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Greg Schier

Getting Started

<p>Yaak is a desktop application, available for macOS, Windows, and Linux operating systems.</p><p>To install Yaak, visit the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://yaak.app/download">Downloads</a> page</p>

Installation

<h2 id="5eel5rctd3m" data-toc-id="5eel5rctd3m">Supported Import Formats</h2><p>Yaak supports importing data from a number of formats:</p><ul><li><p>OpenAPI 3.0, 3.1</p></li><li><p>Postman Collection v2, v2.1</p></li><li><p>Insomnia v4+</p></li><li><p>Swagger 2.0</p></li><li><p>Curl commands (new-line separated)</p></li></ul><h2 id="6ibz6ra3lz6" data-toc-id="6ibz6ra3lz6">Import cURL from Clipboard</h2><p>It is also possible to quickly import <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://curl.se">cURL</a> commands by pasting into the URL bar. Yaak will also present a helpful import button when it detects there is something to import from your clipboard.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0192d50f-7dc9-75e9-a0d8-7eea7ec02120.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><h2 id="01tf25ll7et" data-toc-id="01tf25ll7et">Export Data</h2><p>Yaak allows exporting workspaces into a single JSON file, which can be backed up or shared. You can access the export feature from the global settings menu.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0192d511-1fcb-7d8a-83ab-cdd2b96798ef.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><p>Select the workspaces you want to be included in the export, then you’ll be prompted to select a folder on your filesystem to save it.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0192d511-ed73-732e-904a-0d6610c15c75.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><h2 id="k2sm2bezpyt" data-toc-id="k2sm2bezpyt">Copy as Curl</h2><p>Quickly copy the current request as a cURL command from the right-click context menu of any HTTP request in the sidebar.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0192d518-6b2d-7278-ab90-2603707a1294.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><p></p>

Import and Export Data

Learn how to use the many features of Yaak

Using Yaak

<p>When working with APIs, it’s common to reference the same values across many different types of requests. To make this easier, you can define things like API keys, ids, or domain names within an “Environment” and reference these values in (almost) any text input within Yaak.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0191fc36-0305-7dd8-a749-1532ad0f80ec.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><p>Once defined, start typing the name of a variable or trigger the autocomplete menu using <code>Ctrl+Space</code>, then select the desired variable.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0191fc37-5470-7241-a51a-41a2f9557610.png" data-width="75%" data-align="center"><p>All variables will be rendered before the request is sent.</p><h2 id="klc4sceaq5a" data-toc-id="klc4sceaq5a">Global vs. Sub Environments</h2><p>By default, each Yaak Workspace has a global environment. Variables defined here are always available no matter what.</p><p>Sometimes, however, it’s convenient to define multiple environments to switch between. The most common use-case for this is for declaring different values for development, staging, and production.</p><p>Once sub-environments are created, they can be activated from the dropdown menu in the application header. Note that variables within sub-environments are only available if the sub-environment is the active one.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0191fc3f-eeef-7f31-8337-392260199c11.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><p></p>

