pytest-unused-fixtures

What it is and what it does

pytest-unused-fixtures is a pytest plugin that runs after your tests complete and compares all fixtures available in your test collection against those actually used during the test run. It then reports which fixtures were never invoked, grouped by their definition location. This helps identify dead code in your test fixtures that can be safely removed or refactored.

The plugin requires actual test execution to work accurately because pytest supports dynamic fixture requests that static analysis cannot catch. You enable it by passing the `--unused-fixtures` flag to pytest. It offers several configuration options: you can ignore specific paths, limit the scan to particular directories, mark individual fixtures to skip reporting with a decorator, and optionally fail the test session if unused fixtures are found.

Use it for:

• Clean up test fixture cruft by identifying fixtures that were created but never actually used in any test.
• Enforce fixture hygiene in CI/CD by failing the build when unused fixtures are detected, using `--unused-fixtures-fail-when-present`.
• Scope fixture analysis to specific test directories to focus cleanup efforts on particular modules or packages.
• Exclude intentionally unused fixtures (e.g., those reserved for skipped tests) using the `@ignore_unused_fixture` decorator.
• Audit legacy test suites to understand which fixtures are truly active versus which can be removed.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

A pytest plugin that identifies and reports fixtures defined in your test suite that are never actually used during test execution.

Yes. This is a low-friction, actively maintained plugin that solves a real test maintenance problem—identifying dead fixture code—with no security concerns and a permissive license. It integrates seamlessly into pytest workflows and is useful for any project that wants to keep its test fixtures clean and intentional.

Install

pytest-unused-fixtures on PyPI

pip install pytest-unused-fixtures

uv add pytest-unused-fixtures

poetry add pytest-unused-fixtures

Installing pytest-unused-fixtures

Before you install

Low friction install as a pure Python wheel with only pytest as a runtime dependency. The project is actively maintained with recent releases and a clean commit history.

License in practice

MIT license is permissive; you can use this plugin freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart

pip install pytest-unused-fixtures

pytest tests --unused-fixtures

# To fail the test session if unused fixtures are found:
pytest tests --unused-fixtures --unused-fixtures-fail-when-present

Requires pytest to be installed; the plugin only works as a pytest plugin and cannot be used standalone.

Verify before relying

• Whether the plugin accurately detects fixtures used via dynamic pytest mechanisms beyond simple parameter injection.
• Performance impact when scanning large test suites with many fixtures.

Package facts

Evidence: pytest_unused_fixtures-0.3.1-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: pytest, fixtures

Tags

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