Mstest Testing Platform

MSTest with Microsoft.Testing.Platform

This skill provides guidance for using Microsoft.Testing.Platform (the new test runner) with MSTest in this .NET 10 project. This is NOT the legacy VSTest runner.

Table of Contents

1. Prerequisites
2. Platform Overview
3. Project Setup
4. Running Tests
5. Test Configuration
6. Test Parallelization
7. Debugging Tests
8. CI/CD Integration
9. Troubleshooting
10. Quick Reference

Prerequisites

This project uses:

• .NET 10 SDK: 10.0.100-rc.2.25502.107 (configured in global.json)
• MSTest Package: 4.0.0-preview.25465.3 (configured in Directory.Packages.props)
• Microsoft.Testing.Platform: Included in MSTest 4.0.0+

The test runner is configured globally in global.json:

{
  "test": {
    "runner": "Microsoft.Testing.Platform"
  }
}

Platform Overview

Microsoft.Testing.Platform is the new test runner replacing legacy VSTest. Key differences:

• Command: Use dotnet run --project (preferred) or dotnet test
• Performance: Faster, more efficient than VSTest
• Project Type: Requires OutputType=Exe (not Library)
• Configuration: Requires EnableMSTestRunner=true in .csproj
• MSTest Version: Requires 4.0.0+ (this project uses 4.0.0-preview.25465.3)

Project Setup

Required Project Configuration

All test projects in this repository require these properties:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <EnableMSTestRunner>true</EnableMSTestRunner>
    <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="MSTest" />
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

Key Properties:

• EnableMSTestRunner: Enables Microsoft.Testing.Platform
• OutputType=Exe: Makes the test project executable (required for the new runner)
• Package version is managed in Directory.Packages.props (see dotnet-centralized-packages skill)

Current Test Projects

This repository has 4 test projects configured correctly:

• tests/ClaudeStack.Web.Tests/ClaudeStack.Web.Tests.csproj
• tests/ClaudeStack.API.Tests/ClaudeStack.API.Tests.csproj
• tests/ClaudeStack.Web.Tests.Playwright/ClaudeStack.Web.Tests.Playwright.csproj
• tests/ClaudeStack.API.Tests.Playwright/ClaudeStack.API.Tests.Playwright.csproj

All follow the same configuration pattern.

Running Tests

Primary Method: dotnet run

The preferred way to run tests with Microsoft.Testing.Platform:

# Run all tests in a specific project
dotnet run --project tests/ClaudeStack.Web.Tests/ClaudeStack.Web.Tests.csproj

# Run all tests in a specific project (shorter path)
dotnet run --project tests/ClaudeStack.Web.Tests

# Run all tests in all projects (from solution root)
dotnet test

Test Filtering

Use the --filter option to run specific tests:

# Run a specific test method
dotnet test --filter FullyQualifiedName~TestMethod1

# Run all tests in a class
dotnet test --filter FullyQualifiedName~ClaudeStack.Web.Tests.Test1

# Run tests matching a pattern
dotnet test --filter Name~Login

# Run tests by trait/category
dotnet test --filter TestCategory=Integration

Running from Test Project Directory

# Navigate to test project
cd tests/ClaudeStack.Web.Tests

# Run tests
dotnet run

# Or use dotnet test
dotnet test

Running All Tests

# From solution root, run all tests
dotnet test

This runs all 4 test projects sequentially.

Test Configuration

MSTestSettings.cs

Each test project has a MSTestSettings.cs file for test execution configuration:

using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;

[assembly: Parallelize(Scope = ExecutionScope.MethodLevel)]

This file controls test parallelization behavior (see next section).

Test Class Structure

Standard MSTest attributes: [TestClass], [TestMethod], [TestInitialize], [TestCleanup]

Important: ImplicitUsings is disabled. Always include: using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;

Test Parallelization

Current Configuration

All test projects use method-level parallelization:

[assembly: Parallelize(Scope = ExecutionScope.MethodLevel)]

This means test methods run in parallel within each test class.

Parallelization Scopes

Available options:

// Method-level: Test methods run in parallel (current setting)
[assembly: Parallelize(Scope = ExecutionScope.MethodLevel)]

// Class-level: Test classes run in parallel, methods sequential within class
[assembly: Parallelize(Scope = ExecutionScope.ClassLevel)]

Controlling Parallelization

Disable parallelization for specific tests:

[TestClass]
[DoNotParallelize]
public class SequentialTests
{
    [TestMethod]
    public void MustRunSequentially()
    {
        // This test class won't run in parallel with others
    }
}

Performance Considerations

• Method-level (current): Fastest, but tests must be thread-safe
• Class-level: Safer if tests share state within a class
• No parallelization: Slowest, but safest for tests with external dependencies

Debugging Tests

Visual Studio

1. Set breakpoints in test code
2. Right-click test → "Debug Test"
3. Or use Test Explorer: Debug → Debug All Tests

Visual Studio Code

Use the .NET Core Test Explorer extension:

1. Install extension
2. Set breakpoints
3. Click "Debug Test" in Test Explorer

Command Line Debugging

Not directly supported. Use IDE debugging instead.

