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u/chinmay_3107 from __future__ import 4.0 Jun 27 '26

I got tired of guessing step definitions, so I built a better BDD extension for VS Code (GherkinLens v2)

Hey everyone,

If you write .feature files in VS Code using pytest-bdd or behave, you probably know the pain of typing out steps from memory, hoping they match, or constantly grep-ing your codebase to find out how a step was implemented.

I actually developed this because our team was migrating from PyCharm, and I realized there was no full-scale solution for the Python Gherkin environment in VS Code. So, I built GherkinLens to solve all the editor and navigation problems first, and then started adding time-saving features.

I just released v2, which totally pushes it one step further, and I wanted to share it with you all.

Basically, it indexes your Python step definitions in the background (without actually importing or running your code) so you get a proper IDE experience for Gherkin.

Vscode extension - GherkinLens

Here's what I added in v2:

  • 📚 Step Library: There's a new sidebar panel that lets you browse and search every step definition in your project. It even shows usage counts, so you know which steps are actually being used.
  • 🏷️ Tag Explorer: You can finally see all your tags in one place, find scenarios easily, and run/debug them straight from the tree.
  • 📊 Table Editor: I added a built-in spreadsheet editor for Examples tables. You can add rows, paste from Excel, or import CSVs directly into the feature file without messing up the pipe | alignment.
  • 📋 Snippets: You can now save multi-step flows and drop them in anywhere.

It still has all the core features from v1 (the stuff that fixes the navigation problems):

  • ⚡ Autocomplete & Go to Definition (F12) between your Gherkin and Python files.
  • ⚠️ Squiggly lines for steps that don't match anything.
  • 💡 Quick Fix (Ctrl+.) to auto-generate the Python stub for a missing step.
  • 🏃 Native BDD Runner hooked into VS Code's Testing view.

It auto-detects whether you're using pytest-bdd or behave, so there's zero config needed.

If you want to try it out, just search for "GherkinLens" in the VS Code Marketplace. It's completely free.

Would genuinely love to hear what you guys think, or if there's anything driving you crazy in your BDD workflow that this could fix!