Install only the test deps in Python tests CI: 79 packages -> 17

python-tests.yml runs pytest and nothing else, but installed the full
requirements.txt -- 79 packages, of which ~62 are linters, formatters and
type checkers that job never invokes. Installing them was the workflow's
slowest step: 49s, against 35s actually running the tests.

meta/requirements-test.txt holds the 17 that matter. Derived by static
import analysis over python_pkg/ and linux_configuration/tests/, then
VERIFIED rather than assumed -- a clean Python 3.11 venv with only this
list runs the whole suite:

  2174 passed, TOTAL 100.00%, 7138 stmts / 1748 branches, 0 missing

identical to the full-requirements run. Install of the subset: 6.2s.

The pytest-* entries are in the list even though nothing imports them:
randomly reorders tests, timeout enforces a limit, sugar changes
reporting and xdist provides -n. Dropping one changes how the suite runs.

Drift is gated, not left to discipline: a new requirements-test-sync hook
reuses check_requirements_sync.py's existing --requirements flag, so a
new third-party import fails at commit time rather than as a bare
ModuleNotFoundError in CI. The new file is also in both path filters.

pre-commit.yml keeps the full list -- it needs every formatter.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01PJrqKERAo5QUeEHWS5Asgp

.github/workflows/python-tests.yml

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ on:
       # workflow and the red run stayed on an older commit.
       - "requirements.txt"
       - "meta/requirements.txt"
+      - "meta/requirements-test.txt"
       - ".github/workflows/python-tests.yml"
   pull_request:
     branches: [main]
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ on:
       # workflow and the red run stayed on an older commit.
       - "requirements.txt"
       - "meta/requirements.txt"
+      - "meta/requirements-test.txt"
       - ".github/workflows/python-tests.yml"
   workflow_dispatch: {}
 
@@ -50,7 +52,7 @@ jobs:
           # hashed from the file at this path, and hashing a symlink is not
           # the same as hashing its target.
           cache: pip
-          cache-dependency-path: meta/requirements.txt
+          cache-dependency-path: meta/requirements-test.txt
       - name: Install system dependencies
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
@@ -59,6 +61,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: |
           python -m pip install --upgrade pip
-          pip install -r requirements.txt
+          # The TEST subset, not the full requirements.txt. This job runs
+          # pytest and nothing else, so the ~62 linters and formatters in the
+          # full list were pure install time. See meta/requirements-test.txt.
+          pip install -r meta/requirements-test.txt
       - name: Run pytest with coverage
         run: pytest --cov=python_pkg --cov-branch --cov-report=term-missing --cov-fail-under=100

.pre-commit-config.yaml

@@ -306,6 +306,16 @@ repos:
         language: system
         pass_filenames: false
         files: ^(python_pkg/.*\.py|requirements\.txt)$
+      - id: requirements-test-sync
+        name: requirements-test.txt covers all python_pkg imports
+        # python-tests.yml installs this SUBSET rather than the full list, so
+        # it needs the same completeness guarantee. Without this hook a new
+        # third-party import would pass locally and fail in CI with a bare
+        # ModuleNotFoundError.
+        entry: python3 meta/scripts/check_requirements_sync.py --package python_pkg --requirements meta/requirements-test.txt
+        language: system
+        pass_filenames: false
+        files: ^(python_pkg/.*\.py|meta/requirements-test\.txt)$
       - id: session-autopsy-hook-mutations
         name: session_autopsy hook tests are non-vacuous (mutation)
         entry: python3 meta/scripts/mutate_session_autopsy_hooks.py

