Implementation:Nightwatchjs Nightwatch Cucumber CLI Execution

Knowledge Sources	Nightwatch Nightwatch Cucumber Running
Domains	Testing, BDD, CLI
Last Updated	2026-02-12 00:00 GMT

Overview

CLI command for executing Cucumber BDD tests with Nightwatch using a Cucumber-specific configuration file and Cucumber-native options.

Description

Running npx nightwatch --config cucumber-config.js with a configuration that has test_runner.type: 'cucumber' activates the Cucumber execution pipeline. The CLI supports Cucumber-specific flags: --tags for scenario filtering, --format for output formatters, --parallel for worker threads, --dry-run for validation, and --fail-fast for early abort.

Usage

Run Cucumber tests via the Nightwatch CLI specifying the Cucumber config file. Pass Cucumber-specific options as needed.

Code Reference

Source Location

Repository: nightwatch
File: bin/runner.js (lines 1-41)
File: examples/cucumber-js/README.md (lines 56-80)

Signature

npx nightwatch [step_definitions_path] --config path/to/cucumber-config.js [options]

# Options:
#   --config <path>     Path to Cucumber-specific Nightwatch config
#   --parallel <N>      Number of worker threads
#   --tags <expr>       Cucumber tag expression (e.g., "@smoke and not @wip")
#   --format <name>     Cucumber formatter (progress, json, junit)
#   --format-options <json>  Formatter configuration
#   --dry-run           Parse and validate without executing
#   --fail-fast         Stop on first failure

Import

# CLI command - no import required
npx nightwatch --config cucumber-config.js

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
--config	string	Yes	Path to Cucumber-specific Nightwatch configuration
step_definitions_path	string	No	Path to step definition files (or use src_folders in config)
--tags	string	No	Cucumber tag expression for scenario filtering
--parallel	number	No	Number of parallel worker threads
--format	string	No	Output formatter name (default: 'progress')
--dry-run	flag	No	Validate without executing
--fail-fast	flag	No	Abort on first failure

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
Cucumber formatter output	string	Progress bars, JSON, or JUnit XML output
Exit code	number	0 = all passed, non-zero = failures

Usage Examples

Run Cucumber Tests

# Run all Cucumber tests
npx nightwatch --config test/cucumber-config.js

# Run with specific tag
npx nightwatch --config test/cucumber-config.js --tags "@smoke"

# Run with JSON formatter
npx nightwatch --config test/cucumber-config.js --format json

# Run in parallel with 4 workers
npx nightwatch --config test/cucumber-config.js --parallel 4

# Dry run (validate without executing)
npx nightwatch --config test/cucumber-config.js --dry-run

# Fail fast on first failure
npx nightwatch --config test/cucumber-config.js --fail-fast

Related Pages

Implements Principle

Principle:Nightwatchjs_Nightwatch_Cucumber_Test_Execution

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