Create Skill Test

This skill helps you scaffold evaluation tests (

eval.yaml

) for agent skills, ensuring they conform to the dotnet/skills repository conventions, pass the skill-validator checks, and avoid common overfitting pitfalls.

When to Use

Creating a new
```
eval.yaml
```
test file for a skill
Adding scenarios to an existing eval file
Setting up test fixture files alongside eval definitions
Reviewing whether rubric items and assertions risk overfitting

When Not to Use

Running or debugging existing tests (use the skill-validator directly)
Modifying the skill-validator tool itself
Creating or editing SKILL.md files (use the
```
create-skill
```
skill)

Inputs

Input	Required	Description
Skill name	Yes	The skill being tested (must match a skill under `plugins/<plugin>/skills/` )
Plugin name	Yes	The plugin the skill belongs to (e.g., `dotnet-msbuild` )
Skill content	Recommended	The SKILL.md content to understand what the skill teaches
Scenario descriptions	Recommended	What situations the agent should be tested on

Workflow

Step 1: Locate the target and determine the test directory

Tests live at:

# For skills:
tests/<plugin>/<skill-name>/eval.yaml

# For agents (agent. prefix convention):
tests/<plugin>/agent.<agent-name>/eval.yaml

For skills, verify the skill exists at

plugins/<plugin>/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md

. For agents, verify the agent exists at

plugins/<plugin>/agents/<agent-name>.agent.md

. Read the target content to understand what it does — this is critical for writing non-overfitted rubric items.

Step 2: Create the test directory and eval.yaml

Create the directory and file:

# For skills:
tests/<plugin>/<skill-name>/
└── eval.yaml

# For agents:
tests/<plugin>/agent.<agent-name>/
└── eval.yaml

The

agent.

prefix disambiguates agent test directories from skill test directories that might share the same name.

Step 3: Write scenarios

Each scenario needs a

name

prompt

, at least one

assertion

, and a

rubric

. Use this structure:

yaml

scenarios:
  - name: "Descriptive scenario name"
    prompt: "Natural language task description as a developer would phrase it"
    setup:
      copy_test_files: true          # OR use inline files
    assertions:
      - type: "output_contains"
        value: "expected text"
    rubric:
      - "The agent correctly identified the root cause"
      - "The agent suggested a concrete, actionable fix"
    timeout: 120

Scenario guidelines

Name: Describe what is being tested, not how (e.g., "Diagnose missing package reference" not "Test binlog replay and error extraction").
Prompt: Write as a natural developer request. Never mention the skill name or instruct the agent to "use a skill." Neutral prompts prevent prompt overfitting.
Timeout: Default is 120 seconds. Use 300-600 for scenarios requiring builds, benchmarks, or multi-step operations.

Step 4: Configure setup

Choose one of three setup strategies:

Option A: Copy test files (recommended for complex fixtures)

Place fixture files alongside

eval.yaml

and enable auto-copy:

yaml

setup:
  copy_test_files: true

All files in the directory (except

eval.yaml

) are copied into the agent's working directory.

Option B: Inline files (good for small, self-contained scenarios)

yaml

setup:
  files:
    - path: "MyProject/MyProject.csproj"
      content: |
        <Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
          <PropertyGroup>
            <TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework>
          </PropertyGroup>
        </Project>
    - path: "MyProject/Program.cs"
      content: |
        Console.WriteLine("Hello");

Option C: Reference fixture files from a subdirectory

yaml

setup:
  files:
    - path: "TestProject.csproj"
      source: "fixtures/scenario-a/TestProject.csproj"

Use this when multiple scenarios share a

fixtures/

directory with separate subdirectories.

