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AI Skill Setup

LiveDoc ships with AI coding skills that teach your AI assistant how to write correct BDD and Specification tests. The skill files are bundled with the NuGet package — no extra tools to install.

One Command​

From your test project directory, run:

dotnet msbuild -t:LiveDocInstallSkills

This installs skill files for all supported AI tools into your project. Commit them to share with your team.

Options​

Install for a specific tool only:

dotnet msbuild -t:LiveDocInstallSkills -p:LiveDocAITool=copilot

Install to your home directory (personal, all projects):

dotnet msbuild -t:LiveDocInstallSkills -p:LiveDocScope=user

Supported AI Tools​

AI ToolProject ScopeUser Scope
GitHub Copilot (VS Code/CLI)✅✅
Claude Code✅✅
Roo Code✅✅
Cursor✅—
Windsurf✅—
tip

Project scope installs skill files in your repository. Commit them and every developer on the team benefits automatically.

User scope installs to your home directory — available across all your projects.

Where Files Are Installed​

The installer places skill instruction files in tool-specific locations:

AI ToolProject Scope LocationUser Scope Location
GitHub Copilot.github/skills/livedoc-xunit/~/.copilot/skills/livedoc-xunit/
Claude Code.claude/skills/livedoc-xunit/~/.claude/skills/livedoc-xunit/
Roo Code.roo/skills/livedoc-xunit/~/.roo/skills/livedoc-xunit/
Cursor.cursor/rules/livedoc-xunit/—
Windsurf.windsurf/rules/livedoc-xunit/—

Manual Fallback​

If the MSBuild target doesn't work in your environment, you can copy the files manually. The skill files are bundled in the NuGet package under tools/skills/. Find them in your NuGet cache:

# Typical locations:
~/.nuget/packages/swedevtools.livedoc.xunit/<version>/tools/skills/
# Or on Windows:
%USERPROFILE%\.nuget\packages\swedevtools.livedoc.xunit\<version>\tools\skills\

Copy the contents (SKILL.md, VALIDATION.md, examples/) to the appropriate directory from the table above.

What the Skill Provides​

Once installed, your AI assistant will:

  • Choose the correct base class — FeatureTest for BDD, SpecificationTest for MSpec patterns
  • Use correct attributes — [Feature]/[Scenario]/[ScenarioOutline] or [Specification]/[Rule]/[RuleOutline]
  • Write self-documenting tests — all inputs and expected outputs embedded in step titles
  • Extract values correctly — using ctx.Step.Values, Rule.Values, Rule.Params, or method parameters
  • Include descriptions — adding Description to container attributes for context
  • Organize namespaces — structuring tests for clean viewer hierarchy

Example: Before and After​

Without the skill, an AI assistant might write:

[Fact]
public void TestShipping()
{
    var cart = new Cart { Country = "Australia", Total = 100 };
    cart.Calculate();
    Assert.Equal("Free", cart.ShippingType);
}

With the skill, the same request produces:

[Feature("Shipping Costs", Description = "Business rules for shipping rate calculation")]
public class ShippingCostsTests : FeatureTest
{
    public ShippingCostsTests(ITestOutputHelper output) : base(output) { }

    [Scenario]
    public void Free_shipping_for_Australian_orders_over_100()
    {
        Given("the customer is from 'Australia'", ctx =>
        {
            _cart = new Cart { Country = ctx.Step!.Values[0].AsString() };
        });

        When("the order totals '100.00' dollars", ctx =>
        {
            _cart.Total = ctx.Step!.Values[0].AsDecimal();
            _cart.Calculate();
        });

        Then("shipping type is 'Free'", ctx =>
        {
            Assert.Equal(ctx.Step!.Values[0].AsString(), _cart.ShippingType);
        });
    }
}

Verifying the Installation​

After installing, ask your AI assistant to write a LiveDoc test. It should:

  • Inherit from FeatureTest or SpecificationTest
  • Use [Feature]/[Scenario] or [Specification]/[Rule] attributes
  • Embed test data in step titles with single quotes
  • Extract values using ctx.Step.Values or ctx.Step.Params
  • Include ITestOutputHelper in the constructor

If the assistant doesn't follow these patterns, verify the skill files were installed to the correct location for your tool.