MCPInstall

react-testing-patterns

React component and hook testing patterns with Testing Library and Vitest. Use when writing tests for React components, custom hooks, or data fetching logic. Covers component rendering tests, user interaction simulation, async state testing, MSW for API mocking, hook testing with renderHook, accessibility assertions, and snapshot testing guidelines. Does NOT cover E2E tests (use e2e-testing) or TDD workflow enforcement (use tdd-workflow).

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Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/hieutrtr/ai1-skills --skill react-testing-patterns
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads react-testing-patterns automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

React Testing Patterns

When to Use

Activate this skill when:

  • Writing tests for React components (rendering, interaction, accessibility)
  • Testing custom hooks with renderHook
  • Mocking API calls with MSW (Mock Service Worker)
  • Testing async state changes (loading, error, success)
  • Auditing component accessibility with jest-axe
  • Setting up test infrastructure (providers, test utilities)

Do NOT use this skill for:

  • E2E browser tests with Playwright (use e2e-testing)
  • Backend Python tests (use pytest-patterns)
  • TDD workflow enforcement (use tdd-workflow)
  • Writing component implementation code (use react-frontend-expert)

Instructions

Testing Library Philosophy

Core principle: Test behavior, not implementation.

Query priority (prefer higher in the list):

  1. getByRole — accessible role (button, heading, textbox)
  2. getByLabelText — form elements with labels
  3. getByPlaceholderText — input placeholders
  4. getByText — visible text content
  5. getByDisplayValue — current form input value
  6. getByAltText — images
  7. getByTestId — last resort (data-testid attribute)

Interaction: Always use userEvent over fireEvent:

import userEvent from "@testing-library/user-event";

// Good — simulates real user behavior
const user = userEvent.setup();
await user.click(button);
await user.type(input, "hello");

// Bad — low-level event dispatch
fireEvent.click(button);

What NOT to test:

  • Internal component state (don't test useState values directly)
  • CSS classes or styles
  • Component instance methods
  • Which hooks were called
  • Snapshot tests for dynamic content
  • Third-party library internals

Component Test Structure

Every component test follows Arrange → Act → Assert:

import { render, screen } from "@testing-library/react";
import userEvent from "@testing-library/user-event";
import { axe } from "jest-axe";
import { UserCard } from "./UserCard";

describe("UserCard", () => {
  const defaultProps = {
    user: { id: 1, displayName: "Alice", email: "alice@example.com" },
    onEdit: vi.fn(),
  };

  it("renders user name", () => {
    // Arrange
    render(<UserCard {...defaultProps} />);
    // Assert
    expect(screen.getByText("Alice")).toBeInTheDocument();
  });

  it("calls onEdit when edit button is clicked", async () => {
    // Arrange
    const user = userEvent.setup();
    render(<UserCard {...defaultProps} />);
    // Act
    await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /edit/i }));
    // Assert
    expect(defaultProps.onEdit).toHaveBeenCalledWith(1);
  });

  it("has no accessibility violations", async () => {
    const { container } = render(<UserCard {...defaultProps} />);
    expect(await axe(container)).toHaveNoViolations();
  });
});

Async Testing

waitFor (wait for state update)

it("shows user data after loading", async () => {
  render(<UserProfile userId={1} />);

  // Loading state
  expect(screen.getByText(/loading/i)).toBeInTheDocument();

  // Wait for data to appear
  await waitFor(() => {
    expect(screen.getByText("Alice")).toBeInTheDocument();
  });

  // Loading state gone
  expect(screen.queryByText(/loading/i)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
});

findBy (built-in waitFor)

it("shows user data after loading", async () => {
  render(<UserProfile userId={1} />);

  // findBy = getBy + waitFor — preferred for async appearance
  const heading = await screen.findByRole("heading", { name: "Alice" });
  expect(heading).toBeInTheDocument();
});

Prefer findBy* over waitFor + getBy* for elements that appear asynchronously.

Testing Error States

it("shows error message on API failure", async () => {
  // Override MSW handler for this test
  server.use(
    http.get("/api/users/:id", () => {
      return HttpResponse.json(
        { detail: "User not found" },
        { status: 404 },
      );
    }),
  );

  render(<UserProfile userId={999} />);

  const error = await screen.findByRole("alert");
  expect(error).toHaveTextContent(/not found/i);
});

MSW API Mocking

Setup a mock server for all API tests:

// test/mocks/handlers.ts
import { http, HttpResponse } from "msw";

export const handlers = [
  http.get("/api/users", () => {
    return HttpResponse.json({
      items: [
        { id: 1, displayName: "Alice", email: "alice@example.com" },
        { id: 2, displayName: "Bob", email: "bob@example.com" },
      ],
      next_cursor: null,
      has_more: false,
    });
  }),

  http.get("/api/users/:id", ({ params }) => {
    return HttpResponse.json({
      id: Number(params.id),
      displayName: "Alice",
      email: "alice@example.com",
    });
  }),

  http.post("/api/users", async ({ request }) => {
    const body = await request.json();
    return HttpResponse.json(
      { id: 3, ...body, created_at: new Date().toISOString() },
      { status: 201 },
    );
  }),
];
// test/mocks/server.ts
import { setupServer } from "msw/node";
import { handlers } from "./handlers";

export const server = setupServer(...handlers);
// test/setup.ts (Vitest setup file)
import { server } from "./mocks/server";

beforeAll(() => server.listen({ onUnhandledRequest: "error" }));
afterEach(() => server.resetHandlers());
afterAll(() => server.close());

