ln-520-test-planner
Orchestrates test planning pipeline: research, manual testing, automated test planning. Use when Story needs comprehensive test coverage planning.
Best use case
ln-520-test-planner is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Orchestrates test planning pipeline: research, manual testing, automated test planning. Use when Story needs comprehensive test coverage planning.
Teams using ln-520-test-planner should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/ln-520-test-planner/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How ln-520-test-planner Compares
| Feature / Agent | ln-520-test-planner | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Orchestrates test planning pipeline: research, manual testing, automated test planning. Use when Story needs comprehensive test coverage planning.
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
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SKILL.md Source
> **Paths:** File paths (`shared/`, `references/`, `../ln-*`) are relative to skills repo root. If not found at CWD, locate this SKILL.md directory and go up one level for repo root. If `shared/` is missing, fetch files via WebFetch from `https://raw.githubusercontent.com/levnikolaevich/claude-code-skills/master/skills/{path}`.
# Test Planning Orchestrator
**Type:** L2 Coordinator
**Category:** 5XX Quality
Runtime-backed test-planning coordinator. The runtime owns skip/reuse gates, worker summary tracking, and deterministic resume.
## Inputs
| Input | Required | Source | Description |
|-------|----------|--------|-------------|
| `storyId` | Yes | args, git branch, kanban, user | Story to process |
| `--simplified` | No | args | Skip research (ln-521) and manual testing (ln-522). Run only auto-test planning (ln-523). Used in fast-track mode. |
**Resolution:** Story Resolution Chain.
**Status filter:** To Review
## Purpose & Scope
- **Orchestrate** test planning: research → manual testing → automated test planning
- **Delegate** to workers: ln-521-test-researcher, ln-522-manual-tester, ln-523-auto-test-planner
- **No direct work** — only coordination and delegation via Skill tool
## Runtime Contract
**MANDATORY READ:** Load `shared/references/coordinator_runtime_contract.md`, `shared/references/test_planning_runtime_contract.md`, `shared/references/test_planning_summary_contract.md`
Runtime family: `test-planning-runtime`
Identifier:
- Story ID
Phases:
1. `PHASE_0_CONFIG`
2. `PHASE_1_DISCOVERY`
3. `PHASE_2_RESEARCH`
4. `PHASE_3_MANUAL_TESTING`
5. `PHASE_4_AUTO_TEST_PLANNING`
6. `PHASE_5_FINALIZE`
7. `PHASE_6_SELF_CHECK`
Worker summary contract:
- `ln-521`, `ln-522`, `ln-523` may receive `summaryArtifactPath`
- each worker writes or returns `test-planning-worker` summary envelope
- ln-520 consumes worker summaries, not free-text worker prose
## When to Use
This skill should be used when:
- Story passed implementation and regression work and needs full test planning
- All implementation tasks in Story are Done
- Need complete test planning (research + manual + auto)
**Prerequisites:**
- All implementation Tasks in Story status = Done
- Regression tests passed (ln-513)
- Code quality checked (ln-511)
## Pipeline Overview
```
ln-520-test-planner (Orchestrator)
│
├─→ ln-521-test-researcher
│ └─→ Posts "## Test Research: {Feature}" comment
│
├─→ ln-522-manual-tester
│ └─→ Creates tests/manual/ scripts + "## Manual Testing Results" comment
│
└─→ ln-523-auto-test-planner
└─→ Creates test task in Linear via ln-301/ln-302
```
## Workflow
### Phase 0: Resolve Inputs
**MANDATORY READ:** Load `shared/references/input_resolution_pattern.md`
1. **Resolve storyId:** Run Story Resolution Chain per guide (status filter: [To Review]).
### Phase 1: Discovery
1) Auto-discover Team ID from `docs/tasks/kanban_board.md`
2) Validate Story ID
### Phase 2: Research Delegation
> **Simplified mode gate:**
> - IF `--simplified` flag AND research comment already exists on Story: Skip Phase 2 (research). Proceed to Phase 4.
> - IF `--simplified` flag AND no research comment: Skip Phase 2. Proceed to Phase 4 (ln-523 will generate minimal inline research).
1) **Check if research exists:**
- Search Linear comments for "## Test Research:" header
- If found → skip to Phase 3
2) **If no research:**
- **Use Skill tool to invoke `ln-521-test-researcher`**
- Pass: Story ID
- Wait for completion
- Verify research comment created
### Phase 3: Manual Testing Delegation
> **Simplified mode gate:**
> - IF `--simplified` flag: Skip Phase 3 (manual testing). Proceed to Phase 4.
