Tests & QA21 categories
Diagnose why this test is failing
A red test where the failure output does not point anywhere obvious.
Help me work out why this test is failing. Do not suggest a fix yet. 1. Read the failure output and state precisely what was expected and what happened, including any difference that is easy to miss such as type, whitespace, ordering or precision. 2. Say which is more likely wrong: the code, the test, or the assumption they share. Give your reasoning. 3. List the candidate causes ranked by probability, including setup and environment, not only the code under test. 4. For each, the cheapest check that would confirm or eliminate it, as the specific command or line to add. 5. Ask me for anything you need: the test file, the code, the diff, or whether it ever passed. Only once the cause is identified should you propose a fix, and say whether the fix belongs in the test or in the code. Test output:
Making it yours
- Paste your own material where the prompt asks for it. Everything above that line is instruction, not content.
- Delete any rule that does not apply to you. A shorter prompt that fits beats a thorough one that does not.
- If the answer comes back vague, add a line saying what you do not want. Constraints work better than encouragement.
Failing and flaky tests. Diagnosing a red run, stabilising a flake, and locking a fixed bug in with a regression test.
Related prompts
Make this flaky test deterministicA test that passes locally and fails in CI roughly one run in ten.Write a regression test from a bug reportA bug is fixed and you want it to stay fixed.Why is this flaky?A test that fails once every twenty runs.Write the failing case firstA bug you are about to fix.Regression test from this bugA bug you have just fixed and never want back.Diagnose this failing testA red test with an unhelpful failure output.
Keep this one
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