---
id: api/commands/task
title: cy.task()
description: Execute code in Node.js via the task plugin event in Cypress.
section: api
source_path: docs/api/commands/task.mdx
version: 3163d68b20e695f2c76d40c85c3f3b956dd19a3b
updated_at: '2026-08-21T20:59:04.402Z'
---
# task

Execute code in [Node](https://nodejs.org) via the `task` plugin event.

**Anti-Pattern**

We do not recommend starting a web server using `cy.task()`. Read about [best practices](/llm/markdown/app/core-concepts/best-practices.md#Web-Servers) here.

## Syntax

```
cy.task(event)
cy.task(event, arg)
cy.task(event, arg, options)
```

### Usage

**Correct Usage**

```
// in test
cy.task('log', 'This will be output to the terminal')
```

*   cypress.config.js
*   cypress.config.ts

```
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')

module.exports = defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        log(message) {
          console.log(message)

          return null
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

```
import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'

export default defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        log(message) {
          console.log(message)

          return null
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

The `task` plugin event handler can return a value or a promise. The command will fail if `undefined` is returned or if the promise is resolved with `undefined`. This helps catch typos or cases where the task event is not handled.

If you do not need to return a value, explicitly return `null` to signal that the given event has been handled.

### Arguments

**event _(String)_**

An event name to be handled via the `task` event in the [setupNodeEvents](/llm/markdown/app/plugins/plugins-guide.md#Using-a-plugin) function.

**arg _(Object)_**

An argument to send along with the event. This can be any value that can be serialized by [JSON.stringify()](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/JSON/stringify). Unserializable types such as functions, regular expressions, or symbols will be omitted to `null`.

If you need to pass multiple arguments, use an object

```
// in test
cy.task('hello', { greeting: 'Hello', name: 'World' })
```

*   cypress.config.js
*   cypress.config.ts

```
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')

module.exports = defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        // deconstruct the individual properties
        hello({ greeting, name }) {
          console.log('%s, %s', greeting, name)

          return null
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

```
import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'

export default defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        // deconstruct the individual properties
        hello({ greeting, name }) {
          console.log('%s, %s', greeting, name)

          return null
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

**options _(Object)_**

Pass in an options object to change the default behavior of `cy.task()`.

| Option | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `log` | `true` | Displays the command in the [Command log](/llm/markdown/app/core-concepts/open-mode.md#Command-Log) |
| `timeout` | [`taskTimeout`](/llm/markdown/app/references/configuration.md#Timeouts) | Time to wait for `cy.task()` to resolve before [timing out](#Timeouts) |

### Yields

`cy.task()` yields the value returned or resolved by the `task` event in [setupNodeEvents](/llm/markdown/app/plugins/plugins-guide.md#Using-a-plugin).

## Examples

`cy.task()` provides an escape hatch for running arbitrary Node code, so you can take actions necessary for your tests outside of the scope of Cypress. This is great for:

*   Seeding your test database.
*   Storing state in Node that you want persisted between spec files.
*   Performing parallel tasks, like making multiple http requests outside of Cypress.
*   Running an external process.

### Read a file that might not exist

Command [cy.readFile()](/llm/markdown/api/commands/readfile.md) assumes the file exists. If you need to read a file that might not exist, use `cy.task`.

```
// in test
cy.task('readFileMaybe', 'my-file.txt').then((textOrNull) => { ... })
```

*   cypress.config.js
*   cypress.config.ts

```
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')
const fs = require('fs')

module.exports = defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        readFileMaybe(filename) {
          if (fs.existsSync(filename)) {
            return fs.readFileSync(filename, 'utf8')
          }

          return null
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

```
import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'
import fs from 'fs'

export default defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        readFileMaybe(filename) {
          if (fs.existsSync(filename)) {
            return fs.readFileSync(filename, 'utf8')
          }

          return null
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

### Return number of files in the folder

```
// in test
cy.task('countFiles', 'cypress/downloads').then((count) => { ... })
```

