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My local test development environment setup — VSCode extensions and tools I actually use

Ajitesh Mohanta
Ajitesh MohantaAmbassador
Feb 4, 2026 3,258 0
People often share CI setups. Here's my local setup for writing and debugging tests: **VSCode extensions:** - **Playwright Test for VSCode** — run individual tests from the gutter, step through with the inspector. Game changer. - **Python Test Explorer** — pytest integration, but the built-in Python extension now handles this too - **Error Lens** — shows error messages inline, not just in the Problems panel - **GitLens** — for blaming test history and understanding why a test was written the way it was **Terminal tools:** - `pytest -x --no-header -q` as my default pytest alias — stops at first failure, minimal output - `playwright show-trace` aliased to `pt` — open traces without remembering the full command **Other:** - Keep a test scratch file (`test_sandbox.py`) in `.gitignore` for quick experiments without creating real test files - `watchexec` to auto-run tests on file save during active development What's in your local setup that others might not know about?

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