PPLT-6233: Export PERCY_CLI_API and CYPRESS_PERCY_SERVER_ADDRESS from percy exec

[RaghavsBrowserStack]

Jira: https://browserstack.atlassian.net/browse/PPLT-6233 (epic PPLT-6210)

Problem

percy exec --port <N> exports only PERCY_SERVER_ADDRESS to the child command. The Python and .NET SDKs (Selenium and Playwright) read PERCY_CLI_API instead, and the Cypress browser only sees CYPRESS_* variables. With a non-default port these SDKs fall back to localhost:5338, log Percy is not running, disabling snapshots, and the command exits 0 with an empty build.

Pre-existing, not caused by the framework upgrades. Cypress 16 makes it more visible because it removed Cypress.env().

Fix

When Percy is running, percy exec now also exports:

• PERCY_CLI_API (Python and .NET SDKs)
• CYPRESS_PERCY_SERVER_ADDRESS (Cypress ≤15 via Cypress.env(); on 16 CYPRESS_* vars still populate cy.env())

Both get the same address as PERCY_SERVER_ADDRESS. A value the user already set is kept. Neither is exported when Percy is disabled, so the SDKs keep their own defaults.

Cypress 16 expose: not exported. The Cypress migration guide, Cypress.expose API and environment variables guide document only two ways to set expose values: the config file and the --expose/-x CLI flag. They say CYPRESS_* OS variables "populate env only" and "never reach Cypress.expose()". There is no CYPRESS_EXPOSE_* or similar env-var route, so on Cypress 16 @percy/cypress must read the address via cy.env() or a task, not Cypress.expose().

Testing

• New cli-exec unit tests: all three address vars reach the child; values the user set are kept; nothing extra is exported when Percy is disabled. All pass.
• Locally, yarn test in packages/cli-exec has 2 failures on this branch: handles terminating the child process when interrupted and exec:start starts a long-running percy process. These are timing/signal specs. Master also fails locally (3 failures, including the interrupt spec), so they are not caused by this change. Leaving it to CI.
• Real build, example-percy-selenium-python, percy exec --port 5501, PERCY_CLI_API not set:
  • Before (@percy/cli 1.32.11): Percy is not running, disabling snapshots, empty build: https://percy.io/9560f98d/web/testing-framework-upgrade-c905f5b0/builds/54713182
  • After (this branch): 3 snapshots taken: https://percy.io/9560f98d/web/testing-framework-upgrade-c905f5b0/builds/54713327
  • Earlier failed builds from the story: .NET 54673025, Cypress 54668880

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Bug Fixes
  • Child processes now receive the configured Percy server address through supported environment variables, while preserving any alternate values explicitly set by the user.
  • Alternate server address variables are not set when Percy is disabled.

[coderabbitai]

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ℹ️ Recent review info

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📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between abb8d63 and 6539aa2.

📒 Files selected for processing: 2

• packages/cli-exec/src/exec.js
• packages/cli-exec/test/exec.test.js

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📜 Recent review details

⏰ Context from checks skipped due to timeout: 1

• GitHub Check: Test @percy/core

⚠️ CI failures not shown inline: 1

Commit Status: percy/Percy-CLI-regression-a6beeeec: percy/Percy-CLI-regression-a6beeeec

Conclusion: failure

1 visual change needs review

🔇 Additional comments: 2

packages/cli-exec/src/exec.js: 1

111-119: LGTM!

packages/cli-exec/test/exec.test.js: 1

29-31: LGTM!

Also applies to: 433-459

📝 Walkthrough

The exec environment now sets PERCY_SERVER_ADDRESS and, when an address is available, sets PERCY_CLI_API and CYPRESS_PERCY_SERVER_ADDRESS only when those variables are unset.

Changes: Server address environment

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Propagate server address to child processes packages/cli-exec/src/exec.js, packages/cli-exec/test/exec.test.js	exec sets the Percy server address variables for child processes. Tests cover address propagation, preservation of existing alternate-variable values, and the Percy-disabled case.

Priority: ➖ Normal

Estimated code review effort: 2 (Simple) | ~8 minutes

Change: Bug fix

Suggested reviewers: wwilsman

Merge Risk: ⚪ Minimal · up to 6539a

The new variables direct child SDKs to the selected Percy server while preserving explicit values, and the health-check still verifies reachability. The reported test failures remain unverified; confirm the package test workflow in CI. No introduced issue is established.

Pre-merge checks: 4

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check		Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check		The title includes the valid Jira ID PPLT-6233 and clearly describes the exported environment variables added by the change.
Linked Issues check		Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check		Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.

✨ Finishing Touches: 💡 1

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