probity

Probity

Process discipline for AI coding agents.

Probity catches what coding agents do wrong (over-implementing past the failing test, disabling tests instead of fixing them, reaching for rm -rf) using the hook system your agent already exposes.

How it works

Each agent action (file write, shell command) fires a hook. Probity evaluates the action against your configured rules and decides whether it goes through. When it blocks, the agent gets a reason and a path forward:

probity: production code is being added before any failing test was written
or observed.

The next TDD-legal step is to add one focused test in src/cart.test.ts and
run it to a clean assertion failure before implementing only the minimum code
to pass it.

Probity grew out of tdd-guard, built to be the better foundation for the work ahead: rules beyond TDD, agents beyond Claude Code.

Features

• Catches over-implementation and missing tests by reading your agent's session history (works with any test runner, in any language)
• Same config across Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot Chat, and Copilot CLI: one rule set, every agent
• Pattern blocks for commands and content (string or regex) for the deterministic checks
• Custom rules in a few lines of TypeScript

Getting started

Install Probity as a dev dependency, then wire it into your agent:

npm install -D @nizos/probity

Create a probity.config.ts at your project root.

Here's a starter that enforces TDD on src/ and test/, and blocks eslint-disable comments:

import { defineConfig, enforceTdd, forbidContentPattern } from '@nizos/probity'

export default defineConfig({
  rules: [
    {
      files: ['src/**', 'test/**'],
      rules: [
        enforceTdd(),
        forbidContentPattern({
          match: 'eslint-disable',
          reason: 'Fix the lint violation rather than disabling the rule',
        }),
      ],
    },
  ],
})

Documentation

• Setup: wire probity into your agent
• Configuration: config file shape, path scoping, and custom rules
• Rules: built-in rules and their options

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See the contributing guidelines to get started.

License

MIT