cover

name: cover license: MIT compatibility: "Claude Code 2.1.170+. Requires network access." description: "Generate and run comprehensive test suites — unit tests, integration tests with real services (testcontainers/docker-compose), and Playwright E2E tests. Analyzes coverage gaps, spawns parallel test-generator agents per tier, runs tests, and heals failures (max 3 iterations). Use when generating tests for existing code, improving coverage after implementation, or creating a full test suite from scratch. Chains naturally after /ork:implement. Do NOT use for verifying/grading existing tests (use /ork:verify) or running tests without generation (use npm test directly)." argument-hint: "[scope-or-feature]" context: fork version: 1.2.0 author: OrchestKit tags: [testing, coverage, unit, integration, e2e, test-generation, real-services, testcontainers] user-invocable: true allowed-tools: [AskUserQuestion, Bash, Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, Task, TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskList, TaskStop, ToolSearch, CronCreate, CronDelete, Monitor, PushNotification, mcp__memory__search_nodes, mcp__context7__resolve-library-id, mcp__context7__query-docs] skills: [testing-unit, testing-integration, testing-e2e, testing-perf, testing-llm, chain-patterns, memory, quality-gates] complexity: high persuasion-type: discipline effort: high model: sonnet hooks: PreToolUse: - matcher: "Bash" command: "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/hooks/bin/run-hook.mjs skill/test-framework-detector" once: true metadata: category: workflow-automation mcp-server: memory, context7 triggers: keywords: [cover, "generate tests", "test suite", "test coverage", "write tests for", "add tests", "need tests"] examples: - "generate tests for the authentication service" - "cover the payment module with unit and integration tests" - "I just finished implementing checkout, now write tests" anti-triggers: [verify, run tests, npm test, fix, implement, review] paths: ["src//*.test.{ts,tsx,js}", "/.coveragerc", "vitest.config.", "jest.config."] invocation_hooks:

• "command -v vitest >/dev/null 2>&1 || command -v jest >/dev/null 2>&1 || echo 'Warning: no test runner found — run npm install first'"

Cover — Test Suite Generator

Generate comprehensive test suites for existing code with real-service integration testing and automated failure healing.

Note: If disableSkillShellExecution is enabled (CC 2.1.91), the precondition check for vitest/jest won't run. Verify a test runner is installed before proceeding: npx vitest --version or npx jest --version.

Quick Start

/ork:cover authentication flow
/ork:cover --model=opus payment processing
/ork:cover --tier=unit,integration user service
/ork:cover --real-services checkout pipeline

Argument Resolution

SCOPE = "$ARGUMENTS"  # e.g., "authentication flow"

# Flag parsing
MODEL_OVERRIDE = None
TIERS = ["unit", "integration", "e2e"]  # default: all three
REAL_SERVICES = False

for token in "$ARGUMENTS".split():
    if token.startswith("--model="):
        MODEL_OVERRIDE = token.split("=", 1)[1]
        SCOPE = SCOPE.replace(token, "").strip()
    elif token.startswith("--tier="):
        TIERS = token.split("=", 1)[1].split(",")
        SCOPE = SCOPE.replace(token, "").strip()
    elif token == "--real-services":
        REAL_SERVICES = True
        SCOPE = SCOPE.replace(token, "").strip()

Step -0.5: Effort-Aware Coverage Scaling (CC 2.1.76, env var since 2.1.120)

Read ${CLAUDE_EFFORT} (CC 2.1.120+) first; explicit --effort= token wins as override. Default high when CC < 2.1.120 and no flag. Pattern matches assess + explore (#1540). Scale test generation depth:

Override: Explicit --tier= flag or user selection overrides /effort downscaling.

Step -1: MCP Probe + Resume Check

# Probe MCPs (parallel):
# memory is alwaysLoad in .mcp.json (CC 2.1.121+, #1541) — probe below kept as fallback for older CC:
ToolSearch(query="select:mcp__memory__search_nodes")
ToolSearch(query="select:mcp__context7__resolve-library-id")

Write(".claude/chain/capabilities.json", {
  "memory": <true if found>,
  "context7": <true if found>,
  "skill": "cover",
  "timestamp": now()
})

# Resume check:
Read(".claude/chain/state.json")
# If exists and skill == "cover": resume from current_phase
# Otherwise: initialize state

Step 0: Scope & Tier Selection

AskUserQuestion(
  questions=[
    {
      "question": "What test tiers should I generate?",
      "header": "Test Tiers",
      "options": [
        {"label": "Full coverage (Recommended)", "description": "Unit + Integration (real services) + E2E"},
        {"label": "Unit + Integration", "description": "Skip E2E, focus on logic and service boundaries"},
        {"label": "Unit only", "description": "Fast isolated tests for business logic"},
        {"label": "E2E only", "description": "Playwright browser tests"}
      ],
      "multiSelect": false
    },
    {
      "question": "Healing strategy for failing tests?",
      "header": "Failure Handling",
      "options": [
        {"label": "Auto-heal (Recommended)", "description": "Fix failing tests up to 3 iterations"},
        {"label": "Generate only", "description": "Write tests, report failures, don't fix"},
        {"label": "Strict", "description": "All tests must pass or abort"}
      ],
      "multiSelect": false
    }
  ]
)

Override TIERS based on selection. Skip this step if --tier= flag was provided.

