SKILL.md
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Feature
xUnit v2
xUnit v3
Package
xunit (2.x)
xunit.v3
Runner
xunit.runner.visualstudio
xunit.runner.visualstudio (3.x)
Async lifecycle
IAsyncLifetime
IAsyncLifetime (now returns ValueTask)
Assert package
Bundled
Separate xunit.v3.assert (or xunit.v3.assert.source for extensibility)
Parallelism default
Per-collection
Per-collection (same, but configurable per-assembly)
Timeout
Timeout property on [Fact] and [Theory]
Timeout property on [Fact] and [Theory] (unchanged)
Test output
ITestOutputHelper
ITestOutputHelper (unchanged)
**[ClassData]**
Returns IEnumerable<object[]>
Returns IEnumerable<TheoryDataRow<T>> (strongly typed)
**[MemberData]**
Returns IEnumerable<object[]>
Supports TheoryData<T> and TheoryDataRow<T>
Assertion messages
Optional string parameter on Assert methods
Removed in favor of custom assertions (v3.0); use Assert.Fail() for explicit messages
v2 compatibility note: If migrating from v2, replace xunit package with xunit.v3. Most [Fact] and [Theory] tests work without changes. The primary migration effort is in IAsyncLifetime (return type changes to ValueTask), [ClassData] (strongly typed row format), and removed assertion message parameters.
Facts and Theories
[Fact] -- Single Test Case
Use [Fact] for tests with no parameters:
public class DiscountCalculatorTests
{
[Fact]
public void Apply_NegativePercentage_ThrowsArgumentOutOfRangeException()
{
var calculator = new DiscountCalculator();
var ex = Assert.Throws<ArgumentOutOfRangeException>(
() => calculator.Apply(100m, percentage: -5));
Assert.Equal("percentage", ex.ParamName);
}
[Fact]
public async Task ApplyAsync_ValidDiscount_ReturnsDiscountedPrice()
{
var calculator = new DiscountCalculator();
var result = await calculator.ApplyAsync(100m, percentage: 15);
Assert.Equal(85m, result);
}
}[Theory] -- Parameterized Tests
Use [Theory] to run the same test logic with different inputs.
#### [InlineData]
Best for simple value types:
[Theory]
[InlineData(100, 10, 90)] // 10% off 100 = 90
[InlineData(200, 25, 150)] // 25% off 200 = 150
[InlineData(50, 0, 50)] // 0% off = no change
[InlineData(100, 100, 0)] // 100% off = 0
public void Apply_VariousInputs_ReturnsExpectedPrice(
decimal price, decimal percentage, decimal expected)
{
var calculator = new DiscountCalculator();
var result = calculator.Apply(price, percentage);
Assert.Equal(expected, result);
}#### [MemberData] with TheoryData
Best for complex data or shared datasets:
public class OrderValidatorTests
{
public static TheoryData<Order, bool> ValidationCases => new()
{
{ new Order { Items = [new("SKU-1", 1)], CustomerId = "C1" }, true },
{ new Order { Items = [], CustomerId = "C1" }, false }, // no items
{ new Order { Items = [new("SKU-1", 1)], CustomerId = "" }, false }, // no customer
};
[Theory]
[MemberData(nameof(ValidationCases))]
public void IsValid_VariousOrders_ReturnsExpected(Order order, bool expected)
{
var validator = new OrderValidator();
var result = validator.IsValid(order);
Assert.Equal(expected, result);
}
}#### [ClassData]
Best for data shared across multiple test classes:
// xUnit v3: use TheoryDataRow<T> for strongly-typed rows
public class CurrencyConversionData : IEnumerable<TheoryDataRow<string, string, decimal>>
{
public IEnumerator<TheoryDataRow<string, string, decimal>> GetEnumerator()
{
yield return new("USD", "EUR", 0.92m);
yield return new("GBP", "USD", 1.27m);
yield return new("EUR", "GBP", 0.86m);
}
IEnumerator IEnumerable.GetEnumerator() => GetEnumerator();
}
// xUnit v2 compatibility: v2 uses IEnumerable<object[]> instead of TheoryDataRow<T>
// public class CurrencyConversionData : IEnumerable<object[]>
// {
// public IEnumerator<object[]> GetEnumerator()
// {
// yield return new object[] { "USD", "EUR", 0.92m };
// }
// IEnumerator IEnumerable.GetEnumerator() => GetEnumerator();
// }
[Theory]
[ClassData(typeof(CurrencyConversionData))]
public void Convert_KnownPairs_ReturnsExpectedRate(
string from, string to, decimal expectedRate)
{
var converter = new CurrencyConverter();
var rate = converter.GetRate(from, to);
Assert.Equal(expectedRate, rate, precision: 2);
}Fixtures: Shared Setup and Teardown
Fixtures provide shared, expensive resources across tests while maintaining test isolation.
