Create TDD Tasks Skill

Transform existing SDD implementation tasks into test-first TDD task pairs. For each implementation task, this skill creates a paired test task that must complete first, enforcing test-first development at the pipeline level.

This skill bridges the SDD pipeline (/create-tasks) and TDD execution (/execute-tdd-tasks), converting a standard task list into one where every implementation task is preceded by a failing-test-writing task.

CRITICAL: Complete ALL 8 phases. The workflow is not complete until Phase 8: Report is finished. After completing each phase, immediately proceed to the next phase without waiting for user prompts.

Core Principles

1. Test-first at the pipeline level -- Every implementation task gets a paired test task that blocks it. Tests are written before implementation begins.
2. Preserve existing dependencies -- TDD pairs are inserted into the existing SDD dependency chain without breaking any original relationships.
3. Merge mode awareness -- Re-running this skill on a task list that already has TDD pairs detects and skips existing pairs instead of creating duplicates.
4. Criteria-to-tests conversion -- Acceptance criteria from SDD tasks are converted into test descriptions for the paired test task.
5. Minimal metadata additions -- Only tdd_mode, tdd_phase, and paired_task_id are added. All existing metadata is preserved.

Critical Rules

AskUserQuestion is MANDATORY

IMPORTANT: You MUST use the AskUserQuestion tool for ALL questions to the user. Never ask questions through regular text output.

• Preview confirmation -> AskUserQuestion
• Anomaly resolution -> AskUserQuestion
• Error recovery options -> AskUserQuestion

Text output should only be used for:

• Presenting TDD pair previews and summaries
• Reporting completion status
• Displaying dependency chain visualizations

NEVER do this (asking via text output):

Should I proceed with creating 12 TDD task pairs?
1. Yes
2. No

ALWAYS do this (using AskUserQuestion tool):

AskUserQuestion:
  questions:
    - header: "Confirm TDD Pair Creation"
      question: "Ready to create 12 TDD task pairs?"
      options:
        - label: "Yes, create pairs"
          description: "Create test tasks and set TDD dependencies"
        - label: "Show details"
          description: "See full list of pairs before creating"
        - label: "Cancel"
          description: "Don't create TDD pairs"
      multiSelect: false

Plan Mode Behavior

CRITICAL: This skill transforms tasks, NOT creates an implementation plan. When invoked during Claude Code's plan mode:

• DO NOT create a plan for how to implement TDD
• DO NOT defer task transformation to an "execution phase"
• DO proceed with the full TDD task generation workflow immediately
• DO create test tasks using TaskCreate as normal

The TDD task pairs are planning artifacts themselves -- generating them IS the planning activity.

Soft Dependency on sdd-tools

This skill is part of the tdd-tools plugin and works with agents in the same plugin (tdd-executor, test-writer). It bridges the SDD pipeline (/create-tasks from sdd-tools) and TDD execution (/execute-tdd-tasks). The sdd-tools plugin is expected to be installed since TDD tasks are generated from SDD tasks created by /create-tasks.

---

Phase 1: Validate & Load References

Goal: Verify prerequisites and load reference materials.

Step 1: Parse Arguments

Check $ARGUMENTS for optional --task-group filter:

• If --task-group <group> is present, extract the group name for filtering
• If no arguments provided, process all tasks

Step 3: Load Reference Files

Read the TDD decomposition and dependency reference files:

1. references/tdd-decomposition-patterns.md -- Task pairing rules, naming conventions, metadata, merge mode detection
2. references/tdd-dependency-rules.md -- Dependency insertion algorithm, circular dependency detection and breaking

---

Phase 2: Read Existing Tasks

Goal: Load the current task list and identify tasks to transform.

Step 1: Get All Tasks

Use TaskList to retrieve all current tasks.

Step 2: Apply Group Filter

If --task-group was specified:

• Filter to only tasks where metadata.task_group matches the specified group
• Tasks outside the group are not modified

If no --task-group specified:

• Process all tasks regardless of group

Step 3: Validate Task List

Handle empty/missing states:

Empty task list (no tasks at all):

No tasks found. Please run /create-tasks first to generate implementation tasks from a spec.

Usage:
  /agent-alchemy-sdd:create-tasks <spec-path>

No tasks matching --task-group filter:

No tasks found for group "{group}".

