--- title: CTest Integration with Mergify description: Report your test results from CTest to Mergify --- This guide shows how to generate a JUnit report from the tests CMake's [CTest](https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/manual/ctest.1.html) runs, and upload it to **Test Engine** from your CI workflow. :::tip If your tests use GoogleTest, the [GoogleTest guide](/test-engine/test-frameworks/googletest) has GoogleTest write the reports instead. Its test names are cleaner, and run through CTest it leaves disabled tests out rather than showing them as passed. ::: ## Generate a JUnit report with CTest CTest writes a JUnit report itself with `--output-junit`, from CMake 3.21 on: ```bash ctest --test-dir build --output-junit ctest-junit.xml ``` The path is relative to the test directory, not to the directory you run `ctest` from, so this writes `build/ctest-junit.xml`. ## Update your CI workflow ### GitHub Actions > **Note:** your Mergify application key with the `ci` scope must be available to your CI as `MERGIFY_TOKEN`, as explained in the [CI setup guides](/ci-insights#ci-setup-guides). Run the tests in a step with an `id`, and let the upload step decide the job's result: ```yaml - name: Run CTest Tests id: tests continue-on-error: true run: ctest --test-dir build --output-junit ctest-junit.xml ``` ```yaml - name: Mergify CI Upload if: success() || failure() uses: mergifyio/gha-mergify-ci@v27 with: token: ${{ secrets.MERGIFY_TOKEN }} report_path: build/ctest-junit.xml test_step_outcome: ${{ steps.tests.outcome }} ``` Key points: - `if: success() || failure()`: runs the upload step even when the tests fail, so **Test Engine** gets the full report. - `report_path: build/ctest-junit.xml`: where your test run writes the JUnit file. It must match the path your test configuration uses. - `test_step_outcome: ${{ steps.tests.outcome }}`: passes the test step's outcome, so Mergify detects a runner that crashed while the JUnit report looks clean. Give your test step an `id` (here `tests`) and use it in `steps..outcome`. - On pull requests from forks and from Dependabot, `MERGIFY_TOKEN` is empty and this step fails: skip it as shown in [Pull Requests Without the Secret](/ci-insights/setup/github-actions#pull-requests-without-the-secret). If you use a job matrix in your workflow (e.g., to test across multiple versions), every leg reports the same job name, because GitHub Actions gives them all one `GITHUB_JOB`. Set the `job_name` input so **Test Engine** can tell the reports apart: ```yaml jobs: example_matrix: strategy: matrix: version: [10, 12, 14] ``` Your upload step should look like: ```yaml - name: Mergify CI Upload if: success() || failure() uses: mergifyio/gha-mergify-ci@v27 with: job_name: example_matrix (${{ matrix.version }}) token: ${{ secrets.MERGIFY_TOKEN }} report_path: build/ctest-junit.xml test_step_outcome: ${{ steps.tests.outcome }} ``` > **Note:** the job name is part of a test's identity, so a scheduled workflow has to report the same name as the job running those tests on your pull requests. To benefit from Test Engine quarantine, you need to add `continue-on-error: true` in your GitHub Actions step that executes your tests and generates the JUnit file. The step running the `gha-mergify-ci` action then decides whether the job passes or fails, taking quarantined tests into account. You should also pass `test_step_outcome: ${{ steps.tests.outcome }}` to the step that runs `mergifyio/gha-mergify-ci` (where `tests` is the `id` of your test runner step) to detect silent failures where the test runner crashed but the JUnit report appears clean. Without this input, a crash that produces a partial or empty report could be mistakenly treated as a success. With `continue-on-error: true`, the job's result comes from the upload step. On pull requests from forks and from Dependabot, `MERGIFY_TOKEN` is empty and the upload step has to be skipped: add the step that fails the job when the tests failed and nothing was uploaded, as shown in [pull requests without the secret](/ci-insights/setup/github-actions#pull-requests-without-the-secret). ### Buildkite ```yaml steps: - label: "Run tests" command: plugins: - mergifyio/mergify-ci#v8: action: junit-process report_path: build/ctest-junit.xml ``` Key points: - The plugin runs in the `post-command` hook, so it uploads results **after** your tests finish, even if they fail. - `report_path: build/ctest-junit.xml`: where your test run writes the JUnit file. It must match the path your test configuration