robotframework-stacktrace

What it is and what it does

robotframework-stacktrace is a listener plugin for Robot Framework that intercepts test failures and prints a formatted stack trace to the console. Instead of showing only the final error message, it displays the full execution chain—each test file, keyword file, and line number—so you can immediately see where in your test hierarchy the failure occurred.

You activate it by passing `--listener RobotStackTracer` to the robot command. It works by hooking into Robot Framework's listener API to capture failure events and format them as a readable traceback, similar to Python's standard traceback output. The main dependency is robotframework itself; the package adds no other runtime requirements.

Use it for:

• Debugging complex nested keyword calls in large test suites to pinpoint which keyword or test step failed.
• Reducing time spent hunting through log files when a test fails—the stack trace appears immediately in console output.
• Understanding the execution path through multiple resource files and keyword libraries during test failures.
• Integrating with CI/CD pipelines to get clearer failure signals without parsing HTML logs.
• Troubleshooting timeout or assertion errors in browser automation tests (e.g., Playwright, Selenium).

Worth the install?

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

A Robot Framework listener that prints stack traces to console during test failures, showing the exact file and line where each failure occurs in the test execution chain.

Yes, if you run Robot Framework 4.0+ and want faster failure diagnosis. The package is lightweight, permissively licensed, and solves a real debugging pain point. However, be aware that maintenance is dormant—no updates since mid-2023—so if Robot Framework introduces breaking changes to its listener API, this plugin may stop working without community fixes.

Install

robotframework-stacktrace on PyPI

pip install robotframework-stacktrace

uv add robotframework-stacktrace

poetry add robotframework-stacktrace

Installing robotframework-stacktrace

Before you install

Low install friction with a single wheel distribution. Maintenance is dormant—last release was 2021-07-12 and last commit 2023-11-09—so expect no active updates, though the package remains functional for Robot Framework 4.0 and later.

License in practice

Licensed under Apache Software License (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute the package freely with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart

pip install robotframework-stacktrace

robot --listener RobotStackTracer path/to/tests.robot

Requires Robot Framework >= 4.0 to be installed separately.

Verify before relying

• Whether the stack trace output format remains compatible with Robot Framework versions released after 2023-11-09.
• Whether the listener works with all Robot Framework library types or only specific ones.

Package facts

Evidence: robotframework_stacktrace-0.4.1-py3-none-any.whl

Tags

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