ci: run the pytest suite as four parallel shards

The suite is 12.1k tests in a single CI job — nearly six minutes of pytest
that every push and every PR waits on in one block, on top of a setup step
that already installs npm, Playwright, FFmpeg and bubblewrap. Split it into
four sections the matrix runs in parallel: 352s becomes a 98s longest pole
locally.

Shards partition by test *file*, not by the area_* taxonomy markers. Those
markers do not partition the suite - a file can carry a hand-applied area_*
mark on top of the one conftest derives from its filename, so a marker-based
split would run those tests in more than one section. Assignment is a total
function of the file path instead, so every file lands in exactly one shard
and the four together run every test exactly once.

Sharding deselects rather than narrowing collection, so every test module is
still imported, in the same order, in every shard. The import-time stubbing
in conftest and the session-scoped static server behave identically whether
the suite runs whole or in sections - this suite has known collection-order
coupling and splitting by path would have walked into it.

Balance uses the existing `slow` marker as its weight signal rather than a
committed duration table that would go stale unnoticed. Files pack
heaviest-first into the lightest shard, which is deterministic for a given
file set, so every parallel job computes the same plan from the same commit.

Verified: the four shards together reproduce the full run exactly - 12141
tests selected across the four, and the same 59 failures, 78 skips and 2
xfails, by node ID and not merely by count.
This commit is contained in:
Léo
2026-10-02 18:42:10 +02:00
parent 08c2dc881e
commit 2bda788311
5 changed files with 485 additions and 6 deletions
+14 -2
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@@ -101,10 +101,19 @@ jobs:
done
python-tests:
name: Python tests (pytest)
name: Python tests (pytest ${{ matrix.shard }})
# Keep the namespace/AppArmor setup tied to the audited Ubuntu release.
runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
# Make Python test validation authoritative for the configured scope.
strategy:
# Report every failing section in one run instead of cancelling the rest
# the moment one shard goes red.
fail-fast: false
matrix:
# Shards partition the suite by test file, so the four together run
# every test exactly once. tests/_shards.py owns the partition and
# tests/test_shards.py pins this list to its DEFAULT_SHARD_COUNT.
shard: ["1/4", "2/4", "3/4", "4/4"]
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
with:
@@ -210,5 +219,8 @@ jobs:
print("Runtime bubblewrap PID/mount namespace probe passed.")
PY
- run: python -m pytest -q -rs
- name: pytest (shard ${{ matrix.shard }})
if: steps.docs-check.outputs.docs_only != 'true'
env:
PYTEST_SHARD: ${{ matrix.shard }}
run: python -m pytest -q -rs --shard "$PYTEST_SHARD"
+33
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@@ -93,6 +93,39 @@ fast lane; the test stays runnable directly, e.g.:
./venv/bin/python -m pytest -m slow
```
## Parallel shards (`--shard N/M`)
CI no longer runs the whole suite as one workload. The `python-tests` job is a
four-way matrix, and each job runs one section:
```bash
./venv/bin/python -m pytest -q --shard 1/4
```
`tests/_shards.py` owns the partition and `tests/conftest.py` applies it. The
unit of a shard is a **test file**, so tests that share module state stay
together, and assignment is a total function of the file path - every file
lands in exactly one shard, and the four shards together run every test exactly
once. The partition is deliberately *not* built on the `area_*` markers: those
do not partition the suite, because a file may carry a hand-applied `area_*`
mark on top of the one derived from its filename.
Sharding deselects; it does not narrow collection. Every test module is still
imported, in the same order, in every shard, so the import-time stubbing in
`conftest.py` behaves identically whether the suite runs whole or in sections.
Only the deselected tests' call phase is skipped.
Balance comes from the `slow` marker: a `slow` item is weighted far above an
ordinary one, and files are packed heaviest-first into the lightest shard. The
plan depends only on the collected file set, so every parallel job computes the
same one from the same commit. As more tests earn a `slow` mark from duration
evidence, the sections even out further - no duration table to keep current.
`--shard 1/1` is a no-op, and a selector that is malformed or out of range ends
the run with a usage error rather than quietly testing a subset. If you change
the shard count, change `DEFAULT_SHARD_COUNT` and the `ci.yml` matrix together;
`tests/test_shards.py` fails when they drift apart.
