# How do we run start\_suite (listener function) only once for all tests using pabot?
**URL:** https://forum.robotframework.org/t/how-do-we-run-start-suite-listener-function-only-once-for-all-tests-using-pabot/7885
**Category:** Pabot
**Created:** [6 October 2024 12:24 UTC](https://forum.robotframework.org/t/how-do-we-run-start-suite-listener-function-only-once-for-all-tests-using-pabot/7885 "2024-10-06T12:24:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@yadubhushan](https://forum.robotframework.org/u/yadubhushan)
#### Post date: [6 October 2024 12:24 UTC](https://forum.robotframework.org/t/how-do-we-run-start-suite-listener-function-only-once-for-all-tests-using-pabot/7885/1 "2024-10-06T12:24:28Z")
Looks like the start\_suite function runs before every test case in robot file when we run tests in parallel using pabot witn option --splittestlevel. Could someone suggest if there is a way to make start\_suite run only once for all test cases? Below is what is happening for me now on running tests in parallel using pabot
start\_suite
start\_test
test a
end\_test
end\_suite
start\_suite
start\_test
test b
end\_test
end\_suite
However, I have been exploring to make it work like below
start\_suite
start\_test
test a
end\_test
start\_test
test b
end\_test
end\_suite
---
### Author:  [@damies13](https://forum.robotframework.org/u/damies13)
#### Post date: [6 October 2024 12:30 UTC](https://forum.robotframework.org/t/how-do-we-run-start-suite-listener-function-only-once-for-all-tests-using-pabot/7885/2 "2024-10-06T12:30:07Z")
Hi Bhushan,
See `Run Setup Only Once` in [Execution affecting keywords](https://pabot.org/PabotLib.html#execution)
Dave.
---
### Author:  [@yadubhushan](https://forum.robotframework.org/u/yadubhushan)
#### Post date: [6 October 2024 12:35 UTC](https://forum.robotframework.org/t/how-do-we-run-start-suite-listener-function-only-once-for-all-tests-using-pabot/7885/3 "2024-10-06T12:35:48Z")
@damies13 Thanks for the response
I tried to do it. But could not import the pabot library in robot file. Could you suggest on how to import it? I tried below
Library. pabot/PabotLib
---
### Author:  [@damies13](https://forum.robotframework.org/u/damies13)
#### Post date: [6 October 2024 13:17 UTC](https://forum.robotframework.org/t/how-do-we-run-start-suite-listener-function-only-once-for-all-tests-using-pabot/7885/4 "2024-10-06T13:17:21Z")
Hi Bhushan,
There’s additional info on the [pabot github page](https://github.com/mkorpela/pabot)
- When you run pabot, you need to use the `--pabotlib` option
- the library import is (you were close):
```python
Library pabot.PabotLib
```
Dave.
---
### Author:  [@yadubhushan](https://forum.robotframework.org/u/yadubhushan)
#### Post date: [7 October 2024 16:21 UTC](https://forum.robotframework.org/t/how-do-we-run-start-suite-listener-function-only-once-for-all-tests-using-pabot/7885/5 "2024-10-07T16:21:31Z")
@damies13 I am able to import pabot library now. There was an issue with my IDE due to which it could not recognize the library. Thanks