Task Management (MANDATORY)

# 1. Create main task IMMEDIATELY
TaskCreate(subject=f"Cover: {SCOPE}", description="Generate comprehensive test suite with real-service testing", activeForm=f"Generating tests for {SCOPE}")

# 2. Create subtasks for each phase
TaskCreate(subject="Discover scope and detect frameworks", activeForm="Discovering test scope")    # id=2
TaskCreate(subject="Analyze coverage gaps", activeForm="Analyzing coverage gaps")                  # id=3
TaskCreate(subject="Generate tests (parallel per tier)", activeForm="Generating tests")            # id=4
TaskCreate(subject="Execute generated tests", activeForm="Running tests")                          # id=5
TaskCreate(subject="Heal failing tests", activeForm="Healing test failures")                       # id=6
TaskCreate(subject="Generate coverage report", activeForm="Generating report")                     # id=7

# 3. Set dependencies for sequential phases
TaskUpdate(taskId="3", addBlockedBy=["2"])  # Analysis needs discovery first
TaskUpdate(taskId="4", addBlockedBy=["3"])  # Generation needs gap map
TaskUpdate(taskId="5", addBlockedBy=["4"])  # Execution needs generated tests
TaskUpdate(taskId="6", addBlockedBy=["5"])  # Healing needs test results
TaskUpdate(taskId="7", addBlockedBy=["6"])  # Report needs healed suite

# 4. Before starting each task, verify it's unblocked
task = TaskGet(taskId="2")  # Verify blockedBy is empty

# 5. Update status as you progress
TaskUpdate(taskId="2", status="in_progress")  # When starting
TaskUpdate(taskId="2", status="completed")    # When done — repeat for each subtask

6-Phase Workflow

Phase Handoffs

Phase 1: Discovery

Detect the project's test infrastructure and scope the work.

# PARALLEL — all in ONE message:
# 1. Framework detection (hook handles this, but also scan manually)
Grep(pattern="vitest|jest|mocha|playwright|cypress", glob="package.json", output_mode="content")
Grep(pattern="pytest|unittest|hypothesis", glob="pyproject.toml", output_mode="content")
Grep(pattern="pytest|unittest|hypothesis", glob="requirements*.txt", output_mode="content")

# 2. Real-service infrastructure
Glob(pattern="**/docker-compose*.yml")
Glob(pattern="**/testcontainers*")
Grep(pattern="testcontainers", glob="**/package.json", output_mode="content")
Grep(pattern="testcontainers", glob="**/requirements*.txt", output_mode="content")

# 3. Existing test structure
Glob(pattern="**/tests/**/*.test.*")
Glob(pattern="**/tests/**/*.spec.*")
Glob(pattern="**/__tests__/**/*")
Glob(pattern="**/test_*.py")

# 4. Scope files (what to test)
# If SCOPE specified, find matching source files
Grep(pattern=SCOPE, output_mode="files_with_matches")

Real-service decision:

• docker-compose*.yml found → integration tests use real services
• testcontainers in deps → use testcontainers for isolated service instances
• Neither found + --real-services flag → error: "No docker-compose or testcontainers found. Install testcontainers or remove --real-services flag."
• Neither found, no flag → integration tests use mocks (MSW/VCR)

Load real-service detection details: Read("${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/real-service-detection.md")

Phase 2: Coverage Analysis

Run existing tests and identify gaps.

# Detect and run coverage command
# TypeScript: npx vitest run --coverage --reporter=json
# Python: pytest --cov=<scope> --cov-report=json
# Go: go test -coverprofile=coverage.out ./...

# Parse coverage output to identify:
# 1. Files with 0% coverage (priority targets)
# 2. Files below threshold (default 70%)
# 3. Uncovered functions/methods
# 4. Untested edge cases (error paths, boundary conditions)

Output coverage baseline to user immediately (progressive output).

Phase 3: Generation (Parallel Agents)

Spawn test-generator agents per tier. Launch ALL in ONE message with run_in_background=true.

