Feature: Using descriptions to give features context When writing your feature files its very helpful to use description text at the beginning of the feature file, to write a preamble to the feature describing clearly exactly what the feature does. You can also write descriptions attached to individual scenarios - see the examples below for how this can be used. It's possible to have your descriptions run over more than one line, and you can have blank lines too. As long as you don't start a line with a Given, When, Then, Background:, Scenario: or similar, you're fine: otherwise Gherkin will start to pay attention. Background: Given the standard step definitions Scenario: Everything with a description Given a file named "features/test.feature" with: """ Feature: descriptions everywhere We can put a useful description here of the feature, which can span multiple lines. Background: We can also put in descriptions showing what the background is doing. Given this step passes Scenario: I'm a scenario with a description You can also put descriptions in front of individual scenarios. Given this step passes Scenario Outline: I'm a scenario outline with a description Scenario outlines can have descriptions. Given this step Examples: Examples Specific examples for an outline are allowed to have descriptions, too. | state | | passes | """ When I run `cucumber -q` Then the stderr should not contain anything Then it should pass with exactly: """ Feature: descriptions everywhere We can put a useful description here of the feature, which can span multiple lines. Background: We can also put in descriptions showing what the background is doing. Given this step passes Scenario: I'm a scenario with a description You can also put descriptions in front of individual scenarios. Given this step passes Scenario Outline: I'm a scenario outline with a description Scenario outlines can have descriptions. Given this step Examples: Examples Specific examples for an outline are allowed to have descriptions, too. | state | | passes | 2 scenarios (2 passed) 4 steps (4 passed) 0m0.012s """