Parallel record fails on GitHub Actions with macOS patch version update 26.5.2 / 26.6.2

[MikeMcC399]

• similar to issue Parallel record fails on GitHub Actions with Ubuntu patch version update 24.04.3 / 24.04.4 #33536

Current behavior

When running Cypress with parallel / record options in GitHub Actions on macOS, and GitHub-hosted runner image updates are being deployed that bump the minor version of the operating system, then Cypress may fail with an error message containing the following, or similar, text:

This machine is sending different environment parameters than the first machine that started this parallel run.

This machine sent the following parameters:

"osName": "darwin",
"osVersion": "macOS - 26.6.2.... (Expected: macOS - 26.5.2)",

Desired behavior

Cypress should treat macOS patch updates as identical. In this case macOS 26.5.2 and 26.6.2 should be considered the same and not cause a mismatch error.

Test code to reproduce

See https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress-example-kitchensink/blob/master/.github/workflows/using-action.yml

Cypress Version

16.0.0

Debug Logs

https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress-example-kitchensink/actions/runs/33650773325/job/100316909132?pr=1194

You passed the --parallel flag, but we do not parallelize tests across different environments.

This machine is sending different environment parameters than the first machine that started this parallel run.

The existing run is: https://cloud.cypress.io/projects/4b7344/runs

In order to run in parallel mode each machine must send identical environment parameters such as:

 - specs
 - osName
 - osVersion
 - browserName
 - browserVersion (major)

This machine sent the following parameters:

{
  "osName": "darwin",
  "osVersion": "macOS - 26.6.2.... (Expected: macOS - 26.5.2)",
  "browserName": "Electron",
  "browserVersion": "146.0.7680.216",
  "specs": [
    "cypress/e2e/1-getting-started/todo.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/actions.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/aliasing.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/assertions.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/connectors.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/cookies.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/cypress_api.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/files.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/location.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/misc.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/navigation.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/network_requests.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/querying.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/spies_stubs_clocks.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/storage.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/traversal.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/utilities.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/viewport.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/waiting.cy.js",
    "cypress/e2e/2-advanced-examples/window.cy.js"
  ]
}

Other

No response

[jennifer-shehane]

It shouldn't fail on non-major changes, so yah, this looks like a bug.

[jennifer-shehane]

Oh wait, this is the OSVersion, I'm thinking of the browserVersion

[MikeMcC399]

Without this, macOS is not viable as a host for Cloud parallel recording in GitHub Actions.

It's not possible to use a Docker image under macos runners, and a workflow that is prone to regularly failing due to minor os versions updates that users have no control over doesn't really fit the needs for macOS-based testing.

OS	Workaround for OS updates
macOS	none available
Ubuntu	use Cypress Docker image
Windows	none needed, as Windows patch version isn't examined by Cypress Cloud