# Skipping precompilation in VSCode test item framework

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/skipping-precompilation-in-vscode-test-item-framework/132147>\
**Category:** VS Code\
**Tags:** testing, vscode\
**Created:** [September 6, 2025, 7:59pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/skipping-precompilation-in-vscode-test-item-framework/132147 "2025-09-06T19:59:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![franckgaga](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/franckgaga/32/218241_2.png) [@franckgaga](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/franckgaga)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 7:59pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/skipping-precompilation-in-vscode-test-item-framework/132147/1 "2025-09-06T19:59:42Z")

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My current workflow is having a project environnement in which I `dev` the package that I currently develop, ModelPredictiveControl.jl, and I include additional dependencies for the development. I also use the test item framework of VS Code, which is very nice to execute only one unit test.

The problem is every time I modify the code of my package (a modification supported by `Revise`), ModelPredictiveControl.jl needs to be precompiled at each execution of the unit test, which is long. Is there a way to opt out precompilation in the test item framework ? I tried to put a `LocalPreferences.toml` with:

```toml
[ModelPredictiveControl]
precompile_workload = false

```

in my project environnement for development, but it seems that it is ignored by the test item framework process.

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**Author:** ![franckgaga](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/franckgaga/32/218241_2.png) [@franckgaga](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/franckgaga)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 3:58pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/skipping-precompilation-in-vscode-test-item-framework/132147/2 "2026-02-08T15:58:19Z")

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Bumping the issue. The precompilation is really slow in Julia v1.12, so I would prefer to skip it for my own package when I execute my tests. Is it normal that the `LocalPreferences.toml` is ignored in the test item framework and VS code ?

edit: It’s weird because it seems that there is a first fast precompilation occuring, which is the typical behavior of `LocalPreferences.toml` file, but a second very slow one just after. Here’s a screenshot of the “Julia Test Process” log:  
 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/1/e/1e47b1c8f7a73768b5e053a6ef92f4cdc1406904.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![franckgaga](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/franckgaga/32/218241_2.png) [@franckgaga](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/franckgaga)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 2:33pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/skipping-precompilation-in-vscode-test-item-framework/132147/3 "2026-08-10T14:33:07Z")

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Quick follow-up for posterity, it was a bug/limitation of the VS code test item framework.

Starting from Julia VS Code extension v1.231.1, the settings in my `LocalPreferences.toml` are now honored: the Julia processes of the test item framework will skip the precompilation of the listed packages in the this file. Thanks @davidanthoff for the bugfix!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![blah\_blah.jl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/blah_blah.jl/32/223304_2.png) [@blah\_blah.jl](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/blah_blah.jl)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/skipping-precompilation-in-vscode-test-item-framework/132147/4 "2026-08-10T15:01:35Z")

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Ohh man I gotta understand the more intricate nuances of Julia, here I wait everytime I need to run tests and my workload gets precompiled and I wait like a fool without knowing I can bypass it, thanks a lot that it appeared in my feed and yea thanks for telling that one can use the `LocalPreferences.toml` file to avoid it @franckgaga