🐍 Test Python Project

Tests a Python project and generates coverage reports.

There are two ways for tests to run:

• Using pytest and pytest-cov to run tests and generate coverage reports
• Using tox when provided with a suitable configuration file

python-test-action

Usage Example

The example below demonstrates an implementation as a matrix job:

  python-tests:
    name: "Python Test"
    runs-on: "ubuntu-24.04"
    needs:
      - python-build
    # Matrix job
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix: ${{ fromJson(needs.python-build.outputs.matrix_json) }}
    permissions:
      contents: read
    steps:
      - name: "Test Python project"
        uses: lfreleng-actions/python-test-action@main
        with:
          python_version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
          report_artefact: true
          github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Note: build your project before invoking tests (not shown above)

Inputs

Variable Name	Required	Default	Description
python_version	True		Python version used to run tests
editable	False	False	Install Python package in editable mode
permit_fail	False	False	Continue even when one or more tests fail
report_artefact	False	True	Uploads test/coverage report bundle as artefact
artefact_name	False		Custom name for uploaded artefact
path_prefix	False	.	Directory location containing Python project code
tests_path	False	auto-detect	Relative path to the folder containing tests (detects: test or tests)
tox_tests	False	False	Uses tox to perform Python tests (requires tox.ini)
tox_envs	False	"lint tests"	Space separated list of tox environment names to run
github_token	False		GitHub token for API access during tests
pytest_args	False		Custom pytest arguments (e.g., -n0, -v, --tb=short)

Set artefact_name to avoid artefact naming conflicts when matrix jobs produce identical filenames, which can cause workflow failures when attempting to upload them to a workflow run.

Editable Installation Mode

By default, the action installs the Python package in standard (non-editable) mode. This is the recommended approach for CI/CD testing as it:

• Tests the package as users will actually install it
• Avoids rebuild issues with complex build systems (e.g., meson-python)
• Is faster and more reliable in CI environments

Set editable: true when you specifically need editable installs for development workflows or when testing local code changes.

Example with Editable Mode

- name: "Test Python project with editable install"
  uses: lfreleng-actions/python-test-action@main
  with:
    python_version: "3.12"
    editable: true

Coverage Reports

The embedded pytest behaviour will create HTML coverage reports as ZIP file bundles. Set REPORT_ARTEFACT true to also upload them to GitHub as artefacts.

GitHub Token Support

The action accepts an optional github_token input parameter that makes the GitHub token available to your tests as the GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable. This is useful for tests that need to interact with GitHub APIs or access private repositories without encountering rate limits.

Example with GitHub Token

- name: "Test Python project with GitHub API access"
  uses: lfreleng-actions/python-test-action@main
  with:
    python_version: "3.12"
    github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
    report_artefact: true

Custom Pytest Arguments

The action supports passing custom arguments to pytest through the pytest_args input. This is useful for controlling test execution behavior, such as disabling parallel execution or adjusting output verbosity.

Security Note: The action validates and sanitizes all pytest arguments to prevent command injection. You must use safe characters and pytest-compatible flags.

Example with Custom Pytest Arguments

- name: "Test Python project with serial execution"
  uses: lfreleng-actions/python-test-action@main
  with:
    python_version: "3.10"
    pytest_args: "-n0"  # Disable parallel execution
    report_artefact: true

- name: "Test Python project with custom arguments"
  uses: lfreleng-actions/python-test-action@main
  with:
    python_version: "3.10"
    pytest_args: "-v -x --tb=short"  # Three arguments combined
    report_artefact: true

Common pytest_args Examples

• -n0 - Disable parallel execution (run tests serially)
• -v - Verbose output
• -vv - Extra verbose output
• --tb=short - Shorter traceback format
• -k test_name - Run tests matching the expression
• -x - Stop after first failure
• --maxfail=2 - Stop after 2 failures

Note: The action accepts pytest arguments that start with - or --, or valid pytest expressions/paths. The action validates arguments to ensure they contain safe characters (alphanumeric, space, -, =, ,, ., /, :, _). Use space-separated strings to pass arguments (e.g., "-n0 -v").