⚠️ isolation="worktree" does NOT reliably isolate parallel agents in CC Opus 4.7. Observed: spawning multiple agents with that param thrashes the PRIMARY worktree's HEAD via sequential git checkout, cutting agents off at ~60 tool uses. Tracked at Yonatan-HQ/platform#3224.

Use the manual pre-create pattern instead. Create one worktree per agent BEFORE spawning (git worktree add ../<repo>-<tier> -b feat/<slug>-<tier> origin/dev), then make FIRST: cd <worktree-path> the first Bash call in each agent prompt. Empirical: 4–22 tool-uses per agent (vs 60–86 with broken isolation), zero cutoffs across M164 Wave 2/3 + M170 sub-agents.

Full pattern + helper function + prompt-constraint template: Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/implement/references/manual-worktree-pattern.md") (cross-referenced from /ork:implement — same doc applies here).

# Pre-create worktrees BEFORE the agent batch (lead-thread responsibility).
# One worktree per tier (unit / integration / e2e) so they don't conflict.
import subprocess
REPO_ROOT = Bash("git rev-parse --show-toplevel").stdout.strip()
BASE_REF = "origin/dev"  # or "origin/main" depending on repo convention
TIER_WORKTREES = {}
for tier in TIERS:
    wt_path = f"../<repo>-cover-{tier}"  # adjust per your repo
    branch = f"feat/cover-{SCOPE_SLUG}-{tier}"
    Bash(f"git worktree add {wt_path} -b {branch} {BASE_REF}")
    TIER_WORKTREES[tier] = wt_path

# Unit tests agent (manual pre-create pattern)
if "unit" in TIERS:
    Agent(
        subagent_type="ork:test-generator",
        prompt=f"""FIRST: cd {TIER_WORKTREES["unit"]}

        Generate unit tests for: {SCOPE}
        Coverage gaps: {gap_map.unit_gaps}
        Framework: {detected_framework}
        Existing tests: {existing_test_files}

        Focus on:
        - AAA pattern (Arrange-Act-Assert)
        - Parametrized tests for multiple inputs
        - MSW/VCR for HTTP mocking (never mock fetch directly)
        - Factory-based test data (FactoryBoy/faker-js)
        - Edge cases: empty input, errors, timeouts, boundary values
        - Target: 90%+ business logic coverage

        Do NOT use `isolation="worktree"` — this worktree was pre-created
        by the lead. Every Bash call should start from {TIER_WORKTREES["unit"]}.""",
        run_in_background=True,
        max_turns=50,
        model=MODEL_OVERRIDE
    )

# Integration + E2E agents follow the same pattern:
# - Pre-create worktree at TIER_WORKTREES["integration"] / TIER_WORKTREES["e2e"]
# - Agent prompt FIRST line: `cd <path>`
# - subagent_type="ork:test-generator", run_in_background=True (no isolation kwarg)
# - Integration focus: API endpoints (Supertest/httpx), real DB, contract tests (Pact), Zod schema validation
# - E2E focus: Playwright, semantic locators, Page Object Model, axe-core a11y, visual regression
#
# Special case — emulate (Vercel Labs stateful API emulation):
# When integration tests need GitHub/Stripe/Resend/Okta/etc. emulated
# (HMAC webhooks, parallel port isolation, full config from scratch),
# spawn emulate-engineer instead of test-generator for that tier:
# - subagent_type="ork:emulate-engineer" (same manual-worktree pattern)
# - Pairs with emulate-seed skill for seed YAML patterns

Output each agent's results as soon as it returns — don't wait for all agents.

Focus mode (CC 2.1.101): In focus mode, include the full coverage report (before/after delta, test count per tier, files created) in your final message.

Phase 4: Execution

Run all generated tests and collect results.

# Run test commands per tier (PARALLEL if independent):
# Unit: npx vitest run tests/unit/ OR pytest tests/unit/
# Integration: npx vitest run tests/integration/ OR pytest tests/integration/
# E2E: npx playwright test

# Collect: pass count, fail count, error details, coverage delta

Phase 5: Heal Loop

Fix failing tests iteratively. Max 3 iterations to prevent infinite loops.

for iteration in range(3):
    if all_tests_pass:
        break

    # For each failing test:
    # 1. Read the test file and the source code it tests
    # 2. Analyze the failure (assertion error? import error? timeout?)
    # 3. Fix the test (not the source code — tests only)
    # 4. Re-run the fixed tests

    # Common fixes:
    # - Wrong assertions (expected value mismatch)
    # - Missing imports or setup
    # - Stale selectors in E2E tests
    # - Race conditions (add proper waits)
    # - Mock configuration errors

Load heal strategy details: Read("${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/heal-loop-strategy.md")

Boundary: heal fixes TESTS, not source code. If a test fails because the source code has a bug, report it — don't silently fix production code.

