[Bug] When using the new format for tags (tags under config), column tests do not inherit the column level tags - causing differences in test selection

[Daniel-Wiszowaty]

Is this a new bug in dbt-core?

• I believe this is a new bug in dbt-core
• I have searched the existing issues, and I could not find an existing issue for this bug

Current Behavior

When having column level tags, the selection does not get picked up through dbt test -s "tag:tag"

Expected Behavior

The tests do get picked up.

Steps To Reproduce

version: 2

models:
  - name: orders
    columns:
      - name: order_id
        config:
          tags: [my_column_tag] # does not work
        data_tests:
          - unique

Run dbt test -s "tag:my_column_tag"

The selection criterion 'tag:my_column_tag' does not match any enabled nodes

The solution for now is to have test level tags

version: 2

models:
  - name: orders
    columns:
      - name: order_id
        data_tests:
          - unique:
            config:
              tags: [my_test_tag] # does somehow work but it's 2x code for unique and not_null

Relevant log output

Environment

- OS: MacOS
- Python:
- dbt: 1.10.10 Versionless Cloud

Which database adapter are you using with dbt?

snowflake

Additional Context

We got the issue after dbt 1.10 & dbt-autofix
Docs

If we remove the config: and indentation it seems to work, so something is off with the new config

Possible regression in #11839 ?

[jeremyyeo]

I would rightly call this issue:

When using the new format for tags (tags under config), column tests do not inherit the column level tags.

# models/schema.yml
models:
  - name: foo
    columns:
      - name: c1
        tags: ["yet_another_tag"]
        tests:
          - not_null
      - name: c2
        config:
          tags: ["yet_another_tag"]
        tests:
          - not_null

• Column c1 is tagged with the old way.
• Column c2 is tagged with the new way.

Compile project and inspect the test nodes in `manifest.json`...