Setup commands (optional)

Run shell commands before the agent starts (e.g., to build a project and generate artifacts):

yaml

setup:
  copy_test_files: true
  commands:
    - "dotnet build -bl:build.binlog"

Scenario dependencies (optional)

Some agents route to specific skills, or some skills depend on sibling agents. In the isolated run, only the target is loaded — so the scenario must declare its dependencies using

additional_required_skills

and/or

additional_required_agents

yaml

setup:
  copy_test_files: true
  additional_required_skills:
    - binlog-failure-analysis    # loaded in isolated run alongside the target
  additional_required_agents:
    - build-perf                 # registered in isolated run alongside the target

Names are resolved from the same plugin's
```
skills/
```
or
```
agents/
```
directory.
These only affect the isolated run. The plugin run already loads everything; the baseline loads nothing.
Different scenarios of the same target can declare different dependencies (per-scenario granularity).
If a declared name cannot be resolved, the validator fails with an error.

Step 5: Write assertions

Assertions are hard pass/fail checks. Use them for objective, binary-verifiable criteria.

Type	Required fields	Description
`output_contains`	`value`	Agent output contains text (case-insensitive)
`output_not_contains`	`value`	Agent output must NOT contain text
`output_matches`	`pattern`	Agent output matches regex
`output_not_matches`	`pattern`	Agent output does NOT match regex
`file_exists`	`path`	File matching glob exists in work dir
`file_not_exists`	`path`	No file matching glob exists
`file_contains`	`path` , `value`	File at glob path contains text
`file_not_contains`	`path` , `value`	File at glob path does NOT contain text
`exit_success`	—	Agent produced non-empty output

Assertion guidelines

Prefer broad assertions that multiple valid approaches would satisfy.
Avoid narrow assertions that gate on a specific syntax or flag the LLM already knows.

Use

output_matches

with regex alternation for flexible matching:

"(root cause|primary error|underlying issue)"

Use
```
file_contains
```
/
```
file_not_contains
```
to verify the agent modified files correctly.
Use
```
output_not_contains
```
and
```
file_not_exists
```
to verify the agent avoided incorrect actions.

Step 6: Write rubric items

Rubric items are evaluated by an LLM judge using pairwise comparison (baseline vs. skill-enhanced). Quality metrics (rubric-based at 40% weight plus overall judgment at 30%) together dominate the composite improvement score.

The three rubric classifications (and how to stay in "outcome")

The overfitting judge classifies each rubric item:

Classification	Description	Goal
outcome	Tests whether the agent reached a correct result. Describes WHAT, not HOW.	Target this
technique	Tests whether the agent used a skill-specific procedure.	Minimize
vocabulary	Tests whether the agent used specific terminology from the skill.	Avoid

Rubric writing rules

Test outcomes, not methods. Write "Identified the root cause of the build failure" — not "Replayed the binlog using
```
dotnet build /flp
```
."
Allow alternative approaches. If multiple valid solutions exist, the rubric item should accept any of them.
Never reference the skill by name or use phrasing copied directly from the SKILL.md.
Don't test pre-existing LLM knowledge. If the LLM already knows something (common APIs, standard syntax, basic escaping), testing for it adds no signal.
Test findings, not diagnostic steps. Write "Correctly determined that the root cause is a missing PackageReference" — not "Used
```
dotnet restore
```
to check package resolution."
Each item should be independently evaluable. Avoid compound items that test multiple things.

Examples

Well-designed (outcome-focused):

yaml

rubric:
  - "Correctly identified the missing NuGet package as the root cause of the build failure"
  - "Recognized that downstream project failures were cascading from the root cause, not independent errors"
  - "Suggested a concrete fix that would resolve the root cause"

Overfitted (vocabulary/technique):

yaml

rubric:
  - "Replayed the binary log using 'dotnet build /flp:v=diag'"      # technique: gates on specific command
  - "Measured cold, warm, and no-op build scenarios"                  # vocabulary: uses skill's labels
  - "Used the --clreventlevel flag with dotnet trace collect"         # vocabulary: gates on specific flag

Step 7: Add optional constraints

yaml

expect_tools: ["bash"]           # Agent must use these tools
reject_tools: ["create_file"]    # Agent must NOT use these tools
max_turns: 10                    # Maximum agent iterations
max_tokens: 5000                 # Maximum token budget

Use constraints sparingly — only when the scenario specifically requires or forbids certain agent behaviors.

