Guides React component testing with React Testing Library, Vitest/Jest, MSW mocking, and axe accessibility assertions. Covers test boundaries between component and E2E tests.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/everything-claude-code:react-testingThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
Comprehensive React testing patterns for behavior-focused component tests, custom hook tests, accessibility assertions, and network-level mocking.
Comprehensive React testing patterns for behavior-focused component tests, custom hook tests, accessibility assertions, and network-level mocking.
Test what the user sees and does, not implementation details.
A test should:
userEventA test should NOT:
| Runner | When | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Vitest | Vite, Remix, modern setups | Faster, native ESM, Jest-compatible API |
| Jest | Next.js, CRA, established repos | Default for many React projects |
| Playwright Component Testing | Real browser engine needed | Use when JSDOM lacks the required feature |
| Cypress Component Testing | Real browser, Cypress already in use | Alternative to Playwright CT |
Pick one. Do not run RTL + Vitest AND Playwright CT in the same repo unless you have a clear lane separation.
React Testing Library exposes queries in three tiers — use top-down:
getByRole, getByLabelText, getByPlaceholderText, getByText, getByDisplayValuegetByAltText, getByTitlegetByTestId// Best
screen.getByRole("button", { name: /save/i });
// OK for inputs
screen.getByLabelText("Email");
// Last resort
screen.getByTestId("save-btn");
Variants:
getBy* — throws if no matchqueryBy* — returns null (use for "assert absence")findBy* — async, returns a Promise (use for elements that appear after async work)userEvent 进行用户交互import userEvent from "@testing-library/user-event";
test("submits the form", async () => {
const user = userEvent.setup();
const onSubmit = vi.fn();
render(<UserForm onSubmit={onSubmit} />);
await user.type(screen.getByLabelText("Email"), "[email protected]");
await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /save/i }));
expect(onSubmit).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ email: "[email protected]" });
});
await userEvent callsuserEvent.setup() once per test, reuse the returned useruserEvent simulates a real browser sequence; fireEvent dispatches a single synthetic event — prefer userEvent// Element that appears after async work
expect(await screen.findByText("Loaded")).toBeInTheDocument();
// Side effect assertion
await waitFor(() => expect(saveSpy).toHaveBeenCalled());
// Element that should disappear
await waitForElementToBeRemoved(() => screen.queryByText("Loading"));
Never setTimeout + assertion — flaky. Use the matchers above.
Mock Service Worker mocks at the network layer. The component, hooks, and fetch library all behave exactly as in production.
// test/setup.ts
import { setupServer } from "msw/node";
import { http, HttpResponse } from "msw";
export const handlers = [
http.get("/api/users/:id", ({ params }) =>
HttpResponse.json({ id: params.id, name: "Alice" }),
),
http.post("/api/users", async ({ request }) => {
const body = await request.json();
return HttpResponse.json({ id: "new-id", ...body }, { status: 201 });
}),
];
export const server = setupServer(...handlers);
beforeAll(() => server.listen({ onUnhandledRequest: "error" }));
afterEach(() => server.resetHandlers());
afterAll(() => server.close());
Configure onUnhandledRequest: "error" so any unmocked request fails the test loudly — silent passes are worse than red.
test("renders error on 500", async () => {
server.use(
http.get("/api/users/:id", () => new HttpResponse(null, { status: 500 })),
);
render(<UserPage id="1" />);
expect(await screen.findByText(/something went wrong/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
});
Wrap providers once in a test-utils.tsx:
// test-utils.tsx
import { render, RenderOptions } from "@testing-library/react";
import { QueryClient, QueryClientProvider } from "@tanstack/react-query";
export function renderWithProviders(
ui: React.ReactElement,
options?: RenderOptions,
) {
const queryClient = new QueryClient({
defaultOptions: { queries: { retry: false } },
});
return render(
<QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>
<ThemeProvider theme={lightTheme}>
<MemoryRouter>{ui}</MemoryRouter>
</ThemeProvider>
</QueryClientProvider>,
options,
);
}
export * from "@testing-library/react";
Then import { renderWithProviders, screen } from "test-utils" in every test file.
import { renderHook, act } from "@testing-library/react";
test("useCounter increments and decrements", () => {
const { result } = renderHook(() => useCounter(0));
expect(result.current.count).toBe(0);
act(() => result.current.increment());
expect(result.current.count).toBe(1);
act(() => result.current.decrement());
expect(result.current.count).toBe(0);
});
test("useCounter accepts initial value", () => {
const { result } = renderHook(() => useCounter(10));
expect(result.current.count).toBe(10);
});
test("useUser fetches user data", async () => {
// Instantiate QueryClient ONCE per test outside the wrapper so it survives re-renders.
