cypress tap lets an AI agent access an already-running Cypress session in open mode. It can help discover sessions, run or rerun specs, check results, inspect a failure’s error and Command Log, and examine the app’s DOM and accessibility tree. It arrived in Cypress 15.21.0; the Cypress AI Toolkit says the cypress-tap skill requires Cypress 15.21 or later and a Chromium-family browser. Exact subcommands and options depend on the installed release, so start with cypress tap --help rather than relying on guessed syntax.
What the Cypress TAP CLI is for
The TAP CLI gives an AI agent a way to work with a Cypress session that is already open, instead of treating test execution and inspection as disconnected tasks. In that context, an agent can ask Cypress to start or rerun a spec, check how a run went, and inspect the failure or application state relevant to debugging.
This is a Cypress command-line feature, not a separate standalone product. Cypress introduced it in version 15.21.0. The Cypress AI Toolkit describes its cypress-tap skill as intended for authoring or debugging tests against an existing cypress open session, and specifies Cypress 15.21 or later plus a Chromium-family browser.
What you can do with it
Cypress’s changelog groups the feature’s documented work into several practical tasks:
- Find a session: list open Cypress sessions available to the agent.
- Run tests: start a spec or rerun one in the open session.
- Check execution: report run status and results.
- Investigate a failure: print a failing test’s error and Command Log.
- Inspect the app: examine the DOM and accessibility tree.
These capabilities connect test execution with the context needed to investigate it. For example, a developer might ask an agent to run a checkout spec in the open session and inspect the application at the failing command. That is an example of an adjacent Cypress-agent workflow, not a guarantee that a particular natural-language prompt or command sequence is built into the CLI.
Check prerequisites and the installed command syntax
- Use the project’s Cypress installation. Check that the project is using Cypress 15.21.0 or later, the release that introduced
cypress tap. The AI Toolkit states the cypress-tap skill requirement as Cypress 15.21 or later. - Open the Cypress session. This workflow depends on a running open-mode session; it is not a description of a way to operate against a session that has not been started.
- Use a supported browser family for the Toolkit skill. The AI Toolkit specifies a Chromium-family browser. Its statement concerns the skill requirement; do not assume that it establishes compatibility for every Cypress browser or configuration.
- Ask the local CLI for its help. Run
cypress tap --helpin the project’s environment. Cypress points to this help output for the full subcommand list. Use the installed release’s output to determine the exact invocation, arguments, and options for listing sessions, starting or rerunning a spec, checking results, or inspecting a failure.
The published feature summary establishes task categories and the JSON output switch, but not the detailed syntax for each subcommand. Do not infer flags, argument order, session identifiers, or invocation examples from those categories. If the help output differs from an example found elsewhere, prefer the help for the version actually installed.
Readable output and JSON
Each subcommand prints readable output by default. Add --json when you need machine-readable JSON, such as for an agent or another program to parse. Check the installed command’s help for where the option belongs in a specific invocation; the feature summary documents the switch but does not spell out every subcommand’s option placement or JSON schema.
How to use it to run and debug a spec
A safe workflow is to keep the open Cypress session as the shared context, ask the CLI for the installed command surface, then choose the documented operation that matches the debugging task. The steps below describe the sequence without inventing subcommand syntax:
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →- Start the project’s Cypress open-mode session with the project’s usual workflow and a Chromium-family browser.
- In the environment where the project’s Cypress CLI is available, run
cypress tap --helpand identify the installed release’s session-listing and spec-execution commands. - Use the documented session-listing operation to find the open session, then the documented spec operation to start or rerun the relevant test.
- Check the run status and results. If the test fails, use the documented failure-inspection operation to retrieve the error and Command Log.
- When the failure needs application context, use the documented inspection operation for the DOM or accessibility tree. Request JSON with
--jsonif the next step needs structured output; otherwise the readable default is intended for people to inspect.
For a prompt-based agent workflow, be specific about the spec and the evidence you need—for example, ask it to run the relevant spec in the current open session and inspect the app at the failing command. The Toolkit describes this general use case, but the CLI’s exact command forms still come from the installed help output.
Version-specific note and troubleshooting
cypress tapis not recognized: first check whether the project’s Cypress version is at least 15.21.0, the release that introduced the feature. Then runcypress tap --helpfrom the project environment so the command resolves against the intended installation.- No open session is available: this feature is for an existing open-mode session. Start Cypress open mode and check the local help for the session-listing operation before trying to run or inspect a spec.
- The requested subcommand or option is unclear: do not transfer syntax from another release or infer it from a task description. Consult
cypress tap --helpfor the installed version; Cypress’s changelog directs users there for the full subcommand list. - Old terminal output includes HTTP request lines: Cypress’s 15.21.1 changelog entry records a fix for
cypress tapprinting request lines such asGET /__cypress/sessions/<id>in the attachedcypress openterminal and obscuring its output. Treat that as a version-specific early-release issue, not expected behavior in current releases.
Do not confuse it with the archived Cypress CLI package
The similarly named archived Cypress CLI repository is a separate, deprecated predecessor. Its repository directs users to Cypress’s all-in-one cypress npm package. That old standalone package is not the modern cypress tap feature introduced in Cypress 15.21.0.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo is a separate option for taking website screenshots through an API; it does not run Cypress specs or provide access to a Cypress TAP session. If the task is simply to capture a web page, one GET request returns an image or PDF. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp
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ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie or consent banners and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and responses report page verdict and billing status in headers. An MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for AI agents. The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month without a card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Learn about ScreenshotNeo or sign up free for 1,000 screenshots a month with no card.
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