HitchStory

Type-safe StrictYAML python integration testing framework. With this framework, your tests can:

Rewrite themselves from program output (command line test example)

Test rewriting itself

Autogenerate documentation (website test example)

Test writing docs

The tests can be run on their own or as pytest tests.

Demo projects with demo tests

Project	Storytests	Python code	Doc template	Autogenerated docs
Website	add todo, correct spelling	engine.py	docstory.yml	Add todo, Correct my spelling
REST API	add todo, correct spelling	engine.py	docstory.yml	Add todo, Correct my spelling
Interactive command line app	add todo, correct spelling	test_integration.py	docstory.yml	Add todo, Correct my spelling
A Python API	add todo, correct spelling	test_integration.py	docstory.yml	Add todo, Correct my spelling

Code Example

example.story:

Logged in:
  given:
    website: /login  # preconditions
  steps:
  - Form filled:
      username: AzureDiamond
      password: hunter2
  - Clicked: login


Email sent:
  about: |
    The most basic email with no subject, cc or bcc
    set.
  based on: logged in             # inherits from and continues from test above
  following steps:
  - Clicked: new email
  - Form filled:
      to: Cthon98@aol.com
      contents: |                # long form text
        Hey guys,

        I think I got hacked!
  - Clicked: send email
  - Email was sent

engine.py:

from hitchstory import BaseEngine, GivenDefinition, GivenProperty
from hitchstory import Failure, strings_match
from strictyaml import Str

class Engine(BaseEngine):
    given_definition = GivenDefinition(
        website=GivenProperty(Str()),
    )
    
    def __init__(self, rewrite=False):
        self._rewrite = rewrite

    def set_up(self):
        print(f"Load web page at {self.given['website']}")

    def form_filled(self, **textboxes):
        for name, contents in sorted(textboxes.items()):
            print(f"Put {contents} in name")

    def clicked(self, name):
        print(f"Click on {name}")
    
    def failing_step(self):
        raise Failure("This was not supposed to happen")
    
    def error_message_displayed(self, expected_message):
        """Demonstrates steps that can rewrite themselves."""
        actual_message = "error message!"
        try:
            strings_match(expected_message, actual_message)
        except Failure:
            if self._rewrite:
                self.current_step.rewrite("expected_message").to(actual_message)
            else:
                raise

    def email_was_sent(self):
        print("Check email was sent!")

>>> from hitchstory import StoryCollection
>>> from pathlib import Path
>>> from engine import Engine
>>> 
>>> StoryCollection(Path(".").glob("*.story"), Engine()).named("Email sent").play()
RUNNING Email sent in /path/to/working/example.story ... Load web page at /login
Put hunter2 in name
Put AzureDiamond in name
Click on login
Click on new email
Put Hey guys,

I think I got hacked!
 in name
Put Cthon98@aol.com in name
Click on send email
Check email was sent!
SUCCESS in 0.1 seconds.

Install

$ pip install hitchstory

Community

Help is available if you ask questions in these places: Github discussions | Github issues (not just for bugs) | Slack channel

Using HitchStory

Every feature of this library is documented and listed below. It is tested and documented with itself.

Using HitchStory: With Pytest

If you already have pytest set up, you can quickly and easily write a test using hitchstory that runs alongside your other pytest tests:

Self rewriting tests with pytest and hitchstory

Using HitchStory: Engine

How to use the different features of the story engine:

Using HitchStory: Documentation Generation

How to autogenerate documentation from your tests:

Using HitchStory: Inheritance

Inheriting stories from each other:

Using HitchStory: Runner

Running the stories in different ways:

Approach to using HitchStory

Best practices, how the tool was meant to be used, etc.

Design decisions and principles

Design decisions are justified here:

Why not X instead?

HitchStory is not the only integration testing framework. This is how it compares with the others:

Using HitchStory: Setup on its own

If you want to use HitchStory without pytest:

Creating a basic command line test runner

Using HitchStory: Behavior

Miscellaneous docs about behavior of the framework:

Release files for hitchstory 0.24.2

For a detailed explanation of source distributions (sdists) and built distributions (wheels), please see the package formats documentation.

Source distribution (sdist)

Source distribution for hitchstory 0.24.2
File	Size	Uploaded
hitchstory-0.24.2.tar.gz	34.7 kB	Nov 9, 2025	Details

Built distribution (wheel)

Table of built distributions (wheels) for hitchstory 0.24.2
File	Interpreter	ABI	Platform	Reset
hitchstory-0.24.2-py3-none-any.whl 32.2 kB Nov 9, 2025	Python 3	none	any	Details

Total release size: 66.9 kB

Release files / hitchstory-0.24.2.tar.gz

Download URL	hitchstory-0.24.2.tar.gz
Size	34.7 kB
Tags	Source
SHA-256 checksum How to use checksums	`c6fc5f1c568bc2e497172c47ff1a5aad3bc8fd57733144f0a6936c94c74103a3`
BLAKE2b-256 checksum How to use checksums	`df01fa4fa349653d9ad24c43d7585820ec72fd870356fe5d62659d9e63aeb4b1`
Upload date	Nov 9, 2025
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing? What is trusted publishing?	No
Uploaded via	`twine/6.2.0 CPython/3.15.0a1`

Release files / hitchstory-0.24.2-py3-none-any.whl

Download URL	hitchstory-0.24.2-py3-none-any.whl
Size	32.2 kB
Tags	Python 3
SHA-256 checksum How to use checksums	`b366e1ffa3ed92860e1fd8d6660e765fab0a53578f08fc0f97897b075e445703`
BLAKE2b-256 checksum How to use checksums	`50df92e5e848303d9b3d7b69f78057985a4d68eb9f24007aec40a20ff3143259`
Upload date	Nov 9, 2025
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing? What is trusted publishing?	No
Uploaded via	`twine/6.2.0 CPython/3.15.0a1`