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Technology

Cucumber

Difficulty

Beginner

Experience

Fresher

Type

Interview Q&A

AutomateQA Team

QA Automation Engineers

June 15, 2026

Interview Question

What is the use of the glue property under @CucumberOptions?

Q: What is the use of the glue property under @CucumberOptions?

glue Property in @CucumberOptions Purpose The glue property tells Cucumber where to find the step definitions and hooks. It specifies the Java package(s) that contain classes annotated with @Given, @When, @Then, @Before, and @After. Glue is the binding between plain English Gherkin steps and actual Java implementation code. Syntax java @CucumberOptions( glue = "stepDefinitions" // OR glue = {"stepDefinitions", "hooks"} ) Single Package java @CucumberOptions( features = "src/test/resources/features", glue = "stepDefinitions" // All step defs in stepDefinitions package ) Multiple Packages java @

Answer

glue Property in @CucumberOptions

Purpose

The glue property tells Cucumber where to find the step definitions and hooks. It specifies the Java package(s) that contain classes annotated with @Given, @When, @Then, @Before, and @After.

Glue is the binding between plain English Gherkin steps and actual Java implementation code.

Syntax

Java

@CucumberOptions(
    glue = "stepDefinitions"
    // OR
    glue = {"stepDefinitions", "hooks"}
)

Single Package

Java

@CucumberOptions(
    features = "src/test/resources/features",
    glue = "stepDefinitions"   // All step defs in stepDefinitions package
)

Multiple Packages

Java

@CucumberOptions(
    features = "src/test/resources/features",
    glue = {
        "stepDefinitions",    // Step definition classes
        "hooks",              // @Before/@After hook classes
        "utils"               // Utility classes with @ParameterType
    }
)

Project Structure with Glue

CODE

src/
  test/
    java/
      stepDefinitions/        ← glue = "stepDefinitions"
        LoginSteps.java
        RegistrationSteps.java
        CheckoutSteps.java
      hooks/                  ← glue includes "hooks"
        Hooks.java
        ScreenshotHook.java
      runners/
        TestRunner.java

What Happens Without Correct Glue

CODE

Error: io.cucumber.junit.UndefinedStepException
  Step "When the user clicks Login" is undefined

Reason: Cucumber couldn't find the step definition
        because the package isn't listed in glue

Common Mistakes

Java

// WRONG — wrong package name
glue = "stepDefinition"   // should be "stepDefinitions"

// WRONG — using file path instead of package name
glue = "src/test/java/stepDefinitions"  // should be just "stepDefinitions"

// CORRECT
glue = {"stepDefinitions", "hooks"}

Difference: features vs glue

Property	Purpose	Example
`features`	Where `.feature` files are (file path)	`"src/test/resources/features"`
`glue`	Where step definitions are (Java package)	`"stepDefinitions"`