*   cypress.config.js
*   cypress.config.ts

```
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')
const fs = require('fs')

module.exports = defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        countFiles(folderName) {
          return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
            fs.readdir(folderName, (err, files) => {
              if (err) {
                return reject(err)
              }

              resolve(files.length)
            })
          })
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

```
import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'
import fs from 'fs'

export default defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        countFiles(folderName) {
          return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
            fs.readdir(folderName, (err, files) => {
              if (err) {
                return reject(err)
              }

              resolve(files.length)
            })
          })
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

### Seed a database

```
// in test
describe('e2e', () => {
  beforeEach(() => {
    cy.task('defaults:db')
    cy.visit('/')
  })

  it('displays article values', () => {
    cy.get('.article-list').should('have.length', 10)
  })
})
```

*   cypress.config.js
*   cypress.config.ts

```
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')
// we require some code in our app that
// is responsible for seeding our database
const db = require('../../server/src/db')

module.exports = defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        'defaults:db': () => {
          return db.seed('defaults')
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

```
import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'
// we require some code in our app that
// is responsible for seeding our database
import db from '../../server/src/db'

export default defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        'defaults:db': () => {
          return db.seed('defaults')
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

### Clean up and verify downloaded files

Tasks are a good fit for file system work, such as emptying the downloads folder between tests and then finding the file the test just downloaded. `config.downloadsFolder` is the resolved absolute path, so the task keeps working if the project overrides [`downloadsFolder`](/llm/markdown/app/references/configuration.md#Downloads).

downloads.cy.js

```
cy.task('clearDownloads')

cy.task('latestDownload').then((filepath) => {
  expect(filepath).to.be.a('string')
  cy.readFile(filepath)
})
```

*   cypress.config.js
*   cypress.config.ts

```
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')
const fs = require('fs')
const path = require('path')

module.exports = defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      const downloads = config.downloadsFolder

      on('task', {
        clearDownloads() {
          fs.rmSync(downloads, { recursive: true, force: true })
          fs.mkdirSync(downloads, { recursive: true })

          return null
        },

        latestDownload() {
          const files = fs
            .readdirSync(downloads)
            .map((name) => ({
              name,
              time: fs.statSync(path.join(downloads, name)).mtimeMs,
            }))
            .sort((a, b) => b.time - a.time)

          return files.length ? path.join(downloads, files[0].name) : null
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

```
import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'
import fs from 'fs'
import path from 'path'

export default defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      const downloads = config.downloadsFolder

      on('task', {
        clearDownloads() {
          fs.rmSync(downloads, { recursive: true, force: true })
          fs.mkdirSync(downloads, { recursive: true })

          return null
        },

        latestDownload() {
          const files = fs
            .readdirSync(downloads)
            .map((name) => ({
              name,
              time: fs.statSync(path.join(downloads, name)).mtimeMs,
            }))
            .sort((a, b) => b.time - a.time)

          return files.length ? path.join(downloads, files[0].name) : null
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

Cypress already trashes the downloads folder before `cypress run` when [`trashAssetsBeforeRuns`](/llm/markdown/app/references/configuration.md#trashAssetsBeforeRuns) is enabled, which it is by default. A `clearDownloads` task is for clearing the folder between tests within a run.

### Run an external command or CLI

When setup depends on a tool that isn't a Node module, such as a Docker container, a database CLI, or a cloud provider's command line tool, spawn it from the task with [`child_process.execFileSync()`](https://nodejs.org/api/child_process.html#child_processexecfilesynccommand-args-options). Passing the arguments as an array avoids the shell entirely, so quoting and `PATH` resolution behave the same way on every platform.

database.cy.js

```
cy.task('resetDatabase')
```

*   cypress.config.js
*   cypress.config.ts

```
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')
const { execFileSync } = require('child_process')

module.exports = defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        resetDatabase() {
          execFileSync('docker', ['exec', 'db', 'reset-script'], {
            stdio: 'pipe',
          })

          return null
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