1) **Check if manual testing done:**
- Search Linear comments for "## Manual Testing Results" header
- If found with all AC passed → skip to Phase 4
2) **If manual testing needed:**
- **Use Skill tool to invoke `ln-522-manual-tester`**
- Pass: Story ID
- Wait for completion
- Verify results comment created
3) **If any AC failed:**
- Stop pipeline
- Report to ln-500: "Manual testing failed, Story needs fixes"
### Phase 4: Auto Test Planning Delegation
1) **Invoke auto test planner:**
- **Use Skill tool to invoke `ln-523-auto-test-planner`**
- Pass: Story ID
- Wait for completion
2) **Verify results:**
- Test task created in Linear (or updated if existed)
- Return task URL to ln-500
### Phase 5: Report to Caller
1) Return summary to ln-500:
- Research: completed / skipped (existed)
- Manual testing: passed / failed
- Test task: created / updated + URL
### Runtime Summary Artifact
**MANDATORY READ:** Load `shared/references/coordinator_summary_contract.md`
Write `.hex-skills/runtime-artifacts/runs/{run_id}/story-tests/{story_id}.json` before finishing.
## Worker Invocation (MANDATORY)
> **CRITICAL:** All delegations use Agent tool with `subagent_type: "general-purpose"` for context isolation.
| Phase | Worker | Purpose |
|-------|--------|---------|
| 2 | ln-521-test-researcher | Research real-world problems |
| 3 | ln-522-manual-tester | Manual AC testing via bash scripts |
| 4 | ln-523-auto-test-planner | Plan E2E/Integration/Unit tests |
**Prompt template:**
```
Agent(description: "[Phase N] test planning via ln-52X",
prompt: "Execute test planning worker.
Step 1: Invoke worker:
Skill(skill: \"ln-52X-{worker}\")
CONTEXT:
Story: {storyId}",
subagent_type: "general-purpose")
```
**Anti-Patterns:**
- ❌ Direct Skill tool invocation without Agent wrapper
- ❌ Running web searches directly (delegate to ln-521)
- ❌ Creating bash test scripts directly (delegate to ln-522)
- ❌ Creating test tasks directly (delegate to ln-523)
- ❌ Skipping any phase without justification
## TodoWrite format (mandatory)
```
- Resolve Story and prerequisites (pending)
- Check or reuse research state (pending)
- Invoke ln-521 or skip deterministically (pending)
- Check or reuse manual testing state (pending)
- Invoke ln-522 or skip deterministically (pending)
- Invoke ln-523 and verify test-task result (pending)
- Write story-tests summary artifact (pending)
- Report final planning outcome (pending)
```
## Critical Rules
- **No direct work:** Orchestrator only delegates, never executes tasks itself
- **Sequential execution:** 521 → 522 → 523 (each depends on previous)
- **Fail-fast:** If manual testing fails, stop pipeline and report
- **Skip detection:** Check for existing comments before invoking workers
- **Single responsibility:** Each worker does one thing well
## Definition of Done
- [ ] Story ID validated
- [ ] Research phase: ln-521 invoked OR existing comment found
- [ ] Manual testing phase: ln-522 invoked OR existing results found
- [ ] Auto test planning phase: ln-523 invoked
- [ ] Test task created/updated in Linear
- [ ] Summary prepared with phase results and test task URL
- [ ] Story-test summary artifact written to the shared location
**Output:** Summary with phase results + test task URL
## Phase 6: Meta-Analysis
**MANDATORY READ:** Load `shared/references/meta_analysis_protocol.md`
Skill type: `planning-coordinator`. Run after all phases complete. Output to chat using the `planning-coordinator` format.
## Reference Files
- Workers: `../ln-521-test-researcher/SKILL.md`, `../ln-522-manual-tester/SKILL.md`, `../ln-523-auto-test-planner/SKILL.md`
- Risk-based testing: `shared/references/risk_based_testing_guide.md`
---
**Version:** 4.0.0
**Last Updated:** 2026-01-15Related Skills
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ln-523-auto-test-planner
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ln-522-manual-tester
Performs manual testing of Story AC via executable bash scripts in tests/manual/. Use when Story implementation needs hands-on AC verification.