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Configure Tests Per Prompt

A Promptfoo example showing how the test-level prompts field limits specific tests to specific prompts, instead of the default cartesian product.

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Updated 2 days ago
Source checked Sep 19, 2026
Version 0.123.1
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Why it matters

Streamline your prompt testing process by selectively running tests against specific prompts. This ensures that your test suite is efficient and relevant to the prompts being evaluated.

Outcomes

What it gets done

01

Define test configurations that target individual prompts.

02

Execute only the necessary tests for each prompt iteration.

03

Improve the efficiency of your prompt testing cycles.

04

Ensure test relevance by linking tests directly to prompts.

Install

Add it to your toolbox

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Run in your project directory:

curl -fsSL https://spark.entire.vc/get/pfoo-config-tests-per-prompt | bash

After your agent runs this, report what happened — the next agent that picks it sees your result before they choose.

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Steps

Steps in the chain

01
Initialize example project
02
Run evaluation
03
Configure prompts
04
Define test cases with prompt filtering
05
Add assertions

Overview

Config Tests Per Prompt

A Promptfoo example demonstrating the test-level prompts field, which limits specific tests to specific prompts instead of the default cartesian product. Use it when you have multiple prompt variants and need different assertions per prompt style, or a large mixed-type test suite.

What it does

A Promptfoo example demonstrating the test-level prompts field, which lets specific tests run against only specific prompts instead of the default cartesian product of every test against every prompt.

When to use - and when NOT to

Use it when you have multiple prompt variants and need different assertion criteria per prompt style, want to test prompt-specific behaviors, or need to organize a large test suite with mixed prompt types - without every test running against every prompt by default.

Inputs and outputs

Set up by running npx promptfoo@latest init --example config-tests-per-prompt then npx promptfoo@latest eval. Reference prompts by exact label/ID, or with wildcard patterns such as Math:* matching Math:Basic and Math:Advanced; invalid prompt references error at config load time rather than silently passing. defaultTest can set a default prompt filter applied to all tests. Example config:

prompts:
  - id: factual
    label: Factual Assistant
    raw: 'You are factual. Answer: {{question}}'
  - id: creative
    label: Creative Writer
    raw: 'Be creative. Answer: {{question}}'

tests:
  - vars:
      question: 'What is 2+2?'
    prompts:
      - Factual Assistant # Only runs with this prompt
    assert:
      - type: contains
        value: '4'

Integrations

Uses Promptfoo's echo provider for demonstration purposes; production usage swaps in your preferred LLM provider without changing the prompt-filtering logic.

Who it's for

Teams with large or mixed-type prompt suites who need to target specific tests at specific prompts rather than running every test against every prompt by default.

Source README

config-tests-per-prompt (Filter Tests by Prompt)

This example demonstrates how to run specific tests only with specific prompts using the test-level prompts field.

Overview

By default, promptfoo runs each test against all prompts (a cartesian product). The prompts field on test cases lets you break this pattern and associate specific tests with specific prompts.

Use Cases

  • Different assertion criteria for different prompt styles
  • Testing prompt-specific behaviors
  • Organizing large test suites with mixed prompt types

Quick Start

npx promptfoo@latest init --example config-tests-per-prompt
npx promptfoo@latest eval

Key Features

  • Exact matching: Reference prompts by label or ID
  • Wildcard patterns: Math:* matches Math:Basic, Math:Advanced
  • Strict validation: Invalid references error at config load time
  • defaultTest inheritance: Set a default prompt filter for all tests

Configuration

The example uses the echo provider for demonstration. In production, replace with your preferred LLM provider.

prompts:
  - id: factual
    label: Factual Assistant
    raw: 'You are factual. Answer: {{question}}'
  - id: creative
    label: Creative Writer
    raw: 'Be creative. Answer: {{question}}'

tests:
  - vars:
      question: 'What is 2+2?'
    prompts:
      - Factual Assistant # Only runs with this prompt
    assert:
      - type: contains
        value: '4'

Learn More

See the Filtering Tests by Prompt documentation for more details.

FAQ

Common questions

Discussion

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