Cucumber for Jira is retiring on 26 February 2027: what to do next
SmartBear will retire Cucumber for Jira on 26 February 2027. After that date, the app is removed from the Atlassian Marketplace and stops working in your Jira site.
We know this is disruptive for the teams who rely on it. That is why we are telling you well in advance. This page tells you what happens, what to check, and how to choose your next tool.
Timeline
| Date | What changes |
|---|---|
| From 27 October 2026 | You will not be billed for Cucumber for Jira again. |
| 27 October 2026 to 26 February 2027 | You can continue to use the app. If you have questions about the retirement or moving to a new tool, we are here to help. |
| 26 February 2027 | The app is switched off and removed from your Jira site. Scenario drafts that were not published to Git are no longer accessible. |
If you pay annually: nothing changes for the rest of your current term, and your subscription won’t renew. After that, you keep access to the app on the free plan until 26 February 2027.
If you pay monthly: you won’t be charged again, and your subscription won’t renew. You keep access to the app on the free plan until 26 February 2027.
You don’t need to cancel anything.
Why we are retiring the app
Atlassian is ending support for Connect, the platform Cucumber for Jira is built on, in January 2027. Every Marketplace vendor with a Connect app has to decide what happens to it next.
We have decided to focus our BDD and test management investment in Zephyr (formerly Zephyr Scale), SmartBear’s test management platform for Jira, rather than maintain a separate standalone app. We are retiring Cucumber for Jira cleanly, on a date announced well in advance, so you have time to plan.
Our commitment to BDD and to the Cucumber ecosystem continues. The Cucumber open source project is thriving under community ownership through the Open Source Collective, and Cucumber result import remains supported in Zephyr via CI.
What you need to do
- Check your scenarios (Step 1).
- Choose where to go next (Step 2).
- Move your scenarios following the path for your chosen tool (Step 3).
There is no automated migration. There is no import tool and no automated path from Cucumber for Jira to Zephyr or to any other tool. Moving your scenarios is manual: you either re-create them in the new tool or connect the new tool to your Git repository.
Step 1: Check your scenarios
Published scenarios. Your published scenarios live in your Git repository (for example, GitHub), not in Cucumber for Jira. The app reads them from Git. Shutting the app off does not delete them, and there is nothing to export from the app for them.
Unpublished drafts. The only thing Cucumber for Jira holds that is not in Git is scenario drafts you created in the app and have not published. If you have any, export them before 26 February 2027, because they are not accessible after that date.
Export scenario drafts from Jira
- Find the Jira work items that contain scenario drafts. In Jira, search for work items with the
BDD_Featurelabel. You can use this JQL query:labels IN (BDD_Feature). - Open each matching work item. Review the results one by one and open the work item that contains the draft you want to export.
- Download the feature file. In the work item, open the
Cucumberissue panel and select the download option to save the feature file.
Once exported, store the files somewhere safe and check that they open correctly.
Step 2: Choose where to go next
Which option suits you depends on how you work.
| If this describes you | Look at |
|---|---|
| Your scenarios live in Git and you want them visible in Jira | Spec Solutions, Behave Pro, AssertThat |
| You want to write scenarios in Jira | Feature Files, Zephyr |
| You mainly track Cucumber results from CI | Zephyr |
| You are comfortable working in Git and CI alone | Cucumber open source |
From SmartBear
Zephyr (formerly Zephyr Scale) is test management in Jira, including BDD test cases and Cucumber CI result import.
Important: Zephyr does not automatically sync feature files from Git the way Cucumber for Jira does. Scenarios are managed in Jira and results are pushed via the API. This is a change to your workflow, not a like-for-like swap. If Git-based living documentation is the core of how you work, look at the options below first.
For Git-based living documentation
- Spec Solutions: a Git to Jira feature-file bridge, and the closest functional match to Cucumber for Jira’s living documentation.
- Behave Pro: BDD collaboration in Jira with two-way Git sync and living documentation.
- AssertThat: BDD and Cucumber test management for Jira, with a Gherkin editor and CI integrations.
- Feature Files: write scenarios in Jira and export
.featurefiles back to Git.
Without a Jira integration
- Cucumber open source: a good fit if your team is comfortable working in Git and CI alone.
We have no commercial relationship with the third-party apps above except Zephyr. We list them because they solve the problem, not because we recommend one over another. Please evaluate them against your own workflow.
Step 3: Move your scenarios
Because there is no automated migration, the work depends on the tool you choose.
- A tool that connects to your Git repository (Spec Solutions, Behave Pro, AssertThat): your published scenarios already live in Git. Connect the new tool to the same repository and follow its setup guide.
- Feature Files: import or write your scenarios in Jira, and export
.featurefiles back to Git when needed. Follow its documentation. - Zephyr: re-create your scenarios as BDD test cases in Jira and push results via the API. Remember it does not sync feature files from Git.
- Cucumber open source: keep working from your Git repository and CI. Nothing needs to move.
Any drafts you exported in Step 1 can be added to your repository or to the new tool in the same way.
Common questions
Will I be charged again?
No. You will not be billed for Cucumber for Jira again.
Do I need to cancel my subscription?
No. Your subscription won’t renew. When it expires, you move to the free plan and can keep using the app until 26 February 2027.
Can I keep using the app until 26 February 2027?
Yes. Whatever your subscription term, you can keep using the app until then. If you have questions about the retirement or moving to a new tool, contact us.
Where are my scenarios?
Every scenario that is part of your living documentation lives in your Git repository. Cucumber for Jira reads them from there, so they are not affected when the app is shut off. The only scenarios that are not in Git are drafts that exist only in a Jira work item. Export those before 26 February 2027.
What do I lose when the app shuts down?
Only scenario drafts that you created in Cucumber for Jira and did not publish to Git. Export them before 26 February 2027.
Is there a tool to move my scenarios automatically?
No. Migration is manual.
Does Zephyr sync feature files from Git?
No. Scenarios are managed in Jira and results are pushed via the API.
What happens to my drafts after 26 February 2027?
Scenario drafts that exist only in a Jira work item are no longer accessible to you after that date, so please export them before then.
Getting help
- Contact us at Product Support Portal | SmartBear Software
- or maksym.lytvyn@smartbear.com / Severine.Darlot@smartbear.com
Thank you
Thank you for using Cucumber for Jira, and for being part of the BDD community built around it. We will do what we can to make this transition as straightforward as possible.