> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://hitspec.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# hitspec validate & list

> Validate syntax and list requests in hitspec files

# hitspec validate

Validate `.http` and `.hitspec` files for syntax errors without executing them.

```bash theme={null}
hitspec validate <file|directory>
```

## Arguments

| Argument      | Description                                    |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| `<file>`      | Single `.http` or `.hitspec` file to validate  |
| `<directory>` | Directory to search recursively for test files |

## Behavior

The `validate` command parses each file and reports:

* Syntax errors (malformed requests, invalid headers)
* Invalid assertion syntax
* Undefined variables
* Circular dependencies

If all files are valid, each is printed with a `Valid:` prefix. If any file has errors, the command prints the error and exits with a non-zero status.

## Examples

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash Validate a single file theme={null}
  hitspec validate tests/api.http
  ```

  ```bash Validate all files in a directory theme={null}
  hitspec validate tests/
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Sample Output

```
Valid: tests/auth.http
Valid: tests/users.http
Error in tests/broken.http: line 15: unexpected token ">>>"
```

### Use in CI/CD

```bash theme={null}
# Validate before running tests
hitspec validate tests/ && hitspec run tests/ --env staging
```

```yaml theme={null}
# GitHub Actions
- name: Validate test files
  run: hitspec validate tests/
```

***

# hitspec list

List all requests defined in `.http` and `.hitspec` files.

```bash theme={null}
hitspec list <file|directory>
```

## Arguments

| Argument      | Description                                    |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| `<file>`      | Single `.http` or `.hitspec` file              |
| `<directory>` | Directory to search recursively for test files |

## Behavior

The `list` command parses each file and prints each request with its name and tags. If a request has no `@name` annotation, the method and URL are used as the display name.

## Examples

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash List requests in a file theme={null}
  hitspec list tests/api.http
  ```

  ```bash List all requests in a directory theme={null}
  hitspec list tests/
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Sample Output

```
tests/api.http:
  - healthCheck
    tags: [smoke]
  - login
    tags: [auth]
  - getProfile
    tags: [users]
  - updateProfile
    tags: [users]
```

### Use Cases

* Discover available tests in a project
* Verify request names before filtering with `--name`
* Audit tag coverage across test files
* Quick inventory of API endpoints under test