/nw-optimize-tests
Minimizes test count while preserving coverage. Detects byte-identical pairs, parametrize-inflation, language-guarantee tests, AST-shape tests, stale migration nets. Approval gate before any change.
$ npx -y skills add nWave-ai/nWave --skill nw-optimize-tests --agent claude-codeHow it fires
How this skill gets triggered: by you, by Claude, or both.
- Fires itselfAuto-invocation. Claude auto-loads it when your prompt matches the work.Auto-invocation is when the right skill fires by itself at the right moment, driven by a FLOW.md router and a hook, instead of you invoking it by name. It is the difference between a skill being installed and a skill actually getting used.Read the full definition →
- You can call itInvoke it directly when you want it.
- Slash command
/nw-optimize-tests
Context preview
The summary Claude sees to decide when to auto-load this skill.
Minimizes test count while preserving coverage. Detects byte-identical pairs, parametrize-inflation, language-guarantee tests, AST-shape tests, stale migration nets. Approval gate before any change.
SKILL.md
nw-optimize-tests.SKILL.mdname: nw-optimize-tests
description: "Minimizes test count while preserving coverage. Detects byte-identical pairs, parametrize-inflation, language-guarantee tests, AST-shape tests, stale migration nets. Approval gate before any change."
user-invocable: true
argument-hint: '[scope] - Optional: a path (e.g. tests/des/unit/), a feature-id (auto-resolves to tests/<id>/), or omit for full unit suite. --reviewer to chain reviewer agent.'
NW-OPTIMIZE-TESTS: Test Suite Optimization
**Wave**: CROSS_WAVE **Agent**: Trim (nw-test-optimizer) **Reviewer**: Trim Review (nw-test-optimizer-reviewer)
Overview
Dispatches Trim to inventory a test scope, detect duplication and anti-patterns, propose a consolidation plan, and apply it after explicit approval. Coverage is preserved; production code is never modified. Use after a feature lands, when a suite feels slow or noisy, on weekly audit, or whenever overtesting is suspected.
Context Files Required
- The scope path (passed as argument or auto-detected)
- `~/.claude/skills/nw-test-optimization/SKILL.md` — methodology (loaded by agent)
Timing Baseline
Trim compares against the wall-clock figures recorded in the execution-log.json.
Agent Invocation
@nw-test-optimizer
Execute test optimization for `{scope}`.
**Configuration:**
- scope: <path | feature-id | empty for full unit suite>
- approval_required: true # always; gate is non-negotiable
- mutation_validation: false # set true for critical scopes (financial, safety, infra)
- reviewer_chain: false # set true to dispatch nw-test-optimizer-reviewer after apply
Approval Gate
Trim presents the plan as a markdown table after Phase 3 (PLAN). The orchestrator (or invoking user) responds with one of:
1. **APPROVE** — full plan, all rows 2. **APPROVE WITH EXCLUSIONS** — list row IDs to skip 3. **REJECT** — abort, return findings as deferred report 4. **REPLAN** — provide new scope or constraint
No changes are applied without one of these responses. Trim never assumes approval.
Reviewer Chain (optional)
If `reviewer_chain: true`:
@nw-test-optimizer-reviewer
Validate the optimization output for `{scope}`.
Reviewer hard-blocks on: production drift, coverage drop without justification, unmapped removal, missing approval gate evidence.
Success Criteria
- [ ] Baseline numbers recorded (passed count, coverage %)
- [ ] Plan presented before any change
- [ ] Explicit approval received
- [ ] Production files in diff: 0
- [ ] Coverage % preserved (or drop documented per skill 5.3)
- [ ] Atomic commits per consolidation pattern
- [ ] Final report with deltas and SHAs
Examples
Example 1: Full unit suite audit
/nw-optimize-tests
Trim inventories the unit suite, runs md5sum cross-check, scans for anti-patterns, produces a leverage-sorted plan covering byte-identical pairs and parametrize-inflated files.
Example 2: Scoped to a feature
/nw-optimize-tests lean-wave-documentation
Trim resolves to `tests/<feature-id>/` paths from the execution-log.json if available, otherwise scopes to test files referencing the feature-id.
Example 3: Single fat file
/nw-optimize-tests tests/build/unit/test_skill_restructuring.py
Trim probes the single file (315 collected tests), checks migration-collapse lifecycle (skill 3.5), proposes collapse to ~3 tests.
Example 4: With reviewer
/nw-optimize-tests tests/des/unit/ --reviewer
Trim runs the workflow, then dispatches Trim Review for adversarial validation. Reviewer issues YAML verdict.
