Subagent Testing - TDD for Skills
Test skills with fresh subagent instances to prevent priming bias and validate effectiveness.
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Why Fresh Instances Matter
- Testing Methodology
- Quick Start
- Detailed Testing Guide
- Success Criteria
Overview
Fresh instances prevent priming: Each test uses a new Claude conversation to verify the skill's impact is measured, not conversation history effects.
Why Fresh Instances Matter
The Priming Problem
Running tests in the same conversation creates bias:
- Prior context influences responses
- Skill effects get mixed with conversation history
- Can't isolate skill's true impact
Fresh Instance Benefits
- Isolation: Each test starts clean
- Reproducibility: Consistent baseline state
- Measurement: Clear before/after comparison
- Validation: Proves skill effectiveness, not priming
Testing Methodology
Three-phase TDD-style approach:
Phase 1: Baseline Testing (RED)
Test without skill to establish baseline behavior.
Phase 2: With-Skill Testing (GREEN)
Test with skill loaded to measure improvements.
Phase 3: Rationalization Testing (REFACTOR)
Test skill's anti-rationalization guardrails.
Quick Start
# 1. Create baseline tests (without skill)
# Use 5 diverse scenarios
# Document full responses
# 2. Create with-skill tests (fresh instances)
# Load skill explicitly
# Use identical prompts
# Compare to baseline
# 3. Create rationalization tests
# Test anti-rationalization patterns
# Verify guardrails workDetailed Testing Guide
For complete testing patterns, examples, and templates:
- Testing Patterns - Full TDD methodology
- Test Examples - Baseline, with-skill, rationalization tests
- Analysis Templates - Scoring and comparison frameworks
Success Criteria
- Baseline: Document 5+ diverse baseline scenarios
- Improvement: ≥50% improvement in skill-related metrics
- Consistency: Results reproducible across fresh instances
- Rationalization Defense: Guardrails prevent ≥80% of rationalization attempts
See Also
- skill-authoring: Creating effective skills
- bulletproof-skill: Anti-rationalization patterns
- test-skill: Automated skill testing command