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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesTo run Lighthouse from Cypress, install the cypress-lighthouse-plugin, prepare Chrome when Cypress launches, register the plugin’s Node task, import its commands, and call cy.lighthouse() after visiting the page. You can save the resulting report and configure thresholds. For a dedicated URL-based performance collection and report history, run Lighthouse CI as a separate job instead. The integration below is documented by a community plugin, so verify its current compatibility with your Cypress, Lighthouse, Node, and Chrome versions before adopting it.
What you need before adding Lighthouse to Cypress
- A Cypress project with its application available to test.
- Chrome or Chromium: the plugin’s documented setup prepares Chrome for Lighthouse audits.
- The
cypress-lighthouse-pluginpackage and its Lighthouse peer dependency. Check the package metadata and release history for versions compatible with your project; the documentation does not establish a current compatibility matrix. - A Node version supported by the specific Lighthouse package you install. The current GoogleChrome Lighthouse README says the Node CLI requires Node 22 LTS or later; verify the requirement for your installed integration and Lighthouse versions.
The Cypress plugin catalog describes listed plugins as community-owned rather than reviewed by Cypress. Treat this integration as a third-party dependency and evaluate its maintenance and compatibility before relying on it in a blocking CI gate.
Install the Cypress Lighthouse integration
From the project root, install the package using the command documented in the plugin README:
npm install cypress-lighthouse-pluginThe README states that Lighthouse is installed as a peer dependency. Confirm the actual installed package versions and peer dependency requirements in your project, especially if you use a newer Cypress or Lighthouse release.
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Configure Cypress to prepare Chrome and register the task
In your Cypress configuration file, prepare the browser during launch and register the plugin’s Lighthouse task inside setupNodeEvents. The following follows the plugin’s documented CommonJS-style setup; adapt the imports and configuration export to your project’s module format.
const lighthouse = require('lighthouse');
const { defineConfig } = require('cypress');
const { prepareAudit } = require('cypress-lighthouse-plugin');
module.exports = defineConfig({
defaultBrowser: 'chrome',
e2e: {
setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
on('before:browser:launch', (browser = {}, launchOptions) => {
if (browser.name === 'chrome' || browser.name === 'chromium') {
prepareAudit(launchOptions);
}
return launchOptions;
});
on('task', {
lighthouse: lighthouse(),
});
return config;
},
},
});Keep the browser-launch hook: the plugin’s documented approach uses it to prepare Chrome for auditing. If your project already has a setupNodeEvents function or browser-launch handler, merge the task and preparation logic into the existing configuration rather than defining competing handlers.
Load the commands and audit a visited page
Import the plugin commands from your Cypress support file, typically cypress/support/e2e.js in projects using that layout:
import 'cypress-lighthouse-plugin/commands';Then visit the page in a spec and run the audit. The callback in this example writes the plugin-provided JSON report to a file, as shown in the README:
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describe('page performance', () => {
it('audits the home page', () => {
cy.visit('http://localhost:3000');
cy.lighthouse((lighthouseResult) => {
cy.writeFile('lighthouse-report.json', lighthouseResult.report);
});
});
});Replace the URL with the page your app serves in the test environment. Ensure that the page is fully reachable and in the intended state before the audit runs; if the journey requires navigation or interaction, perform it with Cypress before calling cy.lighthouse().
Set thresholds without making noise a CI failure
The plugin README demonstrates configurable Lighthouse thresholds, including performance and accessibility examples. Treat those values as syntax examples, not universal targets or established benchmarks. Start by capturing results repeatedly under your own CI conditions, then choose thresholds that detect meaningful regressions while allowing for measurement variability.
- Establish a baseline for the pages and environment you intend to gate.
- Check whether runs are repeatable before making a threshold failure block merges.
- Use thresholds that reflect product requirements rather than copying example values from the README.
- Roll out score gates gradually. Lighthouse CI’s guide recommends learning how the team interprets measurements before relying on them as hard blockers.
Thresholds can be useful for regression detection, but a Lighthouse score is a measurement from a particular run and environment. Avoid treating one score as a guaranteed representation of every user’s experience.