Out of Scope
- Authoring new tests (crafter scope, DELIVER wave)
- Production code refactoring (`/nw-refactor`, crafter scope)
- Test infrastructure changes (platform-architect, troubleshooter)
Expected Outputs
git log --oneline {base}..HEAD (atomic commits per pattern)
<scope> (test files modified or deleted)
report (returned inline by agent) (baseline, after, deltas, SHAs)Read more
name: nw-optimize-tests description: "Minimizes test count while preserving coverage. Detects byte-identical pairs, parametrize-inflation, language-guarantee tests, AST-shape tests, stale migration nets. Approval gate before any change." user-invocable: true argument-hint: '[scope] - Optional: a path (e.g. tests/des/unit/), a feature-id (auto-resolves to tests/<id>/), or omit for full unit suite. --reviewer to chain reviewer agent.'
NW-OPTIMIZE-TESTS: Test Suite Optimization
**Wave**: CROSS_WAVE **Agent**: Trim (nw-test-optimizer) **Reviewer**: Trim Review (nw-test-optimizer-reviewer)
Overview
Dispatches Trim to inventory a test scope, detect duplication and anti-patterns, propose a consolidation plan, and apply it after explicit approval. Coverage is preserved; production code is never modified. Use after a feature lands, when a suite feels slow or noisy, on weekly audit, or whenever overtesting is suspected.
Context Files Required
- The scope path (passed as argument or auto-detected)
- `~/.claude/skills/nw-test-optimization/SKILL.md` — methodology (loaded by agent)
Timing Baseline
Trim compares against the wall-clock figures recorded in the execution-log.json.
Agent Invocation
@nw-test-optimizer
Execute test optimization for `{scope}`.
**Configuration:**
- scope: <path | feature-id | empty for full unit suite>
- approval_required: true # always; gate is non-negotiable
- mutation_validation: false # set true for critical scopes (financial, safety, infra)
- reviewer_chain: false # set true to dispatch nw-test-optimizer-reviewer after apply
Approval Gate
Trim presents the plan as a markdown table after Phase 3 (PLAN). The orchestrator (or invoking user) responds with one of:
1. **APPROVE** — full plan, all rows 2. **APPROVE WITH EXCLUSIONS** — list row IDs to skip 3. **REJECT** — abort, return findings as deferred report 4. **REPLAN** — provide new scope or constraint
No changes are applied without one of these responses. Trim never assumes approval.
Reviewer Chain (optional)
If `reviewer_chain: true`:
@nw-test-optimizer-reviewer
Validate the optimization output for `{scope}`.
Reviewer hard-blocks on: production drift, coverage drop without justification, unmapped removal, missing approval gate evidence.
Success Criteria
- [ ] Baseline numbers recorded (passed count, coverage %)
- [ ] Plan presented before any change
- [ ] Explicit approval received
- [ ] Production files in diff: 0
- [ ] Coverage % preserved (or drop documented per skill 5.3)
- [ ] Atomic commits per consolidation pattern
- [ ] Final report with deltas and SHAs
Examples
Example 1: Full unit suite audit
/nw-optimize-tests
Trim inventories the unit suite, runs md5sum cross-check, scans for anti-patterns, produces a leverage-sorted plan covering byte-identical pairs and parametrize-inflated files.
Example 2: Scoped to a feature
/nw-optimize-tests lean-wave-documentation
Trim resolves to `tests/<feature-id>/` paths from the execution-log.json if available, otherwise scopes to test files referencing the feature-id.
Example 3: Single fat file
/nw-optimize-tests tests/build/unit/test_skill_restructuring.py
Trim probes the single file (315 collected tests), checks migration-collapse lifecycle (skill 3.5), proposes collapse to ~3 tests.
Example 4: With reviewer
/nw-optimize-tests tests/des/unit/ --reviewer
Trim runs the workflow, then dispatches Trim Review for adversarial validation. Reviewer issues YAML verdict.
Out of Scope
- Authoring new tests (crafter scope, DELIVER wave)
- Production code refactoring (`/nw-refactor`, crafter scope)
- Test infrastructure changes (platform-architect, troubleshooter)
Expected Outputs
git log --oneline {base}..HEAD (atomic commits per pattern)
<scope> (test files modified or deleted)
report (returned inline by agent) (baseline, after, deltas, SHAs)AI agents that guide you from idea to working code, with human judgment at every gate. nWave runs inside Claude Code. It breaks feature delivery into seven waves (discover, diverge, discuss, design, devops, distill, deliver).
Repo: nWave-ai/nWave
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Open skill - /nw-agent-creation-workflow
Detailed 5-phase workflow for creating agents - from requirements analysis through validation and iterative refinement
Open skill - /nw-agent-testing
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Architectural style selection decision matrices, trade-off analysis, structural enforcement rules, and combination patterns. Load when choosing or evaluating architecture styles.
Open skill

