diff --git a/lib/spack/spack/cmd/commands.py b/lib/spack/spack/cmd/commands.py
index 5822bc06ca..25653b58ae 100644
--- a/lib/spack/spack/cmd/commands.py
+++ b/lib/spack/spack/cmd/commands.py
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ def format(self, cmd):
     'virtual': '_providers',
     'namespace': '_repos',
     'hash': '_all_resource_hashes',
-    'pytest': '_tests',
+    'pytest': '_unit_tests',
 }
 
 
diff --git a/share/spack/bash/spack-completion.in b/share/spack/bash/spack-completion.in
index 803563d9ce..f9cf846ec5 100755
--- a/share/spack/bash/spack-completion.in
+++ b/share/spack/bash/spack-completion.in
@@ -208,10 +208,10 @@ _repos() {
     SPACK_COMPREPLY="$SPACK_REPOS"
 }
 
-_tests() {
+_unit_tests() {
     if [[ -z "${SPACK_TESTS:-}" ]]
     then
-        SPACK_TESTS="$(spack test -l)"
+        SPACK_TESTS="$(spack unit-test -l)"
     fi
     SPACK_COMPREPLY="$SPACK_TESTS"
 }
diff --git a/share/spack/spack-completion.bash b/share/spack/spack-completion.bash
index bd7ae6db25..ff8506d36e 100755
--- a/share/spack/spack-completion.bash
+++ b/share/spack/spack-completion.bash
@@ -208,10 +208,10 @@ _repos() {
     SPACK_COMPREPLY="$SPACK_REPOS"
 }
 
-_tests() {
+_unit_tests() {
     if [[ -z "${SPACK_TESTS:-}" ]]
     then
-        SPACK_TESTS="$(spack test -l)"
+        SPACK_TESTS="$(spack unit-test -l)"
     fi
     SPACK_COMPREPLY="$SPACK_TESTS"
 }
@@ -1793,7 +1793,7 @@ _spack_unit_test() {
     then
         SPACK_COMPREPLY="-h --help -H --pytest-help -l --list -L --list-long -N --list-names --extension -s -k --showlocals"
     else
-        _tests
+        _unit_tests
     fi
 }