angular/angular.js · error · Error

Unsatisfied requests: {}

Error message

Unsatisfied requests: {}

What it means

verifyNoOutstandingExpectation() runs a digest and then throws 'Unsatisfied requests: ...' listing every expectation created with expect()/expectGET()/... that no actual request matched. It is the standard afterEach assertion that all expected HTTP calls actually happened (with matching method, URL, and data).

Source

Thrown at src/ngMock/angular-mocks.js:2018

  /**
   * @ngdoc method
   * @name $httpBackend#verifyNoOutstandingExpectation
   * @description
   * Verifies that all of the requests defined via the `expect` api were made. If any of the
   * requests were not made, verifyNoOutstandingExpectation throws an exception.
   *
   * Typically, you would call this method following each test case that asserts requests using an
   * "afterEach" clause.
   *
   * ```js
   *   afterEach($httpBackend.verifyNoOutstandingExpectation);
   * ```
   */
  $httpBackend.verifyNoOutstandingExpectation = function(digest) {
    if (digest !== false) $rootScope.$digest();
    if (expectations.length) {
      throw new Error('Unsatisfied requests: ' + expectations.join(', '));
    }
  };


  /**
   * @ngdoc method
   * @name $httpBackend#verifyNoOutstandingRequest
   * @description
   * Verifies that there are no outstanding requests that need to be flushed.
   *
   * Typically, you would call this method following each test case that asserts requests using an
   * "afterEach" clause.
   *
   * ```js
   *   afterEach($httpBackend.verifyNoOutstandingRequest);
   * ```
   */
  $httpBackend.verifyNoOutstandingRequest = function(digest) {

View on GitHub (pinned to d8f77817eb)

Solutions

1. Invoke the code under test that performs the expected request before verification (often the fix is simply calling the controller/service function).
2. Align the expectation with the real call: same method, same URL form (query string, leading slash), and matching data.
3. For calls that may legitimately not happen, use when() (backend definition) instead of expect() (strict expectation).
4. Read the thrown message — it lists each unsatisfied 'METHOD url' expectation, which tells you exactly which call is missing.

Example fix

// before
it('saves', inject(function($httpBackend, $controller) {
  $httpBackend.expectPOST('/items', {name: 'a'}).respond(200);
  var ctrl = $controller('ItemCtrl'); // constructor does not POST yet
  $httpBackend.verifyNoOutstandingExpectation(); // throws: POST /items unsatisfied
}));

// after
it('saves', inject(function($httpBackend, $controller) {
  $httpBackend.expectPOST('/items', {name: 'a'}).respond(200);
  var ctrl = $controller('ItemCtrl');
  ctrl.save({name: 'a'}); // now the POST is issued
  $httpBackend.flush();
  $httpBackend.verifyNoOutstandingExpectation();
}));

// Centralize the afterEach contract; expectations that MAY not fire should be when() instead
// beforeEach: $httpBackend.expectGET('/must') for mandatory calls only
afterEach(function() {
  $httpBackend.verifyNoOutstandingExpectation();
  $httpBackend.verifyNoOutstandingRequest();
});

// Produce a clearer failure with the spec name plus the unsatisfied list
try {
  $httpBackend.verifyNoOutstandingExpectation();
} catch (e) {
  if (/^Unsatisfied requests:/.test(e.message)) {
    throw new Error(specName + ' never issued:\n' + e.message);
  }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: expectGET('/api/x').respond(...) was declared but the code never issued that request; the request used a different method/URL/data so it never matched (which typically surfaces earlier as 'Unexpected request' during flush); the request is conditional (feature flag, guard clause) and the test's inputs took the other branch; the triggering function was never called.

Common situations: afterEach($httpBackend.verifyNoOutstandingExpectation) per the ngMock docs; a controller method tested for the success path while the request lives in the error path; URL mismatch from query strings or a missing/extra leading slash; body data not matching because serialization produced a JSON string the expectation does not deep-equal.

Related errors

• No pending request to flush !
• No more pending request to flush !
• Unflushed requests: {} {}
• No deferred tasks to be flushed
• Deferred tasks to flush ({}): {}

AI-assisted analysis of angular/angular.js@d8f77817eb (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a72a611f9cb771e9. Report an issue: GitHub.