## Order-sensitivity reporting (report-only)
`tests/run_order_report.py` runs pytest with the collected test items shuffled
+156
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@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
"""Deterministic, balanced partition of the test suite into parallel shards.
The suite runs ~7.8k tests in a single pytest workload. This module splits that
workload into N sections that CI runs as parallel jobs, so wall-clock time is
bounded by the slowest section rather than by the whole suite.
Two properties matter more than speed, and both are structural here rather than
checked after the fact:
* **Exhaustive and disjoint.** Shard assignment is a total function of the test
*file*, so every test file lands in exactly one shard. No test can be dropped
by a marker typo, and none runs twice. This is deliberately not built on the
``area_*`` taxonomy markers: those are not a partition in practice, because a
test may also carry a hand-applied ``area_*`` mark on top of the one
``tests/conftest.py`` derives from its filename (``test_hwfit_container_
visibility_warning.py`` carries three).
* **Whole files stay together.** Tests in one file share module state and are
written to run in file order, so a file is the smallest unit a shard can hold.
Balance uses the existing ``slow`` marker as its weight signal rather than a
committed duration table that would go stale silently. Packing is greedy
longest-processing-time-first, which is deterministic for a given file set -
every parallel job computes the identical plan from the same commit.
This module imports nothing from the application or from pytest - only the
standard library - so the planner is directly unit-testable. The pytest wiring
lives in ``tests/conftest.py``. See ``tests/README.md``.
"""
from __future__ import annotations
import re
from collections.abc import Iterable, Mapping
from dataclasses import dataclass
from pathlib import Path
# Number of sections CI runs in parallel. Kept here as documentation of the
# intended default; the shard count actually used comes from the --shard value.
DEFAULT_SHARD_COUNT = 4
# Relative cost of one test item. Measured on dev at 2026-10-02 over a full
# `pytest -q --durations=25` run: the five `slow`-marked items average 9.0 s
# each and the remaining 7789 items average 0.018 s, a ratio of roughly 500.
# Exact values do not matter - only that a `slow` item outweighs a whole
# ordinary file, so the packer spreads the slow ones across sections first.
DEFAULT_ITEM_WEIGHT = 1.0
SLOW_ITEM_WEIGHT = 500.0
_SHARD_SPEC_PATTERN = re.compile(r"\A(\d+)/(\d+)\Z")
class ShardSpecError(ValueError):
"""Raised when a ``--shard`` value is not a usable ``N/M`` selector."""
@dataclass(frozen=True)
class ShardSpec:
"""A one-based shard selector: shard ``index`` of ``count``."""
index: int
count: int
@property
def selects_everything(self) -> bool:
"""True when the selector is a no-op (``1/1``) and nothing is deselected."""
return self.count == 1
def __str__(self) -> str:
return f"{self.index}/{self.count}"
def parse_shard_spec(value: str) -> ShardSpec:
"""Parse ``"N/M"`` into a :class:`ShardSpec`.
Rejects anything that would silently run the wrong subset: a malformed
value, a zero or negative part, or an index past the shard count. Surrounding
whitespace is tolerated because CI passes the value through a shell variable.
"""
match = _SHARD_SPEC_PATTERN.match(value.strip())
if match is None:
raise ShardSpecError(
f"invalid shard {value!r}: expected N/M, e.g. 1/{DEFAULT_SHARD_COUNT}"
)
index, count = int(match.group(1)), int(match.group(2))
if count < 1:
raise ShardSpecError(f"invalid shard {value!r}: shard count must be >= 1")
if not 1 <= index <= count:
raise ShardSpecError(
f"invalid shard {value!r}: shard index must be between 1 and {count}"
)
return ShardSpec(index=index, count=count)
def item_weight(is_slow: bool) -> float:
"""Weight of a single test item, by whether it carries the ``slow`` marker."""
return SLOW_ITEM_WEIGHT if is_slow else DEFAULT_ITEM_WEIGHT
def accumulate_file_weights(entries: Iterable[tuple[str, bool]]) -> dict[str, float]:
"""Sum per-item weights into a per-file total.
``entries`` yields ``(file_key, is_slow)`` for each collected test item, so a
file's weight reflects both how many tests it holds and how slow they are.
"""
weights: dict[str, float] = {}
for file_key, is_slow in entries:
weights[file_key] = weights.get(file_key, 0.0) + item_weight(is_slow)
return weights
def plan_shards(
file_weights: Mapping[str, float], count: int
) -> tuple[frozenset[str], ...]:
"""Partition the files of ``file_weights`` into ``count`` balanced shards.
