Disable --headless=new for Chrome - fails with Chrome 117

[MikeMcC399]

Subject

Plugins > Browser Launch API > Disable --headless=new for Chrome

Description

The documentation section Plugins > Browser Launch API > Disable --headless=new for Chrome says:

Starting in Chrome 112, you can change the value of the --headless flag to the old value before the --headless=new flag was introduced.

If the parameter --headless is passed to Chrome 117 then Cypress no longer runs, so the advice in the article does not work for this version of Chrome.

Using Cypress 13.2.0, Node.js 20.6.1

• Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS
  Chrome stable 117.0.5938.62

• Windows 11 Pro
  Chrome stable 117.0.5938.63

For both operating systems the errors are the same. (The port number is random.)
It may also fail immediately with ECONNREFUSED or ECONNRESET error.

Still waiting to connect to Chrome, retrying in 1 second (attempt 18/62)
Still waiting to connect to Chrome, retrying in 1 second (attempt 19/62)
...
Still waiting to connect to Chrome, retrying in 1 second (attempt 61/62)
Still waiting to connect to Chrome, retrying in 1 second (attempt 62/62)
Cypress failed to make a connection to the Chrome DevTools Protocol after retrying for 50 seconds.

This usually indicates there was a problem opening the Chrome browser.

The CDP port requested was 50676.

Error: connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:50676
    at TCPConnectWrap.afterConnect [as oncomplete] (node:net:1494:16)

OR

read ECONNRESET
Error: read ECONNRESET
    at TCP.onStreamRead (node:internal/stream_base_commons:217:20)

Repro steps

On a local system with Google Chrome 117 installed:

git clone --branch test/chrome-stable-headless-cypress-latest https://github.com/MikeMcC399/github-action
cd github-action/examples/browser
npm ci
npx cypress info
npm run cy:run:chrome

Suggestion

Review the article Plugins > Browser Launch API > Disable --headless=new for Chrome and consider if it needs to be adjusted due to the issues with Chrome 117.

The parameter --headless=old, which is not mentioned in the article, also fails in Chrome 117.

Note: Cypress 13.2.0 and Chrome 117 work fine together out-of-the-box if the headless parameter is not manipulated.

Related issues

• Minimum Cypress 12.15.0 for new Google Chrome 117 needed #5479
• ECONNRESET on Chrome/Chromium 117.0.5851.0 when using Cypress <12.15.0 or passing--headless=old in browser launch options cypress#27804
• https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=1483163

References

• Chrome Developer > Try out the new Headless says:

Currently, passing the --headless command-line flag without an explicit value still activates the old Headless mode — but we plan to change this default to new Headless over time.

[MikeMcC399]

• This problem is due to a Chromium bug https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=1483163

• Confirmed fixed in Chrome Canary 119

Using Chrome Canary build on Windows win64 downloaded from
https://www.google.com/chrome/canary/?platform=win64
Version 119.0.6017.1 (Official Build) canary-dcheck (64-bit)

git clone --branch test/chrome-stable-headless-cypress-latest https://github.com/MikeMcC399/github-action
cd github-action/examples/browser
npm ci
npx cypress info
npx cypress run --browser chrome:canary

runs without error.

The documentation should not be changed due to the Chromium bug, which is fixed and expected to roll out to stable versions.

[ZwitterKaneda]

Hello, I have the same problem, for the moment my quick solution was to migrate to another browser. Both Electron, Firefox and Edge work perfectly.

Cypress 12.17.0
node v18.18.0
Google Chrome 117.0.5938.88
Zorin OS 16.3

The ufw (Uncomplicated Firewall) check is to rule out that it is responsible for not connecting
I can't think of what else to advance with chrome.

greetings

[MikeMcC399]

@ZwitterKaneda

We are not normally seeing this issue with Cypress 12.17.0, however if you have found a workaround, then you don't need to look further. I suggest that you track issue cypress-io/cypress#27804 to hear when there is a Chrome stable release which fixes the issue.

[ZwitterKaneda]

It was actually the chrome version that was bothering me.
I went back to 104.0.5112.101, now everything works correctly 🚀

Thanks, I was coming to comment on that.