Variables

Use {{variable_name}} in any step — strings, tables, request bodies. Values are substituted automatically at runtime.

When I store the value "John Doe" into "user_name" variable
When the user enters "{{user_name}}" into the "name" field
Then the value of the "name" field should be "{{user_name}}"

Variable types

Type	Store	Use
Scenario	`I store the value "..." into "name" variable`	`{{name}}` — cleared after the scenario
Environment	Defined in `testflowkit.yml`	`{{ env.api_key }}`, `{{ env.database.host }}`
Response path	`I store the response path "data.id" from the response into "user_id" variable`	JSON (GJSON) or XML (XPath)
Page element	`I store the content of "page_title" into "title" variable`	Text from a UI element
Random data	`I store the value "{{ rand:uuid }}" into "id" variable`	See Random Data

Environment variables

Define in testflowkit.yml:

env:
  api_key: "your-api-key"
  base_url: "https://api.example.com"
  database:
    host: "localhost"
    port: "5432"

Use in Gherkin with dot notation for nested values:

Given the user goes to "{{ env.base_url }}"
And I set the header "Authorization" to "Bearer {{ env.api_key }}"

Load environment-specific files at runtime:

tkit run --env-file .env.staging.yml

Response paths

JSON responses use GJSON syntax. XML responses use XPath.

Expression	Example
`user.email`	Nested field
`items.0`	First array item
`items.#`	Array length
`//user/id`	XML element (XPath)

When I send the request
And I store the response path "data.id" from the response into "user_id" variable
And I store the response path "data.name" from the response into "user_name" variable

API → UI flow

Scenario: Create user via API and verify in UI
  Given I prepare a request to "my_api.create_user"
  And I set the request body to:
    """
    { "name": "Test User", "email": "test@example.com" }
    """
  When I send the request
  And I store the response path "data.id" from the response into "user_id" variable
  Then the response status code should be 201

  Given the user goes to the "users" page
  When the user enters "{{user_id}}" into the "search" field
  Then the "user_row" should contain the text "Test User"

Scope

Variable	Scope
Scenario (`{{name}}`)	Current scenario only
Environment (`{{ env.* }}`)	All scenarios, loaded at startup
Global (`{{name}}` set in hooks)	All scenarios — see Global Hooks

Scenario variables do not persist across scenarios. Use global hooks when you need to share data between scenarios.

Next Steps

Random Data — Generate UUIDs, emails, dates inline
Macros — Reusable parameterized steps
Global Hooks — Cross-scenario setup and teardown