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Test Filters

Running TUnit via dotnet run supports test filters.

Coming from xUnit, NUnit, or MSTest?

TUnit runs on Microsoft.Testing.Platform, not VSTest. The familiar dotnet test --filter "Category=X" is not supported — the flag is silently rejected, the MTP help is printed, and the run exits with Zero tests ran. This can look like a test failure when it's actually just an unrecognised flag.

Use --treenode-filter instead:

VSTest (xUnit / NUnit / MSTest)TUnit
--filter "Category=Integration"--treenode-filter "/*/*/*/*[Category=Integration]"
--filter "FullyQualifiedName~LoginTests"--treenode-filter "/*/*/LoginTests/*"
--filter "Name=AcceptCookiesTest"--treenode-filter "/*/*/*/AcceptCookiesTest"

When using dotnet test, pass the flag directly: dotnet test --treenode-filter "...". (On older SDKs, separate it with --: dotnet test -- --treenode-filter "...".)

TUnit can select tests by:

  • Assembly
  • Namespace
  • Class name
  • Test name

You must use the --treenode-filter flag on the command line.

The syntax for the filter value is (without the angled brackets) /<Assembly>/<Namespace>/<Class name>/<Test name>

Wildcards are also supported with *

Filter Operators​

TUnit supports several operators for building complex filters:

  • Wildcard matching: Use * for pattern matching (e.g., LoginTests* matches LoginTests, LoginTestsSuite, etc.)
  • Equality: Use = for exact match (e.g., [Category=Unit])
  • Negation: Use != for excluding values (e.g., [Category!=Performance])
  • AND operator: Use & to combine conditions within a single path segment or property group, with each side wrapped in parentheses. Examples:
    • AND across path patterns: /*/*/(ClassA*)&(*Smoke)/*
    • AND across properties: /**[(Category=Unit)&(Priority=High)]
  • OR operator: Use | the same way — within a single segment or property group, with parentheses. Examples:
    • OR across classes: /*/*/(Class1)|(Class2)/*
    • OR across properties: /**[(Category=Smoke)|(Priority=High)]
  • Match-all: ** matches any path depth (e.g., /** or /MyAssembly/**). It must appear at the end of the path — /**/Path is not allowed.

Only one property group [...] is permitted per path segment, so combine multiple property conditions inside a single bracket (e.g., [(A=1)&(B=2)], not [A=1]&[B=2]).

For full information on the treenode filters, see Microsoft's documentation

Examples​

Filter by class name​

Run all tests in the LoginTests class:

dotnet run --treenode-filter "/*/*/LoginTests/*"

Filter by test name​

Run all tests with the name AcceptCookiesTest:

dotnet run --treenode-filter "/*/*/*/AcceptCookiesTest"

Filter by namespace​

Run all tests in a specific namespace:

dotnet run --treenode-filter "/*/MyProject.Tests.Integration/*/*"

Use a wildcard to match namespace prefixes:

dotnet run --treenode-filter "/*/MyProject.Tests.Api*/*/*"

Filter by custom property value​

TUnit supports filtering by custom properties. If a test has a property with a matching name and value, it will be included:

dotnet run --treenode-filter "/*/*/*/*[Category=Smoke]"

Use a wildcard to match partial property values:

dotnet run --treenode-filter "/*/*/*/*[Owner=*Team-Backend*]"

Exclude tests by property​

Use != to exclude tests with a specific property value:

dotnet run --treenode-filter "/*/*/*/*[Category!=Slow]"

Combined filters​

Combine multiple property conditions inside a single bracket group with &. Run only high-priority smoke tests:

dotnet run --treenode-filter "/*/*/*/*[(Category=Smoke)&(Priority=High)]"

Combine namespace and property filters. Run integration tests tagged as critical:

dotnet run --treenode-filter "/*/MyProject.Tests.Integration/*/*[Priority=Critical]"

OR filter across classes​

Run tests from either of two classes:

dotnet run --treenode-filter "/*/*/(LoginTests)|(SignupTests)/*"

OR filter across different properties​

Run tests matching either property. The OR must live inside a single bracket group, with each condition wrapped in parentheses:

dotnet run --treenode-filter "/**[(Category=Smoke)|(Priority=High)]"

Note that [Category=Smoke]|[Priority=High] (separate brackets) is not valid — only one [...] group is allowed per path segment, so every property condition must live inside it.