Execute TDD from SPEC
Test-driven development guided by the approved SPEC SDD. The SPEC is the single source of truth. Every test is derived from a numbered requirement or acceptance criterion.
Internal reasoning and commands are in English. All questions and explanations to the user are in Portuguese (pt-BR).
When to Use
- A
.specs/SPEC-{YYYYMMDD}-{feature}.md exists with Status: Approved.
- The user asks to implement a feature, change, or bugfix.
- The user asks to execute or run a SPEC (e.g., "execute the spec", "run the spec", "run TDD from the spec").
- O usuário pede para executar ou rodar um SPEC (ex.: "executar o spec", "rodar o spec", "fazer TDD a partir do spec").
- Before writing implementation code.
When NOT to Use
- Do not use when the SPEC is missing or still in
Draft.
- Do not use when the user only wants a code review or fix without tests.
- Do not use when the SPEC explicitly declines a requirement (marked
[A DEFINIR]).
Core Principles
- The SPEC is the oracle. Every test must map to a requirement or acceptance criterion.
- One vertical slice at a time. One failing test, one passing test, one refactor.
- No speculative code. Write only the minimum code to make the current test pass.
- No refactor in RED. Refactor only when the suite is green.
- Re-validate after every change. Run the full suite before moving to the next slice.
Process
1. Read the SPEC
Load .specs/SPEC-{YYYYMMDD}-{feature}.md and identify:
- Section 4 — numbered requirements (
RF-001, RF-002, ...).
- Section 6 — acceptance criteria in BDD
Given...when...then.
- Section 7 — task plan and validation strategy.
- Section 3 — files to create or modify.
- Section 0 — the
Ticket field: resolve the linked GitHub Issue number (e.g. #123) if present.
If the SPEC is not approved, stop and invoke /write-specs.
2. Slice the work
Order the work by the task plan (Section 7). Each slice is one requirement or one acceptance criterion. Never write all tests upfront.
When the first slice starts, set the SPEC Status to In implementation and sync the linked Issue to in_progress (see GitHub Issue Status Sync).
3. Red-Green-Refactor loop
For each slice:
RED → Write one test that exercises a public seam and fails.
GREEN → Write the minimum code that passes the test.
REFACTOR → Clean duplication, improve names, respect SOLID while green.
4. Test at the public seam
Test behavior through public interfaces (API, function, component), not internal implementation. Tests must survive internal refactors. See references/tests.md for examples and references/mocking.md for mock rules.
5. Mapping to the SPEC
For each test, include a comment or description pointing to the source requirement:
# Covers RF-003: order total must include tax
# Covers AC-02: Given an empty cart, when checking out, then the system returns 422
6. Re-validate and report
After every slice:
- Run the full test suite for the affected stack.
- Run lint / type check.
- Confirm the SPEC requirement is satisfied.
Report progress to the user in Portuguese and continue automatically to the next slice. Do not ask for approval between slices; the approved SPEC is the source of truth.
Slice concluido: [RF-XXX / AC-YYY]
- Teste: [PASS/FAIL]
- Build: [PASS/FAIL]
- Lint: [PASS/FAIL]
Avançando para o proximo slice: [PROXIMO].
7. Closure
When all slices are green:
- Run the full suite (unit, integration, relevant E2E).
- Run the validation strategy from the SPEC (Section 7.1).
- Update
docs/qa/test-plan-<feature>.md or equivalent if it exists.
- Sync the linked Issue to
in_review (see GitHub Issue Status Sync).
- Invoke
/qa-analyst for the mandatory pre-PR review.
- Do not open the PR until QA approves.
- When the PR opens, sync the Issue to
in_pullrequest. When the PR merges and delivery is finalized, sync to done, set the SPEC Status to Done, and close the Issue if GitHub did not close it automatically.
GitHub Issue Status Sync
When the SPEC's Ticket field points to a GitHub Issue, keep its status label in sync with execution, per the Label Contract in create-issues. Status labels are exclusive — always remove the previous one when applying the next. If gh is unavailable or the SPEC has no linked Issue, skip the sync and continue — never let label management block TDD.
| Moment | Action |
|---|
| Implementation starts (first slice) | Swap current status label → in_progress; set SPEC Status: In implementation |
| All slices green (before the QA gate) | Swap → in_review |
| PR opened | Swap → in_pullrequest |
| PR merged and delivery finalized | Swap → done; set SPEC Status: Done; close the Issue if still open |
| SPEC canceled at any point | Swap → canceled + pt-BR comment with the reason; set SPEC Status: Canceled |
Blockers — PR merge conflict, failing CI that cannot be resolved in the slice, missing dependency, unanswered question, or any other impediment: keep the current status label, add blocked, and post a pt-BR comment describing the blocker. When the blocker clears, remove blocked and comment the resolution.
# status transition (exclusive)
gh issue edit 123 --remove-label todo --add-label in_progress
# flag a blocker
gh issue edit 123 --add-label blocked
gh issue comment 123 --body "Bloqueio: conflito de merge no PR #45 em src/foo.ts. Aguardando resolução."
# blocker cleared
gh issue edit 123 --remove-label blocked
gh issue comment 123 --body "Bloqueio resolvido: conflito do PR #45 resolvido no merge com develop."
After flagging a blocker, report it to the user in Portuguese and pause that work item — do not mark the slice as done while blocked.
Anti-Patterns
- ❌ Writing all tests before any implementation.
- ❌ Testing private methods or internal state.
- ❌ Mismatched expectations in mocks (see references/mocking.md).
- ❌ Refactoring while a test is red.
- ❌ Skipping the validation strategy from the SPEC.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|
| Implementing before the test | Write the failing test first. |
| The test does not map to the SPEC | Link every test to RF-### or AC-###. |
| Slice too large | Break the slice until one behavior is tested. |
| Not running the full suite after a green test | Re-validate before moving on. |
| Leaving the Issue status label stale | Sync the label at every transition (in_progress → in_review → in_pullrequest → done). |
| Hiding a blocker | Add blocked + a pt-BR comment on the Issue and report to the user; never silently stall. |
References
write-specs — for producing the SPEC SDD
qa-analyst — for the mandatory pre-PR review
diagnose — when a test fails unexpectedly and the cause is unclear
references/tests.md — test examples and patterns
references/mocking.md — mocking rules
references/refactoring.md — refactoring guidance
references/deep-modules.md — deep module design
references/interface-design.md — interface design patterns