Rstest VS Code extension
[!IMPORTANT]
This is the final release of the standalone Rstest extension. It is no longer maintained and will receive no further releases.
This extension only supports @rstest/core ^0.12.0. Install the unified Rstack extension (rstack.rstack) to keep receiving updates for testing, linting and formatting. It is also available on the Open VSX Registry for Cursor, Trae, VSCodium and other VS Code forks.
To switch: install rstack.rstack, uninstall rstack.rstest, then reload the window so only one copy of Rstest runs. The standalone extension stands down when Rstack is enabled. Settings are not migrated automatically; re-enter them using the mapping below.
Migrate settings to Rstack
Standalone (rstest.*) |
Rstack (rstack.*) |
rstest.rstestPackagePath |
rstack.rstest.corePath (accepts the package directory or its package.json) |
rstest.nodeExecutable |
rstack.nodeExecutable |
rstest.debuggerPort, rstest.debuggerAddress |
Removed — Rstack launches the test worker under the built-in debugger |
Every other rstest.<key> |
rstack.rstest.<key> (same key name) |
Rstest is a VS Code extension that discovers, displays, and runs tests in your workspace. It builds a rich Test Explorer tree from your test files and keeps it up to date as files change.
Features
- Discovers test files via configurable glob patterns
- Parses test structure to build a nested tree (describe/suite/test)
- Runs individual tests, suites, or entire files
- Watches the filesystem and updates the tree on create/change/delete
- Shows editor diagnostics for failed tests
Activation
The extension activates automatically when your workspace contains Rstest configuration files (e.g., rstest.config.*, rstest.workspace.*, rstest.projects.*). On activation, it eagerly scans the workspace and populates the Test Explorer.
Configuration
| Setting |
Type |
Default |
Description |
rstest.rstestPackagePath |
string |
undefined |
The path to a package.json file of a Rstest executable (it's usually inside node_modules) in case the extension cannot find it. It will be used to resolve Rstest API paths. This should be used as a last resort fix. Supports ${workspaceFolder} placeholder. |
rstest.configFileGlobPattern |
string[] |
["**/rstest.config.{mjs,ts,js,cjs,mts,cts}"] |
Glob patterns used to discover config files. |
rstest.testCaseCollectMethod |
"ast" \| "runtime" |
"ast" |
"ast": Fast, only supports basic test cases.
"runtime": Slow, supports all test cases, including dynamic test generation methods (each/for/extend). |
rstest.applyDiagnostic |
boolean |
true |
Show diagnostics in editor and Problems panel for failed tests. |
Error lens compatibility
If you use the Error Lens extension and want to avoid duplicated inline diagnostics, add this to your settings.json:
errorLens.excludeBySource: ['rstest']
This extension does not apply this setting automatically.
How it works
- On activation, the extension scans for test files using
rstest.testFileGlobPattern and creates a Test Explorer tree.
- File system watchers keep the tree synchronized as files are created, modified, or deleted.
- Test content is parsed to identify nested suites and tests so you can run them granularly.
Development
Common commands (run from this package):
npm run build — Build with rslibnpm run watch — Rebuild on changenpm run typecheck — TypeScript noEmit checknpm run test:unit — Unit tests via Rstestnpm run test:e2e — VS Code Extension Host E2E tests
Packaging & publishing
- Local package (current platform):
npm run package:vsix
- Publish (current platform):
npm run publish:vsce (requires VSCE_PAT)
CI
- On tag push or manual dispatch, GitHub Actions runs on Linux and publishes for all platforms using
vsce publish --target (win32/darwin/linux; x64 and arm64).
- Configure the
VSCE_PAT repository secret for Marketplace publishing.
