Cypress Test on GitHub Action is Not Failing as Expected? Let’s Debug Together!

Are you frustrated because your Cypress tests are not failing as expected when running on GitHub Actions? You’re not alone! In this article, we’ll dive into the common reasons behind this issue and provide you with step-by-step solutions to get your tests failing when they should.

Why are my Cypress tests not failing on GitHub Actions?

Before we dive into the solutions, let’s understand why this issue might be occurring in the first place. Here are some common reasons:

• Incorrect test configuration: Your Cypress test configuration might be incorrect, causing the tests to pass even when they should fail.
• CI/CD pipeline issues: The GitHub Actions pipeline might be configured incorrectly, leading to tests not running as expected.
• Dependency issues: Cypress or other dependencies might not be installed correctly, causing tests to not run as expected.
• Environment variable issues: Environment variables might not be set correctly, affecting the test execution.

Let’s troubleshoot!

Now that we’ve identified some common reasons, let’s go through a step-by-step troubleshooting process to identify and fix the issue.

Step 1: Review Your Cypress Test Configuration

Take a closer look at your `cypress/support/index.js` file. Ensure that:

• You have the correct `env` variables set.
• The `baseUrl` is correctly configured.
• Any necessary plugins or middleware are installed and configured.

import { addMatchImageSnapshotCommand } from 'cypress-image-snapshot/command';

export function configureCypress(envConfig) {
  // Ensure correct env variables are set
  envConfig.env.TEST_ENV = 'qa';

  // Correctly configure baseUrl
  envConfig.env.BASE_URL = 'https://example.com';

  // Install and configure necessary plugins
  addMatchImageSnapshotCommand(envConfig);
  return envConfig;
}

Step 2: Verify Your CI/CD Pipeline Configuration

Check your GitHub Actions workflow file (`*.yml` file) to ensure that:

• Cypress is installed correctly.
• The correct Cypress version is used.
• The test script is correctly defined.

name: Cypress Tests

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  cypress-tests:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v2

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install

      - name: Install Cypress
        run: npm install cypress@8.1.0

      - name: Run Cypress tests
        run: npx cypress run

Step 3: Check Cypress Installation and Dependencies

Verify that Cypress and its dependencies are installed correctly. You can do this by running:

npm ls cypress

This command will list all dependencies related to Cypress. Ensure that the correct version of Cypress is installed.

Step 4: Environment Variables and Secrets

Check that environment variables and secrets are correctly set in your GitHub Actions workflow file.

name: Cypress Tests

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  cypress-tests:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    env:
      TEST_ENV: qa
      BASE_URL: https://example.com
    secrets:
      CYPRESS_RECORD_KEY: ${{ secrets.CYPRESS_RECORD_KEY }}

Step 5: Review Cypress Test Code

Take a closer look at your Cypress test code. Ensure that:

• The test is written correctly.
• The correct assertions are used.
• Any necessary waits or retries are implemented.

describe('Login feature', () => {
  beforeEach(() => {
    cy.visit('https://example.com/login')
  })

  it('should display error message on invalid credentials', () => {
    cy.get('input[name="username"]').type('invalid-username')
    cy.get('input[name="password"]').type('invalid-password')
    cy.get('form').submit()
    cy.get('.error-message').should('contain', 'Invalid credentials')
  })
})

Solutions to Common Issues

Now that we’ve gone through the troubleshooting process, let’s address some common issues that might be causing your Cypress tests to not fail as expected on GitHub Actions:

Issue 1: Tests are passing even when they should fail

This might occur due to:

• Incorrect test configuration.
• Cypress not throwing errors correctly.

Solution:

• Review your test configuration and ensure it’s correct.
• Use `cy_debug()` to debug your tests and identify the issue.
• Use `Cypress.config.failOnNonZeroExitCode = true` to ensure Cypress fails the test if any command returns a non-zero exit code.

Issue 2: Tests are not running on GitHub Actions

This might occur due to:

• Incorrect CI/CD pipeline configuration.
• Cypress not installed correctly.

Solution:

• Review your GitHub Actions workflow file and ensure the pipeline is configured correctly.
• Verify that Cypress is installed correctly by running `npm ls cypress`.
• Ensure the correct Cypress version is used in your pipeline.

Issue 3: Environment variables and secrets are not set correctly

This might occur due to:

• Incorrect environment variable configuration.
• Secrets not set correctly.

Solution:

• Review your GitHub Actions workflow file and ensure environment variables and secrets are set correctly.
• Verify that environment variables are passed correctly to your Cypress tests.

Conclusion

By following this troubleshooting guide, you should be able to identify and fix the issue causing your Cypress tests to not fail as expected on GitHub Actions. Remember to review your test configuration, CI/CD pipeline configuration, Cypress installation, and environment variables to ensure everything is set up correctly. Happy testing!

Common Issue	Solution
Tests are passing even when they should fail	Review test configuration, use cy_debug(), and set failOnNonZeroExitCode to true
Tests are not running on GitHub Actions	Review pipeline configuration, verify Cypress installation, and ensure correct Cypress version
Environment variables and secrets are not set correctly	Review workflow file, verify environment variables, and set secrets correctly

Frequently Asked Question

Having trouble with Cypress tests on GitHub Actions? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Here are some frequently asked questions to help you troubleshoot the issue.