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pytest-skill — Claude Code skill: Python pytest tests

An agent skill that writes pytest tests for Python: fixtures, parametrize, markers, mocking and conftest patterns. Useful when you need test coverage without writing boilerplate by hand.

Install into Claude Code · Skills CLI (Vercel) All methods and platforms ↓
npx skills add LambdaTest/agent-skills --skill pytest-skill -a claude-code
Open on GitHub

What pytest-skill does

The skill hands your agent ready pytest patterns: basic tests, fixtures with teardown after yield, @pytest.mark.parametrize, skip/skipif/xfail markers, mocking through mocker and unittest.mock. An anti-pattern table explains why assert x == y beats self.assertEqual() and why state belongs in fixtures rather than __init__. There is a command cheat sheet too: pytest -m slow, pytest -k "login and not invalid", pytest --lf, pytest --cov=myapp --cov-report=html.

Configuration lives in pyproject.toml — testpaths, marker list, addopts. Deeper material sits in reference/playbook.md: async tests with pytest-asyncio, fixture factories, tmp_path, a GitHub Actions matrix with coverage gates, and a table of 10 common problems with fixes. Parallel runs via pytest -n auto need pytest-xdist installed, otherwise the flag does nothing.

One npx skills add command installs it, and it works across Claude, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI and OpenCode. Mention pytest or conftest in a prompt and the agent picks up the templates.

What it helps with

  • write a fixture with proper teardown after yield
  • split one oversized test into focused cases
  • mock an external HTTP call with mocker.patch
  • tag slow tests with a marker and run only those
  • configure markers and coverage in pyproject.toml

Example prompts for the agent

  • Write pytest tests for myapp/calculator.py with fixtures
  • Add parametrize cases for the validate_email function
  • Mock requests.get in myapp/service.py and assert the response handling

How to install pytest-skill

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add LambdaTest/agent-skills --skill pytest-skill -a claude-code

2Manually: put the files in place

~/.claude/skills/pytest-skill/SKILL.md

Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/pytest-skill/

Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways

Questions about pytest-skill

How do I install pytest-skill in Claude?

Run npx skills add LambdaTest/agent-skills --skill pytest-skill -a claude-code. The skill lands in ~/.claude/skills/pytest-skill/SKILL.md.

What does pytest-skill do?

It generates pytest tests: fixtures, parametrize, markers, mocking and conftest patterns. The agent applies them when a prompt mentions pytest, conftest or Python test.

Which plugins are needed for parallel and async tests?

pytest -n auto requires pytest-xdist, and async tests need pytest-asyncio. Both are covered in the skill's playbook.

Source text

SKILL.md · MIT
---
name: pytest-skill
description: >
  Generates production-grade pytest tests in Python with fixtures, parametrize,
  markers, mocking, and conftest patterns. Use when user mentions "pytest",
  "conftest", "@pytest.fixture", "@pytest.mark", "Python test". Triggers on:
  "pytest", "conftest", "Python test", "parametrize", "Python unit test".
languages:
  - Python
category: unit-testing
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: TestMu AI
  version: "1.0"
---

# Pytest Testing Skill

## Core Patterns

### Basic Test

```python
import pytest

def test_addition():
    assert 2 + 3 == 5

def test_exception():
    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="invalid"):
        int("not_a_number")

class TestCalculator:
    def test_add(self):
        calc = Calculator()
        assert calc.add(2, 3) == 5

    def test_divide_by_zero(self):
        with pytest.raises(ZeroDivisionError):
            Calculator().divide(10, 0)
```

### Fixtures

```python
@pytest.fixture
def calculator():
    return Calculator()

@pytest.fixture
def db_connection():
    conn = Database.connect("test_db")
    yield conn  # teardown after yield
    conn.rollback()
    conn.close()

@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
def api_client():
    client = APIClient(base_url="http://localhost:8000")
    yield client
    client.logout()

# conftest.py - shared fixtures
@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
def reset_state():
    State.reset()
    yield
    State.cleanup()

# Usage
def test_add(calculator):
    assert calculator.add(2, 3) == 5
```

