iOS Testing Router

You MUST use this skill for ANY testing-related question, including writing tests, debugging test failures, making tests faster, or choosing between testing approaches.

When to Use

Use this router when you encounter:

• Writing new unit tests or UI tests
• Swift Testing framework (@Test, #expect, @Suite)
• XCTest or XCUITest questions
• Making tests run faster (without simulator)
• Flaky tests (pass sometimes, fail sometimes)
• Testing async code reliably
• Migrating from XCTest to Swift Testing
• Test architecture decisions
• Condition-based waiting patterns

Routing Logic

This router invokes specialized skills based on the specific testing need:

1. Unit Tests / Fast Tests → swift-testing

Triggers:

• Writing new unit tests
• Swift Testing framework (@Test, #expect, #require, @Suite)
• Making tests run without simulator
• Testing async code reliably
• withMainSerialExecutor, TestClock
• Migrating from XCTest
• Parameterized tests
• Tags and traits
• Host Application: None configuration
• Swift Package tests (swift test)

Why swift-testing: Modern Swift Testing framework with parallel execution, better async support, and the ability to run without launching simulator.

Invoke: Read the axiom-swift-testing skill

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2. UI Tests / XCUITest → ui-testing

Triggers:

• Recording UI Automation (Xcode 26)
• XCUIApplication, XCUIElement
• Flaky UI tests
• Tests pass locally, fail in CI
• sleep() or arbitrary timeouts
• Condition-based waiting
• Cross-device testing
• Accessibility-first testing

Why ui-testing: XCUITest requires simulator and has unique patterns for reliability.

Invoke: Read the axiom-ui-testing skill

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3. Flaky Tests / Race Conditions → test-failure-analyzer (Agent)

Triggers:

• Tests fail randomly in CI
• Tests pass locally but fail in CI
• Flaky tests (pass sometimes, fail sometimes)
• Race conditions in Swift Testing
• Missing await confirmation for async callbacks
• Missing @MainActor on UI tests
• Shared mutable state in @Suite
• Tests pass individually, fail when run together

Why test-failure-analyzer: Specialized agent that scans for patterns causing intermittent failures in Swift Testing.

Invoke: Launch test-failure-analyzer agent

---

4. Async Testing Patterns → testing-async

Triggers:

• Testing async/await functions
• confirmation for callbacks (Swift Testing)
• expectedCount for multiple callbacks
• Testing MainActor code with @MainActor @Test
• Migrating XCTestExpectation → confirmation
• Parallel test execution concerns
• Test timeout configuration

Why testing-async: Dedicated patterns for async code in Swift Testing framework.

Invoke: Read the axiom-testing-async skill

---

5. Test Crashes / Environment Issues → xcode-debugging

Triggers:

• Tests crash before assertions run
• Simulator won't boot for tests
• Tests hang indefinitely
• "Unable to boot simulator" errors
• Clean test run differs from incremental

Why xcode-debugging: Test failures from environment issues, not test logic.

Invoke: Read the axiom-xcode-debugging skill

---

6. Running XCUITests from Command Line → test-runner (Agent)

Triggers:

• Run tests with xcodebuild
• Parse xcresult bundles
• Export failure screenshots/videos
• Code coverage reports
• CI/CD test execution

Why test-runner: Specialized agent for command-line test execution with xcresulttool parsing.

Invoke: Launch test-runner agent

---

7. Closed-Loop Test Debugging → test-debugger (Agent)

Triggers:

• Fix failing tests automatically
• Debug persistent test failures
• Run → analyze → fix → verify cycle
• Need to iterate until tests pass
• Analyze failure screenshots

Why test-debugger: Automated cycle of running tests, analyzing failures, suggesting fixes, and re-running.

Invoke: Launch test-debugger agent

---

8. Recording UI Automation (Xcode 26) → ui-recording

Triggers:

• Record user interactions in Xcode
• Test plans for multi-config replay
• Video review of test runs
• Xcode 26 recording workflow
• Enhancing recorded test code

Why ui-recording: Focused guide for Xcode 26's Record/Replay/Review workflow.

Invoke: Read the axiom-ui-recording skill

---

9. Test Quality Audit → testing-auditor (Agent)

Triggers:

• Want to audit test quality
• Find flaky test patterns (sleep calls, shared mutable state)
• Speed up test execution
• Migrate from XCTest to Swift Testing
• Check tests for Swift 6 concurrency issues

Why testing-auditor: Scans for sleep() calls, shared mutable state, missing assertions, XCTest to Swift Testing migration opportunities, and Swift 6 concurrency issues in tests.

