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From your Cypress project’s root directory, run npx cypress run. It runs the project’s discovered specs to completion, headlessly by default. You do not need --spec unless you want to select a subset. What counts as “all” depends on the project’s testing type and its specPattern and excludeSpecPattern settings.
Run the full discovered suite from the command line
Open a terminal at the project root—the directory containing the Cypress project—and run:
npx cypress runCypress documents cypress run as running tests to completion. By default, the CLI runs headlessly. The command runs the specs Cypress discovers for the configured project and testing type; it does not mean every test-like file anywhere on your computer. See the Cypress CLI reference and Cypress test organization documentation.
Package-manager alternatives
If your project uses another package manager, Cypress documents these equivalent forms:
yarn cypress runpnpm cypress runbunx cypress run
Use the form appropriate to the project’s setup. If you need to target a different project directory, run the command with the CLI’s --project option.
What “all specs” includes—and excludes
Cypress discovers specs according to the configuration for the active testing type, such as E2E or Component Testing. The configured specPattern determines which files are eligible, while excludeSpecPattern removes matching files from discovery. Consequently, a full run means all specs eligible under the project’s configuration—not necessarily every file with a test-like name.
For a full discovered-suite run, do not add --spec. That option narrows the run to a file, comma-separated files, or a glob, and the selected paths must still match the configured specPattern. For example:
npx cypress run --spec "cypress/e2e/login.cy.js
ernpx cypress run --spec "cypress/e2e/login/**/*"Use quoted globs so your shell does not expand them before Cypress receives the argument. These are targeted runs, not commands for the complete suite. Details are in the CLI reference.
Choose the right way to run multiple specs
| Approach | Where it runs | What it runs | Key trade-off or requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
npx cypress run |
One local or CI machine | All specs discovered for the configured project, unless configuration or command filtering narrows them | Simple full-suite invocation; runs on that machine. |
npx cypress run --spec ... |
One machine | Only the selected files or glob that also match specPattern |
Useful for focused runs, not the entire discovered suite. |
npx cypress run --record --parallel |
Multiple CI machines coordinated through Cypress Cloud | Recorded specs distributed across machines | Requires recording and configured CI parallelism; whole spec files are distributed and execution order is not guaranteed. |
| Runner UI’s experimental Run All Specs | Cypress desktop Runner | Multiple specs sequentially through the UI | Separate experimental option, disabled by default; not needed for CLI runs. |
The Runner UI’s experimental option is documented separately and is disabled by default; it is not a prerequisite for running the full suite with the CLI. See the Cypress experiments reference.
Run the suite faster in CI with parallelization
For a suite that takes too long on one CI machine, Cypress documents the Cloud-oriented command:
npx cypress run --record --parallelThis is a different workflow from a local full-suite run: the recorded run is coordinated across multiple CI machines, and Cypress distributes complete spec files among them. The order is not guaranteed. See the Cypress Cloud parallelization guide and CI documentation.
Plan spec boundaries for useful parallelism
Because work is assigned by spec file, one unusually long spec can delay the overall run even when the other machines have finished their files. At the same time, every spec has fixed browser, support-file, and application-reload overhead. Organize specs to preserve isolation and reliable tests while avoiding either extreme: a small number of oversized files can limit distribution, while excessive tiny files incur more per-spec overhead. Cypress discusses these trade-offs in its test performance guidance.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThe same performance guidance gives an illustrative Kitchen Sink example of a 1:51 serial run versus 59 seconds with two machines. Cypress does not state a publication year for that example, and it is not a general performance guarantee; actual results depend on the suite and CI infrastructure.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot specs that do not run
- The command runs the wrong project or finds nothing: confirm the terminal is at the intended project root, or specify the project with
--project. - A spec is missing from a full run: inspect the relevant
specPatternincypress.config.*and check whetherexcludeSpecPatternremoves it. - A spec passed with
--specstill does not run: confirm its path matches the configuredspecPattern. An explicit selection does not override that pattern. - The run unexpectedly covers only a few files: remove an inherited
--specargument from the package script or CI command if the intent is the complete discovered suite. - You expected E2E and Component specs together: check which testing type the project is running. Cypress configures these as separate testing types, so confirm the configuration and run appropriate to the specs you intend to execute.
Or skip the browser setup
If your goal is to capture a website screenshot rather than execute Cypress tests, ScreenshotNeo provides a screenshot API and MCP server. One GET request can return an image or PDF. For example, save this cURL command and replace the URL with the page you need:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for setup and options. Before capture, it accepts consent banners like a visitor and removes 60+ known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each of those steps can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and the response identifies the page verdict and billing status in headers. Its MCP server offers take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000.
Sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month—no card required.
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