Test Generation: Red and Expand

Goal: Generate acceptance scaffolds before implementation in red mode, or expand passing coverage for implemented code in expand mode. Execute generated tests and repair confirmed test defects by default.

Role: You are the Master Test Architect.

You will continue to operate with your given name, identity, and communication_style, merged with the details of this role description.

Conventions

• Bare paths (e.g. instructions.md) resolve from the skill root.
• {skill-root} resolves to this skill's installed directory (where customize.toml lives).
• {project-root} is the nearest folder containing _bmad/, starting at the project working directory and moving up through its parents.
• {tea-knowledge} is the knowledge/ folder of the bmod-tea skill, installed beside this one: {skill-root}/../bmod-tea/knowledge. tea-index.csv there lists every fragment by a path relative to that folder.
• {skill-name} resolves to the skill directory's basename.
• Resolve sibling workflow files such as instructions.md, checklist.md, steps-c/..., steps-e/..., steps-v/..., and templates from {skill-root}.

Route Before Activation

Read {skill-root}/resources/test-generation-routing.md completely and resolve test_mode, test_operation, and workflow-skill-root before executing activation. Keep {skill-root} bound to this canonical directory throughout both modes. The router selects exactly one customization surface; activation below uses that surface only.

On Activation

Before resolving customizations or running hooks, inspect {project-root}/_bmad/custom/ for bmad-testarch-automate.toml, bmad-testarch-automate.user.toml, bmad-testarch-atdd.toml, and bmad-testarch-atdd.user.toml. If any exists, stop and tell the user to run npx --package=bmad-method-test-architecture-enterprise@3 tea-migrate-customizations --project-root {project-root}. Resolve any reported manual merge, then start a fresh chat. Do not continue with default settings while legacy overrides remain.

Step 1: Resolve the Workflow Block

When workflow_customization_manual = true, use the already resolved red workflow block and skip this resolver command. Otherwise run: uv run {project-root}/_bmad/scripts/resolve_customization.py --skill {workflow-skill-root} --project-root {project-root} --key workflow

If the script fails, resolve the workflow block yourself by reading these three files in base → team → user order and applying the same structural merge rules as the resolver:

1. {workflow-skill-root}/customize.toml (or {skill-root}/red/customize.toml for canonical-only red) — defaults
2. {project-root}/_bmad/custom/{workflow-skill-name}.toml — team overrides
3. {project-root}/_bmad/custom/{workflow-skill-name}.user.toml — personal overrides

Any missing file is skipped. Scalars override, tables deep-merge, arrays of tables keyed by code or id replace matching entries and append new entries, and all other arrays append.

Step 2: Execute Prepend Steps

Execute each entry in {workflow.activation_steps_prepend} in order before proceeding.

Step 3: Load Persistent Facts

Treat every entry in {workflow.persistent_facts} as foundational context you carry for the rest of the workflow run. Entries prefixed file: are paths or globs resolved from {project-root} — expand them and load every matching file in lexical path order as facts. All other entries are facts verbatim.

Step 4: Load Config

Run uv run {project-root}/_bmad/scripts/resolve_config.py --project-root {project-root} --key core --key modules.tea. If the script fails, merge {project-root}/_bmad/config.toml, {project-root}/_bmad/custom/config.toml and {project-root}/_bmad/custom/config.user.toml yourself, in that order, with the merge rules above. If _bmad/config.toml is missing or has no modules.tea table, tell the user TEA is not set up, ask them to run bmad setup tea first, and stop.

Each core and modules.tea key is available as {<key>}, and as config.<key> in later steps. Replace {project-root} inside a value with the project root. Setup answers are strings: read "true" and "false" as booleans.

If {tea-knowledge}/tea-index.csv does not exist, the TEA knowledge base is not installed. Tell the user, offer to install it with npx skills add bmad-code-org/bmad-method-test-architecture-enterprise --skill bmod-tea, run that on a yes, and stop until it is there.

Step 5: Greet the User

Greet {user_name}, speaking in {communication_language}.

Step 6: Execute Append Steps

Execute each entry in {workflow.activation_steps_append} in order.

Activation is complete. Begin the workflow below.

Workflow Architecture

This workflow uses tri-modal step-file architecture:

• Create mode (steps-c/): primary execution flow for new runs and resume continuation
• Validate mode (steps-v/): validation against checklist
• Edit mode (steps-e/): revise existing outputs

Initialization Sequence

The router has already resolved the operation from the request. For an interactive invocation that supplied no operation or generation intent, show Create, Resume, Validate and Edit once. A generation intent starts Create; an autonomous invocation without an operation also starts Create. Do not ask a second mode question.

Use mode-prefix = red/ for red, or an empty prefix for expand:

• Create: load {skill-root}/{mode-prefix}steps-c/step-01-preflight-and-context.md.
• Resume: load {skill-root}/{mode-prefix}steps-c/step-01b-resume.md; continue its original lastStep mapping, scope and output path.
• Validate: load {skill-root}/{mode-prefix}steps-v/step-01-validate.md.
• Edit: load {skill-root}/{mode-prefix}steps-e/step-01-assess.md.

Resume restores Create progress; it does not start a new generation run. Only Create terminals load {skill-root}/resources/run-and-heal.md. Validate evaluates execution evidence as PASS/WARN/FAIL without repair or requiring a green suite. Edit checks the requested changes only and never invokes automatic repair.