diff --git a/packages/driver/src/cy/commands/querying.js b/packages/driver/src/cy/commands/querying.js
index b88db3a12d47..36ff834fab27 100644
--- a/packages/driver/src/cy/commands/querying.js
+++ b/packages/driver/src/cy/commands/querying.js
@@ -409,6 +409,10 @@ module.exports = (Commands, Cypress, cy) => {
         filter = ''
       }
 
+      if (options.matchCase === true && _.isRegExp(text) && text.flags.includes('i')) {
+        throw new Error('cy.contains() content has i flag and matchCase is true. What is intended?')
+      }
+
       _.defaults(options, { log: true, matchCase: true })
 
       if (!(_.isString(text) || _.isFinite(text) || _.isRegExp(text))) {
@@ -495,10 +499,6 @@ module.exports = (Commands, Cypress, cy) => {
           text = new RegExp(text.source, text.flags + 'i') // eslint-disable-line prefer-template
         }
 
-        if (options.matchCase === true && text.flags.includes('i')) {
-          throw new Error('cy.contains() content has i flag and matchCase is true. What is intended?')
-        }
-
         // taken from jquery's normal contains method
         $expr.contains = (elem) => {
           let testText = normalizeWhitespaces(elem)
diff --git a/packages/driver/test/cypress/integration/commands/querying_spec.js b/packages/driver/test/cypress/integration/commands/querying_spec.js
index d006dfe5ddd6..572969957b2e 100644
--- a/packages/driver/test/cypress/integration/commands/querying_spec.js
+++ b/packages/driver/test/cypress/integration/commands/querying_spec.js
@@ -1936,6 +1936,10 @@ space
           matchCase: true,
         })
       })
+
+      it('passes when "i" flag is used with undefined option', () => {
+        cy.get('#test-button').contains(/Test/i)
+      })
     })
 
     describe('subject contains text nodes', () => {