Remove unused pytest-black/pytest-isort dev deps that broke unit-test CI

[bennett-elder]

Describe Changes

Unit-test CI currently fails at pytest startup, before any test runs:

pluggy._manager.PluginValidationError: Plugin 'black' for hook 'pytest_collect_file'
hookimpl definition: pytest_collect_file(file_path, path, parent)
Argument(s) {'path'} are declared in the hookimpl but can not be found in the hookspec

Root cause: pytest-black (and pytest-isort) are unmaintained and still implement the old pytest_collect_file(file_path, path, parent) hook; modern pytest removed the path argument, so a fresh install resolving current pytest crashes during plugin registration. Both were unpinned in the test extra, so this is a time-bomb that triggered once a newer pytest released.

These plugins were also never actually invoked — there is no --black/--isort in addopts, and they are referenced nowhere except their own dependency lines. Formatting/lint is handled by ruff (already a dev dependency and run in the Quality workflow).

This PR removes pytest-black and pytest-isort from the test extra. No behavioral change to what is tested; CI collection no longer crashes.

Verification

With both plugins uninstalled locally (simulating a fresh CI env) and current pytest 9.1.0:

pytest src -m unit  →  284 passed, 113 deselected

No -p no:black workaround required.

Link to Issues

N/A — CI infrastructure fix.

PR Review Checklist

• Thoroughly reviewed on local machine.
• Have you added any tests — N/A; this removes broken, unused test plugins. Verified the full unit suite passes (284 passed).
• Make sure to note changes in Changelog

[qodo-code-review]

PR Summary by Qodo

Remove unused pytest-black/pytest-isort to fix pytest startup failure in CI
🐞 Bug fix ⚙️ Configuration changes 📝 Documentation 🕐 Less than 10 minutes

Description

• Remove unmaintained pytest plugins that crash during plugin registration on modern pytest.
• Keep formatting/linting responsibility with ruff; no test behavior changes.
• Document the CI fix in the changelog for release visibility.

Diagram

graph TD
  A["Unit-test CI"] --> B["Install 'test' extra"] --> C["pyproject.toml"] --> D["pytest startup"] --> E["Plugin registration"]
  C --> F["Remove pytest-black/isort"] --> D

Loading

High-Level Assessment

The following are alternative approaches to this PR:

1. Pin pytest (or pytest-black/isort) to known-compatible versions

• ➕ Keeps historical tooling available if anyone relied on it implicitly
• ➖ Still carries unmaintained plugins and future break risk
• ➖ Requires ongoing pin management and conflicts with fresh installs/security updates

2. Disable the plugins explicitly in CI (e.g., `-p no:black -p no:isort`)

• ➕ Fast mitigation without changing dependency lists
• ➖ Leaves the broken packages installed (still a time-bomb for other environments)
• ➖ Adds CI-only knowledge and maintenance overhead

3. Replace with maintained formatter checks (ruff format/isort-equivalent) as part of tests

• ➕ Modern, maintained tooling aligned with current ecosystem
• ➖ Broader workflow change; may require new configuration and developer retraining

Recommendation: Removing pytest-black/pytest-isort from the test extra is the best approach because they were unused, unmaintained, and actively breaking pytest startup due to an incompatible hook signature. Pinning or CI-disabling would only mask the underlying fragility while keeping dead dependencies in the environment; relying on ruff for formatting/lint keeps responsibilities clear and avoids plugin-time failures.

Files changed (2) +1 / -2

Documentation (1) +1 / -0

CHANGELOG.mdDocument CI fix for pytest startup crash +1/-0

Document CI fix for pytest startup crash

• Adds a 'Fixed' changelog entry explaining that unit-test CI failed at pytest startup due to unmaintained 'pytest-black'/'pytest-isort' using an outdated hook signature. Notes that formatting/lint is handled by 'ruff' and that the plugins were unused.

CHANGELOG.md

Other (1) +0 / -2

pyproject.tomlDrop pytest-black and pytest-isort from the test extra +0/-2

Drop pytest-black and pytest-isort from the test extra

• Removes 'pytest-black' and 'pytest-isort' from the 'test' optional dependency list to prevent Pluggy/pytest plugin validation failures on newer pytest releases. Keeps the rest of the unit-test toolchain unchanged.

pyproject.toml

[duploctl]

☂️ Python Coverage

current status: ✅

Overall Coverage

Lines	Covered	Coverage	Threshold	Status
3778	1501	40%	0%	🟢

New Files

No new covered files...

Modified Files

No covered modified files...

updated for commit: d295d2c by action🐍

[qodo-code-review]

Code Review by Qodo

🐞 Bugs (0) 📘 Rule violations (0) 📎 Requirement gaps (0) 🎨 UX issues (0) 🔗 Cross-repo conflicts (0) 📜 Skill insights (0)

1. Changelog entry is run-on ✓ Resolved 📘 Rule violation ⚙ Maintainability

Description

The added CHANGELOG entry is a single long, run-on sentence without a final period, which reduces
readability and professionalism in user-facing documentation. This can make release notes harder to
scan and understand.

Code

CHANGELOG.md[18]

+- Fixed unit-test CI failing at pytest startup (`PluginValidationError: Plugin 'black' ... Argument(s) {'path'} ... can not be found in the hookspec`) by removing the unused, unmaintained `pytest-black` and `pytest-isort` dev dependencies. They were never invoked (no `--black`/`--isort` in `addopts`) and their old `pytest_collect_file` hook signature is incompatible with current pytest; formatting/lint is handled by `ruff`

Evidence

PR Compliance ID 5 requires user-facing documentation/messages to be accurate and professional. The
added CHANGELOG line is a long run-on entry and appears to omit final punctuation, which is a
documentation quality issue.

CHANGELOG.md[18-18]
Best Practice: Learned patterns

Agent prompt

The issue below was found during a code review. Follow the provided context and guidance below and implement a solution

## Issue description
The newly added CHANGELOG entry is overly long/run-on and lacks final punctuation, reducing readability and professionalism.
## Issue Context
This is user-facing release documentation and should be concise and easy to scan.
## Fix Focus Areas
- CHANGELOG.md[18-18]

ⓘ Copy this prompt and use it to remediate the issue with your preferred AI generation tools

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[kferrone]

lgtm