test-contract
Generate protocol/interface test suites that any implementation must pass. Define the contract once, test every implementation. Use when designing protocols or swapping implementations.
Best use case
test-contract is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Generate protocol/interface test suites that any implementation must pass. Define the contract once, test every implementation. Use when designing protocols or swapping implementations.
Teams using test-contract 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/test-contract/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How test-contract Compares
| Feature / Agent | test-contract | 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?
Generate protocol/interface test suites that any implementation must pass. Define the contract once, test every implementation. Use when designing protocols or swapping implementations.
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.
Related Guides
SKILL.md Source
# Test Contract
Define behavioral contracts as test suites. Any class conforming to a protocol must pass the contract tests. Ensures consistent behavior across implementations — human-written, AI-generated, or mock.
## When This Skill Activates
Use this skill when the user:
- Designs a protocol and wants to ensure conformance quality
- Has multiple implementations of the same interface (e.g., real + mock + in-memory)
- Says "test the protocol" or "contract test"
- Wants to swap implementations safely (e.g., CoreData → SwiftData)
- Wants to ensure AI-generated implementations meet the spec
## Why Contract Tests
```
Protocol: DataStore
├── SQLiteDataStore → must pass contract tests
├── InMemoryDataStore → must pass contract tests
├── MockDataStore → must pass contract tests
└── CloudDataStore → must pass contract tests
```
Write the contract once. Every implementation proves it works by passing the same tests.
## Process
### Phase 1: Identify the Protocol
```
Grep: "protocol.*\\{" to find protocols
Read: protocol definition
```
Understand:
- [ ] All required methods and properties
- [ ] Expected behavior for each method
- [ ] Error conditions and edge cases
- [ ] Thread safety requirements
- [ ] State invariants (e.g., count matches items.count)
### Phase 2: Define Contract Behaviors
For each protocol method, define required behaviors:
```markdown
## DataStore Contract
### save(_ item:)
- Saving a new item increases count by 1
- Saving an existing item (same ID) updates it, count unchanged
- Saved item is retrievable by ID
- Throws on invalid item (empty title)
### fetch(id:)
- Returns item when it exists
- Returns nil when item doesn't exist
- Returns most recently saved version
### delete(id:)
- Deleting existing item decreases count by 1
- Deleting non-existent item does nothing (no throw)
- Deleted item is no longer fetchable
### fetchAll()
- Returns all saved items
- Returns empty array when store is empty
- Items are in consistent order (insertion or specified)
### Invariants
- count == fetchAll().count (always)
- save then fetch returns same item
- delete then fetch returns nil
```
### Phase 3: Generate Contract Test Suite
#### Pattern: Generic Test Suite
```swift
import Testing
/// Contract tests for any DataStore implementation.
/// Subclass or call with your concrete implementation.
struct DataStoreContractTests<Store: DataStore> {
let makeStore: () -> Store
init(makeStore: @escaping () -> Store) {
self.makeStore = makeStore
}
// MARK: - save(_ item:)
@Test("save increases count")
func saveIncreasesCount() async throws {
let store = makeStore()
let item = Item(id: "1", title: "Test")
try await store.save(item)
#expect(store.count == 1)
}
@Test("save then fetch returns same item")
func saveAndFetch() async throws {
let store = makeStore()
let item = Item(id: "1", title: "Test")
try await store.save(item)
let fetched = try await store.fetch(id: "1")
#expect(fetched?.title == "Test")
}
@Test("save existing item updates it")
func saveUpdates() async throws {
let store = makeStore()
try await store.save(Item(id: "1", title: "Original"))
try await store.save(Item(id: "1", title: "Updated"))
let fetched = try await store.fetch(id: "1")
#expect(fetched?.title == "Updated")
#expect(store.count == 1)
}
@Test("save throws on invalid item")
func saveInvalidThrows() async {
let store = makeStore()
let invalid = Item(id: "1", title: "")
await #expect(throws: DataStoreError.invalidItem) {
try await store.save(invalid)
}
}
// MARK: - fetch(id:)
@Test("fetch returns nil for non-existent ID")