// Creating it inside the wrapper closure resets cache state on every render, producing flaky tests.
const queryClient = new QueryClient({
defaultOptions: { queries: { retry: false } },
});
const wrapper = ({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) => (
<QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>{children}</QueryClientProvider>
);
const { result } = renderHook(() => useUser("1"), { wrapper });
await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.isSuccess).toBe(true));
expect(result.current.data).toEqual({ id: "1", name: "Alice" });
});
actwrapperimport { axe, toHaveNoViolations } from "jest-axe"; // or vitest-axe
expect.extend(toHaveNoViolations);
test("UserCard has no a11y violations", async () => {
const { container } = render(<UserCard user={mockUser} />);
expect(await axe(container)).toHaveNoViolations();
});
Run axe in component tests for every interactive component. Catches:
Cross-link: skills/accessibility/SKILL.md for the broader a11y testing playbook.
Snapshots of rendered output:
Acceptable snapshot uses:
formatInvoice(invoice) -> stable string)For visual regression on components, use Playwright/Cypress screenshots or Percy/Chromatic — actual visual diffs, not DOM strings.
JSDOM (used by Vitest/Jest) cannot:
For any of those, use Playwright Component Testing (component test in real browser) or full E2E. See e2e-testing skill.
Decision boundary:
| Layer | Target |
|---|---|
| Pure utilities | >=90% |
| Custom hooks | >=85% |
| Presentational components | >=80% — behavior, not lines |
| Container components | >=70% — golden paths + error states |
| Pages | E2E covered separately; smoke test minimum |
Configure via vitest.config.ts / jest.config.js:
// vitest.config.ts
test: {
coverage: {
provider: "v8",
reporter: ["text", "html", "lcov"],
thresholds: {
lines: 80,
functions: 80,
branches: 70,
statements: 80,
},
},
}
container.querySelector("...") — bypasses accessibility queries, lets tests pass when real users would failjest.mock("react", ...) — never mock React. Refactor the component insteadact() warnings — they signal real bugs (state update after unmount, missing async wrapping)it.skip() removed — your test does not actually assert what you thinkRED -> Write failing test for the next requirement
GREEN -> Write minimal component code to pass
REFACTOR -> Improve the component, tests stay green
REPEAT -> Next requirement
For new components:
# Vitest
vitest # watch
vitest run # one-shot
vitest run --coverage # with coverage
vitest run path/to/file.test.tsx # single file
# Jest
jest --watch
jest --coverage
jest path/to/file.test.tsx
# CI mode
CI=true vitest run --coverage
react-reviewer (reviews test quality during code review), tdd-guide (enforces TDD process)/react-test, /react-reviewtest("submits user form and shows success", async () => {
server.use(
http.post("/api/users", () =>
HttpResponse.json({ id: "1", name: "Alice" }, { status: 201 }),
),
);
const user = userEvent.setup();
renderWithProviders(<UserForm />);
await user.type(screen.getByLabelText("Name"), "Alice");
await user.type(screen.getByLabelText("Email"), "[email protected]");
await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /save/i }));
expect(await screen.findByText(/saved successfully/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
});
function Broken() {
throw new Error("boom");
}
test("error boundary renders fallback", () => {
// Suppress React's console.error noise for the expected throw, then restore so
// the spy does not leak across tests and hide real errors elsewhere.
const errorSpy = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => {});
try {
render(
<ErrorBoundary fallback={<div>Something went wrong</div>}>
<Broken />
</ErrorBoundary>,
);
expect(screen.getByText("Something went wrong")).toBeInTheDocument();
} finally {
errorSpy.mockRestore();
}
});
test("shows loading then content", async () => {
renderWithProviders(
<Suspense fallback={<div>Loading...</div>}>
<UserDetail id="1" />
</Suspense>,
);
expect(screen.getByText("Loading...")).toBeInTheDocument();
expect(await screen.findByText("Alice")).toBeInTheDocument();
});
npx claudepluginhub aaione/everything-claude-code-zhTests React components with React Testing Library, Vitest/Jest, MSW for network mocking, and axe accessibility assertions. Guides test vs E2E decisions.
Provides testing patterns and examples for React components, hooks, and integrations using Vitest, React Testing Library, and Jest.
Testing Library for React 19 - render, screen, userEvent, waitFor, Suspense. Use when writing tests for React components with Vitest.