /regex/
• file_exists: "path"
• no_errors - Check stderr empty

Report Format

✓ skill-name
  ✓ basic functionality (12ms)
  ✓ edge cases (8ms)
  ✗ integration test (failed)
    Expected: "success"
    Got: "error: missing dependency"

Results: 2 passed, 1 failed

CI Integration

- name: Test Skills
  run: |
    dotnet agent-harness test all --format junit --output results.xml
    dotnet-agent-harness:test all --format junit --output results.xml

- name: Upload Results
  uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
  with:
    name: test-results
    path: results.xml

Best Practices

1. Test happy path first
2. Include error cases
3. Use realistic inputs
4. Clean up test artifacts
5. Mock external dependencies

Troubleshooting

Test fails: Check skill dependencies Timeout: Increase timeout in test config Flaky tests: Use deterministic inputs

Code Navigation (Serena MCP)

Primary approach: Use Serena symbol operations for efficient code navigation:

1. Find definitions: serena_find_symbol instead of text search
2. Understand structure: serena_get_symbols_overview for file organization
3. Track references: serena_find_referencing_symbols for impact analysis
4. Precise edits: serena_replace_symbol_body for clean modifications

When to use Serena vs traditional tools:

• Use Serena: Navigation, refactoring, dependency analysis, precise edits
• Use Read/Grep: Reading full files, pattern matching, simple text operations
• Fallback: If Serena unavailable, traditional tools work fine

Example workflow:

# Instead of:
Read: src/Services/OrderService.cs
Grep: "public void ProcessOrder"

# Use:
serena_find_symbol: "OrderService/ProcessOrder"
serena_get_symbols_overview: "src/Services/OrderService.cs"