# ctest: property to exclude a test from default runs unless selected with -R

**URL:** <https://discourse.cmake.org/t/ctest-property-to-exclude-a-test-from-default-runs-unless-selected-with-r/15897>\
**Category:** Development\
**Tags:** tool:ctest\
**Created:** [November 1, 2026, 1:26pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/ctest-property-to-exclude-a-test-from-default-runs-unless-selected-with-r/15897 "2026-11-01T13:26:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rhabacker](https://discourse.cmake.org/user_avatar/discourse.cmake.org/rhabacker/32/5828_2.png) [@rhabacker](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/rhabacker)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 1:26pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/ctest-property-to-exclude-a-test-from-default-runs-unless-selected-with-r/15897/1 "2026-11-01T13:26:12Z")

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Today there is no way to mark a test as “run only on request” without  
every user remembering -LE or -E. DISABLED never runs, even with -R.

Proposal: test property MANUAL. A MANUAL test is skipped unless a -R  
regex is given and selects it. -E/-L/-LE/-I/-U do not select it on  
their own.

Open questions: the name (MANUAL vs DISABLED\_BY\_DEFAULT …), whether  
–tests-from-file should count as explicit, how DEPENDS on a manual  
test should behave, and fixtures (current patch: manual setup/cleanup  
tests still run when a selected test requires the fixture).