---
id: pytest-skip-slow
version: "1.1.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# pytest-skip-slow — A pytest plugin to skip `@pytest.mark.slow` tests by default. 

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 244.2K/mo

## What it is and what it does

pytest-skip-slow is a pytest plugin that automatically skips tests marked with `@pytest.mark.slow` or `@pytest.mark.hugemem` during normal test runs. This lets you maintain a comprehensive test suite without slowing down everyday development cycles—developers run the full suite only when explicitly requested via `--slow` or `--hugemem` flags, or in CI/CD pipelines where you want to catch all issues.

The plugin integrates directly into pytest's marker system, so you simply decorate slow or memory-intensive tests with the appropriate marker and the plugin handles the rest. It's a lightweight, zero-configuration addition to pytest that requires only pytest as a dependency and works with Python 3.8 and later.

Use it for:

- Skip long-running integration or end-to-end tests during local development, running only fast unit tests by default.
- Exclude memory-intensive tests from CI pipelines that run on resource-constrained agents, enabling them only on dedicated hardware.
- Maintain a single test suite where developers can opt into slow tests with a single flag when debugging or validating a full test run.
- Separate performance or stress tests from the standard test flow without removing them from the codebase.

## Worth the install?

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

A pytest plugin that skips tests marked with `@pytest.mark.slow` or `@pytest.mark.hugemem` by default, and includes them only when you pass `--slow` or `--hugemem` flags.

Yes. This is a lightweight, actively maintained plugin with no security issues, low install friction, and a clear, focused purpose. If your test suite includes slow or memory-intensive tests that you want to skip by default during development, it solves that problem with minimal overhead and no configuration required.

## Install

pip install pytest-skip-slow
uv add pytest-skip-slow
poetry add pytest-skip-slow

## Installing pytest-skip-slow

Before you install: Low friction: pure Python wheel with only pytest as a runtime dependency. Actively maintained with a recent release (79 days ago) and no known vulnerabilities.

License in practice: MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for both open-source and commercial projects.

Quickstart:

pip install pytest-skip-slow

# In your test file:
import pytest

@pytest.mark.slow
def test_slow_operation():
    pass

# Run normally (skips slow tests):
# pytest test_file.py

# Run with slow tests included:
# pytest --slow test_file.py

Requires pytest as a runtime dependency; Python 3.8 or later.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the plugin works with pytest versions older than the current release or only recent versions.
- Performance impact of the plugin on test collection or execution in large test suites.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 244.2K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

pytest skip slow tests, pytest plugin conditional test execution, pytest mark slow decorator, pytest performance test filtering, pytest memory intensive tests, pytest optional test markers, pytest-plugin, test-filtering

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