diff --git a/cli/CHANGELOG.md b/cli/CHANGELOG.md
index e26eae8263ef..efd1e1bed3e8 100644
--- a/cli/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/cli/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ _Released 10/1/2024 (PENDING)_
 **Misc:**
 
 - Cypress now consumes [geckodriver](https://firefox-source-docs.mozilla.org/testing/geckodriver/index.html) to help automate the Firefox browser instead of [marionette-client](https://github.com/cypress-io/marionette-client). Addresses [#30217](https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/issues/30217).
+- Pass spec information to protocol's `beforeSpec` to improve troubleshooting when reporting on errors. Addressed in [#30316](https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/pull/30316).
 
 ## 13.15.0
 
diff --git a/packages/server/lib/cloud/protocol.ts b/packages/server/lib/cloud/protocol.ts
index d017f483e7c1..1c33e8ed06e4 100644
--- a/packages/server/lib/cloud/protocol.ts
+++ b/packages/server/lib/cloud/protocol.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import env from '../util/env'
 import { putProtocolArtifact } from './api/put_protocol_artifact'
 
 import type { Readable } from 'stream'
-import type { ProtocolManagerShape, AppCaptureProtocolInterface, CDPClient, ProtocolError, CaptureArtifact, ProtocolErrorReport, ProtocolCaptureMethod, ProtocolManagerOptions, ResponseStreamOptions, ResponseEndedWithEmptyBodyOptions, ResponseStreamTimedOutOptions, AfterSpecDurations } from '@packages/types'
+import type { ProtocolManagerShape, AppCaptureProtocolInterface, CDPClient, ProtocolError, CaptureArtifact, ProtocolErrorReport, ProtocolCaptureMethod, ProtocolManagerOptions, ResponseStreamOptions, ResponseEndedWithEmptyBodyOptions, ResponseStreamTimedOutOptions, AfterSpecDurations, SpecWithRelativeRoot } from '@packages/types'
 
 const routes = require('./routes')
 
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ export class ProtocolManager implements ProtocolManagerShape {
     this.invokeSync('addRunnables', { isEssential: true }, runnables)
   }
 
-  beforeSpec (spec: { instanceId: string }) {
+  beforeSpec (spec: SpecWithRelativeRoot & { instanceId: string }) {
     this._afterSpecDurations = undefined
 
     if (!this._protocol) {
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ export class ProtocolManager implements ProtocolManagerShape {
     }
   }
 
-  private _beforeSpec (spec: { instanceId: string }) {
+  private _beforeSpec (spec: SpecWithRelativeRoot & { instanceId: string }) {
     this._instanceId = spec.instanceId
     const cypressProtocolDirectory = path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'cypress', 'protocol')
     const archivePath = path.join(cypressProtocolDirectory, `${spec.instanceId}.tar`)
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ export class ProtocolManager implements ProtocolManagerShape {
 
     this._db = db
     this._archivePath = archivePath
-    this.invokeSync('beforeSpec', { isEssential: true }, { workingDirectory: cypressProtocolDirectory, archivePath, dbPath, db })
+    this.invokeSync('beforeSpec', { isEssential: true }, { workingDirectory: cypressProtocolDirectory, archivePath, dbPath, db, spec })
   }
 
   async afterSpec () {
diff --git a/packages/server/test/unit/cloud/protocol_spec.ts b/packages/server/test/unit/cloud/protocol_spec.ts
index 559cf067d7fb..e68b79a169bb 100644
--- a/packages/server/test/unit/cloud/protocol_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/server/test/unit/cloud/protocol_spec.ts
@@ -90,9 +90,20 @@ describe('lib/cloud/protocol', () => {
       },
     ]
 
-    protocolManager.beforeSpec({
+    const spec = {
       instanceId: 'instanceId',
-    })
+      absolute: '/path/to/spec',
+      relative: 'spec',
+      relativeToCommonRoot: 'common/root',
+      specFileExtension: '.ts',
+      fileExtension: '.ts',
+      specType: 'integration' as Cypress.CypressSpecType,
+      baseName: 'spec',
+      name: 'spec',
+      fileName: 'spec.ts',
+    }
+
+    protocolManager.beforeSpec(spec)
 
     expect((protocolManager as any)._errors).to.be.empty
 
@@ -101,6 +112,7 @@ describe('lib/cloud/protocol', () => {
       archivePath: path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'cypress', 'protocol', 'instanceId.tar'),
       dbPath: path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'cypress', 'protocol', 'instanceId.db'),
       db: mockDb,
+      spec,
     })
 
     expect(mockDatabase).to.be.calledWith(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'cypress', 'protocol', 'instanceId.db'), {
diff --git a/packages/types/src/protocol.ts b/packages/types/src/protocol.ts
index ac81cb2e35e6..85948e9296c7 100644
--- a/packages/types/src/protocol.ts
+++ b/packages/types/src/protocol.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import type ProtocolMapping from 'devtools-protocol/types/protocol-mapping'
 import type { IncomingHttpHeaders } from 'http'
 import type { Readable } from 'stream'
 import type { ProxyTimings } from './proxy'
+import type { SpecWithRelativeRoot } from './spec'
 
 type Commands = ProtocolMapping.Commands
 type Command<T extends keyof Commands> = Commands[T]
@@ -38,7 +39,7 @@ export interface AppCaptureProtocolCommon {
 
 export interface AppCaptureProtocolInterface extends AppCaptureProtocolCommon {
   getDbMetadata (): { offset: number, size: number } | undefined
-  beforeSpec ({ workingDirectory, archivePath, dbPath, db }: { workingDirectory: string, archivePath: string, dbPath: string, db: Database }): void
+  beforeSpec ({ spec, workingDirectory, archivePath, dbPath, db }: { spec: SpecWithRelativeRoot & { instanceId: string }, workingDirectory: string, archivePath: string, dbPath: string, db: Database }): void
   uploadStallSamplingInterval: () => number
 }
 
@@ -117,7 +118,7 @@ export interface ProtocolManagerShape extends AppCaptureProtocolCommon {
   protocolEnabled: boolean
   networkEnableOptions?: { maxTotalBufferSize: number, maxResourceBufferSize: number, maxPostDataSize: number }
   setupProtocol(script: string, options: ProtocolManagerOptions): Promise<void>
-  beforeSpec (spec: { instanceId: string }): void
+  beforeSpec (spec: SpecWithRelativeRoot & { instanceId: string }): void
   afterSpec (): Promise<{ durations: AfterSpecDurations } | undefined>
   reportNonFatalErrors (clientMetadata: any): Promise<void>
   uploadCaptureArtifact(artifact: CaptureArtifact): Promise<UploadCaptureArtifactResult | void>