Trickster spirits are thought to be spirits who feed off of our energy. They love attention, so they feed off of our fear, sadness, and veneration. This energy gives them power (you are always more powerful though! So try not to fear them.) They aren't inherently "bad" or Good", they just are. They appear commonly with deity work, especially if you are newer to the practice.
I have personally encountered one. The lesson of discernment is a challenging one, and one you usually have to learn the hard way haha. Discernment means using your better judgment and listening to your intuition. Unfortunately, you cannot believe everyone or every spirit at face value. Typically, if a deity wants to work with you, they will be in your face with it and will give obvious signs.
When I encountered a trickster spirit, it took me about a month to realize it. I was giving offerings to a deity and the whole time, something felt slightly off. I ignored my intuition because I didn't really know much about trickster spirits at the time. I usually buy a tarot or oracle deck for each deity I work with and just couldn't find the right one for them. I bought one and nope, it just didn't feel right. I didn't feel the same connection with them as I have with previous deity relationships. Usually, the deity has felt ever-present and they have a palpable energy. Also, the deity was oddly quiet. When I would use divination to speak with them, I didn't notice anything off about the messages but that is something that can happen as well. The 7-day candle I lit for them broke the first time, the glass broke (which can be explainable but can also be a message). I also felt pretty drained and melancholy that month.
One way to test if a spirit comes in your highest good is to ask it. You can use any form of divination or meditation to do this. Just make sure you are cast protection beforehand like always. A popular practice is to ask three times, to be sure they are telling the truth. You can ask "Do you come to help me for my highest good? or something like that.
Once you have determined you are dealing with a trickster instead of a deity, there are a few ways you can remove it. The most important part is to make sure you send them off with unconditional love and do not feel fear. You ARE stronger than them, trust me. They feed off of your fear, so being grounded while you do this is really important, you have to stand ten toes down with it.
Doing an energetic cord cutting is the way I do it, but you can do it other ways. For an energetic cord cutting, ground your energy and get ready to meditate.
-Form a bubble of protection around you (I explained how to do this in another article). Invite whoever you feel called to in, your guides, ancestors, arch angels, etc. I usually ask my patron deity, guides, and ancestors for protection.
-Visualize a cord between the being and yourself. Visualize cutting the cord with a knife or scissors. Let each end of the cord burn away. Pay attention to where the cord is connected to on your body, because that can give you an indication on which chakra needs balancing after this. They were feeding from that cord. It's common to see them in the root, sacral, solar plexus, or heart.
-Then dismiss the trickster away and ask them to leave. Send them away from a neutral place and with love. I ask archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Rapheal to help me and take the spirit back up to source or wherever they see fit.
-Once you are confident they have been removed, you will need to cleanse yourself. There are many ways to cleanse your energy, smoke clearing, with sound, doing an egg cleanse, taking a spiritual bath, a shower cleanse, energy work, etc. I do reiki on myself as well or energy work.
After this step, make sure to ward your house or redo your wards. You also need to do protection magic on yourself.
Afterwards it can be a good idea to go in and do an energy work meditation on your chakras, especially targeting whichever chakra it was attached to. Receiving reiki can definitely be beneficial or a cleansing ritual from a spiritual practitioner.
There is a lot more I could write on this topic, so let me know if you have any questions!