Flaky Test

A flaky test refers to a test that sometimes passes and sometimes fails without changes to the code. These tests are unreliable and can make debugging difficult.

A test that passes in one run and fails in another — with zero changes to the code, the environment, or the test itself.

That non-determinism is what makes it flaky. It's unreliable not because the application changed, but because something about the test is inherently unstable — a race condition, a timing dependency, reliance on external state, etc.

Calling a test "flaky" just because it caught a bug muddies the conversation and, worse, can lead teams to dismiss legitimate test failures.