```
import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'
import { execFileSync } from 'child_process'

export default defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        resetDatabase() {
          execFileSync('docker', ['exec', 'db', 'reset-script'], {
            stdio: 'pipe',
          })

          return null
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

A task can also return the command's output to the test:

bucket.cy.js

```
cy.task('listBucket', 's3://my-test-bucket').should('have.length', 3)
```

*   cypress.config.js
*   cypress.config.ts

```
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')
const { execFileSync } = require('child_process')

module.exports = defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        listBucket(bucket) {
          const output = execFileSync('aws', ['s3', 'ls', bucket], {
            encoding: 'utf8',
          })

          return output.split('\n').filter(Boolean)
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

```
import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'
import { execFileSync } from 'child_process'

export default defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        listBucket(bucket) {
          const output = execFileSync('aws', ['s3', 'ls', bucket], {
            encoding: 'utf8',
          })

          return output.split('\n').filter(Boolean)
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

### Run Node code before each test

There is no `setupNodeEvents` event for each test. To run Node code before every test, call `cy.task()` from a global `beforeEach` in your [support file](/llm/markdown/app/core-concepts/writing-and-organizing-tests.md#Support-file).

```
// cypress/support/e2e.js
beforeEach(function () {
  cy.task('logTestStart', this.currentTest.fullTitle())
})
```

*   cypress.config.js
*   cypress.config.ts

```
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')

module.exports = defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        logTestStart(title) {
          console.log(`Starting: ${title}`)

          return null
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

```
import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'

export default defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        logTestStart(title) {
          console.log(`Starting: ${title}`)

          return null
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

### Return a Promise from an asynchronous task

```
// in test
cy.task('pause', 1000)
```

*   cypress.config.js
*   cypress.config.ts

```
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')

module.exports = defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        pause(ms) {
          return new Promise((resolve) => {
            // tasks should not resolve with undefined
            setTimeout(() => resolve(null), ms)
          })
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

```
import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'

export default defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        pause(ms) {
          return new Promise((resolve) => {
            // tasks should not resolve with undefined
            setTimeout(() => resolve(null), ms)
          })
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

### Save a variable across non same-origin URL visits

When visiting non same-origin URL, Cypress will [change the hosted URL to the new URL](/llm/markdown/app/guides/cross-origin-testing.md), wiping the state of any local variables. We want to save a variable across visiting non same-origin URLs.

We can save the variable and retrieve the saved variable outside of the test using `cy.task()` as shown below.

```
// in test
describe('Href visit', () => {
  it('captures href', () => {
    cy.visit('https://example.cypress.io')
    cy.get('a')
      .invoke('attr', 'href')
      .then((href) => {
        // href is not same-origin as current url
        // like https://www.cypress-dx.com
        cy.task('setHref', href)
      })
  })

  it('visit href', () => {
    cy.task('getHref').then((href) => {
      // visit non same-origin url https://www.cypress-dx.com
      cy.visit(href)
    })
  })
})
```

*   cypress.config.js
*   cypress.config.ts

```
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')
let href

module.exports = defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        setHref: (val) => {
          return (href = val)
        },
        getHref: () => {
          return href
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

```
import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'
let href: string

export default defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        setHref: (val) => {
          return (href = val)
        },
        getHref: () => {
          return href
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

### Command options

#### Change the timeout

You can increase the time allowed to execute the task, although _we do not recommend executing tasks that take a long time to exit_.

Cypress will _not_ continue running any other commands until `cy.task()` has finished, so a long-running command will drastically slow down your test runs.

```
// will fail if seeding the database takes longer than 20 seconds to finish
cy.task('seedDatabase', null, { timeout: 20000 })
```

## Notes

### Tasks must end

#### Tasks that do not end are not supported

`cy.task()` does not support tasks that do not end, such as:

*   Starting a server.
*   A task that watches for file changes.
*   Any process that needs to be manually interrupted to stop.

A task must end within the `taskTimeout` or Cypress will fail the current test.