Per-test handler override:

server.use(
  http.get("/api/users", () => {
    return HttpResponse.json({ items: [], next_cursor: null, has_more: false });
  }),
);

Hook Testing

import { renderHook, act } from "@testing-library/react";
import { useDebounce } from "./useDebounce";

describe("useDebounce", () => {
  beforeEach(() => { vi.useFakeTimers(); });
  afterEach(() => { vi.useRealTimers(); });

  it("returns initial value immediately", () => {
    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDebounce("hello", 300));
    expect(result.current).toBe("hello");
  });

  it("debounces value changes", () => {
    const { result, rerender } = renderHook(
      ({ value }) => useDebounce(value, 300),
      { initialProps: { value: "hello" } },
    );

    rerender({ value: "world" });
    expect(result.current).toBe("hello"); // Still old value

    act(() => { vi.advanceTimersByTime(300); });
    expect(result.current).toBe("world"); // Now updated
  });
});

Testing hooks with TanStack Query:

import { QueryClient, QueryClientProvider } from "@tanstack/react-query";

function createWrapper() {
  const queryClient = new QueryClient({
    defaultOptions: { queries: { retry: false } },
  });
  return ({ children }) => (
    <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>{children}</QueryClientProvider>
  );
}

it("fetches users", async () => {
  const { result } = renderHook(() => useUsers(), { wrapper: createWrapper() });
  await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.isSuccess).toBe(true));
  expect(result.current.data).toHaveLength(2);
});

Accessibility Testing

Add to every component test file:

import { axe, toHaveNoViolations } from "jest-axe";

expect.extend(toHaveNoViolations);

it("has no accessibility violations", async () => {
  const { container } = render(<UserCard {...defaultProps} />);
  const results = await axe(container);
  expect(results).toHaveNoViolations();
});

Test Utility: Custom Render

Create a custom render that wraps components with required providers:

// test/utils.tsx
import { render, RenderOptions } from "@testing-library/react";
import { QueryClient, QueryClientProvider } from "@tanstack/react-query";
import { MemoryRouter } from "react-router-dom";
import { AuthProvider } from "@/contexts/AuthContext";

function AllProviders({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  const queryClient = new QueryClient({
    defaultOptions: { queries: { retry: false, gcTime: 0 } },
  });
  return (
    <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>
      <MemoryRouter>
        <AuthProvider>{children}</AuthProvider>
      </MemoryRouter>
    </QueryClientProvider>
  );
}

export function renderWithProviders(ui: React.ReactElement, options?: RenderOptions) {
  return render(ui, { wrapper: AllProviders, ...options });
}

Examples

Testing a Form Component

describe("CreateUserForm", () => {
  it("submits valid data", async () => {
    const onSubmit = vi.fn();
    const user = userEvent.setup();
    render(<CreateUserForm onSubmit={onSubmit} />);

    await user.type(screen.getByLabelText(/email/i), "test@example.com");
    await user.type(screen.getByLabelText(/name/i), "Test User");
    await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /create/i }));

    expect(onSubmit).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
      email: "test@example.com",
      displayName: "Test User",
      role: "member",
    });
  });

  it("shows validation errors for empty required fields", async () => {
    const user = userEvent.setup();
    render(<CreateUserForm onSubmit={vi.fn()} />);
    await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /create/i }));

    expect(await screen.findByText(/required/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
  });
});

Edge Cases

  • Components with providers: Always use a custom render function that wraps components with QueryClientProvider, MemoryRouter, and any context providers needed.

  • Components with router: Use <MemoryRouter initialEntries={["/users/1"]}> for components that use useParams or useNavigate.

  • Flaky async tests: Prefer findBy* over waitFor + getBy*. If using waitFor, increase timeout for CI: waitFor(() => ..., { timeout: 5000 }).

  • Testing modals/portals: Use screen queries (they search the entire document), not container queries.

  • Cleanup: Testing Library auto-cleans after each test. Don't call cleanup() manually unless using a custom setup.

See references/component-test-template.tsx for an annotated test file template. See references/msw-handler-examples.ts for MSW handler patterns. See references/hook-test-template.tsx for hook testing patterns.

FAQ

What does the react-testing-patterns skill do?

React component and hook testing patterns with Testing Library and Vitest. Use when writing tests for React components, custom hooks, or data fetching logic. Covers component rendering tests, user interaction simulation, async state testing, MSW for API mocking, hook testing with renderHook, accessibility assertions, and snapshot testing guidelines. Does NOT cover E2E tests (use e2e-testing) or TDD workflow enforcement (use tdd-workflow).

How do I install react-testing-patterns?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/hieutrtr/ai1-skills --skill react-testing-patterns in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/react-testing-patterns/ (personal) or .claude/skills/react-testing-patterns/ (project).

Which AI agents can use react-testing-patterns?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is react-testing-patterns safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains react-testing-patterns?

It is published by hieutrtr in hieutrtr/ai1-skills. It has 136 recorded installs.

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