pytest ERROR: unrecognized arguments --alluredir in CI — plugin not in

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

pytest does not recognize --alluredir because the allure-pytest plugin is not installed in the CI environment. Install it (pip install allure-pytest, pinned), make sure CI installs test dependencies from the lockfile, and rerun. The flag is valid; the plugin is just missing.

The symptom

pytest ERROR: unrecognized arguments --alluredir in CI  -  plugin not installed how to fix

Steps

1. Confirm the plugin is missing

Run pip show allure-pytest (or pip freeze) in the CI environment. Absent means the flag has no owner. Expected: Plugin confirmed missing in CI.

2. Install the plugin

Add allure-pytest to the test dependencies (pinned version) and install in CI from the lockfile. Expected: Plugin installed in the CI environment.

3. Rerun pytest

Run the same pytest command. --alluredir is now recognized and the report generates. Expected: Pytest runs; allure results written.

4. Pin test deps in CI

Ensure CI installs the full test extras (not just runtime deps) from a lockfile, so plugin drift cannot recur. Expected: CI dependency install covers test plugins.

When to use

• pytest ERROR: unrecognized arguments for a plugin flag
• The flag works locally but not in CI
• A plugin was recently added to the pytest invocation

When not to use

• The flag is genuinely unknown (check spelling)
• The plugin is installed but incompatible (check versions)
• No plugins are used (different problem)

Why it happens

pytest only knows plugin-provided flags when the plugin is installed. Local environments accumulate plugins over time; CI installs from a manifest. If the manifest lacks the plugin, CI's pytest rejects the flag at startup before running anything.

Edge cases

• Multiple pytest plugin managers (tox, nox): install the plugin in each env.
• Conftest that registers the flag manually: an alternative, but installing the plugin is cleaner.
• Version skew: pin the plugin; unpinned installs drift.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_A-9Rl8QdERD1I4D4FZcjcQ

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_A-9Rl8QdERD1I4D4FZcjcQ

Thread query: pytest ERROR: unrecognized arguments --alluredir in CI - plugin not installed how to fix

TL;DR: pytest does not recognize --alluredir because the allure-pytest plugin is not installed in the CI environment. Install it (pip install allure-pytest, pinned), make sure CI installs test dependencies from the lockfile, and rerun. The flag is valid; the plugin is just missing.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

The mocker fixture is not built into pytest; it comes from the pytest-mock plugin. It works locally because someone installed the plugin on their machine long ago, but CI installs only what the requirements declare, so the fixture is unknown there. Add pytest-mock to the test dependencies, reinstall in the CI job, and confirm the plugin registers with pytest --fixtures.

The query

pytest E fixture 'mocker' not found  -  pytest-mock missing in CI requirements

Use this when

• pytest fails in CI with fixture 'mocker' not found
• the same tests pass on every developer machine
• mocker is used across many test files

Not for

• the mocker fixture exists but mocking misbehaves at runtime (a usage bug, not a missing plugin)
• a custom fixture also named mocker shadows the plugin one (rename yours)
• pytest itself is missing in CI (fix the base install first)

Steps

1. Confirm the plugin is present locally but absent in CI

Check both environments. The asymmetry is the diagnosis.

pip show pytest-mock          # locally: installed
pytest --trace-config 2>&1 | grep -i mock

- name: Check plugin in CI
  run: pip show pytest-mock || echo "pytest-mock NOT installed"

Expected output: local shows the plugin installed and CI shows it missing.

2. Add pytest-mock to the declared test dependencies

Put it where the CI install step reads: the requirements file, the test extra, or the dev dependency group. Pin a version.

# requirements-test.txt
pytest-mock==3.14.0

Expected output: the dependency is declared in a file CI installs from.

3. Reinstall in CI and verify the fixture registers

Reinstall and ask pytest to list its fixtures. The mocker fixture appearing in the list is the acceptance check.

pip install -r requirements-test.txt
pytest --fixtures -q 2>&1 | grep -A2 "^mocker"

Expected output: the mocker fixture is listed and the previously failing tests collect and run.