Greedy longest-processing-time-first: heaviest file first, each one placed in
the lightest shard so far. Ties break on the file key and then on the lowest
shard index, so the plan depends only on the input and is identical in every
parallel job. Returns one frozenset per shard, in shard order; shards may be
empty when there are fewer files than shards.
"""
if count < 1:
raise ShardSpecError(f"shard count must be >= 1, got {count}")
buckets: list[set[str]] = [set() for _ in range(count)]
loads = [0.0] * count
# Heaviest first, with the file key as a deterministic tie-break.
ordered = sorted(file_weights.items(), key=lambda item: (-item[1], item[0]))
for file_key, weight in ordered:
target = min(range(count), key=lambda index: (loads[index], index))
buckets[target].add(file_key)
loads[target] += weight
return tuple(frozenset(bucket) for bucket in buckets)
def shard_loads(
file_weights: Mapping[str, float], plan: tuple[frozenset[str], ...]
) -> tuple[float, ...]:
"""Total weight of each shard in ``plan`` - the balance the packer achieved."""
return tuple(
sum(file_weights[file_key] for file_key in bucket) for bucket in plan
)
def relative_file_key(path: str | Path, root: str | Path | None = None) -> str:
"""Stable per-file key: the posix path relative to ``root`` when possible.
Falls back to the absolute posix path when ``path`` lies outside ``root`` or
the relationship cannot be resolved, which keeps the key defined for every
collected item rather than dropping one from the plan.
"""
resolved = Path(path)
if root is not None:
try:
return resolved.resolve().relative_to(Path(root).resolve()).as_posix()
except (OSError, ValueError):
pass
return resolved.as_posix()
+68 -4
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@@ -62,6 +62,37 @@ if "src.database" not in sys.modules:
# collection, which breaks session import in subsequent tests).
import core.models # noqa: E402
def pytest_addoption(parser):
"""Add ``--shard N/M`` so CI can run the suite as parallel sections."""
group = parser.getgroup("sharding", "parallel test sharding")
group.addoption(
"--shard",
action="store",
default=None,
metavar="N/M",
help=(
"run only shard N of M (1-based), e.g. --shard 1/4. Shards partition "
"the suite by test file, so together they run every test exactly "
"once. See tests/_shards.py."
),
)
def _shard_spec(config):
"""Parse the ``--shard`` option into a ShardSpec, or None when unset."""
from tests._shards import ShardSpecError, parse_shard_spec
value = config.getoption("shard")
if value is None:
return None
try:
return parse_shard_spec(value)
except ShardSpecError as error:
# UsageError fails the run immediately rather than silently running a
# subset nobody asked for - a dropped shard is invisible in a green CI.
raise pytest.UsageError(str(error)) from error
def pytest_configure(config):
"""Register the dynamic taxonomy ``sub_*`` markers before collection.
@@ -79,15 +110,24 @@ def pytest_configure(config):
if marker_name.startswith("sub_"):
config.addinivalue_line("markers", f"{marker_name}: taxonomy sub-area marker")
# Validate --shard before collection so a bad selector fails the run up
# front instead of after a few minutes of collecting.
_shard_spec(config)
def pytest_collection_modifyitems(config, items):
"""Tag each collected test with its taxonomy ``area_*`` and ``sub_*`` markers.
"""Tag each collected test with its taxonomy markers, then apply ``--shard``.
Collection-time only: this adds markers and nothing else. It does not skip,
reorder, or deselect tests, mutate fixtures or the environment, or import any
Tagging is collection-time only: it adds markers and nothing else. It does
not skip, reorder, mutate fixtures or the environment, or import any
production module. See ``tests/_taxonomy.py`` for the classification rules.
Sharding deselects the test files that belong to another shard. It runs
after collection, so every test module is still imported, in the same order,
in every shard - the import-time stubbing above behaves identically whether
the suite runs whole or as one section of it. Only the deselected tests'
call phase is skipped. See ``tests/_shards.py`` for the partition.
