MCPInstall

bats-testing-patterns

Master Bash Automated Testing System (Bats) for comprehensive shell script testing. Use when writing tests for shell scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or requiring test-driven development of shell utilities.

Installs
11.1K
Last 24h
+30
Trending rank
#4390
Security
Pass

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents --skill bats-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 bats-testing-patterns automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

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

Security audits

Independent scans of the skill's instructions and bundled files.

Gen Agent Trust Hub PassSAFE ·This skill provides safe and standard documentation for testing shell scripts with the Bash Automated Testing System (Bats). It includes common patterns for test setup, mocking, and assertion that follow industry-standard practices without security risks.
Socket PassNo alerts
Snyk PassLOW ·Risk: LOW · No issues
Runlayer PassLOW ·1/1 file flagged
ZeroLeaks PassNONE ·Score: 93/100 · 2 sections analyzed

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

Bats Testing Patterns

Comprehensive guidance for writing comprehensive unit tests for shell scripts using Bats (Bash Automated Testing System), including test patterns, fixtures, and best practices for production-grade shell testing.

When to Use This Skill

  • Writing unit tests for shell scripts
  • Implementing test-driven development (TDD) for scripts
  • Setting up automated testing in CI/CD pipelines
  • Testing edge cases and error conditions
  • Validating behavior across different shell environments
  • Building maintainable test suites for scripts
  • Creating fixtures for complex test scenarios
  • Testing multiple shell dialects (bash, sh, dash)

Detailed patterns and worked examples

Detailed pattern documentation lives in references/details.md. Read that file when the navigation tier above is insufficient.

Testing Error Conditions

#!/usr/bin/env bats

@test "Function fails with missing file" {
    run my_function "/nonexistent/file.txt"
    [ "$status" -ne 0 ]
    [[ "$output" == *"not found"* ]]
}

@test "Function fails with invalid input" {
    run my_function ""
    [ "$status" -ne 0 ]
}

@test "Function fails with permission denied" {
    touch "$TMPDIR/readonly.txt"
    chmod 000 "$TMPDIR/readonly.txt"
    run my_function "$TMPDIR/readonly.txt"
    [ "$status" -ne 0 ]
    chmod 644 "$TMPDIR/readonly.txt"  # Cleanup
}

@test "Function provides helpful error message" {
    run my_function --invalid-option
    [ "$status" -ne 0 ]
    [[ "$output" == *"Usage:"* ]]
}

Testing with Dependencies

#!/usr/bin/env bats

setup() {
    # Check for required tools
    if ! command -v jq &>/dev/null; then
        skip "jq is not installed"
    fi

    export SCRIPT="${BATS_TEST_DIRNAME}/../bin/script.sh"
}

@test "JSON parsing works" {
    skip_if ! command -v jq &>/dev/null
    run my_json_parser '{"key": "value"}'
    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
}

Testing Shell Compatibility

#!/usr/bin/env bats

@test "Script works in bash" {
    bash "${BATS_TEST_DIRNAME}/../bin/script.sh" arg1
}

@test "Script works in sh (POSIX)" {
    sh "${BATS_TEST_DIRNAME}/../bin/script.sh" arg1
}

@test "Script works in dash" {
    if command -v dash &>/dev/null; then
        dash "${BATS_TEST_DIRNAME}/../bin/script.sh" arg1
    else
        skip "dash not installed"
    fi
}

Parallel Execution

#!/usr/bin/env bats

@test "Multiple independent operations" {
    run bash -c 'for i in {1..10}; do
        my_operation "$i" &
    done
    wait'
    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
}

@test "Concurrent file operations" {
    for i in {1..5}; do
        my_function "$TMPDIR/file$i" &
    done
    wait
    [ -f "$TMPDIR/file1" ]
    [ -f "$TMPDIR/file5" ]
}

Test Helper Pattern

test_helper.sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# Source script under test
export SCRIPT_DIR="${BATS_TEST_DIRNAME%/*}/bin"

# Common test utilities
assert_file_exists() {
    if [ ! -f "$1" ]; then
        echo "Expected file to exist: $1"
        return 1
    fi
}

assert_file_equals() {
    local file="$1"
    local expected="$2"

    if [ ! -f "$file" ]; then
        echo "File does not exist: $file"
        return 1
    fi

    local actual=$(cat "$file")
    if [ "$actual" != "$expected" ]; then
        echo "File contents do not match"
        echo "Expected: $expected"
        echo "Actual: $actual"
        return 1
    fi
}

# Create temporary test directory
setup_test_dir() {
    export TEST_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
}

cleanup_test_dir() {
    rm -rf "$TEST_DIR"
}

Integration with CI/CD

GitHub Actions Workflow

name: Tests

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Install Bats
        run: |
          npm install --global bats

      - name: Run Tests
        run: |
          bats tests/*.bats

      - name: Run Tests with Tap Reporter
        run: |
          bats tests/*.bats --tap | tee test_output.tap

Makefile Integration

.PHONY: test test-verbose test-tap

test:
	bats tests/*.bats

test-verbose:
	bats tests/*.bats --verbose

test-tap:
	bats tests/*.bats --tap

test-parallel:
	bats tests/*.bats --parallel 4

coverage: test
	# Optional: Generate coverage reports

Best Practices

  1. Test one thing per test - Single responsibility principle
  2. Use descriptive test names - Clearly states what is being tested
  3. Clean up after tests - Always remove temporary files in teardown
  4. Test both success and failure paths - Don't just test happy path
  5. Mock external dependencies - Isolate unit under test
  6. Use fixtures for complex data - Makes tests more readable
  7. Run tests in CI/CD - Catch regressions early
  8. Test across shell dialects - Ensure portability
  9. Keep tests fast - Run in parallel when possible
  10. Document complex test setup - Explain unusual patterns

FAQ

What does the bats-testing-patterns skill do?

Master Bash Automated Testing System (Bats) for comprehensive shell script testing. Use when writing tests for shell scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or requiring test-driven development of shell utilities.

How do I install bats-testing-patterns?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents --skill bats-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/bats-testing-patterns/ (personal) or .claude/skills/bats-testing-patterns/ (project).

Which AI agents can use bats-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 bats-testing-patterns safe to install?

Security partners have reviewed it: Gen Agent Trust Hub passed; Socket passed; Snyk passed; Runlayer passed; ZeroLeaks passed. As with any skill, read the SKILL.md and bundled scripts before installing.

Who maintains bats-testing-patterns?

It is published by wshobson in wshobson/agents. It has 11,090 recorded installs.

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