Reference values across multiple requests

Environments and Variables

<callout-component color="Sky"><p><strong>TIP</strong>: Request chaining can usually be used in place of pre/post request scripts, which Yaak does not currently support</p></callout-component><p>When working with APIs, there are often dependencies between requests. For example, you might <code>POST /users</code> to create a new user, then <code>PATCH /users/&lt;id&gt;</code> to update the user's email address.</p><p style="text-align: start">So how do you get the ID of the created user into the update? Request chaining is the way.</p><p style="text-align: start">Just like how environment variables allow referencing values across requests, the new <code>response.*(…)</code> functions allows a request like <code>PATCH /users/&lt;id&gt;</code> to directly reference the <code>id</code> from the response body of <code>POST /users</code>. Here's how.</p><h2 id="dm08ek3wkxw" data-toc-id="dm08ek3wkxw">Request Chaining Basics</h2><p style="text-align: start"><strong>Step 1</strong> → Select the <code>response()</code> function from the autocomplete menu (<code>Ctrl+Space</code>) in any text field.</p><p style="text-align: start"><strong>Step 2</strong> → Once inserted, click the blue template tag to configure the function.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0193d13b-072d-7c4d-930a-0fcf24273128.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><p style="text-align: start"><strong>Step 3</strong> → Select the request you want to reference.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0193d13d-4548-7742-a0fb-4780db01e656.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><p style="text-align: start"><strong>Step 4</strong> → Enter either <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSONPath">JSONPath</a> or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XPath">XPath</a> query to select just the value you want.</p><p style="text-align: start"><strong>Step 5</strong> → Send the request!</p><p style="text-align: start">Sending the request will render the template and inject the referenced value -- just like using regular variables. If no response exists yet for that request, it will be sent automatically.</p><h2 id="i3ppb8oz1ct" data-toc-id="i3ppb8oz1ct">Multiple References Using Environments</h2><p>What if you want to use the <code>response()</code> tag from above in multiple requests? Simply define the tag in an environment variable and reference the variable multiple times.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0193d13e-9fc7-7846-85e0-3191dd322719.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><p>And that’s it! Once you have the response tag defined as an environment variable, it can be used just like any other variable.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0193d140-30ed-76be-b0b8-0a79c223f18f.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><p></p>

Request Chaining

<callout-component color="Accent"><p>Available for testing in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://yaak.app/blog/2025.1-beta.1">Beta 2025.1</a></p></callout-component><p>To better enable collaboration between team members, Yaak allows syncing workspace data to the local filesystem. This can be configured when creating a new workspace or via the Workspace Settings dialog.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0194654b-dbbd-71dd-ae55-1b33f8277266.png" data-width="100%" data-align="center"><p>When enabled, Yaak monitors both the workspace and destination directory, performing a sync operation whenever changes are detected.</p><ul><li><p>Changes originating from the workspace are synced silently</p></li><li><p>Changes originating from the directory show a summary and confirmation prompt</p></li></ul><p>In order to work best with Git, YAML is used as the destination format. In summary, the directory contents are as follows:</p><ul><li><p>One file per resource (Workspace, Environment, Request, etc)</p></li><li><p>Stored as files named <code>yaak.${MODEL_ID}.yaml</code></p></li></ul><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/01946550-6fec-7b18-8eb7-6e345fa8a801.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><h2 id="e2a4accf42p" data-toc-id="e2a4accf42p">Opening Existing Directory</h2><p>Configuring a workspace for sync requires selecting an empty directory. To “import” an existing sync directory (eg. from a Git repo) use the “Open Workspace” menu item from the workspace menu instead. This will perform the initial import and set the sync directory on the workspace accordingly.</p><p></p>

Sync a workspace to the filesystem, for use with Git or other tools

Local Directory Sync

<p>Yaak does not currently offer scripting. However, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://feedback.yaak.app/help/articles/7017237-request-chaining">Request Chaining</a> can usually be used to solve similar problems.</p>

