mtp-hot-reload

MTP Hot Reload for Iterative Test Fixing

Set up and use Microsoft Testing Platform hot reload to rapidly iterate fixes on failing tests without rebuilding between each change.

When to Use

• User has one or more failing tests and wants to iterate fixes quickly
• User wants to avoid rebuild overhead while fixing test code or production code
• User asks about hot reload for tests or speeding up the test-fix loop
• User needs to set up MTP hot reload in their project

When Not to Use

• User needs to write new tests from scratch (use general coding assistance)
• User needs to diagnose why a test is failing (use diagnostic skills)
• User wants Visual Studio Test Explorer hot reload (different feature, built into VS)
• Project uses VSTest -- hot reload requires Microsoft Testing Platform (MTP)
• User needs CI/CD pipeline configuration

Inputs

Input	Required	Description
Test project path	No	Path to the test project (.csproj). Defaults to current directory.
Failing test name or filter	No	Specific test(s) to iterate on

Workflow

Step 1: Verify the project uses Microsoft Testing Platform

Hot reload requires MTP. It does not work with VSTest.

Follow the detection procedure in references/platform-detection.md to determine the test platform.

If the project uses VSTest, inform the user that MTP hot reload is not available and suggest migrating to MTP first (see migrate-vstest-to-mtp), or using Visual Studio's built-in Test Explorer hot reload feature instead.

Step 2: Add the hot reload NuGet package

Install the Microsoft.Testing.Extensions.HotReload package:

dotnet add <project-path> package Microsoft.Testing.Extensions.HotReload

Note: When using Microsoft.Testing.Platform.MSBuild (included transitively by MSTest, NUnit, and xUnit runners), the extension is auto-registered when you install its NuGet package -- no code changes needed.

Step 3: Enable hot reload

Hot reload is activated by setting the TESTINGPLATFORM_HOTRELOAD_ENABLED environment variable to 1.

Option A -- Set it in the shell before running tests:

# PowerShell
$env:TESTINGPLATFORM_HOTRELOAD_ENABLED = "1"

# bash/zsh
export TESTINGPLATFORM_HOTRELOAD_ENABLED=1

Option B -- Add it to launchSettings.json (recommended for repeatable use):

Create or update Properties/launchSettings.json in the test project:

{
  "profiles": {
    "<ProjectName>": {
      "commandName": "Project",
      "environmentVariables": {
        "TESTINGPLATFORM_HOTRELOAD_ENABLED": "1"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 4: Run the tests with hot reload

Run the test project directly (not through dotnet test) to use hot reload in console mode:

dotnet run --project <project-path>

To filter to specific failing tests, pass the filter after --. The syntax depends on the test framework -- see references/filter-syntax.md for full details. Quick examples:

Framework	Filter syntax
MSTest	dotnet run --project <path> -- --filter "FullyQualifiedName~TestMethodName"
NUnit	dotnet run --project <path> -- --filter "FullyQualifiedName~TestMethodName"
xUnit v3	dotnet run --project <path> -- --filter-method "*TestMethodName"
TUnit	dotnet run --project <path> -- --treenode-filter "/*/*/ClassName/TestMethodName"

The test host will start, run the tests, and remain running waiting for code changes.

Step 5: Iterate on the fix

1. Edit the source code (test code or production code) in your editor
2. The test host detects the changes and re-runs the affected tests automatically
3. Review the updated results in the console
4. Repeat until all targeted tests pass

Important: Hot reload currently works in console mode only. There is no support for hot reload in Test Explorer for Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code.

Step 6: Finalize

Once all tests pass:

1. Stop the test host (Ctrl+C)
2. Run a full dotnet test to confirm all tests pass with a clean build
3. Optionally remove TESTINGPLATFORM_HOTRELOAD_ENABLED from the environment or keep launchSettings.json for future use

Validation

• Project uses Microsoft Testing Platform (not VSTest)
• Microsoft.Testing.Extensions.HotReload package is installed
• TESTINGPLATFORM_HOTRELOAD_ENABLED environment variable is set to 1
• Tests run and the host remains active waiting for changes
• Code changes are picked up without manual restart

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Solution
Using dotnet test instead of dotnet run	Hot reload requires dotnet run --project <path> to run the test host directly in console mode
Project uses VSTest, not MTP	Hot reload requires MTP. Migrate to MTP first or use VS Test Explorer hot reload
Forgetting to set the environment variable	Set TESTINGPLATFORM_HOTRELOAD_ENABLED=1 before running
Expecting Test Explorer integration	Console mode only -- no VS/VS Code Test Explorer support
Making unsupported code changes (rude edits)	Some changes (adding new types, changing method signatures) require a restart. Stop and re-run