Desktop HTTP client

Code-first requests, on desktop.

Run .http files with envs, secrets, JavaScript scripts, and built-in load testing. Use the GUI, CLI, or let an AI drive it via MCP.

Download View on GitHub

macOS + Windows

requests.http

# Environments
@env.dev.baseUrl = http://localhost:3000
@env.prod.baseUrl = https://api.example.com

# Globals (optional)
@contentType = application/json

### Login
@name login
@timeout 15000
POST {{baseUrl}}/auth/login
Content-Type: {{contentType}}
{
  "email": "dev@rawrequest.dev",
  "password": "{{secret:password}}"
}
> {
  assert(response.status === 200, `Expected 200, got ${response.status}`);
  setVar('token', response.json.token);
}

### Get Profile
@depends login
GET {{baseUrl}}/profile
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
Accept: application/json

Screenshots

A quick look at the editor, load testing, and results.

RawRequest main window — Request editor + response viewer

Load test running — Load test in progress

Features

Practical tooling for day-to-day API work.

Code-first editor

CodeMirror 6 with syntax highlighting, folding, linting, variable diagnostics, and viewport-optimized performance for large files.

Request navigation

Outline panel (⌘⇧O) to browse and filter requests. Command palette (⌘P) for fuzzy search to jump to any request instantly.

Built-in load testing

Turn a request into a load test with @load. Configure duration, users, ramp-up, and target RPS. Watch progress and get percentile breakdowns.

Secrets manager

Encrypted vault with {{secret:key}} placeholders. Sortable table with usage tracking, shared pool across environments, and optional master password to reveal values.

Scripts & chaining

JavaScript pre/post scripts with setVar, assert, and console.log. Chain requests via @depends and reference prior responses.

Environments

Define variables per environment with @env.dev.baseUrl syntax. Switch between dev, staging, and production with a single click.

CLI mode

Run named requests from the terminal with rawrequest run. JSON, body, or quiet output. Secrets resolve automatically.

MCP server

Let AI assistants (GitHub Copilot, Claude) discover and execute requests from .http files via chat. One config, all projects.

Portable history

History and responses live beside your .http file. Predictable, reviewable, and easy to share or version control.

Workflow

Keep requests in text, keep outputs nearby, and make changes you can review.

Author .http files

Use ### separators, env placeholders, and scripts. Run any request instantly.

Wire secrets + envs

Use the vault + per-environment vars; lint catches missing placeholders before you hit send.

Keep history nearby

Responses and history sit beside your file (or your run location for unsaved work) so it’s easy to inspect and share.

MCP Server

Let AI assistants discover and run your HTTP requests via chat.

RawRequest acts as an MCP server, giving AI assistants like GitHub Copilot, Claude, and others direct access to your .http files. Configure it once — it works across all your projects.

list_requests Discover all requests in a file

run_request Execute a request and get the full response

list_environments See available environments and their variables

set_variable Set variables for subsequent requests

Secrets resolve automatically from the same encrypted vault as the GUI. Tell the AI which file to use via copilot-instructions.md or in conversation.

VS Code / Copilot — .vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "rawrequest": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "rawrequest",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Copilot CLI — ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rawrequest": {
      "command": "rawrequest",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rawrequest": {
      "command": "rawrequest",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Install

Grab a release, or use the macOS installer script/Homebrew.

macOS

Quick install:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/portablesheep/RawRequest/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Or Homebrew cask:

brew tap portablesheep/rawrequest https://github.com/portablesheep/homebrew-rawrequest
brew install --cask rawrequest

Windows

Download RawRequest-*-windows-portable.zip, extract it, and run RawRequest.exe.

If SmartScreen warns you, choose “More info” → “Run anyway”.

CLI & MCP

Run requests from the terminal:

rawrequest run api.http -n login -e prod
rawrequest run api.http -n getData -o body | jq .
rawrequest list api.http

Start MCP server for AI assistants:

rawrequest mcp
rawrequest help

License

RawRequest is licensed under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0.

Read the license

Try RawRequest

Download a release for macOS or Windows, then start from a .http file.

Download Source on GitHub