Our first design for test parallelization failed

ABQ, an open-source universal test runner, distributes test suites across parallel CI jobs through a queue so workers can pull tests dynamically and finish more evenly than with fixed file-based partitions. Its initial design used a clustered model in which one worker generated the test manifest and reported results while all workers synchronized their exit statuses, but this created costly idle time when slow tests delayed completion and made flaky-test retries inefficient because entire clusters had to be rerun. Built-in automated retries reduced some failures but did not eliminate the need for full-suite reruns. ABQ was redesigned around independent “atomic” workers that exit when their assigned tests are complete, retain records of dispatched tests so individual workers can be retried with the same workload, and use a separate reporting command to aggregate results after the cluster finishes. The team released the revised tool publicly and plans further work on compute-efficient handling of flaky CI tests, alongside its related Captain product.

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