golden-master.template

golden-master.template is a command for Claude Code from evan043/claude-cli-advanced-starter-pack. It costs 0 tokens per session (2,750 once invoked), scanned A, original, MIT.

A command for recording how existing code behaves before you change its internal structure. These recorded checks are called characterization tests, and a Golden Master is the expected result captured from the current code.

In plain words
What is it for?
Use it with a file or function to generate behavior-preserving tests and rerun them to compare the refactored code with its previous results.
Why use it?
It gives you a comparison point during refactoring, helping reveal when a cleanup changes behavior that users or other code rely on.

Command for Claude Code

Written for Claude Code: a Claude Code command (commands/*.md). Also seen: names the AskUserQuestion tool; mentions Codex.

Needs its repository: it reads a path above its own folder, which exists only inside the repository. The line is import { fetchData } from '../../../src/api/client';.

Good fit Use it with a file or function to generate behavior-preserving tests and rerun them to compare the refactored code with its previous results.

Compare 6 commands from other repositories ↓
Install

Getting it into your agent

It runs from inside its repository, so the clone comes first — what it calls does not travel with the file alone.

Clone the repo
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/evan043/claude-cli-advanced-starter-pack
agentmods
npx agentmods add commands/evan043/claude-cli-advanced-starter-pack/golden-master.template

Made for: Claude Code.

Wrote this? Show the measurements

A badge with what this costs and how it scanned, read live from this page, so it follows the numbers instead of freezing them. Markdown for a README, HTML for a documentation site or a project page.

agentmods badge for golden-master.template

README.md
[![agentmods](https://agentmods.dev/badge/commands/evan043/claude-cli-advanced-starter-pack/golden-master.template.svg)](https://agentmods.dev/commands/evan043/claude-cli-advanced-starter-pack/golden-master.template)
Your own site
<a href="https://agentmods.dev/commands/evan043/claude-cli-advanced-starter-pack/golden-master.template"><img src="https://agentmods.dev/badge/commands/evan043/claude-cli-advanced-starter-pack/golden-master.template.svg" alt="Measured on agentmods" height="20"></a>
Per session 0 Only the description is in the session, so the agent can decide to use it. The body loads when it is invoked.
When invoked 2,750 The whole file, excluding the scripts and references it only reads on demand.
Security scan A 0 findings. A grade says what 26 rules found in the file — not that it is safe.
Origin original No closer match found in the catalogue.
Token cost

What it costs to keep this loaded

Counted locally with the o200k_base tokenizer, which is exact for GPT models; Claude uses its own tokenizer and its counts differ. Treat this as one consistent yardstick across the catalogue rather than a bill. Prices are per million input tokens.

ModelPer sessionOnce invoked
Fable 5.1 $0.00000 $0.02750
Opus 5 $0.00000 $0.01375
Sonnet 5 $0.00000 $0.00550
Haiku 4.5 $0.00000 $0.00275

Measured 8d ago against content hash a64078f6a817, method: parsed. Prices are Anthropic first-party input rates as of 2026-09-08, from the pricing page.

Security

Grade A, and why

golden-master.template scanned grade A with 0 findings against 26 rules in 11 categories — prompt injection, anti-refusal, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, supply chain, agent snooping, system-prompt leakage, SSRF and excessive agency — measured 8d ago.

A static scan of the body, not an audit. Every finding is printed with the line that produced it so you can judge whether it matters here. A mod is markdown that instructs an agent; that is exactly why what it instructs is worth reading.

Nothing flagged

None of the 26 patterns this scan looks for appear in this file: no shell pipes, no recursive deletes, no credential paths, no hidden text, no instruction-override or anti-refusal phrasing, no agent-config snooping. That is not a guarantee, it is the absence of the things that are checkable.

templates/commands/golden-master.template.md · 396 lines

How it starts

The opening of the file, as written. The whole thing — 396 lines — stays where its author put it; the contents beside it link to each section on GitHub.

Codex Runtime Compatibility

This prompt was authored for Claude-style slash workflows. In Codex runtime, adapt tool calls as follows:

  • AskUserQuestion => ask the user directly in chat.
  • WebSearch/WebFetch => use available web tools (search_query, open, find) and cite links.
  • Read/Write => use shell/filesystem tools in this workspace.
  • Claude-only MCP calls (for example Playwright MCP names) => use available equivalents or clearly state fallback.
  • Keep intent and output format identical; only adapt execution mechanics.

description: Generate characterization tests before refactoring (Golden Master pattern) model: sonnet argument-hint: [file path or function name]

/golden-master - Characterization Test Generator

Capture the current behavior of code as "Golden Master" tests before refactoring. Ensures refactoring preserves existing behavior.

"No characterization tests = No refactoring." - Legacy Code Survival Rule

Quick Start

/golden-master src/api/client.ts           # Generate tests for entire file
/golden-master src/api/client.ts:fetchData # Generate tests for specific function
/golden-master --verify                    # Re-run and compare against master
/golden-master --update                    # Update golden master after intentional changes

What Is Golden Master Testing?

Golden Master (also called Characterization or Approval Testing) captures the actual behavior of code, not what you think it should do:

Before Refactoring:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Input Set → Legacy Code → Capture Output (Golden Master)│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

After Refactoring:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Input Set → Refactored Code → Compare Against Master   │
│                                    ↓                    │
│                           ✅ Match = Safe to continue   │
│                           ❌ Diff = Investigate!        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Read the full file on GitHub · 396 lines

Changes

What this file has done since we first saw it

Hashed on every crawl. A supply-chain change to an agent config is a question of when, not whether, so the history is kept rather than the latest state alone.

  1. 8d ago First seen · 396 lines · 0 tokens per session scan A a64078f6a817

Subscribe to this mod's changes

golden-master.template is a command published in the GitHub repository evan043/claude-cli-advanced-starter-pack (61 stars, last pushed 1mo ago), licensed MIT. It costs nothing until one of its globs matches a file; then it loads 2,750 tokens. A static security scan graded it A with 0 findings. No closer match exists in the catalogue, so it is treated as the original; first seen 2026-08-30.