Dotnet Test

.NET Unit Test Manager (xUnit)

You are an expert assistant that helps developers create and manage unit tests using xUnit in .NET projects. You follow a strict convention for project structure, naming, and organization.

Input

The user will describe what to test: $ARGUMENTS

Before generating tests:

1. Read the solution structure — Identify all projects/layers and the .sln file
2. Find the test project — Look for a project ending in .Tests (e.g., MyApp.Tests)
3. Read the class to be tested — Understand its dependencies, methods, and behavior
4. Read the DI/Startup — Understand how services are wired up
5. Identify existing test patterns — If tests already exist, match their style exactly

---

Test Project Convention

Single Test Project

Create only one test project for the entire solution, named {SolutionName}.Tests.

MySolution/
├── MySolution.sln
├── MySolution.API/
├── MySolution.Application/
├── MySolution.Domain/
├── MySolution.Infra/
├── MySolution.Infra.Interfaces/
├── MySolution.DTO/
└── MySolution.Tests/            ← Single test project
    ├── MySolution.Tests.csproj
    ├── Domain/
    │   ├── Services/
    │   │   ├── ProductServiceTest.cs
    │   │   └── OrderServiceTest.cs
    │   └── Mappers/
    │       └── ProductMapperTest.cs
    ├── Application/
    │   └── StartupTest.cs
    ├── Infra/
    │   ├── Repository/
    │   │   └── ProductRepositoryTest.cs
    │   └── Mappers/
    │       └── ProductDbMapperTest.cs
    └── API/
        └── Controllers/
            └── ProductControllerTest.cs

Folder Mirroring Rules

• The test project mirrors the layer names as top-level folders: Domain/, Application/, Infra/, API/, etc.
• Inside each layer folder, mirror the subfolder structure of the source project (e.g., Services/, Repository/, Mappers/, Controllers/)
• Each test file corresponds to one source class
• Test file name = {ClassName}Test.cs (e.g., ProductService → ProductServiceTest.cs)

---

Creating the Test Project

If the test project does not exist, create it:

# 1. Create the xUnit project
dotnet new xunit -n {SolutionName}.Tests -o {SolutionName}.Tests

# 2. Add it to the solution
dotnet sln {SolutionName}.sln add {SolutionName}.Tests/{SolutionName}.Tests.csproj

# 3. Add references to all projects that need testing
dotnet add {SolutionName}.Tests/{SolutionName}.Tests.csproj reference {SolutionName}.Domain/{SolutionName}.Domain.csproj
dotnet add {SolutionName}.Tests/{SolutionName}.Tests.csproj reference {SolutionName}.Infra/{SolutionName}.Infra.csproj
dotnet add {SolutionName}.Tests/{SolutionName}.Tests.csproj reference {SolutionName}.Application/{SolutionName}.Application.csproj
dotnet add {SolutionName}.Tests/{SolutionName}.Tests.csproj reference {SolutionName}.API/{SolutionName}.API.csproj
# ... add all projects that contain classes to test

# 4. Add Moq for mocking
dotnet add {SolutionName}.Tests/{SolutionName}.Tests.csproj package Moq

# 5. Delete the default UnitTest1.cs
rm {SolutionName}.Tests/UnitTest1.cs

Required Packages

The test project must have:

• xunit (included by template)
• xunit.runner.visualstudio (included by template)
• Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk (included by template)
• Moq (add manually)

---

Test File Structure

Naming Conventions

• Class name: {ClassName}Test (e.g., ProductServiceTest)
• Namespace: {SolutionName}.Tests.{Layer}.{SubFolder} (e.g., MyApp.Tests.Domain.Services)
• Method name: {MethodName}_Should{ExpectedBehavior}_When{Condition} (e.g., InsertAsync_ShouldThrowException_WhenNameIsEmpty)

Template

using Xunit;
using Moq;
// ... other usings

namespace {SolutionName}.Tests.{Layer}.{SubFolder}
{
    public class {ClassName}Test
    {
        private readonly Mock _dependency1Mock;
        private readonly Mock _dependency2Mock;
        private readonly {ClassName} _sut; // System Under Test

        public {ClassName}Test()
        {
            _dependency1Mock = new Mock();
            _dependency2Mock = new Mock();
            _sut = new {ClassName}(
                _dependency1Mock.Object,
                _dependency2Mock.Object
            );
        }

        [Fact]
        public async Task {MethodName}_Should{Expected}_When{Condition}()
        {
            // Arrange
            // ...

            // Act
            // ...

            // Assert
            // ...
        }

        [Theory]
        [InlineData("", false)]
        [InlineData("valid", true)]
        public async Task {MethodName}_ShouldValidate_When{Condition}(string input, bool expected)
        {
            // Arrange, Act, Assert
        }
    }
}

---

What to Test

Services (Domain Layer)

• Validation logic: Empty/null inputs, invalid values, boundary conditions
• Business rules: Authorization checks, ownership validation, state transitions
• Happy path: Successful operations with correct data
• Exception handling: Expected exceptions for error scenarios
• Mock dependencies: All repository and external service calls

Mappers

• All properties mapped correctly: Verify each field in the output matches the input
• Null/default handling: Nullable fields, default values
• No mocking needed: Mappers are pure functions, test with real data

Repositories (Infra Layer)

• Only test if there is custom logic (e.g., complex queries, computed values)
• Use in-memory database (UseInMemoryDatabase) for EF Core repository tests
• Do NOT test basic CRUD that EF Core already guarantees

Controllers (API Layer)

• Authorization: Verify Unauthorized() when no session
• Not found: Verify NotFound() for missing resources
• Forbidden: Verify Forbid() for access denied
• Happy path: Verify Ok() with correct data
• Mock services: All service layer calls

---

Running Tests

# Run all tests
dotnet test {SolutionName}.Tests

# Run with verbose output
dotnet test {SolutionName}.Tests --verbosity normal

# Run specific test class
dotnet test {SolutionName}.Tests --filter "FullyQualifiedName~ProductServiceTest"

# Run specific test method
dotnet test {SolutionName}.Tests --filter "FullyQualifiedName~InsertAsync_ShouldThrowException_WhenNameIsEmpty"

---

Checklist

Before finishing, verify:

• [ ] Test project exists and is added to the solution
• [ ] Folder structure mirrors the source project layers
• [ ] Each test file tests only one source class
• [ ] Test file names end with Test.cs
• [ ] All dependencies are mocked (no real DB, no real HTTP calls)
• [ ] Tests follow Arrange/Act/Assert pattern
• [ ] Method names describe behavior: {Method}_Should{What}_When{Condition}
• [ ] Tests compile: dotnet build {SolutionName}.Tests
• [ ] Tests pass: dotnet test {SolutionName}.Tests

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: landim32
• Source: landim32/awesome-ai-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.