func fetchNonExistent() async throws {
let store = makeStore()
let result = try await store.fetch(id: "nonexistent")
#expect(result == nil)
}
// MARK: - delete(id:)
@Test("delete removes item")
func deleteRemoves() async throws {
let store = makeStore()
try await store.save(Item(id: "1", title: "Test"))
try await store.delete(id: "1")
#expect(store.count == 0)
let fetched = try await store.fetch(id: "1")
#expect(fetched == nil)
}
@Test("delete non-existent does nothing")
func deleteNonExistent() async throws {
let store = makeStore()
try await store.delete(id: "nonexistent")
#expect(store.count == 0)
}
// MARK: - fetchAll()
@Test("fetchAll returns all items")
func fetchAll() async throws {
let store = makeStore()
try await store.save(Item(id: "1", title: "A"))
try await store.save(Item(id: "2", title: "B"))
let all = try await store.fetchAll()
#expect(all.count == 2)
}
@Test("fetchAll returns empty when store is empty")
func fetchAllEmpty() async throws {
let store = makeStore()
let all = try await store.fetchAll()
#expect(all.isEmpty)
}
// MARK: - Invariants
@Test("count matches fetchAll count")
func countInvariant() async throws {
let store = makeStore()
try await store.save(Item(id: "1", title: "A"))
try await store.save(Item(id: "2", title: "B"))
try await store.delete(id: "1")
let all = try await store.fetchAll()
#expect(store.count == all.count)
}
}
```
#### Running Contract Tests Per Implementation
```swift
@Suite("InMemoryDataStore Contract")
struct InMemoryDataStoreContractTests {
let contract = DataStoreContractTests { InMemoryDataStore() }
@Test("save increases count")
func saveIncreasesCount() async throws {
try await contract.saveIncreasesCount()
}
@Test("save then fetch returns same item")
func saveAndFetch() async throws {
try await contract.saveAndFetch()
}
// ... all contract tests
}
@Suite("SQLiteDataStore Contract")
struct SQLiteDataStoreContractTests {
let contract = DataStoreContractTests { SQLiteDataStore(path: ":memory:") }
@Test("save increases count")
func saveIncreasesCount() async throws {
try await contract.saveIncreasesCount()
}
// ... all contract tests
}
```
#### Alternative: Parameterized by Implementation
```swift
@Suite("DataStore Contract")
struct DataStoreContractSuite {
enum StoreType: String, CaseIterable {
case inMemory, sqlite, cloud
}
func makeStore(_ type: StoreType) -> any DataStore {
switch type {
case .inMemory: return InMemoryDataStore()
case .sqlite: return SQLiteDataStore(path: ":memory:")
case .cloud: return MockCloudDataStore()
}
}
@Test("save increases count", arguments: StoreType.allCases)
func saveIncreasesCount(type: StoreType) async throws {
let store = makeStore(type)
try await store.save(Item(id: "1", title: "Test"))
#expect(store.count == 1)
}
@Test("fetch non-existent returns nil", arguments: StoreType.allCases)
func fetchNonExistent(type: StoreType) async throws {
let store = makeStore(type)
let result = try await store.fetch(id: "nonexistent")
#expect(result == nil)
}
}
```
## Common Contract Categories
### Repository / Data Store
- CRUD operations (create, read, update, delete)
- Query/filter behavior
- Ordering guarantees
- Uniqueness constraints
- Empty state handling
### Network Client
- Successful response parsing
- Error response handling (4xx, 5xx)
- Timeout behavior
- Retry logic
- Request construction (headers, body)
### Cache
- Store and retrieve
- Expiration/TTL
- Eviction policy (LRU, size limit)
- Thread safety
- Persistence across init
### Authentication
- Login with valid credentials
- Reject invalid credentials
- Token refresh
- Session expiration
- Logout clears state
## Output Format
```markdown
## Contract Tests: [Protocol Name]
### Protocol
```swift
protocol DataStore { ... }
```
### Behaviors Tested
| Behavior | Tests | Edge Cases |
|----------|-------|------------|
| save | 3 | empty title, duplicate ID |
| fetch | 2 | non-existent ID |
| delete | 2 | non-existent ID |
| fetchAll | 2 | empty store |
| invariants | 1 | count consistency |
### Implementations Tested
- [x] InMemoryDataStore — all passing
- [x] SQLiteDataStore — all passing
- [ ] CloudDataStore — pending implementation
### Files Created
- `Tests/Contracts/DataStoreContractTests.swift`
- `Tests/Contracts/InMemoryDataStoreContractTests.swift`
```
## References
- `testing/tdd-feature/` — for TDD workflow using contract tests
- `generators/test-generator/` — for standard test generation
- Design by Contract (Bertrand Meyer) — theoretical foundationRelated Skills
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