---
id: pytest-enabler
version: "3.4.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# pytest-enabler — Enable installed pytest plugins

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 90.9K/mo

## What it is and what it does

pytest-enabler is a pytest plugin that lets you configure other pytest plugins in a way that gracefully handles their absence. Instead of failing when an optional plugin isn't installed, enabler simply skips its configuration. You define plugin settings in your pyproject.toml under [tool.pytest-enabler.*] sections, and enabler activates them only if those plugins are present.

The plugin comes with a default configuration covering common pytest extensions like pytest-black, pytest-cov, pytest-flake8, pytest-mypy, pytest-ruff, pytest-xdist, and pytest-ignore-flaky. You can override or extend these defaults in your own config, and you can still disable any plugin at runtime using pytest's standard -p no:plugin_name flag.

Use it for:

- Set up a shared pytest configuration that works across teams without requiring everyone to install the same optional plugins
- Gradually roll out new pytest plugins (like code formatters or type checkers) without breaking existing test runs
- Maintain a single pyproject.toml that defines plugin behavior for developers who have different plugin suites installed
- Reduce boilerplate by letting enabler handle plugin discovery and conditional activation instead of manual pytest.ini tweaking

## Worth the install?

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

A pytest plugin that conditionally enables other pytest plugins based on configuration, activating them only if they are installed.

Yes. If you use pytest and manage optional plugins (formatters, linters, type checkers), enabler eliminates configuration friction by letting you define plugin settings that only apply when those plugins are installed. Low install friction, active maintenance, MIT license, and no known vulnerabilities make it a safe addition to any pytest workflow.

## Install

pip install pytest-enabler
uv add pytest-enabler
poetry add pytest-enabler

## Installing pytest-enabler

Before you install: Low install friction with four lightweight runtime dependencies (toml, jaraco.functools, jaraco.context, importlib_resources). Actively maintained with a recent commit on 2026-04-13 and marked as Production/Stable.

License in practice: MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, making it safe to adopt in any project.

Quickstart:

pip install pytest-enabler

# Add to pyproject.toml:
# [tool.pytest-enabler.black]
# addopts = "--black"

# Then run:
pytest

Requires Python 3.9 or later.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the default config covers all common pytest plugins or requires manual setup for less common ones
- Performance impact when many plugins are conditionally enabled

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 90.9K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

pytest plugin configuration, conditional pytest plugins, enable pytest plugins dynamically, pytest plugin management, pytest optional plugins, pytest-plugin, test-configuration

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/pytest-enabler) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/pytest-enabler/)