---
id: pytest-depends
version: "1.0.1"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# pytest-depends — Tests that depend on other tests

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 155.5K/mo

## What it is and what it does

pytest-depends is a pytest plugin that lets you declare which tests depend on other tests passing, automatically skipping dependent tests if their prerequisites fail. Rather than treating tests as independent units, it recognizes scenarios where running a test makes no sense if an earlier test failed—for instance, if a build artifact doesn't exist, there's no point testing its version. The plugin reorders tests to run dependencies first and marks dependent tests as skipped if their prerequisites don't succeed.

The package depends on pytest, colorama, networkx, and future-fstrings. You declare dependencies using pytest markers with custom names or auto-generated test identifiers, and the plugin handles the rest.

Use it for:

- Skip integration tests when a prerequisite setup test fails, avoiding cascading failures in slow test suites
- Avoid running tests on a build artifact when an earlier test confirms the artifact doesn't exist
- Reduce test runtime by skipping tests that cannot possibly pass given earlier failures
- Organize test execution around logical prerequisites without duplicating setup logic

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

A pytest plugin that lets you declare dependencies between tests, skipping dependent tests if their prerequisites fail.

No. The package is abandoned (last release 2020-04-05, no recent commits), and compatibility with modern pytest and Python versions is unverified. While the concept is useful for specific scenarios, the lack of maintenance and unknown breakage risk make it unsuitable for new projects.

## Install

pip install pytest-depends
uv add pytest-depends
poetry add pytest-depends

## Installing pytest-depends

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. However, the package is abandoned—last release was 2020-04-05 with no recent maintenance.

License in practice: MIT license (permissive). You can use, modify, and distribute this package freely with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install pytest-depends

import pytest

@pytest.mark.depends(on=['test_build_exists'])
def test_build_version():
    pass

Verify before relying:

- Whether the plugin remains compatible with current pytest versions given the 2020 release date
- Whether test reordering conflicts with modern pytest plugins remain unresolved
- Compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.8 listed in classifiers

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 155.5K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

pytest test dependencies, skip tests based on other tests, pytest conditional test execution, test ordering by dependencies, pytest test prerequisites, test-orchestration, abandoned

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