Filterset DSL

Nextest supports a domain-specific language (DSL) for choosing sets of tests called filtersets (formerly filter expressions). The DSL is inspired by Bazel's query language, and is most similar to revsets as implemented in the Jujutsu and Mercurial source control systems.

Filtersets are specified on the command line with -E, or --filterset 0.9.76. (In prior versions of nextest, use --filter-expr.)

Example: Running all tests in a crate and its dependencies

To run all tests in my-crate and its dependencies, run:

cargo nextest run -E 'deps(my-crate)'

About filtersets

A filterset identifies a set of tests. A test will be included in a filterset if it matches the provided predicates.

On the command line, multiple filtersets can be passed in. A test will be run if it matches any of these expressions. For example, to run tests whose names contain the string my_test as well as all tests in package my-crate, run:

cargo nextest run -E 'test(my_test)' -E 'package(my-crate)'

This is equivalent to:

cargo nextest run -E 'test(my_test) + package(my-crate)'

If both filtersets and substring filters are specified...

If you pass in both a filterset and a substring-based filter, tests must match both of them. In other words, the union of all filtersets is intersected with the union of substring filters.

For example, the command:

cargo nextest run -E 'package(foo)' -- test_bar test_baz

will run all tests that meet both conditions: in package foo, and match either test_bar or test_baz.

Examples of filtersets

package(serde) and test(deserialize)

Matches every test containing the string deserialize in the package serde

rdeps(nextest*)

Matches all tests in packages whose names start with nextest (glob matcher), and all of their reverse dependencies. This includes reverse transitive dependencies.

not (test(/parse[0-9]*/) | test(run))

Matches every test not matching the regex parse[0-9]* or the substring run.

Filtersets with the default set

0.9.77

If a default filter for tests is configured, filtersets on the command line are intersected with the default filter.

To match against all tests, not just the default set, pass in --ignore-default-filter.

The default filter can also be referred to explicitly via the default() predicate.

Filtersets specified in configuration (for example, in per-test settings, or default-filter itself) do not take into account the default filter. To do so explicitly (other than in default-filter), use the default() predicate.

DSL reference

See Filterset DSL reference.