Tool compatibility

• pytest 7 - 8
• pytest-mock 3.x
• pip-based CI installs

Variant phrasings

• E fixture 'mocker' not found in CI
• pytest fixture 'mocker' not found after fresh install
• mocker fixture missing in GitHub Actions

Why it happens

Pytest discovers fixtures from installed plugins at startup. A plugin installed ad hoc on a laptop is invisible to a clean CI environment that installs strictly from declared requirements. The fixture error is therefore a dependency-declaration bug wearing a test-collection disguise.

Edge cases / pitfalls

• lockfile drift causes the twin of this bug: requirements list pytest-mock but the lockfile resolved it away; regenerate the lockfile
• pytest -p no:mock disables the plugin even when installed; check for stray -p flags in addopts
• some teams install test deps only for a lint job and forget the test job; every job that runs pytest needs the plugin
• unittest.mock is always available as a fallback, but switching APIs mid-suite is churn; declare the plugin instead

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_A-KG5E4LrW3GsX5mqP8XFQ

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_A-KG5E4LrW3GsX5mqP8XFQ

Thread query: pytest E fixture 'mocker' not found - pytest-mock missing in CI requirements

TL;DR: The mocker fixture is not built into pytest; it comes from the pytest-mock plugin. It works locally because someone installed the plugin on their machine long ago, but CI installs only what the requirements declare, so the fixture is unknown there. Add pytest-mock to the test dependencies, reinstall in the CI job, and confirm the plugin registers with pytest --fixtures.

Not specified by the original author.

Pytest resolves relative paths from the working directory, and CI checks out and runs from a different one than your laptop. The tests directory exists; the runner is just looking in the wrong place. Print the working directory in the CI job, then fix the checkout path or the invocation so they agree.

pytest "ERROR: file or directory not found: tests/" in CI but works locally  -  path issue

Steps

1. Add a step to the CI job that prints the working directory and lists its contents before pytest runs. Compare that against where tests/ actually lives in the checkout.

   Expected: You can see the real directory pytest starts from and confirm tests/ is or is not there.

2. Check how the CI job invokes pytest: a bare tests/ argument resolves against the working directory, so either the working directory is wrong or the checkout path is nested deeper than locally.

   Expected: You know which side disagrees: the invocation assumes one layout, the checkout has another.

3. Look for checkout quirks: sparse checkout, a custom checkout path, or a monorepo layout where CI checks out a subdirectory but the command assumes the repo root.

   Expected: You find the config line that puts tests/ somewhere the command does not expect.

4. Fix it at the source: set the job's working directory to the repo root, or change the pytest argument to the correct relative path. Prefer fixing the working directory so every later step agrees too.

   Expected: Pytest collects the tests/ directory in CI exactly as it does locally.

5. Rerun the job and confirm collection counts match local: same number of tests collected, zero path errors.

   Expected: CI reports the same collected test count as your laptop.

Use this when

• pytest cannot find tests/ in CI but finds it locally
• collection works on a laptop and errors in the pipeline
• you inherited a CI config and do not know its working directory

Not for this skill when

• tests/ is genuinely missing locally too (the path is wrong everywhere)
• pytest collects but tests fail on import (that is a module path issue)
• the error names a single test file, not the whole directory

Variant phrasings

• pytest file or directory not found tests in CI only
• ERROR file or directory not found tests works locally
• pytest path issue CI working directory checkout path

Why it happens

Pytest does not search for your test directory; it resolves the path you give it against the process working directory. Locally you run it from the repo root out of habit, so tests/ resolves. CI jobs each define their own working directory, and checkout actions can nest the repo one level deeper than you expect. The directory is not missing, the runner is standing in the wrong room looking for it.

Edge cases

• Windows runners use different path separators; if the job matrix includes Windows, quote the path and avoid shell-specific tricks.
• Some CI systems check out the repo into a directory named after the branch or PR; never hardcode the absolute checkout path.
• If you pass multiple paths to pytest, one bad path aborts the whole run - validate each path in the debug step.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_EYEoWriKoxiSLO7HDDyD8A

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_EYEoWriKoxiSLO7HDDyD8A

Thread query: pytest "ERROR: file or directory not found: tests/" in CI but works locally - path issue

TL;DR: