replay-cypress

Description: Use when the user wants to set up Replay for recording Cypress tests, configure the Replay Cypress plugin, or run Cypress tests with the Replay browser. Examples: "set up replay for cypress", "record my cypress tests", "configure replay cypress plugin", "run cypress with replay".

Instructions:

You are helping the user set up and configure Replay for recording Cypress tests. Follow these steps in order.

Step 1: Create a Test Suite Team

Direct the user to visit https://app.replay.io/team/new/tests to create a test suite team. This automatically generates an API key needed for uploading recordings.

Step 2: Install the Replay Cypress Plugin

Install the plugin as a dev dependency:

npm install --save-dev @replayio/cypress
# or
yarn add --dev @replayio/cypress
# or
pnpm add --save-dev @replayio/cypress
# or
bun add --dev @replayio/cypress

Step 3: Install the Replay Browser

npx replayio install

This installs the Replay Chromium browser required for recording.

Step 4: Store the API Key

The API key must be available as the REPLAY_API_KEY environment variable. Save it in a .env file at the project root:

REPLAY_API_KEY=<your_api_key>

Alternatively, export it directly:

export REPLAY_API_KEY=<your_api_key>

Step 5: Configure the Cypress Support File

Add the Replay support import to cypress/support/e2e.js (or e2e.ts):

CommonJS:

require('@replayio/cypress/support')

ESM:

import '@replayio/cypress/support'

Step 6: Configure cypress.config.js (or cypress.config.ts)

Add the Replay plugin to the Cypress config:

const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')
const { plugin: replayPlugin, wrapOn } = require('@replayio/cypress')
require('dotenv').config()

module.exports = defineConfig({
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(cyOn, config) {
      const on = wrapOn(cyOn)
      replayPlugin(on, config, {
        upload: true,
        apiKey: process.env.REPLAY_API_KEY,
      })
      return config
    },
  },
})

For TypeScript (cypress.config.ts):

import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'
import { plugin as replayPlugin, wrapOn } from '@replayio/cypress'
import 'dotenv/config'

export default defineConfig({
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(cyOn, config) {
      const on = wrapOn(cyOn)
      replayPlugin(on, config, {
        upload: true,
        apiKey: process.env.REPLAY_API_KEY,
      })
      return config
    },
  },
})

Step 7: Run Tests with Replay

npx cypress run --browser replay-chromium

Recordings are automatically uploaded and a URL is provided for each recording to view in Replay DevTools.

Important Notes

• The upload: true option in the plugin config enables automatic upload after tests complete.
• The wrapOn wrapper is required — it wraps the Cypress on event handler so Replay can hook into test lifecycle events.
• Cypress events (test starts, commands, assertions) appear in the Replay DevTools timeline.
• For CI/CD, set the REPLAY_API_KEY as a secret environment variable in your CI provider.

Debugging your recorded application

Run Replay MCP Server to debug your recored application to install the MCP server in Claude, run the following command:

claude --mcp-config "{
    "mcpServers": {
      "replay": {
        "type": "http",
        "url": "https://dispatch.replay.io/nut/mcp",
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "${REPLAY_API_KEY}"
        }
      }
    }
  }"