uses. - Silent failure detection is automatic: the plugin reads the step's exit code to detect a runner that crashed while the JUnit report looks clean. If you use a build matrix in your pipeline, each variation reports its own step label as its job name, so the variations are already distinct. Set the `job_name` plugin property when the label is not the name you want **Test Engine** to file the reports under: ```yaml steps: - label: "Flaky detection ({{matrix}})" matrix: - "3.10" - "3.11" - "3.12" command: plugins: - mergifyio/mergify-ci#v8: action: junit-process job_name: "Tests ({{matrix}})" report_path: build/ctest-junit.xml ``` > **Note:** the job name is part of a test's identity, so a scheduled pipeline has to report the same name as the step running those tests on your pull requests. > **Caution: keep the token out of the pipeline you upload.** Set `MERGIFY_TOKEN` in the environment of the agents running your steps: [Buildkite secrets](https://buildkite.com/docs/pipelines/security/secrets/buildkite-secrets), a secrets plugin backed by your own secrets store, or an agent `environment` hook that exports it. Do not put the token in the pipeline itself: `buildkite-agent pipeline upload` interpolates `${MERGIFY_TOKEN}` before the pipeline is stored, so a token written into an `env:` block is uploaded in plain text and stays readable in the Buildkite UI and in build history. The plugin's `token:` property carries it the same way. When using the Buildkite plugin for Test Engine quarantine, the plugin automatically detects test failures using the step's exit code. No extra configuration is needed. The `mergifyio/mergify-ci` plugin runs in the `post-command` hook and reads `BUILDKITE_COMMAND_EXIT_STATUS` to detect silent failures where the test runner crashed but the JUnit report appears clean. ### Any CI (Mergify CLI) Install the [Mergify CLI](/cli/usage) in your pipeline and export `MERGIFY_TOKEN`. Run `mergify ci junit-process` after your tests: ```bash set -o pipefail exit_code=0 ctest --test-dir build --output-junit ctest-junit.xml || exit_code=$? mergify ci junit-process \ --test-exit-code "$exit_code" \ build/ctest-junit.xml ``` Key points: - `MERGIFY_TOKEN`: export this environment variable with your Mergify application key so `junit-process` can authenticate to the API. - `|| exit_code=$?`: CI shells run with `-e`, so a failing test command on its own line would end the script before the upload. This form keeps going and records the code. - The script needs bash for `set -o pipefail`: on Jenkins, whose `sh` steps often run `dash`, start it with `#!/bin/bash`. - `--test-exit-code "$exit_code"`: passes the test runner's exit code, so Mergify detects a runner that crashed while the JUnit report looks clean. - `junit-process` runs last, so its status becomes the step's: `0` when every failure it found is quarantined, `1` when one is not. - The branch quarantine is evaluated against is detected from your CI provider, falling back to the checked-out branch. Pass `--tests-target-branch ` only to override it. ## Test names CTest's report gives each test its CTest name both as its class and as its own name, so Test Engine shows the name twice, joined with a dot: the test `CartTest.AddsAnItem` is reported as `CartTest.AddsAnItem.CartTest.AddsAnItem`. The name is stable from run to run, and renaming the test in CMake starts a new history for it. Tests disabled with the `DISABLED` test property are listed in the report, and are shown as passed in Test Engine. ## Verify and review in Test Engine After pushing these changes: 1. Your CI workflow runs your tests through CTest. 2. CTest writes `build/ctest-junit.xml`. 3. Mergify uploads the report to Test Engine. You can then review your test results, including any failures or flaky tests, directly in the [Test Engine dashboard](https://dashboard.mergify.com/test-engine/detection). ## Troubleshooting tips
  • Report not found: `--output-junit` is relative to the test directory. With `--test-dir build`, upload `build/ctest-junit.xml`.
  • The CLI provides information about the upload. Check the logs in GitHub Actions.
  • File paths: Double-check that the output file matches the path used in `report_path`.
  • Permissions: Make sure the `MERGIFY_TOKEN` is valid and setup in your GitHub Actions secrets [as explained in the docs](/ci-insights/setup/github-actions#enabling-ci-insights-for-github-actions).
  • Workflow conditions: If your step is not running, confirm the if condition is actually triggered in your job.