aoa-contract-test

Intent

Strengthen boundary reliability by making expected inputs, outputs, and validation summaries explicit.

Trigger boundary

Use this skill when:

• two modules or services interact across a meaningful boundary
• a smoke path or interface needs a stable validation contract
• a change risks breaking downstream assumptions

Do not use this skill when:

• the change is entirely local and does not affect a meaningful boundary
• the boundary itself is still semantically unclear and naming is drifting; use aoa-bounded-context-map
• the main problem is expressing a broad invariant rather than a boundary contract; use aoa-property-invariants
• the main problem is auditing whether existing checks really cover a stable rule; use aoa-invariant-coverage-audit
• a broad system rewrite is needed before the boundary itself is stable

Inputs

• boundary under review
• expected inputs and outputs
• current verification surface
• known downstream dependencies

Outputs

• explicit contract assumptions
• tests or smoke summary changes
• verification notes
• downstream impact notes

Procedure

1. identify the boundary and its consumers
2. state the expected input/output behavior
3. express the contract in tests, smoke summaries, or structured checks
4. verify both the boundary behavior and the reporting shape
5. report what became explicit and what remains weak

Contracts

• the contract should be visible to another human or agent
• verification should be tied to the boundary, not only to internals
• downstream assumptions should be named when relevant

Risks and anti-patterns

• vague contracts that do not actually constrain behavior
• treating a smoke summary as proof when it does not cover the real boundary
• changing interface behavior without downstream impact notes

Verification

• confirm the contract is visible and reviewable
• confirm validation is tied to the interface or boundary
• confirm downstream impact was considered when relevant

Technique traceability

Manifest-backed techniques:

• AOA-T-0003 from 8Dionysus/aoa-techniques at 5c6f0496edc3c2e74590baa35627c85fe58ef765 using path techniques/evaluation/contract-first-smoke-summary/TECHNIQUE.md and sections: Intent, When to use, Outputs, Contracts, Validation
• AOA-T-0015 from 8Dionysus/aoa-techniques at 5c6f0496edc3c2e74590baa35627c85fe58ef765 using path techniques/evaluation/contract-test-design/TECHNIQUE.md and sections: Intent, Inputs, Core procedure, Risks

Adaptation points

Project overlays should add:

• local endpoints or module boundaries
• local smoke or test commands
• boundary-specific invariants