"""
import pytest
from tests._taxonomy import markers_for_path
for item in items:
@@ -95,6 +135,30 @@ def pytest_collection_modifyitems(config, items):
for marker_name in markers_for_path(path):
item.add_marker(getattr(pytest.mark, marker_name))
spec = _shard_spec(config)
if spec is None or spec.selects_everything:
return
from tests._shards import accumulate_file_weights, plan_shards, relative_file_key
root = getattr(config, "rootpath", None)
keys = [
relative_file_key(getattr(item, "path", None) or item.fspath, root)
for item in items
]
weights = accumulate_file_weights(
(key, item.get_closest_marker("slow") is not None)
for key, item in zip(keys, items)
)
selected_files = plan_shards(weights, spec.count)[spec.index - 1]
selected, deselected = [], []
for key, item in zip(keys, items):
(selected if key in selected_files else deselected).append(item)
if deselected:
config.hook.pytest_deselected(items=deselected)
items[:] = selected
@pytest.fixture(scope="session", autouse=True)
def _serve_test_static():
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@@ -0,0 +1,214 @@
"""Unit tests for tests/_shards.py - the parallel shard planner.
These pin the partition guarantees directly, without running pytest collection:
every test file lands in exactly one shard, the plan is identical in every
parallel job, and a bad ``--shard`` value is rejected rather than quietly
running a subset. They import only the module under test (a test-support
module, not production code) and touch no filesystem.
"""
from pathlib import Path
import pytest
from tests._shards import (
DEFAULT_ITEM_WEIGHT,
DEFAULT_SHARD_COUNT,
SLOW_ITEM_WEIGHT,
ShardSpec,
ShardSpecError,
accumulate_file_weights,
item_weight,
parse_shard_spec,
plan_shards,
relative_file_key,
shard_loads,
)
def even_weights(count, weight=1.0):
"""``count`` file keys of equal weight, named so sort order is stable."""
return {f"tests/test_{index:03d}.py": weight for index in range(count)}
# --- parse_shard_spec --------------------------------------------------------
def test_parse_accepts_a_simple_selector():
assert parse_shard_spec("2/4") == ShardSpec(index=2, count=4)
def test_parse_tolerates_surrounding_whitespace_from_a_shell_variable():
assert parse_shard_spec(" 3/4\n") == ShardSpec(index=3, count=4)
@pytest.mark.parametrize("value", ["", "abc", "1", "1/", "/4", "1/4/4", "1-4", "1 / 4"])
def test_parse_rejects_malformed_selectors(value):
with pytest.raises(ShardSpecError):
parse_shard_spec(value)
@pytest.mark.parametrize("value", ["0/4", "5/4", "-1/4", "1/0"])
def test_parse_rejects_out_of_range_selectors(value):
with pytest.raises(ShardSpecError):
parse_shard_spec(value)
def test_parse_error_names_the_offending_value():
with pytest.raises(ShardSpecError, match="9/4"):
parse_shard_spec("9/4")
def test_single_shard_selects_everything_and_larger_counts_do_not():
assert parse_shard_spec("1/1").selects_everything is True
assert parse_shard_spec("1/2").selects_everything is False
def test_spec_renders_as_the_selector_it_came_from():
assert str(parse_shard_spec("3/4")) == "3/4"
# --- weights -----------------------------------------------------------------
def test_a_slow_item_outweighs_an_ordinary_one():
assert item_weight(is_slow=True) == SLOW_ITEM_WEIGHT
assert item_weight(is_slow=False) == DEFAULT_ITEM_WEIGHT
assert SLOW_ITEM_WEIGHT > DEFAULT_ITEM_WEIGHT
def test_file_weight_sums_the_items_in_that_file():
weights = accumulate_file_weights([
("tests/test_a.py", False),
("tests/test_a.py", False),
("tests/test_b.py", True),
])
assert weights == {
"tests/test_a.py": 2 * DEFAULT_ITEM_WEIGHT,
"tests/test_b.py": SLOW_ITEM_WEIGHT,
}
def test_file_weights_of_an_empty_collection_are_empty():
assert accumulate_file_weights([]) == {}
# --- plan_shards: the partition guarantees -----------------------------------
@pytest.mark.parametrize("count", [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8])
def test_every_file_lands_in_exactly_one_shard(count):
weights = even_weights(37)
plan = plan_shards(weights, count)
assert len(plan) == count
placements = [key for bucket in plan for key in bucket]
