From 126b216d449031f3445fcbf5c5a772f9ec0ed090 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Valere Fedronic <bill.carson@valrsoft.com>
Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2026 16:49:48 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] fix flaky test by waiting for chat panel before counting
 messages (#31633)

* fix flaky test by waiting for chat panel before counting messages

* improve test stability by waiting for visibility before elements count()
---
 playwright/e2e/voip/element-call.spec.ts | 11 ++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 10 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/playwright/e2e/voip/element-call.spec.ts b/playwright/e2e/voip/element-call.spec.ts
index 7c2494d2ae..18bf0c33c0 100644
--- a/playwright/e2e/voip/element-call.spec.ts
+++ b/playwright/e2e/voip/element-call.spec.ts
@@ -647,6 +647,10 @@ test.describe("Element Call", () => {
 
             // For this test we want to display the chat area alongside the widget
             await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Chat" }).click();
+            // Wait for the right panel to show the timeline.
+            await expect(
+                page.locator(".mx_RightPanel .mx_TimelineCard").getByText("Alice created and configured the room."),
+            ).toBeVisible();
 
             await page
                 .locator('iframe[title="Element Call"]')
@@ -654,7 +658,12 @@ test.describe("Element Call", () => {
                 .getByRole("button", { name: "Send Room Message" })
                 .click();
 
-            const messageSent = await page.getByText("I sent this once!!").count();
+            const timelineLocator = page.locator(".mx_RightPanel .mx_TimelineCard");
+            // First wait for the message to appear in the timeline then
+            // check the count. This improves test stability as we know the message has been sent.
+            await expect(timelineLocator.getByText("I sent this once!!")).toBeVisible();
+
+            const messageSent = await timelineLocator.getByText("I sent this once!!").count();
 
             expect(messageSent).toBe(1);
         });