diff --git a/packages/auth/src/cache/appMetadata.js b/packages/auth/src/cache/appMetadata.js
index 400714987b..982f95dbe5 100644
--- a/packages/auth/src/cache/appMetadata.js
+++ b/packages/auth/src/cache/appMetadata.js
@@ -18,11 +18,16 @@ const populateFromDB = async (appId, CouchDB = null) => {
   return db.get(DocumentTypes.APP_METADATA)
 }
 
+const isInvalid = metadata => {
+  return !metadata || metadata.state === AppState.INVALID
+}
+
 /**
  * Get the requested app metadata by id.
  * Use redis cache to first read the app metadata.
  * If not present fallback to loading the app metadata directly and re-caching.
- * @param {*} appId the id of the app to get metadata from.
+ * @param {string} appId the id of the app to get metadata from.
+ * @param {object} CouchDB the database being passed
  * @returns {object} the app metadata.
  */
 exports.getAppMetadata = async (appId, CouchDB = null) => {
@@ -44,10 +49,19 @@ exports.getAppMetadata = async (appId, CouchDB = null) => {
         throw err
       }
     }
+    // needed for cypress/some scenarios where the caching happens
+    // so quickly the requests can get slightly out of sync
+    // might store its invalid just before it stores its valid
+    if (isInvalid(metadata)) {
+      const temp = await client.get(appId)
+      if (temp) {
+        metadata = temp
+      }
+    }
     await client.store(appId, metadata, expiry)
   }
   // we've stored in the cache an object to tell us that it is currently invalid
-  if (!metadata || metadata.state === AppState.INVALID) {
+  if (isInvalid(metadata)) {
     throw { status: 404, message: "No app metadata found" }
   }
   return metadata
diff --git a/packages/builder/cypress/setup.js b/packages/builder/cypress/setup.js
index 1a6f1d5b2b..7657303853 100644
--- a/packages/builder/cypress/setup.js
+++ b/packages/builder/cypress/setup.js
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ process.env.JWT_SECRET = cypressConfig.env.JWT_SECRET
 process.env.COUCH_URL = `leveldb://${tmpdir}/.data/`
 process.env.SELF_HOSTED = 1
 process.env.WORKER_URL = "http://localhost:10002/"
+process.env.APPS_URL = `http://localhost:${MAIN_PORT}/`
 process.env.MINIO_URL = `http://localhost:${MAIN_PORT}/`
 process.env.MINIO_ACCESS_KEY = "budibase"
 process.env.MINIO_SECRET_KEY = "budibase"
diff --git a/packages/server/scripts/likeCypress.ts b/packages/server/scripts/likeCypress.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..505dbef523
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/server/scripts/likeCypress.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/******************************************************
+ * This script just makes it easy to re-create        *
+ * a cypress like environment for testing the backend *
+ ******************************************************/
+const path = require("path")
+const tmpdir = path.join(require("os").tmpdir(), ".budibase")
+
+const MAIN_PORT = "4002"
+const WORKER_PORT = "4001"
+
+// @ts-ignore
+process.env.PORT = "4001"
+process.env.BUDIBASE_API_KEY = "6BE826CB-6B30-4AEC-8777-2E90464633DE"
+process.env.NODE_ENV = "cypress"
+process.env.ENABLE_ANALYTICS = "false"
+process.env.JWT_SECRET = "budibase"
+process.env.COUCH_URL = `leveldb://${tmpdir}/.data/`
+process.env.SELF_HOSTED = "1"
+process.env.WORKER_URL = "http://localhost:4002/"
+process.env.MINIO_URL = `http://localhost:4001/`
+process.env.MINIO_ACCESS_KEY = "budibase"
+process.env.MINIO_SECRET_KEY = "budibase"
+process.env.COUCH_DB_USER = "budibase"
+process.env.COUCH_DB_PASSWORD = "budibase"
+process.env.INTERNAL_API_KEY = "budibase"
+process.env.ALLOW_DEV_AUTOMATIONS = "1"
+
+// don't make this a variable or top level require
+// it will cause environment module to be loaded prematurely
+const server = require("../src/app")
+process.env.PORT = "4002"
+const worker = require("../../worker/src/index")
+process.env.PORT = "4001"
\ No newline at end of file