docs/superpowers/evidence/python-tests-minimal-deps-2026-08-23.json

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+{
+  "intent": "Stop the Python tests workflow installing ~62 linters and formatters it never invokes, by giving it a requirements file scoped to what the suite actually needs.",
+  "scope": [
+    "meta/requirements-test.txt (new)",
+    ".github/workflows/python-tests.yml",
+    ".pre-commit-config.yaml (new requirements-test-sync hook)",
+    "Non-goal: changing pre-commit.yml, which genuinely needs every formatter"
+  ],
+  "changes": [
+    "Added meta/requirements-test.txt: 17 packages, down from 79. Derived by static import analysis over python_pkg/ and linux_configuration/tests/, then verified by running the suite against only that list.",
+    "python-tests.yml installs the subset, caches on it, and lists it in both path filters so a change to it triggers the workflow.",
+    "Added a requirements-test-sync pre-commit hook reusing check_requirements_sync.py's existing --requirements flag, so a new third-party import cannot silently break CI with a ModuleNotFoundError.",
+    "The pytest-* plugins are included deliberately: randomly, timeout, sugar and xdist change how the suite runs even though nothing imports them."
+  ],
+  "verification": [
+    {
+      "command": "python3.11 venv + pip install -r meta/requirements-test.txt + full pytest run with coverage",
+      "result": "pass",
+      "evidence": "2174 passed, TOTAL 100.00%, 7138 statements / 1748 branches, 0 missing -- identical to the full-requirements run"
+    },
+    {
+      "command": "pip install -r meta/requirements-test.txt (timed)",
+      "result": "pass",
+      "evidence": "6.2s for 17 packages against a warm local cache; the full 79-package list took 49-55s on the CI runner"
+    },
+    {
+      "command": "python3 meta/scripts/check_requirements_sync.py --package python_pkg --requirements meta/requirements-test.txt",
+      "result": "pass",
+      "evidence": "exit 0 -- every third-party import in python_pkg is declared in the subset"
+    },
+    {
+      "command": "pre-commit run requirements-test-sync --all-files",
+      "result": "pass",
+      "evidence": "Passed"
+    }
+  ],
+  "risks": [
+    "A new runtime import that is not added here would fail CI. Mitigated by the new hook, which gates on the same analysis and runs on every python_pkg .py change.",
+    "The subset can drift from the full list's version bounds. Both are >= ranges on the same packages, so a divergence surfaces as a resolver conflict rather than a silent mismatch."
+  ],
+  "rollback": [
+    "Point the Install dependencies step and cache-dependency-path back at requirements.txt and delete the hook.",
+    "After rollback, confirm the install step returns to ~50s."
+  ]
+}

meta/requirements-test.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+# ==============================================================================
+# testsAndMisc — the dependencies needed to RUN THE TEST SUITE, and no others.
+#
+# python-tests.yml runs pytest and nothing else, but installed the full
+# meta/requirements.txt: ~79 packages, of which ~62 are linters, formatters and
+# type checkers that job never invokes. That install was the workflow's slowest
+# step (49s, against 35s actually running pytest).
+#
+# Derived by static import analysis over python_pkg/ and
+# linux_configuration/tests/, then VERIFIED by running the whole suite against
+# only this list: 2174 passed, 100.00% coverage, 0 missing lines or branches.
+#
+# The pytest-* entries are here because they are plugins that change behaviour,
+# not because anything imports them: randomly reorders tests, timeout enforces
+# a limit, sugar changes reporting, xdist provides -n. Dropping one silently
+# changes how the suite runs.
+#
+# The linting job (pre-commit.yml) still installs the full requirements.txt --
+# it needs every formatter. Keep this file in sync when python_pkg gains a new
+# runtime import; check_requirements_sync.py gates the full list, and the
+# suite itself fails loudly here on a missing import.
+# ==============================================================================
+
+anthropic>=0.25.0
+beautifulsoup4>=4.0
+coverage>=7.4.0
+defusedxml>=0.7.1
+markdownify>=1.2.0
+numpy>=1.20
+pillow>=10.0
+pytest>=8.0.0
+pytest-cov>=4.1.0
+pytest-randomly>=3.15.0
+pytest-sugar>=1.0.0
+pytest-timeout>=2.2.0
+pytest-xdist>=3.5.0
+requests>=2.0
+rich>=13.0
+typer>=0.12.0
+typing_extensions