Debug Output

Use TestContext to write debug output:

[TestClass]
public class MyTests
{
    public TestContext TestContext { get; set; }

    [TestMethod]
    public void MyTest()
    {
        TestContext.WriteLine("Debug message");
    }
}

Output appears in test results.

CI/CD Integration

Azure DevOps

Use the DotNetCoreCLI@2 task:

- task: DotNetCoreCLI@2
  displayName: 'Run Tests'
  inputs:
    command: 'test'
    projects: '**/*.Tests.csproj'
    arguments: '--configuration Release'

GitHub Actions

- name: Run Tests
  run: dotnet test --configuration Release

Test Results Publishing

# Generate TRX results
dotnet test --logger "trx;LogFileName=test-results.trx"

In CI/CD, use --logger trx and publish with PublishTestResults@2 task (Azure DevOps) or upload artifacts (GitHub Actions).

Troubleshooting

Issue: Tests Don't Run

Symptoms: Test project builds but tests don't execute

Solution: Verify project configuration:

<EnableMSTestRunner>true</EnableMSTestRunner>
<OutputType>Exe</OutputType>

Issue: "dotnet test" Fails with Errors

Symptoms: dotnet test works but shows warnings or errors

Solution: Use dotnet run --project instead:

dotnet run --project tests/ClaudeStack.Web.Tests

Issue: Global.json Overwritten

Symptoms: After creating new test project, global.json is replaced

Cause: Using --test-runner flag with dotnet new mstest

Solution:

1. NEVER use --test-runner flag when creating test projects in this repository
2. The test runner is already configured in global.json
3. Correct command:

   # CORRECT
   dotnet new mstest -o tests/NewProject
   
   # WRONG - will overwrite global.json
   dotnet new mstest -o tests/NewProject --test-runner Microsoft.Testing.Platform
   

4. After creating project, manually add to .csproj:

   <PropertyGroup>
     <EnableMSTestRunner>true</EnableMSTestRunner>
     <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
   </PropertyGroup>
   

Issue: Tests Run Sequentially (Slow)

Symptoms: Tests take longer than expected

Solution: Verify MSTestSettings.cs has parallelization:

[assembly: Parallelize(Scope = ExecutionScope.MethodLevel)]

Issue: Package Version Conflicts

Symptoms: Build errors about MSTest versions

Solution: Check Directory.Packages.props. Never add Version attribute to PackageReference in .csproj (see dotnet-centralized-packages skill).

Issue: Implicit Usings Errors

Symptoms: Missing namespace errors (e.g., "TestClass not found")

Solution: Add explicit using statements:

using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;

ImplicitUsings is disabled in this project (Directory.Build.props).

Quick Reference

Commands

# Run tests in a project
dotnet run --project tests/ClaudeStack.Web.Tests

# Run all tests
dotnet test

# Run specific test
dotnet test --filter FullyQualifiedName~TestMethod1

# Run with detailed output
dotnet test --verbosity detailed

# Generate test results
dotnet test --logger "trx;LogFileName=results.trx"

Required Project Properties

<PropertyGroup>
  <EnableMSTestRunner>true</EnableMSTestRunner>
  <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
</PropertyGroup>

Required Package

<ItemGroup>
  <PackageReference Include="MSTest" />
</ItemGroup>

Version managed in Directory.Packages.props.

MSTestSettings.cs Template

using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;

[assembly: Parallelize(Scope = ExecutionScope.MethodLevel)]

Test Class Template

using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;

namespace YourNamespace.Tests
{
    [TestClass]
    public class YourTests
    {
        [TestMethod]
        public void YourTest()
        {
            // Arrange
            var expected = true;

            // Act
            var actual = true;

            // Assert
            Assert.AreEqual(expected, actual);
        }
    }
}

Creating New Test Project

# Step 1: Create project (DO NOT use --test-runner flag)
dotnet new mstest -o tests/NewProject

# Step 2: Manually add to .csproj
# <PropertyGroup>
#   <EnableMSTestRunner>true</EnableMSTestRunner>
#   <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
# </PropertyGroup>

# Step 3: Add MSTestSettings.cs
# [assembly: Parallelize(Scope = ExecutionScope.MethodLevel)]

# Step 4: Add to solution
dotnet sln add tests/NewProject/NewProject.csproj

Related Skills

• dotnet-centralized-packages: Managing package versions in Directory.Packages.props
• playwright-dotnet: E2E testing with Playwright and MSTest integration
• dotnet-cli-essentials: General .NET CLI commands and patterns

Version Information

• MSTest: 4.0.0-preview.25465.3
• Microsoft.Testing.Platform: Included in MSTest 4.0.0+
• .NET SDK: 10.0.100-rc.2.25502.107

This skill is accurate as of .NET 10 RC 2. Some details may change in the RTM release.

Additional Resources

• Microsoft.Testing.Platform Documentation
• MSTest Documentation
• Test Parallelization