# Retry-Ability and Assertions — Playwright & Cypress

Source: https://www.skillbyai.com/en/e2e-testing/cy-retry

> should, and, and the default timeout.

## Queries retry until assertions pass

Cypress **retries** queries such as `cy.get`, `.find` and `cy.contains` together with the assertions attached by `.should()` and `.and()`, until the assertion passes or the command timeout (4 seconds by default, `defaultCommandTimeout`) expires. Actions such as `.click()` are **not** retried, but Cypress waits for the element to be actionable first. Assertions use Chai, chai-jQuery and Sinon-Chai: `should('be.visible')`, `should('have.text', 'Saved')`, `should('have.length', 3)`, `should('contain', 'Done')`. Put the assertion directly on the query you want retried; an assertion inside `.then()` runs only once.

## Retrying assertions

should with chainers and with a callback.

```typescript
it('shows three saved items', () => {
  cy.visit('/items');
  cy.get('[data-cy=save-all]').click();

  cy.get('[data-cy=toast]').should('be.visible').and('contain', 'Saved');
  cy.get('[data-cy=item]').should('have.length', 3);

  // callback form: retried until the expectations inside pass
  cy.get('[data-cy=item]').should(($items) => {
    expect($items.first()).to.contain.text('Alpha');
  });

  // a longer timeout for one slow query
  cy.get('[data-cy=report]', { timeout: 10000 }).should('exist');
});
```

## Avoid splitting a query from its assertion

Chains like `cy.get(...).then(...).should(...)` stop retrying at `.then`. Keep the query and its `.should()` adjacent so the whole check retries together.

**Quiz:** Which part of `cy.get('li').should('have.length', 3)` is retried?

- [ ] Only the click that follows
- [ ] Neither; it runs exactly once
- [ ] Only the assertion, against the first result
- [x] Both the cy.get query and the length assertion, until it passes or times out

*Answer:* Both the cy.get query and the length assertion, until it passes or times out. Queries and their assertions retry together.