RSpec alert throttling to suppress duplicate failure messages

RSpec alert throttling to suppress duplicate failure messages

The goal is to configure RSpec so that identical alert messages (e.g., the same failure output for a shared example) are emitted only a limited number of times during a test run, reducing console noise without suppressing distinct failures.

Currently RSpec provides formatters and the RSpec::Core::Configuration object, but there is no declarative setting such as alert_throttle to cap repeated alerts. Implementing throttling requires a custom formatter that tracks example IDs or messages, which is not documented as a built‑in feature and may behave differently across RSpec 3.x and 4.x releases.

• Can RSpec be extended with a configuration option like RSpec.configure { |c| c.alert_throttle = N }?
• Would the formatter API need to accept a throttling parameter to suppress duplicate alerts automatically?
• Which stable RSpec version would first support such a feature without breaking existing formatter contracts?