Test Helpers

Writing test cases is faster and more consistent when common setup, teardown, and assertion patterns are abstracted into helpers. This skill generates a tests/helpers/ library tailored to the project's actual engine, language, and systems — so every developer writes less boilerplate and more assertions.

Output: tests/helpers/ directory with engine-specific helper files

When to run:

• After /test-setup scaffolds the framework (first time)
• When multiple test files repeat the same setup boilerplate
• When starting to write tests for a new system

1. Parse Arguments

Modes:

• /test-helpers [system-name] — generate helpers for a specific system (e.g., /test-helpers combat)
• /test-helpers all — generate helpers for all systems with test files
• /test-helpers scaffold — generate only the base helper library (no system-specific helpers); use this on first run
• No argument — run scaffold if no helpers exist, else all

2. Detect Engine and Language

Read .claude/docs/technical-preferences.md and extract:

• Engine: value
• Language: value
• Framework: from the Testing section

If engine is not configured: "Engine not configured. Run /setup-engine first."

3. Load Existing Test Patterns

Scan the test directory for patterns already in use:

Glob pattern="tests/**/*_test.*" (all test files)

For a representative sample (up to 5 files), read the test files and extract:

• Setup patterns (how before_each / setUp / fixtures are written)
• Common assertion patterns (what is being asserted most often)
• Object creation patterns (how game objects or scenes are instantiated in tests)
• Mock/stub patterns (how dependencies are replaced)

This ensures generated helpers match the project's existing style, not a generic template.

Also read:

• design/gdd/systems-index.md — to know which systems exist
• In-scope GDD(s) — to understand what data types and values need testing
• docs/architecture/tr-registry.yaml — to map requirements to tested systems

4. Generate Engine-Specific Helpers

Godot 4 (GDUnit4 / GDScript)

Base helper (tests/helpers/game_assertions.gd):

## Game-specific assertion utilities for [Project Name] tests.
## Extends GdUnitAssertions with domain-specific helpers.
##
## Usage:
##   var assert = GameAssertions.new()
##   assert.health_in_range(entity, 0, entity.max_health)

class_name GameAssertions
extends RefCounted

## Assert a value is within the inclusive range [min_val, max_val].
## Use for any formula output that has defined bounds in a GDD.
static func assert_in_range(
    value: float,
    min_val: float,
    max_val: float,
    label: String = "value"
) -> void:
    assert(
        value >= min_val and value <= max_val,
        "%s %.2f is outside expected range [%.2f, %.2f]" % [label, value, min_val, max_val]
    )

## Assert a signal was emitted during a callable block.
## Usage: assert_signal_emitted(entity, "health_changed", func(): entity.take_damage(10))
static func assert_signal_emitted(
    obj: Object,
    signal_name: String,
    action: Callable
) -> void:
    var emitted := false
    obj.connect(signal_name, func(_args): emitted = true)
    action.call()
    assert(emitted, "Expected signal '%s' to be emitted, but it was not." % signal_name)

## Assert that a callable does NOT emit a signal.
static func assert_signal_not_emitted(
    obj: Object,
    signal_name: String,
    action: Callable
) -> void:
    var emitted := false
    obj.connect(signal_name, func(_args): emitted = true)
    action.call()
    assert(not emitted, "Expected signal '%s' NOT to be emitted, but it was." % signal_name)

## Assert a node exists at path within a parent.
static func assert_node_exists(parent: Node, path: NodePath) -> void:
    assert(
        parent.has_node(path),
        "Expected node at path '%s' to exist." % str(path)
    )

Factory helper (tests/helpers/game_factory.gd):

## Factory functions for creating test game objects.
## Returns minimal objects configured for unit testing (no scene tree required).
##
## Usage: var player = GameFactory.make_player(health: 100)

class_name GameFactory
extends RefCounted

## Create a minimal player-like object for testing.
## Override fields as needed.
static func make_player(health: int = 100) -> Node:
    var player = Node.new()
    player.set_meta("health", health)
    player.set_meta("max_health", health)
    return player

Scene helper (tests/helpers/scene_runner_helper.gd):

## Utilities for scene-based integration tests.
## Wraps GdUnitSceneRunner for common patterns.

class_name SceneRunnerHelper
extends GdUnitTestSuite

## Load a scene and wait one frame for _ready() to complete.
func load_scene_and_wait(scene_path: String) -> Node:
    var scene = load(scene_path).instantiate()
    add_child(scene)
    await get_tree().process_frame
    return scene

Unity (NUnit / C#)

Base helper (tests/helpers/GameAssertions.cs):

using NUnit.Framework;
using UnityEngine;

/// <summary>
/// Game-specific assertion utilities for [Project Name] tests.
/// Extends NUnit's Assert with domain-specific helpers.
/// </summary>
public static class GameAssertions
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Assert a value is within an inclusive range [min, max].
    /// Use for any formula output defined in GDD Formulas sections.
    /// </summary>
    public static void AssertInRange(float value, float min, float max, string label = "value")
    {
        Assert.That(value, Is.InRange(min, max),
            $"{label} ({value:F2}) is outside expected range [{min:F2}, {max:F2}]");
    }

    /// <summary>Assert a UnityEvent or C# event was raised during an action.</summary>
    public static void AssertEventRaised(ref bool wasCalled, System.Action action, string eventName)
    {
        wasCalled = false;
        action();
        Assert.IsTrue(wasCalled, $"Expected event '{eventName}' to be raised, but it was not.");
    }

    /// <summary>Assert a component exists on a GameObject.</summary>
    public static void AssertHasComponent<T>(GameObject obj) where T : Component
    {
        var component = obj.GetComponent<T>();
        Assert.IsNotNull(component,
            $"Expected GameObject '{obj.name}' to have component {typeof(T).Name}.");
    }
}

