Implementation:Cypress io Cypress Cy Get Click Should

Knowledge Sources	Cypress Cypress API
Domains	Testing, Browser_Automation
Last Updated	2026-02-12 00:00 GMT

Overview

Concrete tools for querying DOM elements, triggering user interactions, and asserting on element state provided by the Cypress driver command implementations.

Description

These are the core command implementations in the Cypress driver:

• cy.get (querying.ts) - Queries the DOM using CSS selectors or aliases, with automatic retry
• cy.click (click.ts) - Performs click actions with actionability checks
• cy.should (asserting.ts) - Evaluates Chai assertions with automatic retry of the preceding query

Usage

These commands are used in every Cypress test. They are available as chainable methods on the cy global and on Cypress.Chainable subjects.

Code Reference

Source Location

• Repository: cypress-io/cypress
• Files:
  • packages/driver/src/cy/commands/querying/querying.ts:L154-232 (cy.get)
  • packages/driver/src/cy/commands/actions/click.ts:L258-286 (cy.click)
  • packages/driver/src/cy/commands/asserting.ts:L63-228 (cy.should)

Signature

// cy.get
cy.get(selector: string, options?: {
  timeout?: number
  withinSubject?: JQuery | HTMLElement
  includeShadowDom?: boolean
  log?: boolean
}): Cypress.Chainable<JQuery>

// cy.click
.click(options?: {
  force?: boolean
  multiple?: boolean
  timeout?: number
  animationDistanceThreshold?: number
}): Cypress.Chainable

// cy.should
.should(chainers: string, ...args: any[]): Cypress.Chainable
.should(callback: (subject: any) => void): Cypress.Chainable

Import

// No import needed - available globally in Cypress test files
cy.get('.selector').click().should('be.visible')

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
selector	string	Yes (get)	CSS selector, data-cy attribute, or @alias
chainers	string	Yes (should)	Chai assertion chain (e.g., 'have.text', 'be.visible')
options.timeout	number	No	Override default timeout for this command
options.force	boolean	No	Skip actionability checks (click/type)

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
subject	Cypress.Chainable<JQuery>	Yielded DOM element(s) for further chaining
assertion	pass/fail	Assertion result (retried until pass or timeout)

Usage Examples

Component Test Assertions

// Query, interact, and assert on a component
cy.get('[data-cy=counter]').should('have.text', '0')
cy.get('[data-cy=increment]').click()
cy.get('[data-cy=counter]').should('have.text', '1')

// Using .should with callback
cy.get('.list').should(($list) => {
  expect($list).to.have.length(3)
  expect($list.first()).to.contain('Item 1')
})

Related Pages

Implements Principle

• Principle:Cypress_io_Cypress_DOM_Assertion_and_Interaction