Godogen Reference

Godogen is a Go code generator for godog BDD step definitions. It allows you to colocate step patterns with their implementations using directive comments.

Quick Install

go install github.com/lukasngl/godogen@latest
go install github.com/lukasngl/godogen/godogen-language-server@latest

For more options (Go 1.24+ tool directive, Nix flake, editor setup), see Installation.

Writing Step Definitions

Step definitions are Go functions with //godogen: directive comments:

//godogen:given ^I am logged in as "([^"]*)"$
func (s *Suite) iAmLoggedInAs(username string) error {
    return nil
}

//godogen:when ^I click the "([^"]*)" button$
func (s *Suite) iClickButton(name string) error {
    return nil
}

//godogen:then ^I should see "([^"]*)"$
func (s *Suite) iShouldSee(text string) error {
    return nil
}

Directive Types

Directive	Generated Code	Use Case
//godogen:step <pattern>	ctx.Step(pattern, fn)	Matches Given/When/Then
//godogen:given <pattern>	ctx.Given(pattern, fn)	Preconditions
//godogen:when <pattern>	ctx.When(pattern, fn)	Actions
//godogen:then <pattern>	ctx.Then(pattern, fn)	Assertions
//godogen:before	ctx.Before(fn)	Before scenario hook
//godogen:after	ctx.After(fn)	After scenario hook
//godogen:before_step	ctx.StepContext().Before(fn)	Before step hook
//godogen:after_step	ctx.StepContext().After(fn)	After step hook

Pattern Requirements

• Patterns must start with ^ and end with $ (anchored regex)
• Use ([^"]*) for quoted string captures
• Use (\d+) for integer captures
• Escape special characters: \., \(, \), etc.

Valid Return Types

Step functions can return:

• error
• context.Context
• (context.Context, error)
• godog.Steps
• nothing (void)

Running the Generator

# In directory with go:generate directive
go generate ./...

# Or run godogen directly
godogen

# With Go 1.24+ tool directive
go tool godogen

The generator creates *_initializer.go files with step registration functions.

CLI Commands

The godogen-language-server provides CLI commands for analysis:

diagnose

Find issues in your BDD test suite:

godogen-language-server diagnose                    # All issues
godogen-language-server diagnose --severity error   # Only errors
godogen-language-server diagnose --format json      # JSON output

Reports:

• Undefined steps (error): Feature steps without definitions
• Ambiguous steps (warning): Steps matching multiple definitions
• Duplicate definitions (error): Same pattern defined twice
• Unused definitions (hint): Steps not used in features
• Invalid patterns (error): Missing anchors or invalid regex

list-steps

List step definitions:

godogen-language-server list-steps                  # All steps
godogen-language-server list-steps --kind When      # Only When steps
godogen-language-server list-steps --format json    # JSON output

find-definition

Navigate from feature step to Go definition:

godogen-language-server find-definition features/login.feature:10

find-references

Find feature steps using a definition:

godogen-language-server find-references steps/auth.go:15:1

hover

Get info about a position:

godogen-language-server hover features/login.feature:10:5

symbols

List symbols in a file:

godogen-language-server symbols features/login.feature
godogen-language-server symbols steps/auth.go

Global Flags

All commands support:

• --root <dir> - Workspace root (default: .)
• --config <file> - Config file path
• --format, -f <text|json> - Output format

Configuration

Create .godogen-language-server.json in your project root:

{
  "stepPatterns": ["**"]
}

The config file is optional. By default, the language server watches all files (**).

Common configurations:

{
  "stepPatterns": [
    "**/*_steps.go",
    "**/*.feature"
  ]
}

For more patterns (monorepo, external features), see Project Organization.

CI/CD Integration

# Fail on any errors
godogen-language-server diagnose --severity error
if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
  echo "BDD validation failed"
  exit 1
fi

Exit codes:

• 0: No issues at the requested severity level
• 1: Issues found or error running command

Detailed Guides

• Installation - Go install, Go tool directive, Nix flake, editor setup
• Project Organization - Structure, TestContext pattern, composable steps
• Scenario Isolation - Three-tier testing, transaction rollback, message queue isolation
• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions