Testing vs Automation · both proven

test-driven-development vs triage

Both skills were run through Claude twice: once on a fixed brief without the skill, once with it. The briefs differ because each is written for the job the skill claims to do, so compare each skill against its own baseline, then decide which difference matters for your work. They are in different categories, so this is a choice of job, not a head-to-head on the same job.

test-driven-development

Use when implementing any feature or bugfix, before writing implementation code

Category: Testing
Source: obra/superpowers
License: MIT
Proof model: claude-opus-5-5
Brief: “Implement a function that parses a cron expression (the standard five fields) and returns the next run time after a given date, in TypeScript. Present the work as a single HTML page with two columns: the test file on the left and the implementation on the right, each in a code block, with a short note at the top on the order you did things in and anything you decided not to support.”
Skill commit: bb92a77

Without the skillWith test-driven-development

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Without, runWith test-driven-development, run3 independent runs per side, none selected by hand.

Download the with-skill page

triage

Move issues and external PRs through a state machine of triage roles, categorise, verify, grill if needed, and write agent-ready briefs.

Category: Automation
Source: mattpocock/skills
License: MIT
Proof model: claude-opus-5-5
Brief: “You are triaging three new issues on an open-source Markdown editor. #412 "App crashes" by @kmorr: "It crashes when I paste stuff. Please fix asap." #413 "Export to PDF loses images" by @dlee: "On v2.3.1 (macOS 15), exporting a note with two PNG images to PDF produces a PDF with blank boxes where the images were. Steps: create note, drag in two PNGs, File > Export > PDF. Expected images in the PDF. Worked in v2.2.0." #414 "Add vim keybindings" by @tpz: "Would love vim mode. Lots of editors have it." Present the triage as a single HTML page: for each issue, the category, the state you would move it to and why, the comment you would post, and for any issue ready for an agent to implement, the agent brief.”
Skill commit: 5beb35b

Without the skillWith triage

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Without, runWith triage, run3 independent runs per side, none selected by hand.

Download the with-skill page

We don’t pick a winner for you: the pages are the evidence. Both proofs can be repeated with the brief, model and commit shown above. See alternatives to test-driven-development or alternatives to triage.