assess-unit-tests

Assess Unit Tests

Per-test verdict driven by a named smell. See TEST-SMELLS.md for the catalogue.

Verdicts

• keep — no smell; assertions on public contract; setup minimal.
• refactor — smell is fixable in place (Mystery Guest, Obscure Test, Snapshot-Only, Sleep-in-Test, Chained Tests, Eager Test).
• delete — smell defeats the test's purpose (Mock-the-mock, Tautology, Fragile Test) or fails worth-existing.
• wrong-layer — Fourth-mock, duplicates an integration test, or runs containers for pure logic.

Scope check

Confirm the suite is unit tests. If integration / e2e / property-based / contract: STOP — wrong skill.

Per-test pass

1. Should this test exist?

Both gates:

• Worth-existing. Code makes a decision and being right matters? Skip-list: getters, setters, DTOs, config, DI wiring, generated code, framework code, pure delegations, type-checker-proven properties, prototypes.
• Right-instrument.

Real question	Right tool
Holds for all inputs in a class?	Property-based test
Matches another team's API?	Contract test
Orchestration of collaborators?	Integration test
Output stable across versions?	Approval + invariant

If either gate fails: verdict shortcuts to delete with categorical reason (tests trivial code, belongs as property-based test, etc.). Skip steps 2–3.

2. Name the smell

Read the test. Match against the catalogue in TEST-SMELLS.md. One named smell — the dominant one. If no smell matches and the assertions reference the public contract: no smell.

3. Verdict + next action

Apply the verdict table. Emit:

<test name / location>
  Verdict: keep | refactor | delete | wrong-layer
  Smell: <name from catalogue, or — if keep>
  Next action: <one line, or — if keep>

Suite close

After all per-test blocks:

• Smell distribution. Count of each smell. Top three are the suite's structural problems.
• Verdict ratios. keep / refactor / delete / wrong-layer counts.
• Naming audit. Tests named after a method (testDoFoo) vs. behaviorally (should_…). Method-named tests predict refactor-resistance debt.