Phase 6: Report

Generate coverage report with before/after comparison.

Full report layout (baseline→after table, tests-generated counts, heal iterations, files created, remaining gaps, next-steps commands): Read("${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/coverage-report-template.md").

PushNotification on Completion (CC 2.1.110+)

Full /ork:cover runs (unit + integration + E2E with heal loop) take 15–45 min. After the Phase 6 report is assembled, call PushNotification(message=f"ork:cover complete — {SCOPE}: {coverage_pct}% coverage · {tests_generated} tests · {heal_loops} heal iters", status="proactive"). Full rule: Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/chain-patterns/rules/push-notification-on-completion.md").

Coverage Drift Monitor (CC 2.1.71)

Optionally schedule weekly coverage drift detection:

# Guard: Skip cron in headless/CI (CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_CRON)
# if env CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_CRON is set, run a single check instead
CronCreate(
  schedule="0 2 * * 0",
  prompt="Weekly coverage drift check for {SCOPE}: npm test -- --coverage.
    If coverage >= baseline → CronDelete.
    If coverage drops > 5% → alert with regression details and recommendation."
)

Key Principles

• Output limits (CC 2.1.77+): Opus 4.8 defaults to 64k output tokens (128k upper bound). For large test suites, chunk generation across multiple agent turns if output approaches the limit.
• Partial reads (CC 2.1.144+): Read returns a [PARTIAL view] first page (not an error) on oversized files — re-read with explicit offset/limit so coverage analysis sees the whole file.
• Tests only — never modify production source code, only generate test files
• Real services when available — prefer testcontainers/docker-compose over mocks for integration tests because mock/prod divergence causes silent failures in production
• Parallel generation — spawn one test-generator agent per tier in ONE message
• Heal, don't loop forever — max 3 iterations, then report remaining failures
• Progressive output — show results as each agent completes
• Factory over fixtures — use FactoryBoy/faker-js for test data, not hardcoded values
• Mock at network level — MSW/VCR, never mock fetch/axios directly

Agent Coordination

Context Passing

Each test-generator agent receives: coverage gaps for its tier, test framework config, real-service infrastructure (testcontainers, docker-compose), and fixture patterns from the project.

Monitor + Partial Results (CC 2.1.98)

Use Monitor for streaming test execution output from background agents:

# Stream test suite output in real-time
Bash(command="npm test -- --coverage 2>&1", run_in_background=true)
Monitor(pid=test_task_id)  # Each line → notification

Full pattern reference (until-condition gates, partial-result salvage, TaskOutput vs Monitor decision): Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/chain-patterns/references/monitor-patterns.md").

Partial results (CC 2.1.98): If a test-generator crashes mid-generation, synthesize what it produced:

for agent_result in test_gen_results:
    if "[PARTIAL RESULT]" in agent_result.output:
        # Agent crashed — check if it wrote any test files before dying
        partial_tests = Glob(pattern="**/tests/**/*.test.*", path=agent_result.worktree)
        if partial_tests:
            # 6 passing tests from a crashed agent > 0 tests
            # Copy partial tests to main worktree, run them in Phase 4
            for test_file in partial_tests:
                Bash(command=f"cp {test_file} {main_worktree}/{test_file}")
            # Flag as partial in report

SendMessage (Test Healing)

When a generated test fails, the healer agent can request context from the generator:

SendMessage(to="test-generator-unit", message="Test user_service_test.py:42 fails — TypeError on mock return. What's the expected shape?")

Skill Chain

Standard chain: implement → cover → verify → commit. Use addBlockedBy between each.

Verification Gate

Before claiming coverage is complete, apply: Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/shared/rules/verification-gate.md"). Run the coverage report fresh. "Should pass" is not evidence.

Agent Status Protocol

All test-generator agents report using: Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/agents/shared/status-protocol.md"). BLOCKED if tests can't be written due to missing interfaces. NEEDS_CONTEXT if test expectations are unclear.

Related Skills

• ork:implement — generates tests during implementation (Phase 5); use /ork:cover after for deeper coverage
• ork:verify — grades existing tests 0-10; chain: implement → cover → verify
• testing-unit / testing-integration / testing-e2e — knowledge skills loaded by test-generator agents
• ork:commit — commit generated test files

Session recovery (CC 2.1.108+): After idle periods or interruptions, use /recap to restore conversational context alongside checkpoint-resume state. Enabled by default since CC 2.1.110 (even with telemetry disabled).

References

Load on demand with Read("${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/<file>"):

Version: 1.2.0 (April 2026) — ${CLAUDE_EFFORT} env var as primary effort signal (CC 2.1.120, #1540)