Available task groups:
- {group1} ({n} tasks)
- {group2} ({n} tasks)

Try: /create-tdd-tasks --task-group {group1}

Step 4: Classify Tasks

For each task, determine if it should receive a TDD pair:

Eligible for TDD pairing:

• Implementation tasks (subjects like "Create X", "Implement X", "Build X", "Add X")
• Business logic tasks
• API/endpoint tasks
• Data model tasks
• UI/frontend tasks

Skip (no TDD pair created):

• Tasks already marked with tdd_mode: true in metadata
• Test tasks (subjects like "Add tests for X", "Write tests for X", or tasks with test in task_uid)
• Configuration/setup tasks (subjects like "Configure X", "Set up X")
• Documentation tasks (subjects like "Document X", "Write docs for X")

Record the classification for each task: eligible, skipped (with reason).

---

Phase 3: Detect Existing TDD Pairs (Merge Mode)

Goal: Identify tasks that already have TDD pairs to avoid duplication.

Detection Algorithm

For each eligible task, check if it already has a TDD pair using these 4 signals (any match means paired):

1. Metadata check: Task has tdd_mode: true in metadata
2. Paired task check: Task has paired_task_id in metadata, and the paired task exists in the task list
3. UID check: A task exists with task_uid equal to this task's task_uid + :red
4. Subject check: A task with subject "Write tests for {this task's subject}" exists in the same task_group

Merge Behavior

For tasks with existing TDD pairs:

Existing Pair Status	Action
Both tasks pending	Skip -- pair already exists
Test completed, impl pending	Skip -- pair progressing normally
Test completed, impl completed	Skip -- pair fully done
Test completed, impl in_progress	Skip -- pair in progress
Test pending, impl completed	Flag as anomaly -- impl completed without tests
Only impl exists, test missing	Treat as unpaired -- create the test task
Only test exists, impl missing	Flag as orphan -- ask user

Report Merge Status

If any existing pairs detected:

TDD PAIR STATUS:
- {n} tasks already have TDD pairs (will skip)
- {m} tasks need TDD pairs (will create)
- {k} anomalies detected (need user input)

If anomalies exist, use AskUserQuestion to resolve each one:

AskUserQuestion:
  questions:
    - header: "TDD Pair Anomaly"
      question: "Task #{id} '{subject}' was completed without its test task. What should I do?"
      options:
        - label: "Create test task anyway"
          description: "Add a test task for documentation/coverage purposes"
        - label: "Skip this task"
          description: "Leave it as-is without a test pair"
      multiSelect: false

---

Phase 4: Generate Test Tasks

Goal: Create test task definitions for each eligible unpaired implementation task.

For each eligible task that needs a TDD pair, generate a paired test task.

Step 1: Determine Test Task Subject

Follow the naming convention:

"Write tests for {original task subject}"

Examples:

• "Create User data model" -> "Write tests for Create User data model"
• "Implement POST /auth/login endpoint" -> "Write tests for Implement POST /auth/login endpoint"

Step 2: Infer Test File Path

Determine the test file path based on the implementation task context:

• If implementation task references source files, derive test file path from project conventions
• Common patterns: src/foo.ts -> tests/foo.test.ts, src/foo.py -> tests/test_foo.py
• If no source files referenced, use the task subject to infer a path

Step 3: Detect Test Framework

Determine the test framework using project detection:

1. Check for config files: jest.config.*, vitest.config.*, pytest.ini, pyproject.toml, setup.cfg
2. Check existing test files for import patterns
3. Check package.json for test dependencies
4. Default to the most common framework for the detected language

Step 4: Convert Acceptance Criteria to Test Descriptions

If the implementation task HAS acceptance criteria (**Acceptance Criteria:** section):

Convert each criterion into a test description:

**Test Descriptions:**

_From Functional Criteria:_
- [ ] Test that {criterion rephrased as test assertion}

_From Edge Cases:_
- [ ] Test that {edge case rephrased as test assertion}

_From Error Handling:_
- [ ] Test that {error scenario rephrased as test assertion}

_From Performance:_ (if applicable)
- [ ] Test that {performance target as measurable assertion}

If the implementation task LACKS acceptance criteria:

Generate basic test descriptions from the subject and description:

1. Parse the subject for intent ("Create X" -> test X exists and has expected structure)
2. Extract testable statements from description ("should...", "must...", "returns...", "validates...")
3. Generate minimal test descriptions:

**Test Descriptions:**

_Inferred from task description:_
- [ ] Test that {subject entity} can be created/initialized
- [ ] Test that {subject entity} has expected structure/interface
- [ ] Test that {described behavior} works as described

Step 5: Build Test Task Definition

Assemble the complete test task:

subject: "Write tests for {original subject}"
description: |
  Write failing tests for: {original task subject}

  Test file: {inferred test file path}
  Test framework: {detected framework}
  Original task: #{original_task_id}

