Analyze Coverage Gaps

Identify which specific branch conditions are uncovered in a .NET method, and compare the current coverage report against the previous baseline to see what changed.

When to Use

• User asks "what branches are uncovered in method X?"
• User wants to know what improved since the last test run
• Deciding which test to write next during a coverage improvement session
• Inspecting a specific low-coverage method before writing tests

When Not to Use

• User wants to run tests and get an overall report — use run-coverage
• User wants the full iterative loop of writing tests automatically — use improve-test-coverage
• No coverage XML file exists yet (run tests first with run-coverage)

Inputs

Workflow

Step 1: Find uncovered branches

Call GetUncoveredBranches with coberturaXmlPath and methodName.

Returns JSON:

{
  "method": "ProcessOrder",
  "uncoveredBranches": [
    { "line": 42, "missing": ["condition 0 (jump)", "condition 1 (jump)"] },
    { "line": 57, "missing": ["condition 0 (jump)"] }
  ]
}

Step 2: Interpret the uncovered branches

For each uncovered branch, describe in plain language what condition is missing:

• branch-N-true → the if condition was never true
• branch-N-false → the if condition was never false
• Note the line number so tests can be targeted precisely

Step 3: Compare against previous baseline (optional)

If a previous coverage run exists, call GetCoverageDiff with coberturaXmlPath.

Returns three sections:

• cycleImprovement — overall delta in line and branch rates
• changedMethods — methods with before/after coverage values
• unchanged — methods with no change

Step 4: Report findings

Present:

1. Which branches are missing and what they represent (e.g., "line 42: the null-check path when input is null was never tested")
2. Coverage diff summary if available (e.g., "+5% line, +8% branch since last run")
3. Suggested test scenario for each uncovered branch

Validation

• [ ] GetUncoveredBranches returned results for the target method
• [ ] Each uncovered branch is explained in plain language
• [ ] Diff summary is shown if a baseline exists
• [ ] Suggested test scenarios match the uncovered conditions

Common Pitfalls