pytest-html-plus VS Code — A Must-Have Extension If You Run Pytests

The problem no one talks about

HTML reports even our own pytest-html-plus are usually opened like this:

• Download artifact
• Unzip
• Open HTML
• Scroll
• Switch back to code
• Switch back to browser
• Repeat
• It works — but it breaks flow.
• When you’re debugging, context switching is the real tax.

That’s exactly where pytest-html-plus-vscode fits in.

Reports should live where you work

_Your reports must be in the same place where you are fixing the bugs, no matter where your tests might have ran

The VS Code extension lets you:

• Load reports directly inside the editor
• View structured test results without leaving your workspace
• Jump between failures and code faster
• Treat test reports as part of development, not an external artifact
• This is especially powerful when debugging CI failures locally.

Why this extension exists

The extension was not built to “preview HTML”.

It was built to answer one question quickly:

• What failed, and what do I need to look at next? and Everything else is secondary.

What you actually gain

1. Faster feedback loops

• You no longer lose momentum opening files, switching apps, or searching logs.

Failures (List them in the side bar) → context (Direcly jump to the line of failure) → fix.

All inside VS Code.

2. CI reports, locally

The extension works beautifully with archived reports from CI.

Download the artifact, open it in VS Code, and you’re immediately back in problem-solving mode — not setup mode.

Because the reporter and extension are designed together:

• The data structure is predictable
• Reports load faster
• UI decisions are intentional, not generic
• This tight coupling is what makes the experience smooth instead of clunky.

Who should install this?

If you:

• Run Pytest regularly
• Debug from CI logs
• Care about flow state
• Live in VS Code

This extension isn’t “nice to have”.

It becomes one of those tools you forget you installed — until you work on a machine without it.

The bigger picture

pytest-html-plus are not separate tools.

They’re two halves of the same idea:

• Testing doesn’t end when Pytest finishes.
• It ends when you understand the result.

Final note

You don’t need more tools.
You need fewer tools that work together.

That’s the philosophy behind both the reporter and the extension.