IClassFixture -- Shared Per Test Class
Use when multiple tests in the same class share an expensive resource (database connection, configuration):
public class DatabaseFixture : IAsyncLifetime
{
public string ConnectionString { get; private set; } = "";
public ValueTask InitializeAsync()
{
// xUnit v3: returns ValueTask (v2 returns Task)
ConnectionString = $"Host=localhost;Database=test_{Guid.NewGuid():N}";
// Create database, run migrations, etc.
return ValueTask.CompletedTask;
}
public ValueTask DisposeAsync()
{
// xUnit v3: returns ValueTask (v2 returns Task)
// Drop database
return ValueTask.CompletedTask;
}
}
public class OrderRepositoryTests : IClassFixture<DatabaseFixture>
{
private readonly DatabaseFixture _db;
public OrderRepositoryTests(DatabaseFixture db)
{
_db = db;
// Each test gets the shared database fixture
}
[Fact]
public async Task GetById_ExistingOrder_ReturnsOrder()
{
var repo = new OrderRepository(_db.ConnectionString);
var result = await repo.GetByIdAsync(KnownOrderId);
Assert.NotNull(result);
}
}v2 compatibility note: In xUnit v2, IAsyncLifetime.InitializeAsync() and DisposeAsync() return Task. In v3, they return ValueTask. When migrating, change the return types accordingly.
ICollectionFixture -- Shared Across Test Classes
Use when multiple test classes need the same expensive resource:
// 1. Define the collection
[CollectionDefinition("Database")]
public class DatabaseCollection : ICollectionFixture<DatabaseFixture>
{
// This class has no code -- it is a marker for the collection
}
// 2. Use in test classes
[Collection("Database")]
public class OrderRepositoryTests
{
private readonly DatabaseFixture _db;
public OrderRepositoryTests(DatabaseFixture db)
{
_db = db;
}
[Fact]
public async Task Insert_ValidOrder_Persists()
{
// Uses the shared database fixture
}
}
[Collection("Database")]
public class CustomerRepositoryTests
{
private readonly DatabaseFixture _db;
public CustomerRepositoryTests(DatabaseFixture db)
{
_db = db;
}
}IAsyncLifetime on Test Classes
For per-test async setup/teardown without a shared fixture:
public class FileProcessorTests : IAsyncLifetime
{
private string _tempDir = "";
public ValueTask InitializeAsync()
{
_tempDir = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), Guid.NewGuid().ToString());
Directory.CreateDirectory(_tempDir);
return ValueTask.CompletedTask;
}
public ValueTask DisposeAsync()
{
if (Directory.Exists(_tempDir))
Directory.Delete(_tempDir, recursive: true);
return ValueTask.CompletedTask;
}
[Fact]
public async Task Process_CsvFile_ExtractsRecords()
{
var filePath = Path.Combine(_tempDir, "data.csv");
await File.WriteAllTextAsync(filePath, "Name,Age\nAlice,30\nBob,25");
var processor = new FileProcessor();
var records = await processor.ProcessAsync(filePath);
Assert.Equal(2, records.Count);
}
}Parallel Execution
Default Behavior
xUnit runs test classes within a collection sequentially but runs different collections in parallel. Each test class without an explicit [Collection] attribute is its own implicit collection, so by default test classes run in parallel.
Controlling Parallelism
#### Disable Parallelism for Specific Tests
Place tests that share mutable state in the same collection:
[CollectionDefinition("Sequential", DisableParallelization = true)]
public class SequentialCollection { }
[Collection("Sequential")]
public class StatefulServiceTests
{
// These tests run sequentially within this collection
}#### Assembly-Level Configuration
Create xunit.runner.json in the test project root:
{
"$schema": "https://xunit.net/schema/current/xunit.runner.schema.json",
"parallelizeAssembly": false,
"parallelizeTestCollections": true,
"maxParallelThreads": 4
}Ensure it is copied to output:
<ItemGroup>
<Content Include="xunit.runner.json" CopyToOutputDirectory="PreserveNewest" />
</ItemGroup>v2 compatibility note: In v2, configuration was via xunit.runner.json or assembly attributes. v3 retains xunit.runner.json support with the same property names.
