normally in a CI/CD pipeline, you'll see what asserts failed in the log output. Github Actions with pytest shows the context of the failed asserts in the log output. TBH, thought this was standard behavior, do you have experience with a CI pipeline that differs?

All the other points you make as negatives are all positives for me. Biggest thing is, if you're making this change that alters things so drastically, is that really a good approach.

Also, fixtures aren't magic. If you can't scope the fixture to module or session, that means by default it runs in function scope, which would be the same thing as having expensive setup/teardown. And untangling fixtures can be a bgger PITA than untangling unexpected circular imports