### Tasks are merged automatically

Sometimes you might be using plugins that export their tasks for registration. Cypress automatically merges `on('task')` objects for you. For example if you are using [cypress-skip-and-only-ui](https://github.com/bahmutov/cypress-skip-and-only-ui) plugin and want to install your own task to read a file that might not exist:

*   cypress.config.js
*   cypress.config.ts

```
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')
const skipAndOnlyTask = require('cypress-skip-and-only-ui/task')
const fs = require('fs')
const myTask = {
  readFileMaybe(filename) {
    if (fs.existsSync(filename)) {
      return fs.readFileSync(filename, 'utf8')
    }

    return null
  },
}

module.exports = defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      // register plugin's task
      on('task', skipAndOnlyTask)
      // and register my own task
      on('task', myTask)
    },
  },
})
```

```
import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'
import skipAndOnlyTask from 'cypress-skip-and-only-ui/task'
import fs from 'fs'
const myTask = {
  readFileMaybe(filename) {
    if (fs.existsSync(filename)) {
      return fs.readFileSync(filename, 'utf8')
    }

    return null
  },
}

export default defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      // register plugin's task
      on('task', skipAndOnlyTask)
      // and register my own task
      on('task', myTask)
    },
  },
})
```

See [#2284](https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/issues/2284) for implementation.

**Duplicate task keys**

If multiple task objects use the same key, the later registration will overwrite that particular key, similar to how merging multiple objects with duplicate keys will overwrite the first one.

### Reset timeout via `Cypress.config()`

You can change the timeout of `cy.task()` for the remainder of the tests by setting the new values for `taskTimeout` within [Cypress.config()](/llm/markdown/api/cypress-api/config.md).

```
Cypress.config('taskTimeout', 30000)
Cypress.config('taskTimeout') // => 30000
```

### Set timeout in the test configuration

You can configure the `cy.task()` timeout within a suite or test by passing the new configuration value within the [test configuration](/llm/markdown/app/references/configuration.md#Test-Configuration).

This will set the timeout throughout the duration of the tests, then return it to the default `taskTimeout` when complete.

```
describe('has data available from database', { taskTimeout: 90000 }, () => {
  before(() => {
    cy.task('seedDatabase')
  })

  // tests

  after(() => {
    cy.task('resetDatabase')
  })
})
```

### Allows a single argument only

The syntax `cy.task(name, arg, options)` only has place for a single argument to be passed from the test code to the plugins code. In the situations where you would like to pass multiple arguments, place them into an object to be destructured inside the task code. For example, if you would like to execute a database query and pass the database profile name you could do:

```
// in test
const dbName = 'stagingA'
const query = 'SELECT * FROM users'

cy.task('queryDatabase', { dbName, query })
```

*   cypress.config.js
*   cypress.config.ts

```
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')
const mysql = require('mysql')
// the connection strings for different databases could
// come from system environment variables
const connections = {
  stagingA: {
    host: 'staging.my.co',
    user: 'test',
    password: '***',
    database: 'users',
  },
  stagingB: {
    host: 'staging-b.my.co',
    user: 'test',
    password: '***',
    database: 'users',
  },
}

// querying the database from Node
function queryDB(connectionInfo, query) {
  const connection = mysql.createConnection(connectionInfo)

  connection.connect()

  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
    connection.query(query, (error, results) => {
      if (error) {
        return reject(error)
      }

      connection.end()

      return resolve(results)
    })
  })
}

module.exports = defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        // destructure the argument into the individual fields
        queryDatabase({ dbName, query }) {
          const connectionInfo = connections[dbName]

          if (!connectionInfo) {
            throw new Error(`Do not have DB connection under name ${dbName}`)
          }

          return queryDB(connectionInfo, query)
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

```
import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'
import mysql from 'mysql'
// the connection strings for different databases could
// come from system environment variables
const connections = {
  stagingA: {
    host: 'staging.my.co',
    user: 'test',
    password: '***',
    database: 'users',
  },
  stagingB: {
    host: 'staging-b.my.co',
    user: 'test',
    password: '***',
    database: 'users',
  },
}

// querying the database from Node
function queryDB(connectionInfo, query) {
  const connection = mysql.createConnection(connectionInfo)

  connection.connect()