    "test.analytics.not_null_foo_c1.22e255e9e3": {
      "database": "postgres",
      "schema": "public_dbt_test__audit",
      "name": "not_null_foo_c1",
      "resource_type": "test",
      "package_name": "analytics",
      "path": "not_null_foo_c1.sql",
      "original_file_path": "models/sch.yml",
      "unique_id": "test.analytics.not_null_foo_c1.22e255e9e3",
      "fqn": ["analytics", "not_null_foo_c1"],
      "alias": "not_null_foo_c1",
      "checksum": { "name": "none", "checksum": "" },
      "config": {
        "enabled": true,
        "alias": null,
        "schema": "dbt_test__audit",
        "database": null,
        "tags": [],
        "meta": {},
        "group": null,
        "materialized": "test",
        "severity": "ERROR",
        "store_failures": null,
        "store_failures_as": null,
        "where": null,
        "limit": null,
        "fail_calc": "count(*)",
        "warn_if": "!= 0",
        "error_if": "!= 0"
      },
      "tags": ["yet_another_tag"],
      "description": "",
      "columns": {},
      "meta": {},
      "group": null,
      "docs": { "show": true, "node_color": null },
      "patch_path": null,
      "build_path": null,
      "unrendered_config": {},
      "created_at": 1757043168.129194,
      "relation_name": null,
      "raw_code": "{{ test_not_null(**_dbt_generic_test_kwargs) }}",
      "doc_blocks": [],
      "language": "sql",
      "refs": [{ "name": "foo", "package": null, "version": null }],
      "sources": [],
      "metrics": [],
      "depends_on": {
        "macros": ["macro.dbt.test_not_null", "macro.dbt.get_where_subquery"],
        "nodes": ["model.analytics.foo"]
      },
      "compiled_path": "target/compiled/analytics/models/sch.yml/not_null_foo_c1.sql",
      "compiled": true,
      "compiled_code": "\n    \n    \n\n\n\nselect c1\nfrom \"postgres\".\"public\".\"foo\"\nwhere c1 is null\n\n\n",
      "extra_ctes_injected": true,
      "extra_ctes": [],
      "contract": { "enforced": false, "alias_types": true, "checksum": null },
      "column_name": "c1",
      "file_key_name": "models.foo",
      "attached_node": "model.analytics.foo",
      "test_metadata": {
        "name": "not_null",
        "kwargs": {
          "column_name": "c1",
          "model": "{{ get_where_subquery(ref('foo')) }}"
        },
        "namespace": null
      }
    },
    "test.analytics.not_null_foo_c2.760e1fe464": {
      "database": "postgres",
      "schema": "public_dbt_test__audit",
      "name": "not_null_foo_c2",
      "resource_type": "test",
      "package_name": "analytics",
      "path": "not_null_foo_c2.sql",
      "original_file_path": "models/sch.yml",
      "unique_id": "test.analytics.not_null_foo_c2.760e1fe464",
      "fqn": ["analytics", "not_null_foo_c2"],
      "alias": "not_null_foo_c2",
      "checksum": { "name": "none", "checksum": "" },
      "config": {
        "enabled": true,
        "alias": null,
        "schema": "dbt_test__audit",
        "database": null,
        "tags": [],
        "meta": {},
        "group": null,
        "materialized": "test",
        "severity": "ERROR",
        "store_failures": null,
        "store_failures_as": null,
        "where": null,
        "limit": null,
        "fail_calc": "count(*)",
        "warn_if": "!= 0",
        "error_if": "!= 0"
      },
      "tags": [],
      "description": "",
      "columns": {},
      "meta": {},
      "group": null,
      "docs": { "show": true, "node_color": null },
      "patch_path": null,
      "build_path": null,
      "unrendered_config": {},
      "created_at": 1757043168.1300118,
      "relation_name": null,
      "raw_code": "{{ test_not_null(**_dbt_generic_test_kwargs) }}",
      "doc_blocks": [],
      "language": "sql",
      "refs": [{ "name": "foo", "package": null, "version": null }],
      "sources": [],
      "metrics": [],
      "depends_on": {
        "macros": ["macro.dbt.test_not_null", "macro.dbt.get_where_subquery"],
        "nodes": ["model.analytics.foo"]
      },
      "compiled_path": "target/compiled/analytics/models/sch.yml/not_null_foo_c2.sql",
      "compiled": true,
      "compiled_code": "\n    \n    \n\n\n\nselect c2\nfrom \"postgres\".\"public\".\"foo\"\nwhere c2 is null\n\n\n",
      "extra_ctes_injected": true,
      "extra_ctes": [],
      "contract": { "enforced": false, "alias_types": true, "checksum": null },
      "column_name": "c2",
      "file_key_name": "models.foo",
      "attached_node": "model.analytics.foo",
      "test_metadata": {
        "name": "not_null",
        "kwargs": {
          "column_name": "c2",
          "model": "{{ get_where_subquery(ref('foo')) }}"
        },
        "namespace": null
      }
    }
  },

Observe:

• Node test.analytics.not_null_foo_c1.22e255e9e3 has "tags": ["yet_another_tag"]
• Node test.analytics.not_null_foo_c2.760e1fe464 has "tags": []

Which causes:

$ dbt test -s 'tag:yet_another_tag'

03:37:36  Running with dbt=1.10.11
03:37:36  Registered adapter: postgres=1.9.0
03:37:36  Found 1 model, 2 data tests, 434 macros
03:37:36  
03:37:36  Concurrency: 1 threads (target='pg')
03:37:36  
03:37:36  1 of 1 START test not_null_foo_c1 .............................................. [RUN]
03:37:36  1 of 1 PASS not_null_foo_c1 .................................................... [PASS in 0.05s]
03:37:36  
03:37:36  Finished running 1 test in 0 hours 0 minutes and 0.13 seconds (0.13s).
03:37:36  
03:37:36  Completed successfully
03:37:36  
03:37:36  Done. PASS=1 WARN=0 ERROR=0 SKIP=0 NO-OP=0 TOTAL=1

not_null_foo_c2 isn't executed cause it is not tagged as such.

---

Additional consideration: As we fix this, might need to think about good ol' "state:modified" false positivo maybe?