Gherkin Scenario Authoring

Interactive assistant for creating Gherkin/BDD scenarios with best practices.

Gherkin Keywords

Keyword	Purpose	Example
Feature	Describes the feature	Feature: User Login
Scenario	Single test case	Scenario: Successful login
Given	Precondition/context	Given a registered user
When	Action/trigger	When they enter credentials
Then	Expected outcome	Then they are logged in
And	Continue previous	And a session is created
But	Negative continuation	But no email is sent
Background	Shared setup	Background: Given logged in
Scenario Outline	Parameterized	Examples table

Workflow

1. Gather Context

   • If argument provided, analyze feature description
   • If --interactive, guide through scenario creation

2. Feature Identification

   • Spawn spec-author gherkin agent
   • Identify the feature being tested
   • Determine user persona (As a...)

3. Scenario Construction

   • Define preconditions (Given)
   • Specify action (When) - single action only
   • Describe outcomes (Then)
   • Add supporting steps (And/But)

4. Best Practices Check

   • Declarative over imperative
   • Single When per scenario
   • Observable outcomes
   • Independent scenarios

5. Output

   • Generate .feature file or inline criteria
   • Optionally include Reqnroll/.NET hints

Arguments

• $ARGUMENTS - Feature description
• --interactive - Step-by-step guided authoring
• --output - Output .feature file path
• --format - Output format: feature (default), inline

Examples

# From description
/spec-driven-development:gherkin-author "User can add items to shopping cart"

# Interactive mode
/spec-driven-development:gherkin-author --interactive

# Output to file
/spec-driven-development:gherkin-author "Login feature" --output tests/login.feature

# Inline acceptance criteria format
/spec-driven-development:gherkin-author "Password reset" --format inline

Scenario Quality Checklist

SCENARIO QUALITY CHECK

[✓] Name describes behavior (not implementation)
[✓] Given establishes necessary context only
[✓] When has exactly ONE action
[✓] Then has observable, verifiable outcomes
[✓] Uses business language, not technical jargon
[✓] Independent of other scenarios
[✓] Focused on one behavior
[✓] Can be automated

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Anti-Pattern	Example	Better
UI-coupled	"When I click the blue button"	"When I submit the form"
Imperative	"When I type 'john' in field"	"When I enter credentials"
Too many Ands	Given X And Y And Z...	Use Background
Testing code	"Then database has record"	"Then user is registered"
Vague Then	"Then it works"	"Then I see confirmation"

Output Format

Feature File (.feature)

Feature: Shopping Cart
  As a shopper
  I want to add items to my cart
  So that I can purchase them later

  Background:
    Given I am logged in as a customer
    And the product catalog is available

  Scenario: Add single item to empty cart
    Given my cart is empty
    When I add "Widget" to my cart
    Then my cart contains 1 item
    And the cart total reflects the item price

  Scenario: Add item already in cart
    Given my cart contains 1 "Widget"
    When I add another "Widget"
    Then my cart contains 2 "Widget"
    And the cart total is updated

Inline Acceptance Criteria

### Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] AC-1: Given empty cart, when adding item, then cart contains 1 item
- [ ] AC-2: Given item in cart, when adding same item, then quantity increases
- [ ] AC-3: Given item in cart, when removing item, then cart is empty

Related Commands

• /spec-driven-development:gherkin-convert - Convert between formats
• /spec-driven-development:ears-author - Create EARS requirements
• /spec-driven-development:specify - Generate full specification