Migrating away from Cypress.env()

[elizakaniewskaevooq]

Hi
I’m currently migrating away from Cypress.env() following the official Cypress migration guide:
https://docs.cypress.io/app/references/migration-guide#Migrating-away-from-Cypressenv

I’ve replaced all instances of Cypress.env() with cy.env(), but I’m still encountering the following error:

Cypress.env() does not work when allowCypressEnv is set to false. Please migrate to cy.env() or leverage other stateful methods to manage variables. The variable being accessed was: undefined

I’m loading my environment variables (email and password) from a JSON file.

Do I also need to define these variables in cypress.config? Or is there something else I might be missing in the migration process?

[aniruddhaadak80]

@elizakaniewskaevooq (Assuming standard usage)
When iterating off Cypress.env, if you disabled allowCypressEnv via config (or if it defaults to stricter in v14+), you indeed need cy.env().
However, cy.env() is synchronous getters for config values.
If you are loading from cypress.env.json, passing --env type=foo, or cypress.config.ts env block, cy.env('key') should work.
If it returns undefined, ensure your JSON file is actually loaded (it must be in root) or explicitly merged in setupNodeEvents.

[manimovassagh]

A few things to check beyond what was mentioned above:

1. Third-party code or plugins calling Cypress.env() internally

The error says the variable being accessed was undefined, which suggests something is calling Cypress.env() without a specific key — i.e., Cypress.env() with no arguments (which returns all env vars). This could be coming from a plugin, support file, or custom command rather than your own code. Search your entire project including node_modules for common Cypress plugins:

grep -r "Cypress.env()" cypress/ --include="*.ts" --include="*.js"

Also check your support files and any imported libraries.

2. Loading env vars from a JSON file

If you are using cypress.env.json, this file must be in the project root (same directory as cypress.config.ts). The values from this file should be accessible via cy.env('key'). However, if you're loading the JSON file manually (e.g., via cy.fixture() or require()), that's a different pattern entirely — those values won't be in the Cypress env store unless you explicitly set them.

3. The env block in cypress.config.ts still works

You can define your variables in cypress.config.ts and they'll be accessible via cy.env():

export default defineConfig({
  env: {
    email: 'test@example.com',
    password: 'secret',
  },
  e2e: { ... },
});

4. Timing matters with cy.env() vs Cypress.env()

cy.env() is the replacement, but make sure you're not using it in places that run before Cypress is fully initialized (e.g., top-level module scope). If you need env values at import time, you may need to restructure the code to access them inside before() or beforeEach() hooks instead.

The most likely culprit is a plugin or support file still calling Cypress.env() that you haven't migrated yet.

[elizakaniewskaevooq]

thanks, yes the plugin still calls Cypress.env()
Pasting the issue in case anyone else uses it:
badeball/cypress-cucumber-preprocessor#1340