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tdd-workflow — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install

A skill that walks the agent through London School TDD: a failing test against mocks, the smallest passing implementation, then refactor. Steps are logged through MCP hooks.

Install into Claude Code · Skills CLI (Vercel) All methods and platforms ↓
npx skills add ruvnet/ruflo --skill tdd-workflow -a claude-code
Open on GitHub

What tdd-workflow does

The skill runs the agent through London School TDD. First a failing test for the expected behaviour with dependencies mocked, then a run to check it fails for the right reason. After that the smallest implementation that passes, a refactor while tests stay green, then the next behaviour. Mocks sit at module boundaries, tests look at behaviour from outside, names follow should [behavior] when [condition].

It takes one argument, <module-path>. Tool access is narrow: Bash(npx * npm *), Read, Write, Edit, plus two MCP calls. Enough for a test-code-refactor loop, and tight enough that the agent stays in it.

Before the first test it calls mcp__plugin_ruflo-core_ruflo__hooks_pre-task, before reporting mcp__plugin_ruflo-core_ruflo__hooks_post-task. Both hooks come from the ruflo-core plugin's MCP server, so without that server connected those steps do not happen. The skill also insists on observed results: run the target tests and the regression suite after the last edit, record commands, exit codes, whether tests actually ran, and the names of failing tests. Skipped validation counts as failure.

What it helps with

  • write the first failing test for a new module
  • confirm a red test fails for the right reason
  • mock external dependencies at the module boundary
  • grow the implementation with the smallest passing change
  • record test commands, exit codes and failing test names in the report

Example prompts for the agent

  • Run the tdd-workflow loop on <module-path>, starting from a failing test for the expected behaviour
  • Use the tdd-workflow skill on <module-path> and mock dependencies at the module boundary
  • Take <module-path> through tdd-workflow until the regression suite is green, then report through hooks_post-task

How to install tdd-workflow

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add ruvnet/ruflo --skill tdd-workflow -a claude-code

2Manually: put the files in place

~/.claude/skills/tdd-workflow/SKILL.md

Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/tdd-workflow/

Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways

Questions about tdd-workflow

How do I install tdd-workflow in Claude Code?

Run npx skills add ruvnet/ruflo --skill tdd-workflow -a claude-code. The skill lands at ~/.claude/skills/tdd-workflow/SKILL.md.

What does tdd-workflow do?

It drives a London School loop: failing test with mocks, minimal implementation, refactor, next test. Tests describe behaviour rather than implementation.

Does tdd-workflow need the ruflo-core MCP server?

Yes. It calls mcp__plugin_ruflo-core_ruflo__hooks_pre-task before work starts and mcp__plugin_ruflo-core_ruflo__hooks_post-task before reporting, and both hooks come from that plugin.

Source text

SKILL.md · MIT
---
name: tdd-workflow
description: TDD London School workflow -- mock-first, outside-in test development
argument-hint: "<module-path>"
allowed-tools: Bash(npx * npm *) mcp__plugin_ruflo-core_ruflo__hooks_pre-task mcp__plugin_ruflo-core_ruflo__hooks_post-task Read Write Edit
---
Follow the TDD London School (mock-first) approach:

1. **Write the failing test first** -- define expected behavior with mocked dependencies
2. **Run the test** -- confirm it fails for the right reason
3. **Implement minimal code** -- make the test pass with the simplest solution
4. **Refactor** -- clean up while keeping tests green
5. **Repeat** -- add the next behavior

Before starting: `mcp__plugin_ruflo-core_ruflo__hooks_pre-task({ description: "TDD: FEATURE_NAME" })`
Before reporting the outcome, run the final target tests and the regression suite after the last edit. Record the actual commands, exit codes, whether tests ran, and failing test names. The initial red test is expected during TDD; only the final validation determines success.

Call `mcp__plugin_ruflo-core_ruflo__hooks_post-task` with the observed result, including when the task is abandoned or validation is interrupted. Set `completed`, `targetTestsRan`, and `regressionTestsRan` to true only when observed; use null for missing exit codes. Skipped or unrun validation is not success. Never substitute an expected result for an observed one.

The following example maps those observations to the hook input (tool-call notation):
```javascript
const success = completed && targetTestsRan && regressionTestsRan
  && targetExitCode === 0 && regressionExitCode === 0;
mcp__plugin_ruflo-core_ruflo__hooks_post-task({
  taskId: "tdd-FEATURE",
  success,
  storeResults: true,
  task: JSON.stringify({
    feature: "FEATURE",
    targetCommand, targetExitCode, targetTestsRan,
    regressionCommand, regressionExitCode, regressionTestsRan,
    failingTestNames,
    failureReason: success ? null : failureReason
  })
});
```
On failure, report `success: false` and the failing test names in `task`. If the runner failed before identifying tests, or the task was abandoned, state that reason instead of inventing test names.

Principles:
- Mock external dependencies at boundaries
- Test behavior, not implementation
- One assertion per test when possible
- Descriptive names: `should [behavior] when [condition]`

© ruvnet · MIT · ruvnet/ruflo

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