  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
    connection.query(query, (error, results) => {
      if (error) {
        return reject(error)
      }

      connection.end()

      return resolve(results)
    })
  })
}

export default defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        // destructure the argument into the individual fields
        queryDatabase({ dbName, query }) {
          const connectionInfo = connections[dbName]

          if (!connectionInfo) {
            throw new Error(`Do not have DB connection under name ${dbName}`)
          }

          return queryDB(connectionInfo, query)
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

### Argument should be serializable

The argument `arg` sent via `cy.task(name, arg)` should be serializable; it cannot have circular dependencies (issue [#5539](https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/issues/5539)). If there are any special fields like `Date`, you are responsible for their conversion (issue [#4980](https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/issues/4980)):

```
// in test
cy.task('date', new Date()).then((s) => {
  // the yielded result is a string
  // we need to convert it to Date object
  const result = new Date(s)
})
```

*   cypress.config.js
*   cypress.config.ts

```
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')

module.exports = defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        date(s) {
          // s is a string, so convert it to Date
          const d = new Date(s)

          // do something with the date
          // and return it back
          return d
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

```
import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'

export default defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      on('task', {
        date(s) {
          // s is a string, so convert it to Date
          const d = new Date(s)

          // do something with the date
          // and return it back
          return d
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

### Accessing secrets securely

You can use `cy.task()` to securely access secrets at runtime when they aren't available during configuration. Using `cy.task()` may be useful when secrets are retrieved from external secret managers or APIs that aren't available at configuration time.

[cy.env()](/llm/markdown/api/commands/env.md) is the preferred way to access secrets securely and use them in your tests, and is recommended for secrets that are available at configuration time.

```
// in test - executes at runtime
cy.task('getSecret', 'API_KEY').then((apiKey) => {
  cy.request({
    method: 'POST',
    url: 'https://api.example.com/data',
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
    },
  })
})
```

*   cypress.config.js
*   cypress.config.ts

```
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress')

module.exports = defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      // Task definition - executes when cy.task() is called in tests
      on('task', {
        getSecret(secretName) {
          // This reads from process.env at runtime, not at configuration time
          // Useful when secrets are fetched dynamically or only needed conditionally
          const secret = process.env[secretName]

          if (!secret) {
            throw new Error(`Secret ${secretName} is not set`)
          }

          return secret
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

```
import { defineConfig } from 'cypress'

export default defineConfig({
  // setupNodeEvents can be defined in either
  // the e2e or component configuration
  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      // Task definition - executes when cy.task() is called in tests
      on('task', {
        getSecret(secretName: string) {
          // This reads from process.env at runtime, not at configuration time
          // Useful when secrets are fetched dynamically or only needed conditionally
          const secret = process.env[secretName]

          if (!secret) {
            throw new Error(`Secret ${secretName} is not set`)
          }

          return secret
        },
      })
    },
  },
})
```

## Rules

### Requirements

*   `cy.task()` requires being chained off of `cy`.
*   `cy.task()` requires the task to eventually end.

### Assertions

*   `cy.task()` will only run assertions you have chained once, and will not [retry](/llm/markdown/app/core-concepts/retry-ability.md).

### Timeouts

*   `cy.task()` can time out waiting for the task to end.

## Command Log

This example uses the [Return number of files in the folder](#Return-number-of-files-in-the-folder) task defined above.

```
cy.task('countFiles', 'cypress/e2e')
```

The command above will display in the Command Log as:

When clicking on the `task` command within the command log, the console outputs the following:

## History

| Version | Changes |
| --- | --- |
| [3.0.0](/llm/markdown/app/references/changelog.md#3-0-0) | `cy.task()` command added |

## See also

*   [`cy.fixture()`](/llm/markdown/api/commands/fixture.md)
*   [`cy.readFile()`](/llm/markdown/api/commands/readfile.md)
*   [`cy.request()`](/llm/markdown/api/commands/request.md)
*   [`cy.writeFile()`](/llm/markdown/api/commands/writefile.md)