Factory helper (tests/helpers/GameFactory.cs):

using UnityEngine;

/// <summary>
/// Factory methods for creating minimal test objects without loading scenes.
/// </summary>
public static class GameFactory
{
    /// <summary>Create a minimal GameObject with a named component for testing.</summary>
    public static GameObject MakeGameObject(string name = "TestObject")
    {
        var go = new GameObject(name);
        return go;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Create a ScriptableObject of type T for data-driven tests.
    /// Dispose with Object.DestroyImmediate after test.
    /// </summary>
    public static T MakeScriptableObject<T>() where T : ScriptableObject
    {
        return ScriptableObject.CreateInstance<T>();
    }
}

Unreal Engine (C++)

Base helper (tests/helpers/GameTestHelpers.h):

#pragma once

#include "CoreMinimal.h"
#include "Misc/AutomationTest.h"

/**
 * Game-specific assertion macros and helpers for [Project Name] automation tests.
 * Include in any test file that needs domain-specific assertions.
 *
 * Usage:
 *   GAME_TEST_ASSERT_IN_RANGE(TestName, DamageValue, 10.0f, 50.0f, TEXT("Damage"));
 */

// Assert a float value is within inclusive range [Min, Max]
#define GAME_TEST_ASSERT_IN_RANGE(TestName, Value, Min, Max, Label) \
    TestTrue( \
        FString::Printf(TEXT("%s (%.2f) in range [%.2f, %.2f]"), Label, Value, Min, Max), \
        (Value) >= (Min) && (Value) <= (Max) \
    )

// Assert a UObject pointer is valid (not null, not garbage collected)
#define GAME_TEST_ASSERT_VALID(TestName, Ptr, Label) \
    TestTrue( \
        FString::Printf(TEXT("%s is valid"), Label), \
        IsValid(Ptr) \
    )

// Assert an Actor is in the world (spawned successfully)
#define GAME_TEST_ASSERT_SPAWNED(TestName, ActorPtr, ClassName) \
    TestNotNull( \
        FString::Printf(TEXT("Spawned actor of class %s"), TEXT(#ClassName)), \
        ActorPtr \
    )

/**
 * Helper to create a minimal test world.
 * Remember to call World->DestroyWorld(false) in teardown.
 */
namespace GameTestHelpers
{
    inline UWorld* CreateTestWorld(const FString& WorldName = TEXT("TestWorld"))
    {
        UWorld* World = UWorld::CreateWorld(EWorldType::Game, false);
        FWorldContext& WorldContext = GEngine->CreateNewWorldContext(EWorldType::Game);
        WorldContext.SetCurrentWorld(World);
        return World;
    }
}

5. Generate System-Specific Helpers

For [system-name] or all modes, generate a helper per system:

Read the system's GDD to extract:

• Data types (entity types, component names)
• Formula variables and their bounds
• Common test scenarios mentioned in Edge Cases

Generate tests/helpers/[system]_factory.[ext] with factory functions specific to that system's objects.

Example pattern for a combat system (Godot/GDScript):

## Factory and assertion helpers for Combat system tests.
## Generated by /test-helpers combat on [date].
## Based on: design/gdd/combat.md

class_name CombatTestFactory
extends RefCounted

const DAMAGE_MIN := 0
const DAMAGE_MAX := 999  # From GDD: damage formula upper bound

## Create a minimal attacker object for damage formula tests.
static func make_attacker(attack: float = 10.0, crit_chance: float = 0.0) -> Node:
    var attacker = Node.new()
    attacker.set_meta("attack", attack)
    attacker.set_meta("crit_chance", crit_chance)
    return attacker

## Create a minimal target object for damage receive tests.
static func make_target(defense: float = 0.0, health: float = 100.0) -> Node:
    var target = Node.new()
    target.set_meta("defense", defense)
    target.set_meta("health", health)
    target.set_meta("max_health", health)
    return target

## Assert damage output is within GDD-specified bounds.
static func assert_damage_in_bounds(damage: float) -> void:
    GameAssertions.assert_in_range(damage, DAMAGE_MIN, DAMAGE_MAX, "damage")

6. Write Output

Present a summary of what will be created:

## Test Helpers to Create

Base helpers (engine: [engine]):
- tests/helpers/game_assertions.[ext]
- tests/helpers/game_factory.[ext]
[engine-specific extras]

System helpers ([mode]):
- tests/helpers/[system]_factory.[ext]  ← from [system] GDD

Ask: "May I write these helper files to tests/helpers/?"

Never overwrite existing files. If a file already exists, report: "Skipping [path] — already exists. Remove the file manually if you want it regenerated."

After writing: Verdict: COMPLETE — helper files created.

"Helper files created. To use them in a test:

• Godot: class_name is auto-imported — no explicit import needed
• Unity: Add using directive or reference the test assembly
• Unreal: #include \"tests/helpers/GameTestHelpers.h\""

Collaborative Protocol

• Never overwrite existing helpers — they may contain hand-written customisations. Only generate new files that don't exist yet
• Generated code is a starting point — the generated factory functions use metadata patterns for simplicity; adapt to the actual class structure once the code exists
• Helpers should reflect the GDD — bounds and constants in helpers should trace to GDD Formulas sections, not invented values
• Ask before writing — always confirm before creating files in tests/

Next Steps

• Run /test-setup if the test framework has not been scaffolded yet.
• Use /dev-story to implement stories — helpers reduce boilerplate in new test files.
• Run /skill-test to validate other skills that may need helper coverage.