Invoke: Launch testing-auditor agent or /axiom:audit testing

---

10. UI Automation Without XCUITest → simulator-tester + axe-ref

Triggers:

• Automate app without test target
• AXe CLI usage (tap, swipe, type)
• describe-ui for accessibility tree
• Quick automation outside XCUITest
• Scripted simulator interactions

Why simulator-tester + axe-ref: AXe provides accessibility-based UI automation when XCUITest isn't available.

Invoke: Launch simulator-tester agent (uses axiom-axe-ref)

---

Decision Tree

1. Writing unit tests / Swift Testing? → swift-testing
2. Writing UI tests / XCUITest? → ui-testing
3. Testing async/await code? → testing-async
4. Flaky tests / race conditions (XCUITest)? → ui-testing
5. Flaky tests / race conditions (Swift Testing)? → test-failure-analyzer (Agent)
6. Tests crash / environment wrong? → xcode-debugging (via ios-build)
7. Tests are slow? → swift-testing (Fast Tests section)
8. Run tests from CLI / parse results? → test-runner (Agent)
9. Fix failing tests automatically? → test-debugger (Agent)
10. Want test quality audit (flaky patterns, migration)? → testing-auditor (Agent)
11. Record UI interactions (Xcode 26)? → ui-recording
12. Automate without XCUITest / AXe CLI? → simulator-tester + axe-ref

Swift Testing vs XCTest Quick Guide

Need	Use
Unit tests (logic, models)	Swift Testing
UI tests (tap, swipe, assert screens)	XCUITest (XCTest)
Tests without simulator	Swift Testing + Package/Framework
Parameterized tests	Swift Testing
Performance measurements	XCTest (XCTMetric)
Objective-C tests	XCTest

Anti-Rationalization

Thought	Reality
"Simple test question, I don't need the skill"	Proper patterns prevent test debt. swift-testing has copy-paste solutions.
"I know XCTest well enough"	Swift Testing is significantly better for unit tests. swift-testing covers migration.
"Tests are slow but it's fine"	Fast tests enable TDD. swift-testing shows how to run without simulator.
"I'll fix the flaky test with a sleep()"	sleep() makes tests slower AND flakier. ui-testing has condition-based waiting patterns.
"I'll add tests later"	Tests written after implementation miss edge cases. swift-testing makes writing tests first easy.

Example Invocations

User: "How do I write a unit test in Swift?" → Invoke: axiom-swift-testing

User: "My UI tests are flaky in CI" → Check codebase: XCUIApplication/XCUIElement patterns? → ui-testing → Check codebase: @Test/#expect patterns? → test-failure-analyzer

User: "Tests fail randomly, pass sometimes fail sometimes" → Invoke: test-failure-analyzer (Agent)

User: "Tests pass locally but fail in CI" → Invoke: test-failure-analyzer (Agent)

User: "How do I test async code without flakiness?" → Invoke: testing-async

User: "How do I test callback-based APIs with Swift Testing?" → Invoke: testing-async

User: "What's the Swift Testing equivalent of XCTestExpectation?" → Invoke: testing-async

User: "How do I use confirmation with expectedCount?" → Invoke: testing-async

User: "I want my tests to run faster" → Invoke: axiom-swift-testing (Fast Tests section)

User: "Should I use Swift Testing or XCTest?" → Invoke: axiom-swift-testing (Migration section) + this decision tree

User: "Tests crash before any assertions" → Invoke: axiom-xcode-debugging

User: "Run my tests and show me what failed" → Invoke: test-runner (Agent)

User: "Help me fix these failing tests" → Invoke: test-debugger (Agent)

User: "Parse the xcresult from my last test run" → Invoke: test-runner (Agent)

User: "Export failure screenshots from my tests" → Invoke: test-runner (Agent)

User: "How do I record UI automation in Xcode 26?" → Invoke: axiom-ui-recording

User: "How do I use test plans for multi-language testing?" → Invoke: axiom-ui-recording

User: "Can I automate my app without writing XCUITests?" → Invoke: simulator-tester (Agent) + axiom-axe-ref

User: "How do I tap a button using AXe?" → Invoke: axiom-axe-ref (via simulator-tester)

User: "Audit my tests for quality issues" → Invoke: testing-auditor agent

User: "Should I migrate to Swift Testing?" → Invoke: testing-auditor agent