### Parametrize

```python
@pytest.mark.parametrize("input,expected", [
    ("hello", 5), ("", 0), ("pytest", 6),
])
def test_string_length(input, expected):
    assert len(input) == expected

@pytest.mark.parametrize("a,b,expected", [
    (2, 3, 5), (-1, 1, 0), (0, 0, 0),
])
def test_add(calculator, a, b, expected):
    assert calculator.add(a, b) == expected
```

### Markers

```python
@pytest.mark.slow
def test_large_dataset(): ...

@pytest.mark.skip(reason="Not implemented")
def test_future_feature(): ...

@pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform == "win32", reason="Unix only")
def test_unix_permissions(): ...

@pytest.mark.xfail(reason="Known bug #123")
def test_known_bug(): ...
```

### Mocking

```python
from unittest.mock import patch, MagicMock

def test_send_email(mocker):
    mock_smtp = mocker.patch("myapp.email.smtplib.SMTP")
    send_welcome_email("[email protected]")
    mock_smtp.return_value.sendmail.assert_called_once()

def test_api_call(mocker):
    mock_response = mocker.Mock()
    mock_response.status_code = 200
    mock_response.json.return_value = {"users": [{"name": "Alice"}]}
    mocker.patch("myapp.service.requests.get", return_value=mock_response)
    users = get_users()
    assert len(users) == 1

@patch("myapp.service.database")
def test_save_user(mock_db):
    mock_db.save.return_value = True
    assert save_user({"name": "Alice"}) is True
    mock_db.save.assert_called_once()
```

### Assertions

```python
assert x == y
assert x != y
assert x in collection
assert isinstance(obj, MyClass)
assert 0.1 + 0.2 == pytest.approx(0.3)

with pytest.raises(ValueError) as exc_info:
    raise ValueError("bad")
assert "bad" in str(exc_info.value)
```

### Anti-Patterns

| Bad | Good | Why |
|-----|------|-----|
| `self.assertEqual()` | `assert x == y` | pytest rewrites give better output |
| Setup in `__init__` | `@pytest.fixture` | Lifecycle management |
| Global state | Fixture with `yield` | Proper cleanup |
| Huge test functions | Small focused tests | Easier debugging |

## Quick Reference

| Task | Command |
|------|---------|
| Run all | `pytest` |
| Run file | `pytest tests/test_login.py` |
| Run specific | `pytest tests/test_login.py::test_login_success` |
| By marker | `pytest -m slow` |
| By keyword | `pytest -k "login and not invalid"` |
| Verbose | `pytest -v` |
| Stop first fail | `pytest -x` |
| Last failed | `pytest --lf` |
| Coverage | `pytest --cov=myapp --cov-report=html` |
| Parallel | `pytest -n auto` (pytest-xdist) |

## pyproject.toml

```toml
[tool.pytest.ini_options]
testpaths = ["tests"]
markers = ["slow: slow tests", "integration: integration tests"]
addopts = "-v --tb=short"
```

## Deep Patterns

For production-grade patterns, see `reference/playbook.md`:

| Section | What's Inside |
|---------|--------------|
| §1 Config | pytest.ini + pyproject.toml with markers, coverage |
| §2 Fixtures | Scoping, factories, teardown, autouse, tmp_path |
| §3 Parametrize | Basic, with IDs, cartesian, indirect |
| §4 Mocking | pytest-mock, monkeypatch, spies, env vars |
| §5 Async | pytest-asyncio, async fixtures, async client |
| §6 Exceptions | pytest.raises(match=), warnings |
| §7 Markers & Plugins | Custom markers, collection hooks |
| §8 Class-Based | Nested classes, autouse setup |
| §9 CI/CD | GitHub Actions matrix, coverage gates |
| §10 Debugging Table | 10 common problems with fixes |
| §11 Best Practices | 15-item production checklist |

© TestMu AI · MIT · LambdaTest/agent-skills

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