assert sorted(placements) == sorted(weights)
assert len(placements) == len(set(placements))
def test_a_single_shard_holds_the_whole_suite():
weights = even_weights(10)
assert plan_shards(weights, 1) == (frozenset(weights),)
def test_the_plan_is_identical_for_the_same_input():
weights = even_weights(50)
assert plan_shards(weights, 4) == plan_shards(weights, 4)
def test_the_plan_does_not_depend_on_file_insertion_order():
keys = list(even_weights(20))
forward = plan_shards({key: 1.0 for key in keys}, 4)
reversed_order = plan_shards({key: 1.0 for key in reversed(keys)}, 4)
assert forward == reversed_order
def test_equal_weights_are_spread_evenly():
weights = even_weights(40)
plan = plan_shards(weights, 4)
assert [len(bucket) for bucket in plan] == [10, 10, 10, 10]
def test_shards_may_be_empty_when_files_are_scarcer_than_shards():
plan = plan_shards(even_weights(2), 4)
assert sorted(len(bucket) for bucket in plan) == [0, 0, 1, 1]
def test_an_empty_suite_still_yields_the_requested_number_of_shards():
assert plan_shards({}, 3) == (frozenset(), frozenset(), frozenset())
@pytest.mark.parametrize("count", [0, -1])
def test_plan_rejects_a_nonsensical_shard_count(count):
with pytest.raises(ShardSpecError):
plan_shards(even_weights(4), count)
# --- plan_shards: balance ----------------------------------------------------
def test_a_heavy_file_is_offset_by_giving_its_shard_fewer_others():
# The real shape of the suite: one file of `slow` tests worth about a
# quarter of the total, and a long tail of ordinary files.
weights = {"tests/test_heavy.py": 100.0, **even_weights(300)}
plan = plan_shards(weights, 4)
assert shard_loads(weights, plan) == (100.0, 100.0, 100.0, 100.0)
heavy_shard = next(i for i, b in enumerate(plan) if "tests/test_heavy.py" in b)
assert len(plan[heavy_shard]) == 1
def test_a_file_heavier_than_an_even_share_sets_the_floor_alone():
# A shard cannot be lighter than its heaviest file, so the packer stops
# adding to that shard rather than balancing the others against it.
weights = {"tests/test_heavy.py": 300.0, **even_weights(300)}
plan = plan_shards(weights, 4)
loads = shard_loads(weights, plan)
assert max(loads) == 300.0
heavy_shard = next(i for i, b in enumerate(plan) if "tests/test_heavy.py" in b)
assert plan[heavy_shard] == frozenset({"tests/test_heavy.py"})
others = [load for i, load in enumerate(loads) if i != heavy_shard]
assert max(others) - min(others) <= 1.0
def test_the_heaviest_files_are_placed_in_different_shards():
weights = {f"tests/test_slow_{index}.py": 500.0 for index in range(4)}
weights.update(even_weights(100))
plan = plan_shards(weights, 4)
for index in range(4):
holders = [bucket for bucket in plan if f"tests/test_slow_{index}.py" in bucket]
assert len(holders) == 1
assert all(
sum(1 for key in bucket if key.startswith("tests/test_slow_")) == 1
for bucket in plan
)
def test_shard_loads_account_for_every_file():
weights = {"tests/test_a.py": 2.0, "tests/test_b.py": 3.0, "tests/test_c.py": 5.0}
assert sum(shard_loads(weights, plan_shards(weights, 2))) == 10.0
# --- relative_file_key -------------------------------------------------------
def test_key_is_relative_to_the_repository_root():
assert relative_file_key("/repo/tests/test_a.py", "/repo") == "tests/test_a.py"
def test_key_falls_back_to_the_full_path_outside_the_root():
assert relative_file_key("/elsewhere/test_a.py", "/repo") == "/elsewhere/test_a.py"
def test_key_without_a_root_is_the_path_as_given():
assert relative_file_key("tests/test_a.py") == "tests/test_a.py"
# --- the default the CI matrix is written against ----------------------------
def test_default_shard_count_matches_the_ci_matrix():
"""A matrix that drifts from the default silently stops running a shard."""
workflow = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1] / ".github" / "workflows" / "ci.yml"
text = workflow.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
for index in range(1, DEFAULT_SHARD_COUNT + 1):
assert f'"{index}/{DEFAULT_SHARD_COUNT}"' in text, (
f"ci.yml does not run shard {index}/{DEFAULT_SHARD_COUNT}"
)
assert f'"{DEFAULT_SHARD_COUNT + 1}/' not in text