  {test descriptions from Step 4}

  **Acceptance Criteria:**

  _Functional:_
  - [ ] All test descriptions converted into runnable test functions
  - [ ] Tests follow project test conventions (naming, structure, fixtures)
  - [ ] Tests are discoverable by the test runner
  - [ ] Tests fail when run without implementation (RED state)

  _Edge Cases:_
  - [ ] Tests handle import errors gracefully when implementation module does not exist

  _Error Handling:_
  - [ ] Test file is syntactically valid even when implementation is missing

  Source: {original source reference}
activeForm: "Writing tests for {original subject}"
metadata:
  tdd_mode: true
  tdd_phase: "red"
  paired_task_id: "{original_task_id}"
  priority: {inherited from original}
  complexity: {S or M -- test files are typically smaller}
  source_section: {inherited from original}
  spec_path: {inherited from original}
  feature_name: {inherited from original}
  task_uid: "{original_task_uid}:red"
  task_group: {inherited from original}

Step 6: Plan Implementation Task Updates

For each original implementation task, plan the metadata update:

metadata additions:
  tdd_mode: true
  tdd_phase: "green"
  paired_task_id: "{test_task_id}"  # Will be set after test task creation

---

Phase 5: Set Dependencies

Goal: Insert TDD pairs into the existing dependency chain.

Apply the insertion algorithm from tdd-dependency-rules.md:

For Each TDD Pair

Given implementation task #N with existing dependencies blockedBy: [A, B, ...]:

1. Test task inherits upstream dependencies: Test task #T gets blockedBy: [A, B, ...] (same as original)
2. Implementation task gains test dependency: Task #N adds #T to its blockedBy list
3. Downstream tasks unchanged: Tasks that depend on #N continue to depend on #N

Dependency Insertion Example

Before: Model (#1) --> API (#2) --> UI (#3)

After:
  Test-Model (#4) blockedBy: []
  Model (#1) blockedBy: [#4]
  Test-API (#5) blockedBy: [#1]
  API (#2) blockedBy: [#1, #5]
  Test-UI (#6) blockedBy: [#2]
  UI (#3) blockedBy: [#2, #6]

Circular Dependency Detection

After planning all insertions, validate the full dependency graph:

1. Build the complete graph from all tasks (original + new test tasks)
2. Run topological sort
3. If sort fails, a cycle exists

Breaking cycles (weakest-link strategy):

Score each dependency link in the cycle:

• TDD pair link (test -> impl): score 1 (weakest)
• Same-feature cross-layer: score 2
• Cross-feature dependency: score 3 (strongest)

Remove the dependency with the lowest score. Log a warning:

WARNING: Circular dependency detected after TDD pair insertion.
Cycle: {task chain}
Broken at: {removed link}
Reason: TDD pair link is weakest (score: 1)
Impact: {explanation of what may run out of order}

Add needs_review: true and circular_dep_break: true to the affected task's metadata.

---

Phase 6: Preview & Confirm

Goal: Present the TDD transformation plan and get user approval.

Display Preview

Present a summary of the planned changes:

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
TDD TASK PAIR GENERATION PREVIEW
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

SUMMARY:
  Total implementation tasks: {count}
  Eligible for TDD pairing: {eligible}
  Already have TDD pairs: {skipped} (merge mode)
  New TDD pairs to create: {new_pairs}
  Tasks skipped (test/config/docs): {skipped_ineligible}

NEW TDD PAIRS:
  Test Task                              | Blocks        | Phase
  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  Write tests for {subject1}             | #{impl_id1}   | RED
  Write tests for {subject2}             | #{impl_id2}   | RED
  ...

DEPENDENCY CHAIN (after insertion):
  {visualization of the dependency chain with TDD pairs inserted}

{If circular deps detected and broken:}
WARNINGS:
  - Circular dependency broken at: {link}
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Get Confirmation

Use AskUserQuestion to confirm:

AskUserQuestion:
  questions:
    - header: "Confirm TDD Pair Creation"
      question: "Ready to create {n} TDD task pairs?"
      options:
        - label: "Yes, create pairs"
          description: "Create test tasks and update implementation tasks with TDD metadata"
        - label: "Show task details"
          description: "See full test task descriptions before creating"
        - label: "Cancel"
          description: "Don't create TDD pairs"
      multiSelect: false

If user selects "Show task details":

• Display each test task's full description
• Show the criteria-to-test conversion
• Then ask for confirmation again

If user selects "Cancel":

• Stop without creating any tasks
• Report cancellation

---

Phase 7: Create Tasks

Goal: Create test tasks and update implementation tasks with TDD metadata.

