HTTP Smoke Runner

Run .http and .rest files like smoke tests — pass/fail, latency, and jump-to-failure — directly in VS Code's Testing panel.

Why

Developers already keep API requests in .http files alongside source code (popularized by the REST Client extension). That workflow is great for sending one request, but awkward for running the whole file as a smoke check. HTTP Smoke Runner adds a thin test-runner layer:

• Works with REST Client's common file syntax (###, @var, {{var}}, # @name, {{$guid}}, {{$dotenv}})
• Assertions are inline comments: # expect status 200
• Results appear in VS Code's native Testing panel — not another sidebar
• Zero external runtime (no Node install, no Python install)
• Zero telemetry, zero account, fully local

Install

Search "HTTP Smoke Runner" in VS Code, or run:

ext install arunbrahma.http-smoke-runner

Quick start

Create requests.http:

@baseUrl = http://localhost:3000

### health
GET {{baseUrl}}/health
# expect status 200
# expect body contains "ok"
# expect time < 500ms

### create user
POST {{baseUrl}}/users
Content-Type: application/json

{ "name": "Ada" }
# expect status 201
# expect body path $.id exists
# expect body path $.name equals "Ada"

Open VS Code's Testing view — the file appears, each request is a test. Click the ▶ button next to a request, or use the CodeLens "▶ Run Request" above each ### block.

Assertion syntax

# expect status 200
# expect status 2xx
# expect header content-type contains json
# expect header x-request-id exists
# expect body contains "ok"
# expect body path $.id exists
# expect body path $.name equals "Ada"
# expect body path $.email matches /@example\.com$/
# expect time < 500ms

All assertions are ordinary # comment lines, so the file stays drop-in compatible with REST Client.

Variables

• File: @baseUrl = http://localhost:3000, used as {{baseUrl}}
• System: {{$guid}}, {{$randomInt 1 100}}, {{$timestamp}}, {{$datetime iso8601}}
• Process env: {{$processEnv MY_VAR}}
• Dotenv: {{$dotenv API_KEY}} — first use in a workspace shows a one-time consent prompt

Not supported in V1

Surfaced as yellow warnings in the editor so nothing fails silently:

• Request chaining ({{login.response.body.$.token}})
• Prompt variables (# @prompt)
• Auth helpers (OAuth, AAD, AWS Sig v4, Digest, SSL client certs)
• Cookie jar / settings-based environments / run history / CI / CLI

See the design spec for the complete V1 scope and rationale.

License

MIT © 2026 Arun Brahma