Test Output
ITestOutputHelper
Capture diagnostic output that appears in test results:
public class DiagnosticTests
{
private readonly ITestOutputHelper _output;
public DiagnosticTests(ITestOutputHelper output)
{
_output = output;
}
[Fact]
public async Task ProcessBatch_LargeDataset_CompletesWithinTimeout()
{
var sw = Stopwatch.StartNew();
var result = await processor.ProcessBatchAsync(largeDataset);
sw.Stop();
_output.WriteLine($"Processed {result.Count} items in {sw.ElapsedMilliseconds}ms");
Assert.True(sw.Elapsed < TimeSpan.FromSeconds(5));
}
}Integrating with ILogger
Bridge xUnit output to Microsoft.Extensions.Logging for integration tests:
// NuGet: Microsoft.Extensions.Logging (for LoggerFactory)
// + a logging provider that writes to ITestOutputHelper
// Common approach: use a simple adapter
public class XunitLoggerProvider : ILoggerProvider
{
private readonly ITestOutputHelper _output;
public XunitLoggerProvider(ITestOutputHelper output) => _output = output;
public ILogger CreateLogger(string categoryName) =>
new XunitLogger(_output, categoryName);
public void Dispose() { }
}
public class XunitLogger(ITestOutputHelper output, string category) : ILogger
{
public IDisposable? BeginScope<TState>(TState state) where TState : notnull => null;
public bool IsEnabled(LogLevel logLevel) => true;
public void Log<TState>(LogLevel logLevel, EventId eventId, TState state,
Exception? exception, Func<TState, Exception?, string> formatter)
{
output.WriteLine($"[{logLevel}] {category}: {formatter(state, exception)}");
if (exception is not null)
output.WriteLine(exception.ToString());
}
}Custom Assertions
Extending Assert with Custom Methods
Create domain-specific assertions for cleaner test code:
public static class OrderAssert
{
public static void HasStatus(Order order, OrderStatus expected)
{
Assert.NotNull(order);
if (order.Status != expected)
{
throw Xunit.Sdk.EqualException.ForMismatchedValues(
expected, order.Status);
}
}
public static void ContainsItem(Order order, string sku, int quantity)
{
Assert.NotNull(order);
var item = Assert.Single(order.Items, i => i.Sku == sku);
Assert.Equal(quantity, item.Quantity);
}
}
// Usage
[Fact]
public void Complete_ValidOrder_SetsCompletedStatus()
{
var order = new Order();
order.Complete();
OrderAssert.HasStatus(order, OrderStatus.Completed);
}Using Assert.Multiple (xUnit v3)
Group related assertions so all are evaluated even if one fails:
[Fact]
public void CreateOrder_ValidRequest_SetsAllProperties()
{
var order = OrderFactory.Create(request);
Assert.Multiple(
() => Assert.Equal("cust-123", order.CustomerId),
() => Assert.Equal(OrderStatus.Pending, order.Status),
() => Assert.NotEqual(Guid.Empty, order.Id),
() => Assert.NotEmpty(order.Items)
);
}v2 compatibility note: Assert.Multiple is new in xUnit v3. In v2, use separate assertions -- the test stops at the first failure.
xUnit Analyzers
The xunit.analyzers package (included with xUnit v3) catches common test authoring mistakes at compile time.
Important Rules
Rule
Description
Severity
xUnit1004
Test methods should not be skipped
Info
xUnit1012
Null should not be used for value type parameters
Warning
xUnit1025
InlineData should be unique within a Theory
Warning
xUnit2000
Constants and literals should be the expected argument
Warning
xUnit2002
Do not use null check on value type
Warning
xUnit2007
Do not use typeof expression to check type
Warning
xUnit2013
Do not use equality check to check collection size
Warning
xUnit2017
Do not use Contains() to check if value exists in a set
Warning
Suppressing Specific Rules
In .editorconfig for test projects:
[tests/**.cs]
# Allow skipped tests during development
dotnet_diagnostic.xUnit1004.severity = suggestionKey Principles
- **One fact per
[Fact], one concept per[Theory].** If a[Theory]tests fundamentally different scenarios, split into separate[Fact]methods.
- **Use
IClassFixturefor expensive shared resources** within a single test class. UseICollectionFixturewhen multiple classes share the same resource.
- Do not disable parallelism globally. Instead, group tests that share mutable state into named collections.
- **Use
IAsyncLifetimefor async setup/teardown** instead of constructors andIDisposable. Constructors cannot be async, andIDisposable.Dispose()does not await.
- Keep test data close to the test. Prefer
[InlineData]for simple cases. Use[MemberData]or[ClassData]only when data is complex or shared.
- Enable xUnit analyzers in all test projects. They catch common mistakes that lead to false-passing or flaky tests.
Agent Gotchas
- **Do not use constructor-injected
ITestOutputHelperin static methods.**ITestOutputHelperis per-test-instance; store it in an instance field, not a static one.
- **Do not forget to make fixture classes
public.** xUnit requires fixture types to be public with a public parameterless constructor (orIAsyncLifetime). Non-public fixtures cause silent failures.
- **Do not mix
[Fact]and[Theory]on the same method.** A method is either a fact or a theory, not both.
- **Do not return
voidfrom async test methods.** ReturnTaskorValueTask.async voidtests report false success because xUnit cannot observe the async completion.
- **Do not use
[Collection]without a matching[CollectionDefinition].** An unmatched collection name silently creates an implicit collection with default behavior, defeating the purpose.