Step 8: Add non-activation scenarios with

expect_activation: false

Many skills have clear boundaries — situations where the skill should recognize it does not apply and decline gracefully. Test these boundaries using

expect_activation: false

How

expect_activation: false

works

When a scenario has

expect_activation: false

All three runs still execute (baseline, skilled-isolated, skilled-plugin) and assertions are evaluated on each. The flag does not change which runs are performed.
Activation verdict is inverted — if the skill is not activated for this prompt, the evaluator reports it as
```
ℹ️ not activated (expected)
```
instead of treating it as a failure.
The scenario is excluded from the noise test — the multi-skill activation test only runs positive (
```
expect_activation: true
```
) scenarios.

When to use non-activation scenarios

Add

expect_activation: false

scenarios when the skill has explicit "When Not to Use" boundaries. Common patterns:

Pattern	Example
Wrong input format	Skill handles Android tombstones; scenario provides an iOS crash log
Out-of-scope request	Skill collects dumps; scenario asks to analyze a dump
Incompatible project type	Skill converts PackageReference to CPM; scenario has packages.config
Wrong framework version	Skill migrates .NET 8→9; scenario provides a .NET 8 app and asks for .NET 10 migration
Prerequisite not met	Skill requires a specific file format that isn't present

Example: Wrong input format

yaml

- name: "Reject iOS crash log as wrong format"
  prompt: "I have a crash log file at crashlog_ios.txt from a crashed app. Please symbolicate the .NET runtime frames."
  expect_activation: false
  setup:
    copy_test_files: true
  assertions:
    - type: "output_matches"
      pattern: "(iOS|Apple|not.*(Android|tombstone)|wrong.*(format|type))"
  rubric:
    - "Recognized that this is an iOS crash log, not an Android tombstone"
    - "Did NOT attempt to apply the Android tombstone symbolication workflow"
    - "Explained that iOS crash logs require a different symbolication process"

Example: Out-of-scope request

yaml

- name: "Decline dump analysis request"
  prompt: |
    I already have a .dmp crash dump file from my .NET app. Can you help
    me analyze it to find the root cause of the crash?
  expect_activation: false
  assertions:
    - type: "output_matches"
      pattern: "(out of scope|not cover|does not|cannot|only.*collect)"
  rubric:
    - "Clearly states that dump analysis is out of scope for this skill"
    - "Does not attempt to open or analyze the dump file"
    - "Does not install analysis tools like dotnet-dump analyze, lldb, or windbg"
  timeout: 30

Example: Incompatible project type

yaml

- name: "Decline CPM conversion for packages.config project"
  prompt: "Convert my simple-packages-config/LegacyApp project to Central Package Management."
  expect_activation: false
  setup:
    copy_test_files: true
  assertions:
    - type: "output_contains"
      value: "packages.config"
    - type: "file_not_exists"
      path: "simple-packages-config/Directory.Packages.props"
  rubric:
    - "Detected the project uses packages.config instead of PackageReference format"
    - "Informed the user that CPM requires PackageReference and cannot be applied to packages.config projects"
    - "Suggested migrating from packages.config to PackageReference first"
    - "Did not attempt to create Directory.Packages.props or modify any project files"

Rubric guidelines for non-activation scenarios

Non-activation rubric items typically verify three things:

Recognition — The agent identified why the skill doesn't apply.
Restraint — The agent did NOT attempt the skill's workflow (no file modifications, no tool installs).
Redirection — The agent suggested the correct alternative approach or next step.

Step 9: Validate the eval.yaml

Run the static validator:

bash

dotnet run --project eng/skill-validator/src/SkillValidator.csproj -- check --plugin ./plugins/<plugin>

Then run evaluation (at least 3 runs for reliable results):

bash

# For skills:
dotnet run --project eng/skill-validator/src/SkillValidator.csproj -- evaluate \
  --runs 3 \
  --tests-dir tests/<plugin> \
  plugins/<plugin>/skills/<skill-name>

