Django Spike De-Spike Workflow

Use this skill when exploratory Django code has answered a question but is not yet fit to keep. Preserve the learning, throw away accidental design, and rebuild the feature with tests that express the real behavior.

Source Traceability

Primary source: Harry Percival, Test-Driven Development with Python, 3rd ed. Guidance is transformed and paraphrased from chapters 19 and 20, especially passwordless authentication, branch-based spikes, de-spiking, custom user/token models, email flow tests, and introducing mocks only at external boundaries.

Workflow

1. Label the spike.

   • Identify what question it answered.
   • Separate facts learned from code to keep.
   • Save notes, screenshots, shell commands, or minimal examples if they matter.

2. Write behavior from the spike.

   • Convert the useful behavior into a functional or integration test.
   • Keep the test user-facing when the spike proved a workflow.
   • Add lower-level tests for token models, forms, views, or email boundaries.