See request chaining for a possible alternative

Pre/Post Request Scripting

<p>Yaak is a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://tauri.app">Tauri</a> application, meaning it consists of two parts: The frontend webview (provided by host OS) and the “backend” logic (written in Rust).</p><p>When encountering an issue or crash, we need to check both places</p><h2 id="mdiio0mf8tz" data-toc-id="mdiio0mf8tz">Viewing Web Inspector</h2><p>The web inspector can be opened by:</p><ol><li><p>Right-click somewhere in the app (not the sidebar)b</p></li><li><p>Click the Console tab</p></li></ol><p>Any frontend logs and exceptions will be displayed there.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/01948a50-5021-7012-acfe-acd0eebb4146.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><h2 id="2yopixerzds" data-toc-id="2yopixerzds">Viewing Application Logs</h2><p>App logs (generated by Rust) are also written to a file, which the location of can be found in the Yaak Settings window. It will differ depending on operating system and host environment.</p><p>To debug an issue, it may be useful to first delete the <code>yaak.log</code> file and then restart the application.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/01948a4e-4153-752e-922a-0d56925723b5.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/01948a4f-742a-7566-bb48-8323dd840771.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><h2 id="ba3f6m38rqe" data-toc-id="ba3f6m38rqe">Deleting Response Bodies</h2><p>Yaak tries to do its best to prevent bad responses from causing crashes, but it can happen from time to time. Response data is stored in the main SQLite database and the response bodies are stored in <code>&lt;DATA_DIRECTORY&gt;/responses</code> as plain files. It is safe to delete (or rename) the responses directory. Yaak will maintain the response metadata but fail to show the response preview.</p><p>The data directory can differ depending and is listed in the app settings. If the app settings cannot be accessed, here are the possible data directories, depending on host environment:</p><ul><li><p>macOS: <code>$HOME/Library/Application Support/app.yaak.desktop</code></p></li><li><p>windows: <code>{FOLDERID_RoamingAppData}/app.yaak.desktop</code></p></li><li><p>Linux: <code>$XDG_DATA_HOME/app.yaak.desktop</code> or <code>$HOME/.local/share/app.yaak.desktop</code></p></li></ul><p></p>

Troubleshooting

Create your own plugin to extend the functionality of Yaak

Plugin Development

<callout-component color="Yellow"><p>Plugins are currently experimental and <strong>require Yaak v2024.10 or later</strong></p></callout-component><p>Yaak plugins are written in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://www.typescriptlang.org">TypeScript</a> and executed within a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://nodejs.org">NodeJS</a> runtime, alongside Yaak. This means that plugins have access to the full set of NodeJS APIs and NPM package ecosystem.</p><p>The first step in plugin development is installing the <code>yaakcli</code> — a command line utility to help create, develop, and bundle plugins.</p><h2 id="p6c3z1ez62t" data-toc-id="p6c3z1ez62t">1) Install The CLI</h2><p>Install the Yaak CLI from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://www.npmjs.com">NPM</a> as a global package.</p><pre><code class="language-shell">npm install -g @yaakapp/cli</code></pre><h2 id="4s2brqzwx5e" data-toc-id="4s2brqzwx5e">2) Generate a new plugin</h2><p>Use the <code>generate</code> command to create a directory containing an installable sample plugin. This command will prompt for some info, generate the appropriate files, install dependencies, and run an initial build.</p><pre><code class="language-shell">yaakcli generate</code></pre><h2 id="7ew24031kyq" data-toc-id="7ew24031kyq">3) Install the plugin</h2><p>Install the plugin with Yaak from the Settings &gt; Plugins tab. Once complete, Yaak will monitor the plugin directory and reload it on each rebuild.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0191dbff-4a4d-740a-b9d6-59bef0ffc933.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><p>Once installed, give it a test! The generated plugin adds a dummy action to the request context menu that shows a toast when clicked.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0191dbf8-7d08-79c0-8424-a38b7e4b8284.png" data-width="100%" data-align="center"><h2 id="wykwzepboqy" data-toc-id="wykwzepboqy">4) Develop a plugin</h2><p>Now it’s time for the fun part. Use the <code>dev</code> command to monitor the plugin directory and rebuild the plugin whenever a change is detected.</p><pre><code class="language-shell">yaakcli dev</code></pre><p>You’ll receive a toast notification whenever the plugin is reloaded.</p><img src="https://fb-usercontent.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/0191dc1b-d2ff-712c-8bc8-26cb349124b3.png" data-width="100%" data-align="left"><h2 id="p61cqrabkfl" data-toc-id="p61cqrabkfl">5) Build a plugin</h2><p>Use the <code>build</code> command to do a one-time build. This is similar to the <code>dev</code> command, except it does not monitor for changes.</p><pre><code class="language-shell">yaakcli build</code></pre><h2 id="tzexwrclep6" data-toc-id="tzexwrclep6">6) Publish a plugin</h2><callout-component color="Orange"><p>There is currently no way to publish or distribute plugins but creating a public plugin repository is on the roadmap.</p></callout-component><p></p>

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