Enable Compact Test Output Printer in Pest

Use the --compact flag or set it in your composer.json test script for minimal single-character test progress indicators.

When running large test suites with hundreds of test cases, verbose multi-line output fills your terminal scrollback buffer.

Pest provides a compact output mode that displays concise single-character indicators for fast visual feedback.

1. Run on Demand via CLI

./vendor/bin/pest --compact

2. Set as Default in composer.json

To make compact output the default for your team and CI runs, configure it inside composer.json:

{
    "scripts": {
        "test": "pest --compact"
    }
}

Now running composer test executes Pest in compact mode automatically.

Key Benefits

• Minimal Terminal Clutter: Renders small single-character status indicators (. for passed, F for failed) instead of multi-line test names.
• Immediate Failure Details: Test failures, assertion errors, and stack traces are still rendered prominently at the end of the run.
• Scrollback Efficiency: Keeps terminal buffers clean during extensive test suite runs.