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VSCode Extension

The official hitspec VSCode extension (v0.2.0) provides syntax highlighting, snippets, and language configuration for .http and .hitspec files.

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Features

  • Full syntax highlighting via TextMate grammar
  • 46 code snippets covering requests, assertions, captures, annotations, blocks, and built-in functions
  • Comment toggling (#)
  • Bracket matching and auto-closing for {}, [], (), "", '', {{}}, and >>> / <<<
  • Code folding for request separators (###) and assertion blocks

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Syntax Highlighting

The TextMate grammar highlights these elements:
  • HTTP methods — GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS, TRACE, CONNECT, WS
  • Request separators — ### lines
  • Annotations — @name, @tags, @auth, @depends, @if, @unless, @import, @stress.*, @contract.*, and others
  • Headers — key-value pairs like Content-Type: application/json
  • Assertion blocks (>>> / <<<) — expect keyword, comparison operators (==, !=, >, <, >=, <=), matchers (contains, matches, exists, type, schema, snapshot, etc.), and subjects (status, body, header, duration)
  • Typed blocks — >>>capture, >>>graphql, >>>db, >>>shell, >>>multipart, >>>variables
  • Variable interpolation — {{variable}}
  • Built-in functions — $uuid(), $timestamp(), $env(), $random(), and others
  • File includes — < ./path/to/file
  • Query parameters — ? key = value and & key = value
  • Strings, numbers, booleans, null

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Installation

1

Build the extension

cd apps/vscode
npm install
npm run package
This generates a .vsix file in the apps/vscode directory.
2

Install in VSCode

  1. Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux)
  2. Run Extensions: Install from VSIX…
  3. Select the generated .vsix file
The extension is declarative-only — no IntelliSense or autocomplete beyond snippets. The REST Client extension is an alternative for basic .http support, but it does not highlight assertion blocks, typed blocks, or annotations.

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Neovim

The hitspec Neovim plugin provides syntax highlighting, filetype detection, buffer settings, and optional LuaSnip snippets for .http and .hitspec files.

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Features

  • Syntax highlighting via Vim syntax file (not TreeSitter)
  • Filetype detection for .http and .hitspec
  • Buffer settings: commentstring (# %s), 2-space indentation
  • 57 LuaSnip snippets (optional) covering HTTP methods, assertion/capture blocks, annotations, built-in functions, and a complete request template

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Installation

{
  "abdul-hamid-achik/hitspec",
  ft = { "http", "hitspec" },
  config = function()
    require("hitspec").setup()
  end,
}
Snippets require LuaSnip. Call require("hitspec").setup() in your config to register them. If LuaSnip is not installed, snippets are silently skipped.

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Shell Completions

hitspec can generate completion scripts for your shell, giving you tab completion for commands and flags. 
hitspec completion bash > /etc/bash_completion.d/hitspec
After installing completions, restart your shell or source the completion file for changes to take effect.
On macOS with Homebrew, Bash completions are typically loaded from /opt/homebrew/etc/bash_completion.d/. For Zsh, you may need to add the completions directory to your fpath in ~/.zshrc before compinit is called.