pytest-timeouts
Linux-only Pytest plugin to control durations of various test case execution phases
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No, unless you have a specific Linux-only use case that requires phase-level timeout control and can tolerate an unmaintained package. The plugin has not been updated since 2019, and there is no active maintenance or security support. For most projects, a maintained timeout plugin or pytest's built-in timeout mechanisms are safer choices.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Linux only; uses SIGALRM signal which is not available on Windows or macOS.
- Requires Python 2.7 or Python 3.4+.
- High install friction: the package is abandoned (last commit 2019-12-30, 2519 days ago) and has not been updated since its 1.2.1 release in 2019-09-21.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT license (permissive) — MIT license is permissive and poses no redistribution restrictions, but the abandoned maintenance status means no license updates or clarifications will be forthcoming.
last release 2019-09-21 (2519 days) · last repo commit 2019-12-30 · 12 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 3,718,049 downloads/mo, #2,517 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install pytest-timeouts
# In pytest.ini:
[pytest]
setup_timeout = 2.5
execution_timeout = 2.01
teardown_timeout = 0
# Or via command line:
pytest --setup-timeout 2.5 --execution-timeout 2.01 --teardown-timeout 0- Whether the plugin works reliably with modern pytest versions (last tested in 2019)
- Compatibility with current Python 3.x minor versions beyond what the classifier states
- Whether SIGALRM-based timeout handling conflicts with async test frameworks or other signal-using libraries
What it is and what it does
pytest-timeouts is a pytest plugin that lets you set independent timeout limits for the setup, execution, and teardown phases of a test case. Unlike generic test timeouts, it breaks down test lifecycle into three stages and allows you to control each one separately via command-line options, pytest.ini configuration, or per-test markers. It uses SIGALRM signals to enforce these limits and disables timeouts when running under a debugger.
The plugin is Linux-only and has been abandoned since 2019 with no active maintenance. It supports Python 2.7 and Python 3.4 and later, but has not been updated to track changes in pytest or Python's evolution. If you need phase-level timeout control on Linux and can accept the risk of an unmaintained dependency, it may still work; otherwise, consider whether a more actively maintained timeout solution fits your needs.
Use it for
- Enforce maximum duration for test setup operations (database connections, fixture initialization) separately from the test body.
- Catch tests that hang during teardown (resource cleanup) without timing out the actual test execution.
- Set different timeout thresholds for slow integration tests versus fast unit tests using pytest markers.
- Debug test hangs by disabling timeouts when running under PDB without removing timeout configuration.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No, unless you have a specific Linux-only use case that requires phase-level timeout control and can tolerate an unmaintained package.
The plugin has not been updated since 2019, and there is no active maintenance or security support. For most projects, a maintained timeout plugin or pytest's built-in timeout mechanisms are safer choices.
Install
pytest-timeouts on PyPI
Before you install
High install friction: the package is abandoned (last commit 2019-12-30, 2519 days ago) and has not been updated since its 1.2.1 release in 2019-09-21. No active maintenance or security updates are available.
Linux only; uses SIGALRM signal which is not available on Windows or macOS. Requires Python 2.7 or Python 3.4+.
License in practice
MIT license is permissive and poses no redistribution restrictions, but the abandoned maintenance status means no license updates or clarifications will be forthcoming.
Quickstart
pip install pytest-timeouts
# In pytest.ini:
[pytest]
setup_timeout = 2.5
execution_timeout = 2.01
teardown_timeout = 0
# Or via command line:
pytest --setup-timeout 2.5 --execution-timeout 2.01 --teardown-timeout 0Verify before relying
- Whether the plugin works reliably with modern pytest versions (last tested in 2019)
- Compatibility with current Python 3.x minor versions beyond what the classifier states
- Whether SIGALRM-based timeout handling conflicts with async test frameworks or other signal-using libraries
Package facts
| License | MIT license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=2.7, !=3.0.*, !=3.1.*, !=3.2.*, !=3.3.* |
| Install friction | High. Source build required |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 2,519 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 3,718,049 / month, #2,517 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleEnvironment :: PluginsIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: POSIXOperating System :: UnixProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Topic :: Software Development :: TestingTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: pytest-timeouts-1.2.1.tar.gz
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “pytest phase timeout control”
- pytest-timeoutsA pytest plugin that enforces separate timeout limits on the setup,…
- pytest-raisesProvides pytest markers (@pytest.mark.raises and…
- pytest-timeoutAborts pytest tests that exceed a specified time limit, with stack…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Utilities packages
Converts domain names between Unicode and ASCII-compatible encoding (Punycode) according to IDNA 2008 and Unicode Technical Standard 46, with security validation and broader script coverage than the standard library.
Install it if you work with internationalized domain names, need to validate domains, or use HTTP clients that depend on it transitively.
Detects and normalizes text encoding from unknown or ambiguous sources, supporting all IANA character sets that Python's core library provides codecs for, with the ability to register custom codecs.
Setuptools is a Python build backend and package management tool that handles building, distributing, and installing Python packages, including support for C/C++ extension modules.
Pluggy provides a plugin system that lets you define hook specifications and register implementations to be called in sequence, enabling extensible Python applications without tight coupling.
Install it if you're building an extensible application or framework.
Pygments is a syntax highlighter that colorizes source code and text in over 500 languages and formats, outputting to HTML, LaTeX, RTF, SVG, images, or ANSI terminal sequences.
Install it if you need to display or transform source code.
Six provides utility functions to write Python code that runs on both Python 2.7 and Python 3.3+, smoothing over language differences between the two versions.
See also pytest-timeout · pytest-durations · pytest-extra-durations · pytest-fail-slow · pytest-retry · pytest-timer · pytest-asyncio-concurrent · pysigset · pytest-item-dict · iterators