Summary

This PR implements a custom pytest plugin for test sharding, allowing tests to be automatically distributed across multiple CI jobs for parallel execution. This replaces the previous manual directory-based test splitting approach with a more flexible, hash-based distribution system. Additionally, integration tests have been reorganized into top-level folders that group tests by the client type and setup requirements needed.

This should bring down the total CI runtime to ~8 minutes or less.

Changes

Core Implementation

• New pytest plugin (tests/pytest_shard.py):

  • Implements pytest_addoption hook to add --splits and --group command-line options
  • Implements pytest_collection_modifyitems hook to filter tests based on shard assignment
  • Uses hash-based distribution (MD5 hash of test node ID) for deterministic test assignment
  • Supports environment variables PYTEST_SPLITS and PYTEST_GROUP as alternatives to command-line options
  • Includes validation for shard parameters with helpful error messages

• Plugin registration (tests/conftest.py):

  • Registers the plugin globally so it's available for all test runs
  • Plugin is automatically loaded when running pytest

CI Workflow Updates

• Updated .github/workflows/testing-integration.yaml:

  • Replaced manual directory-based test splitting with automatic sharding
  • rest_sync tests: Now uses 8 shards (was manually split by directory)
  • rest_asyncio tests: Now uses 5 shards (was manually split by directory)
  • grpc tests: No sharding (runs all tests in single job, including tests/integration/rest_sync/db/data with USE_GRPC='true')

• Updated .github/actions/run-integration-test/action.yaml:

  • Added pytest_splits and pytest_group input parameters
  • Updated test execution to pass sharding arguments when provided

Test Reorganization

• Integration tests reorganized by client type (tests/integration/):
  • rest_sync/: Tests using the synchronous REST client (Pinecone())
    • Uses standard Index() objects for database operations
    • Supports optional GRPC mode via USE_GRPC='true' environment variable
    • Contains subdirectories for db/ (control and data operations), inference/, and admin/ tests
  • rest_asyncio/: Tests using the asynchronous REST client (Pinecone().IndexAsyncio())
    • Uses async fixtures and IndexAsyncio() objects
    • Requires pytest-asyncio for async test execution
    • Contains subdirectories for db/ (control and data operations) and inference/ tests
  • grpc/: Tests using the GRPC client (PineconeGRPC())
    • Uses PineconeGRPC() client and GRPCIndex objects
    • Contains db/data/ tests for GRPC-specific functionality
  • This organization makes it clear which client type each test requires and simplifies fixture setup

Bug Fixes

• Fixed race condition in test cleanup (tests/integration/rest_sync/db/control/pod/conftest.py):
  • Added NotFoundException handling in attempt_delete_index function
  • Prevents teardown errors when index is deleted between has_index check and describe_index call

Testing

• Unit tests (tests/unit/test_pytest_shard.py):
  • Tests for hash-based distribution logic
  • Tests for validation and error handling
  • Tests for deterministic shard assignment
  • Tests for edge cases (single shard, environment variables, etc.)
  • Tests gracefully handle testdir limitations (plugin loading in isolated environments)

Documentation

• Updated docs/maintainers/testing-guide.md:
  • Added "Test Sharding" section with usage examples
  • Documented command-line options and environment variables
  • Explained how sharding works and its use in CI
  • Documented actual shard counts used in CI workflows
  • Fixed broken link to testing-integration.yaml

Benefits

1. Automatic test distribution: Tests are automatically distributed across shards using a deterministic hash algorithm, eliminating the need to manually maintain directory-based splits
2. Better load balancing: Hash-based distribution ensures more even test distribution across shards compared to directory-based splitting
3. Easier maintenance: No need to manually update CI workflows when test files are added, removed, or reorganized
4. Flexibility: Shard counts can be easily adjusted in CI workflows without code changes
5. Deterministic: Same test always goes to the same shard, making debugging easier
6. Clear test organization: Tests are grouped by client type, making it immediately clear which setup and fixtures are needed for each test
7. Simplified fixture management: Each client type has its own conftest.py with appropriate fixtures, reducing complexity and potential conflicts

Usage

Command-line

pytest tests/integration/rest_sync --splits=8 --group=1

Environment variables

export PYTEST_SPLITS=8
export PYTEST_GROUP=1
pytest tests/integration/rest_sync

Testing

• Plugin works correctly in real pytest environment
• CI workflows updated and ready for use

Notes

• The plugin is automatically available when running pytest (no installation needed)
• Shard counts in CI can be adjusted based on test suite size and CI capacity