---
id: tap-py
version: "3.2.1"
license: BSD
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# tap.py — Test Anything Protocol (TAP) tools

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 224.0K/mo

## What it is and what it does

tap.py is a library and command-line tool for working with the Test Anything Protocol, a human-readable format for recording and exchanging test results. It lets you parse TAP streams and files, generate TAP output from test runs, and integrate TAP reporting into unittest and other test frameworks. The package includes a Parser API for programmatic access, a Loader for reading TAP files, and a command-line consumer (tappy or tap) for inspecting TAP streams from STDIN or files.

The library has no runtime dependencies, making it lightweight to install. It supports TAP version 13 and can handle YAML diagnostic blocks. It's primarily used to standardize test output across different test runners and to enable CI/CD systems to consume test results in a portable, language-agnostic format.

Use it for:

- Parse TAP output from test runs to extract and report test results programmatically in CI/CD pipelines.
- Generate TAP-formatted test reports from unittest test suites using TAPTestRunner.
- Integrate TAP output into build systems that expect standardized test result formats.
- Consume TAP streams from STDIN or files to validate or aggregate test data across multiple test runners.
- Add TAP version 13 compliance to existing test infrastructure by wrapping test output.

## Worth the install?

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

Provides tools to parse, generate, and work with Test Anything Protocol (TAP) output—a standardized line-based format for recording test results.

Yes, if you need to work with TAP-formatted test data or integrate TAP reporting into a test framework. The package is stable, has no dependencies, and supports current Python versions. However, the 565-day gap since the last release suggests limited active maintenance; install it for TAP interoperability, but do not expect rapid bug fixes or feature additions.

## Install

pip install tap-py
uv add tap-py
poetry add tap-py

## Installing tap.py

Before you install: Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. Maintenance is dormant—last release was 565 days ago—but the package is marked Production/Stable and supports current Python versions (3.9 through 3.13).

License in practice: BSD permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install tap.py

from tap import Parser

parser = Parser()
with open('test.tap') as f:
    plan = parser.parse_file(f)

Requires Python 3.9 or later.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the dormant maintenance status (565 days since last release) affects bug-fix responsiveness or compatibility with emerging test frameworks.
- Whether YAML block support (mentioned in version history) is available by default or requires optional installation.

## Package facts

- License: BSD (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 224.0K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

TAP parser and generator, test anything protocol tools, TAP output processing, unittest TAP integration, test result standardization, TAP file parsing, TAP stream consumer, test-protocol, tap-format, ci-cd

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