# For agents:
dotnet run --project eng/skill-validator/src/SkillValidator.csproj -- evaluate \
  --runs 3 \
  --tests-dir tests/<plugin> \
  plugins/<plugin>/agents/<agent-name>.agent.md

eval.yaml Template

yaml

scenarios:
  - name: "<Describe what the agent should accomplish>"
    prompt: "<Natural developer request — do not mention the skill>"
    setup:
      copy_test_files: true
    assertions:
      - type: "output_contains"
        value: "<key term that a correct response must include>"
      - type: "exit_success"
    rubric:
      - "<Outcome: what the agent should have identified or produced>"
      - "<Outcome: what fix or recommendation the agent should have given>"
      - "<Outcome: what incorrect approach the agent should have avoided>"
    timeout: 120

  - name: "<Describe situation where the skill should NOT apply>"
    prompt: "<Request that superficially matches the skill but falls outside its scope>"
    expect_activation: false
    setup:
      copy_test_files: true
    assertions:
      - type: "output_matches"
        pattern: "<pattern matching the agent's explanation of why it cannot help>"
      - type: "file_not_exists"
        path: "<file the skill would create if it incorrectly activated>"
    rubric:
      - "<Recognition: agent identified why the skill does not apply>"
      - "<Restraint: agent did not attempt the skill's workflow>"
      - "<Redirection: agent suggested the correct alternative>"
    timeout: 120

Validation Checklist

After creating a test, verify:

Test directory matches

tests/<plugin>/<skill-name>/

for skills or

tests/<plugin>/agent.<agent-name>/

for agents

Target exists at

plugins/<plugin>/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md

(skill) or

plugins/<plugin>/agents/<agent-name>.agent.md

(agent)

Every scenario has
```
name
```
,
```
prompt
```
, at least one assertion, and rubric items
Prompts are written as natural developer requests (no skill/agent name references)
Assertions are broad enough that multiple valid approaches pass
Rubric items test outcomes, not specific techniques or vocabulary
Fixture files are present when
```
copy_test_files: true
```
is used
```
source
```
paths in setup files point to existing fixture files

additional_required_skills

additional_required_agents

names exist in the same plugin

Timeouts are reasonable for the scenario complexity
Non-activation scenarios use
```
expect_activation: false
```
and verify recognition, restraint, and redirection

dotnet run --project eng/skill-validator/src/SkillValidator.csproj -- check

passes

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Solution
Prompt mentions the skill by name	Rewrite as a natural developer request describing the problem
Prompt mentions the agent by name	Same as above — agent name in prompts biases the baseline
Rubric tests a specific diagnostic command	Rewrite to test the finding or outcome that command produces
Assertion gates on syntax the LLM already knows	Use a broader pattern or test the result instead
All rubric items test the same aspect	Diversify: test identification, fix quality, and error avoidance
Missing fixture files for `copy_test_files`	Add the required project/source files alongside eval.yaml
Timeout too short for builds	Use 300-600s for scenarios that compile or run benchmarks
Single scenario covers the entire skill	Break into focused scenarios testing different aspects
Compound rubric items testing multiple things	Split into separate, independently-evaluable items
No non-activation scenarios for skill with clear boundaries	Add `expect_activation: false` scenarios for each "When Not to Use" case
Agent test missing `additional_required_skills`	If the agent routes to specific skills, declare them so the isolated run loads them

create-skill-test

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Create Skill Test

When to Use

When Not to Use

Inputs

Workflow

Step 1: Locate the target and determine the test directory

Step 2: Create the test directory and eval.yaml

Step 3: Write scenarios

Scenario guidelines

Step 4: Configure setup

Option A: Copy test files (recommended for complex fixtures)

Option B: Inline files (good for small, self-contained scenarios)

Option C: Reference fixture files from a subdirectory

Setup commands (optional)

Scenario dependencies (optional)

Step 5: Write assertions

Assertion guidelines

Step 6: Write rubric items

The three rubric classifications (and how to stay in "outcome")

Rubric writing rules

Examples

Step 7: Add optional constraints

Step 8: Add non-activation scenarios with
`expect_activation: false`

How
`expect_activation: false`
works

When to use non-activation scenarios

Example: Wrong input format

Example: Out-of-scope request

Example: Incompatible project type

Rubric guidelines for non-activation scenarios

Step 9: Validate the eval.yaml

eval.yaml Template

Validation Checklist

Common Pitfalls