# Two years of test item framework updates

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/two-years-of-test-item-framework-updates/138792>\
**Category:** Tooling\
**Tags:** announcement\
**Created:** [August 13, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/two-years-of-test-item-framework-updates/138792 "2026-08-13T20:16:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 23

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**Author:** ![Krastanov](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/krastanov/32/6817_2.png) [@Krastanov](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Krastanov)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 8:10pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/two-years-of-test-item-framework-updates/138792/23 "2026-08-25T20:10:02Z")

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I think there is an actual bug here. Say it is decided that a Manifest.toml file is indeed needed (I do not like this, but for the sake of this conversation I am sticking to that setup).

I can have my test runner instantiate the various test environment Project.tomls and make the Manifest.toml files. But that seems insufficient. That Manifest.toml file is indeed found, but then `TestEnv.activate` still disregards it. Here is a very involved PR where I am transitioning the QuantumClifford.jl test infrastructure to `juliati` and facing that exact problem (with a nasty workaround that uses JULIA\_LOAD\_PATH): [QuantumClifford.jl/.buildkite/pipeline.yml at f74d0b7cc6b46b757733728b462cad57b1ec5e17 · QuantumSavory/QuantumClifford.jl · GitHub](https://github.com/QuantumSavory/QuantumClifford.jl/blob/f74d0b7cc6b46b757733728b462cad57b1ec5e17/.buildkite/pipeline.yml#L29-L37)

The actual PR is [Move specialized tests to juliati environments - Pull Request #820 - QuantumSavory/QuantumClifford.jl - GitHub](https://github.com/QuantumSavory/QuantumClifford.jl/pull/820)

Here is an issue report that I asked one of my LLMs to post: [Dependencies from a detected nested test project are not loadable · Issue #97 · julia-testitems/TestItemControllers.jl · GitHub](https://github.com/julia-testitems/TestItemControllers.jl/issues/97)

Currently it works like this:

1. Buildkite instantiates the nested project, creating its Manifest.toml.

2. JuliaWorkspaces finds that manifest, confirms that it path-develops QuantumClifford, and assigns the correct nested project to the test item.

3. TestItemControllers starts the process from that project—but then calls TestEnv.activate(“QuantumClifford”).

4. TestEnv.activate replaces the active project with a temporary environment based on QuantumClifford’s canonical test/Project.toml.

5. The nested manifest’s packages remain resolved, but its [deps] are no longer direct dependencies of the active project. Julia does not permit using Aqua merely because Aqua appears in a  
manifest.

6. Adding the nested project to JULIA\_LOAD\_PATH restores it as a fallback project, which is why the workaround succeeds.

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