pytestquick

A small command-line utility for quickly discovering and running pytest targets.

pytestquick discovers the pytest target you are most likely working on from the current working directory and delegates execution to pytest, with concise terminal coverage enabled by default.

It supports explicit test files, pytest node IDs, application directories, test classes, test methods, and—when no target is supplied—the most recently modified test file.

Coverage is intentionally part of the normal development loop. By default, pytestquick reports branch coverage and missing lines for the source scope associated with the selected test target.

It intentionally focuses on pytest target discovery and command construction. It does not replace pytest, introduce another test framework, or change how pytest executes your tests.

• PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/pytestquick/
• Source: https://github.com/fifoa-labs/pytestquick
• License: MIT

Installation

Install the latest release from PyPI:

pip install pytestquick

Or install it as an isolated command with uv:

uv tool install pytestquick

It can also be installed with pipx:

pipx install pytestquick

To install it directly into a project environment:

uv add --dev pytestquick

Commands

The primary command is:

pytestquick

For convenience, pyquicktest is also installed as an alias:

pyquicktest

Both commands are equivalent.

Quick example

Run pytestquick without a target to select the most recently modified test file beneath the current working directory:

$ pytestquick
✓ Latest modified test file
  tests/services/test_invoice.py

→ Running:
  /path/to/python -m pytest -rs tests/services/test_invoice.py --disable-warnings --cov=my_package --cov-branch --cov-report=term-missing

pytestquick reports the selected target, shows the exact command being run, prints branch coverage and missing lines in the terminal, and returns pytest's exit status unchanged.

Usage

Run the most recently modified test file with coverage:

pytestquick

Run all tests beneath an application or package directory with coverage:

pytestquick billing

Run a test class from the most recently modified test file:

pytestquick TestInvoice

Run a test method or function from the most recently modified test file:

pytestquick test_total

Run a specific test file:

pytestquick tests/test_models.py

Run an explicit pytest node:

pytestquick tests/test_models.py::TestInvoice::test_total

Forward normal pytest arguments:

pytestquick billing -vv -x

Collect and list tests:

pytestquick --list

Filter tests by keyword:

pytestquick --grep invoice

Coverage is enabled by default:

pytestquick
pytestquick billing

Run without coverage:

pytestquick --no-coverage
pytestquick billing --no-coverage

The explicit coverage option remains available:

pytestquick --coverage

Display the installed version:

pytestquick --version

How discovery works

The current working directory defines the search scope.

Running:

cd ~/Sites/project
pytestquick

searches beneath ~/Sites/project.

Running from a subdirectory intentionally limits discovery to that subtree:

cd ~/Sites/project/billing
pytestquick

pytestquick does not walk upward looking for a repository root, Git directory, or configuration file.

The directory where the command is run is the directory it searches.

A Python file is considered a test file when either:

• its name begins with test_
• it is located beneath a directory named tests

When multiple matching application directories exist, pytestquick prefers the shallowest one that contains tests.

Target resolution

Targets are interpreted in this order:

1. An explicit pytest node or filesystem path
2. A test method beginning with test_
3. A test class beginning with Test
4. An application or package directory
5. The most recently modified test file when no target is supplied

Once a target is selected, pytestquick delegates execution to pytest.

Find the right test. Run it. See what it covers.

Let pytest do the rest.

Special options

List collected tests

pytestquick --list
pytestquick billing --list

This runs pytest with --collect-only. Coverage is not collected in list mode.

Filter by keyword

pytestquick --grep invoice
pytestquick billing --grep invoice

This translates to pytest's -k option and still reports coverage by default.

Coverage

Coverage is enabled by default.

pytestquick
pytestquick billing
pytestquick tests/test_models.py

pytestquick uses pytest-cov to report branch coverage and missing lines directly in the terminal.

The coverage scope is inferred from the selected test target. For example, a test beneath an application's tests directory reports coverage for that application rather than for the test file itself.

To run without coverage:

pytestquick --no-coverage
pytestquick billing --no-coverage

The explicit --coverage option remains supported:

pytestquick --coverage

Pytest arguments

Arguments not handled by pytestquick are passed directly to pytest.

pytestquick -vv
pytestquick -x
pytestquick billing -vv -x
pytestquick tests/test_models.py --tb=short

Exit statuses

pytestquick returns the exact exit status produced by pytest.

This means it behaves correctly in:

• shell scripts
• editor integrations
• Docker containers
• continuous-integration environments

Target-discovery failures return exit status 1.

Why?

Because this gets old:

pytest path/to/tests/test_really_long_filename.py::TestSomething::test_case

And this does not:

pytestquick test_case

Philosophy

pytestquick intentionally does one thing well.

It does not replace pytest.

It does not introduce another testing framework, configuration system, or plugin architecture.

It simply removes friction from running the test you are currently working on and seeing how much of the surrounding code that test exercises.

Development

Install the development environment:

uv sync --dev

Run the full test suite:

make test

Run formatting, linting, type checking, and tests:

make check

Run the complete release validation:

make release-check

License

pytestquick is released under the MIT License.