diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/cypress/integration/timelines/notes_tab.spec.ts b/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/cypress/integration/timelines/notes_tab.spec.ts
index fdc003039afbc..cb3785c1aba25 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/cypress/integration/timelines/notes_tab.spec.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/cypress/integration/timelines/notes_tab.spec.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  * 2.0.
  */
 
-import { timeline } from '../../objects/timeline';
+import { timelineNonValidQuery } from '../../objects/timeline';
 
 import { NOTES_TEXT, NOTES_TEXT_AREA } from '../../screens/timeline';
 import { createTimeline } from '../../tasks/api_calls/timelines';
@@ -19,14 +19,14 @@ import { waitForTimelinesPanelToBeLoaded } from '../../tasks/timelines';
 import { TIMELINES_URL } from '../../urls/navigation';
 
 describe('Timeline notes tab', () => {
-  let timelineId: string | undefined;
+  let timelineId: string;
 
   before(() => {
     cleanKibana();
     loginAndWaitForPageWithoutDateRange(TIMELINES_URL);
     waitForTimelinesPanelToBeLoaded();
 
-    createTimeline(timeline)
+    createTimeline(timelineNonValidQuery)
       .then((response) => {
         if (response.body.data.persistTimeline.timeline.savedObjectId == null) {
           cy.log('"createTimeline" did not return expected response');
@@ -35,11 +35,8 @@ describe('Timeline notes tab', () => {
         waitForTimelinesPanelToBeLoaded();
       })
       .then(() => {
-        // TODO: It would be great to add response validation to avoid such things like
-        // the bang below and to more easily understand where failures are coming from -
-        // client vs server side
-        openTimelineById(timelineId!).then(() => {
-          addNotesToTimeline(timeline.notes);
+        openTimelineById(timelineId).then(() => {
+          addNotesToTimeline(timelineNonValidQuery.notes);
         });
       });
   });
@@ -49,7 +46,7 @@ describe('Timeline notes tab', () => {
   });
 
   it('should contain notes', () => {
-    cy.get(NOTES_TEXT).should('have.text', timeline.notes);
+    cy.get(NOTES_TEXT).should('have.text', timelineNonValidQuery.notes);
   });
 
   it('should render mockdown', () => {
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/cypress/objects/timeline.ts b/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/cypress/objects/timeline.ts
index a3d653840dfd9..b5089c9775666 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/cypress/objects/timeline.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/cypress/objects/timeline.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,16 @@ export const timeline: CompleteTimeline = {
   filter,
 };
 
+/**
+ * Timeline query that finds no valid data to cut down on test failures
+ * or other issues for when we want to test one specific thing and not also
+ * test the queries happening
+ */
+export const timelineNonValidQuery: CompleteTimeline = {
+  ...timeline,
+  query: 'query_to_intentionally_find_nothing: *',
+};
+
 export const caseTimeline: Timeline = {
   title: 'SIEM test',
   description: 'description',
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/cypress/tasks/timeline.ts b/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/cypress/tasks/timeline.ts
index a7842a7d98e83..e81cfa50a1a70 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/cypress/tasks/timeline.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/security_solution/cypress/tasks/timeline.ts
@@ -234,21 +234,14 @@ export const openTimelineTemplateFromSettings = (id: string) => {
 };
 
 export const openTimelineById = (timelineId: string): Cypress.Chainable<JQuery<HTMLElement>> => {
-  // Why are we checking for null if it is typed to 'string'? We don't currently validate the timeline response
-  // so technically we cannot guarantee that we will have the id. Changing the type to 'string | null' results in
-  // a lot of other changes being needed that would be best as part of a cleanup. Added a log, to give a dev a clue
-  // as to whether it's failing client or server side.
   if (timelineId == null) {
+    // Log out if for some reason this happens to be null just in case for our tests we experience
+    // value of null. Some tests return an "any" which is why this could happen.
     cy.log('"timelineId" is null or undefined');
   }
-
-  cy.root()
-    .pipe(($el) => {
-      $el.find(TIMELINE_TITLE_BY_ID(timelineId)).trigger('click');
-      return $el.find(QUERY_TAB_BUTTON).find('.euiBadge');
-    })
-    .should('be.visible');
-  return cy.root().find(TIMELINE_TITLE_BY_ID(timelineId));
+  // We avoid use cypress.pipe() here and multiple clicks because each of these clicks
+  // can result in a new URL async operation occurring and then we get indeterminism as the URL loads multiple times.
+  return cy.get(TIMELINE_TITLE_BY_ID(timelineId)).should('be.visible').click({ force: true });
 };
 
 export const pinFirstEvent = () => {