Step 1: Create Test Tasks

For each planned test task, use TaskCreate:

TaskCreate:
  subject: "Write tests for {original subject}"
  description: {generated description from Phase 4}
  activeForm: "Writing tests for {original subject}"
  metadata:
    tdd_mode: true
    tdd_phase: "red"
    paired_task_id: "{impl_task_id}"
    priority: {inherited}
    complexity: {estimated}
    source_section: {inherited}
    spec_path: {inherited}
    feature_name: {inherited}
    task_uid: "{original_uid}:red"
    task_group: {inherited}

Capture the returned task ID for each created test task.

Step 2: Update Implementation Tasks

For each paired implementation task, use TaskUpdate:

TaskUpdate:
  taskId: "{impl_task_id}"
  metadata:
    tdd_mode: true
    tdd_phase: "green"
    paired_task_id: "{test_task_id}"

Step 3: Set Dependencies

For each TDD pair, set the dependency relationships:

TaskUpdate:
  taskId: "{impl_task_id}"
  addBlockedBy: ["{test_task_id}"]

For test tasks that need upstream dependencies (inheriting from the original impl task):

TaskUpdate:
  taskId: "{test_task_id}"
  addBlockedBy: ["{upstream_dep_1}", "{upstream_dep_2}"]

Step 4: Handle Circular Dependency Breaks

If any circular dependencies were detected and broken in Phase 5:

TaskUpdate:
  taskId: "{affected_task_id}"
  metadata:
    needs_review: true
    circular_dep_break: true

---

Phase 8: Report

Goal: Present the final summary of created TDD task pairs.

Completion Report

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
TDD TASK PAIR CREATION COMPLETE
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Created {n} TDD task pairs
Set {m} dependency relationships

TDD PAIRS CREATED:
  Test Task (RED)                        | Impl Task (GREEN)        | Test Blocks
  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  #{test_id}: Write tests for {subj}     | #{impl_id}: {subj}       | #{impl_id}
  ...

DEPENDENCY CHAIN:
  {visual representation of the full dependency chain}

{If --task-group was used:}
Group: {group}
Tasks in group: {total}
TDD pairs added: {new}

{If merge mode detected:}
MERGE MODE:
  Existing pairs preserved: {n}
  New pairs created: {m}

{If circular deps broken:}
WARNINGS:
  {n} circular dependencies detected and broken. Review recommended.

NEXT STEPS:
  Run /execute-tdd-tasks to execute TDD pairs with RED-GREEN-REFACTOR workflow.
  Run /execute-tdd-tasks --task-group {group} for group-specific execution.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

---

Error Handling

Empty Task List

If TaskList returns no tasks:

• Inform user to run /create-tasks first
• Provide usage example
• Stop

No Matching Group

If --task-group filter matches zero tasks:

• List available groups with task counts
• Suggest a valid group
• Stop

All Tasks Already Paired

If merge mode detects that all eligible tasks already have TDD pairs:

All eligible tasks already have TDD pairs. Nothing to create.

TDD pair status:
- {n} active TDD pairs
- {m} completed TDD pairs
- {k} tasks skipped (test/config/docs)

TaskCreate Failures

If a TaskCreate call fails:

• Log the failure
• Continue with remaining tasks
• Report partial results in Phase 8 with failed tasks listed

---

Example Usage

Convert all tasks to TDD pairs

/agent-alchemy-tdd:create-tdd-tasks

Convert a specific group

/agent-alchemy-tdd:create-tdd-tasks --task-group user-authentication

Re-run (merge mode)

/agent-alchemy-tdd:create-tdd-tasks --task-group user-authentication

If TDD pairs already exist for some tasks, they will be detected and skipped.

---

Important Notes

• Never create duplicate test tasks -- always check merge mode signals first
• Preserve all existing task dependencies -- TDD pairs are inserted, not replacing
• Test tasks always block their paired implementation task
• Test task metadata always inherits task_group, priority, feature_name, spec_path, and source_section from the original
• Task UIDs for test tasks append :red to the original UID
• Always use imperative mood for subjects ("Write tests for X" not "Tests for X")
• Always include activeForm in present continuous ("Writing tests for X")
• Tasks with tdd_mode: true are never paired again (prevents double-pairing)

Reference Files

• references/tdd-decomposition-patterns.md -- Task pairing rules, naming conventions, criteria conversion, merge mode
• references/tdd-dependency-rules.md -- Dependency insertion algorithm, circular dependency detection and breaking