Bugfix Without Test

Dev Tools

A fix is applied without a reproduction test, leaving no proof the bug is fixed and no regression coverage.

Install

openclaw skills install bugfix-without-test

bugfix-without-test

Fixing a bug without a test means (a) you don't know the fix actually works, and (b) there's nothing to stop the bug from coming back next refactor. A fix without a regression test is provisional at best.

Symptoms

  • Diff contains code changes but no test changes.
  • Existing tests still pass, but none of them would have failed under the original bug.
  • PR description describes a bug scenario that no test exercises.
  • The fix is a one-liner and no one will remember why it exists six months later.

What to do

  • Reproduce the bug as a failing test first. Run it. Confirm it fails for the right reason.
  • Apply the fix. Run the test again. Confirm it passes.
  • Keep the test in the suite. It becomes the regression guard.
  • If the bug is hard to test (timing, environment, flaky), say so explicitly and describe what manual verification was done. Don't silently skip.
  • For bugs discovered in production, add the test at the lowest level that reproduces the issue — unit if possible, integration if not.