Implementation:Nightwatchjs Nightwatch Nightwatch CLI Init

Knowledge Sources	Nightwatch Nightwatch Getting Started
Domains	Testing, CLI, Project_Setup
Last Updated	2026-02-12 00:00 GMT

Overview

External CLI scaffolding tool for initializing a new Nightwatch.js project with configuration, directories, and dependencies.

Description

The npm init nightwatch@latest command invokes the create-nightwatch package, an interactive CLI wizard that generates a complete Nightwatch.js project scaffold. This is an external npm initializer package (not part of the nightwatch repository itself). The generated project invokes bin/runner.js as its entry point for test execution.

Usage

Run this command once when setting up a new Nightwatch testing project or adding Nightwatch to an existing Node.js project. The wizard guides through browser selection, test runner choice, and directory configuration.

Code Reference

Source Location

• Repository: nightwatch (entry point invoked by generated project)
• File: bin/runner.js (lines 1-41)

Signature

npm init nightwatch@latest
# Interactive wizard prompts:
# - Browser selection (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
# - Test runner (Mocha, Cucumber)
# - Base URL
# - Test folder location

Import

# No import required - this is a CLI command
npm init nightwatch@latest

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
project directory	Directory	Yes	Empty or existing Node.js project directory

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
nightwatch.conf.js	File	Nightwatch configuration with selected browsers and settings
test directory	Directory	Test folder structure (e.g., test/ or tests/)
package.json	File	Updated with nightwatch dependency and test scripts

Usage Examples

Initialize New Project

# Create a new directory and initialize
mkdir my-e2e-tests
cd my-e2e-tests
npm init nightwatch@latest

# Follow the interactive prompts, then run:
npx nightwatch

Add to Existing Project

# In an existing Node.js project
cd my-existing-app
npm init nightwatch@latest

# The wizard detects existing package.json and adapts

Related Pages

Implements Principle

• Principle:Nightwatchjs_Nightwatch_Project_Initialization

Requires Environment

• Environment:Nightwatchjs_Nightwatch_Node_18_Runtime