Run Cypress Lighthouse tests in CI
CI must start the app and wait until it responds before Cypress begins. Cypress documents server-readiness patterns using tools such as start-server-and-test and wait-on. A fixed sleep can waste time or still race; use a readiness check against the app URL.
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- Start the application using the command appropriate to your project.
- Wait for the test URL to respond, using a readiness tool or your CI platform’s equivalent.
- Run Cypress with
cypress runin the prepared browser environment. - Retain the report file as a CI artifact if you need to inspect results after the job.
For example, a package script can use start-server-and-test so the test command runs only after the local server responds:
npx start-server-and-test start http://localhost:3000 cypress:runDefine the start and cypress:run scripts in package.json for your app and Cypress command. This is a pattern, not a universal command: the server command and URL must match your project. Cypress’s CI guide also documents wait-on patterns.
Choose a browser container deliberately. Cypress’s browser Docker images bundle browsers and compatible runtime components; specifying an image tag helps control which environment runs the test. The Lighthouse plugin path still requires Chrome/Chromium.
Choose between Lighthouse in Cypress and Lighthouse CI
| Decision | Lighthouse inside Cypress | Separate Lighthouse CI job |
|---|---|---|
| Best suited to | Auditing a point in an end-to-end flow that Cypress controls. | Collecting audits for configured URLs in a dedicated performance job. |
| Setup | Community plugin, Chrome/Chromium launch preparation, registered Cypress task, support import, and cy.lighthouse(). |
Lighthouse CI CLI and configuration in CI, with a chosen collection and upload setup. |
| Reports | The plugin callback can write the report to a file. | Upload targets can expose reports; a Lighthouse CI server can provide historical reports and comparisons. |
| Thresholds | The plugin README demonstrates configurable thresholds. | Lighthouse CI supports assertion presets and custom configuration. |
| Main caution | Verify the community plugin’s compatibility and maintenance for your stack. | Check example runtime and package versions; some getting-started snippets use older versions. |
Lighthouse CI’s getting-started guide describes temporary public report storage that provides individual report links but not historical storage, diffs, or build failures. For history and comparisons, its documentation describes configuring a server. Use the upload approach that fits your retention and access needs.
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Version and measurement cautions
- Node: GoogleChrome Lighthouse’s README currently says the Node CLI requires Node 22 LTS or later. Lighthouse CI getting-started examples include Node 16 and Lighthouse CI CLI 0.15.x; those are examples, not proof of compatibility with current Lighthouse. Verify requirements for the exact packages you install.
- Plugin compatibility: The cited plugin documentation does not establish a tested matrix across current Cypress, Lighthouse, Chrome, and Node releases. Check package metadata and recent release history before pinning versions.
- Machine variability: Lighthouse CI notes that larger machines produce more stable results. Keep the CI environment reasonably consistent when comparing runs.
- Authenticated pages: Lighthouse CI configuration documents using a Puppeteer script to log in or prepare browser state before Lighthouse runs. If the primary goal is an authenticated URL collection rather than a Cypress-controlled user journey, that may be a better fit than embedding each audit in Cypress.
Troubleshooting
The audit does not run or Chrome launch fails
Confirm Cypress is launching Chrome or Chromium and that your browser-launch hook calls prepareAudit(launchOptions). Check that your installed plugin and Lighthouse versions support the Node and browser versions in the job.
cy.lighthouse() is undefined
Make sure the support file imported cypress-lighthouse-plugin/commands and that the spec is running with the Cypress configuration that loads that support file.
The test starts before the application is ready
Replace an uncoordinated background server command with a readiness check that waits for the test URL to respond. Cypress documents start-server-and-test and wait-on patterns for this purpose.
Scores or threshold failures vary from run to run
Check whether the machine and browser environment are consistent, capture a baseline across repeated runs, and avoid using thresholds tighter than the observed variation supports. Roll out a gate gradually instead of treating an example threshold as an expected score.
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The report is missing after CI completes
Verify the callback writes the report to the expected path and configure the CI job to preserve that file as an artifact. A file written during a job is not automatically retained after the job ends.
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Quick Recap
Sources
- cypress-lighthouse-plugin README
- Lighthouse CI Getting Started
- Cypress Continuous Integration overview
- GoogleChrome Lighthouse README
- Lighthouse CI Configuration
- Cypress plugin catalog
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