Use the interactive terminal app to build, run, and debug HTTP requests
hitspec studio is a keyboard-first interactive terminal app for working with hitspec files. It uses the same parser, runner, history store, stress engine, mock server, recorder, and import/export code as the CLI.
studio edits normal .http / .hitspec files on disk. There is no separate project format, and saved files stay version-control friendly.
Start the app
hitspec studiohitspec studio ./tests/api/hitspec studio ./tests/api/users.http
It runs directly in the terminal — no browser, no port. When you need the REST/WebSocket API for integrations, use the server instead:
hitspec serve --api-only --port 4000 --cors
Keyboard Workflow
Key
Action
Ctrl+P
Open the command palette
1 - 9
Navigate between screens
Tab / Shift+Tab
Move focus between panes
Enter
Open the selected file or command
e
Edit the active file inline
Ctrl+S
Save source changes
r
Run the selected request
R
Run every request in the file
Ctrl+R
Refresh workspace data
?
Toggle expanded help
q
Quit
Workspace
The workspace screen is compact and responsive:
File list with search/filter from the Bubbles list component
Parsed request table with method and URL
Inline source editor powered by Bubbles textarea
Response viewport with body, errors, timings, and assertion status
Headers and assertions tables
Bottom status bar with environment, progress, and help
Wide terminals show file, source, and response panes together. Medium terminals keep the file list plus one main pane. Narrow terminals switch to a single-pane tabbed workflow through focus changes.
Secondary Screens
studio maps the former manager routes to terminal screens:
Stress: quick-start load tests, saved hitspec.yaml profiles by name, and live RPS/error/latency metrics
Mock: start/stop the mock server and inspect registered routes
Contract: verify selected contract files against a provider URL
Record: start/stop the recording proxy, inspect captured traffic, and export recordings
History: browse persistent SQLite-backed runs and request results
Import: convert cURL, Insomnia, OpenAPI, and Postman input into hitspec content
Cookies: inspect the local cookie store captured from responses; cookies are not injected automatically
Settings: edit config and environment values that persist to hitspec.yaml
API-Only Mode
hitspec serve --api-only keeps the REST API and WebSocket endpoints for scripts and integrations. The web SPA is no longer served; non-API browser routes are not part of serve.
