Settings
Open Settings by pressing Ctrl+, (Cmd+, on macOS), clicking the gear icon in the tab bar, or choosing the Settings item from the command palette (Ctrl+K).
Settings uses a two-column layout: a left sidebar with section navigation and a right content area that scrolls independently. The last active section is restored when you return to Settings.
You can also navigate directly to a specific section via the command palette — search for "Settings" followed by a section name.
Sections Overview
| Section | Description |
|---|---|
| General | HTTP behavior, auto-save, source file sync, privacy/analytics |
| Proxy | HTTP/HTTPS/SOCKS5 proxy configuration |
| Appearance | Themes, fonts, font size, language |
| Certificates | Client SSL certificates for mutual TLS |
| Integrations | MCP server and cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox) |
| Data | Backup, restore, custom data location, reset |
| Shortcuts | All keyboard shortcuts reference |
| About | Version, update manager, error logs, feature tips |
General
Auto-save
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Auto-save | Toggle — when on, Rostyman periodically saves all open tab states (request config, scroll position, active sub-tab) to the session database. Tabs are fully restored on next launch even if you close without manually saving. |
| Auto-save interval | How often auto-save runs. Choices: 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes. The interval selector is disabled when auto-save is off. |
Auto-save saves tab state (what's in the editor), not the request to the collection. Use Ctrl+S to save the request to its collection.
HTTP
| Setting | Default | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| HTTP Timeout | 30 seconds | 10s, 30s, 1m, 2m, 5m | Maximum time to wait for a response before the request fails with a timeout error. Per-request overrides are available in the request's Settings sub-tab. |
| SSL Verification | On | Toggle | Verify SSL/TLS certificates for HTTPS requests. Disable for self-signed or expired certificates in development environments. Per-request overrides are available. |
| Follow Redirects | On | Toggle | Automatically follow HTTP 3xx redirect responses. When off, redirect responses are returned directly so you can inspect the Location header. Per-request overrides are available. |
Source File Check Interval
When a collection is linked to a source file or URL (imported from a .rostyman file, a remote JSON/YAML URL, or a cloud storage link), Rostyman can periodically check for changes and notify you to update.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Startup only | Check for changes once when Rostyman launches. Lowest resource usage. |
| Every 1 minute | Frequent checks — best for active team workflows where the source changes often |
| Every 5 minutes | Balanced option suitable for most workflows |
| Every 10 minutes | Less frequent — good when changes are infrequent |
| Every 30 minutes | Infrequent checks — minimal resource usage |
When a change is detected, a notification appears in the notification center with options to review and apply the update, or dismiss it.
Privacy
Anonymous Usage Analytics
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Send anonymous usage data | Off | Opt-in toggle for anonymous analytics |
Analytics are off by default and fully opt-in. Rostyman will never enable analytics without your explicit consent.
When you toggle analytics on, a confirmation dialog explains exactly what is collected before you confirm:
What is collected:
- Which features are used and how often (e.g., "sent a request", "opened the runner")
- App version, operating system type
- Anonymous device ID (a random UUID generated locally — not linked to any personal identity)
- Session counts (DAU/retention metrics)
What is never collected:
- Request URLs, headers, or body content
- Environment variable names or values
- API keys, tokens, or secrets
- Collection names or request names
- Any personally identifiable information
Turning analytics off stops all data collection immediately. You can toggle analytics on and off at any time.
Proxy
Configure a network proxy for all HTTP requests sent by Rostyman. This is useful in corporate environments where outbound connections go through a proxy server.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Proxy | Off | Toggle — when off, all other proxy settings are disabled |
| Protocol | HTTP | The proxy protocol: HTTP, HTTPS, or SOCKS5 |
| Host | (empty) | Proxy server hostname or IP address (e.g., 127.0.0.1 for Charles/Fiddler on localhost) |
| Port | (empty) | Proxy server port (e.g., 8080 for Charles, 8888 for Fiddler) |
| Proxy Authentication | Off | Toggle — show username and password fields for authenticated proxies |
| Username | (empty) | Proxy username (only visible when Proxy Authentication is on) |
| Password | (empty) | Proxy password (only visible when Proxy Authentication is on, stored securely) |
When the proxy is enabled, all HTTP requests from Rostyman (including requests to external APIs) are routed through the configured proxy. SSL verification still applies to the final destination.
Common proxy setups:
| Tool | Protocol | Host | Port |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Proxy | HTTP | 127.0.0.1 | 8888 |
| Fiddler | HTTP | 127.0.0.1 | 8866 |
| Burp Suite | HTTP | 127.0.0.1 | 8080 |
| mitmproxy | HTTP | 127.0.0.1 | 8080 |
Appearance
See Appearance Settings for the full reference covering themes, fonts, font size, and language.
Certificates
Manage client SSL certificates used for mutual TLS (mTLS) authentication.
Client certificates are sent during the TLS handshake when a server requires the client to authenticate itself — commonly used in enterprise APIs and internal microservices.
Adding a Certificate
Click + Add Certificate and fill in:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Host | The hostname this certificate applies to (e.g., api.internal.example.com). Supports wildcards (*.example.com). |
| Certificate file | The client certificate in PEM or PFX format |
| Key file | The private key in PEM format (not required for PFX/PKCS12 bundles) |
| Passphrase | Optional passphrase if the private key or PFX is encrypted |
| Enabled | Toggle to activate/deactivate without deleting |
Certificate List
All added certificates are shown in a table with columns: Host, Type (PEM/PFX), Enabled toggle, and Delete button.
Certificates are matched by hostname when a request is sent. If a match is found and the certificate is enabled, it is presented during the TLS handshake.
Client certificates are stored in the Rostyman data directory and are included in backups. The private key is stored as-is — use a passphrase-protected key for extra security.
Integrations
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
Configure the Rostyman MCP server and client. The MCP section provides:
- MCP Server status — whether the HTTP/SSE server on port 3100 is running
- Auth token — the bearer token required to connect to the MCP server from external MCP clients
- TLS configuration — toggle HTTPS with a locally trusted certificate (via mkcert)
- Tunnel — expose the local MCP server to the internet via ngrok or cloudflared
- Connected clients — list of currently connected MCP clients with disconnect buttons
- Auto-register with Claude Desktop — write the MCP server configuration to Claude Desktop's config file automatically
For full MCP documentation, see MCP Overview.
Cloud Storage
Configure cloud storage integrations used for collection sharing.
| Provider | Description |
|---|---|
| Google Drive | Sign in to share collections to Google Drive files |
| Dropbox | Sign in to share collections to Dropbox files |
Once connected, you can publish a collection to cloud storage and share the link with teammates. Anyone with Rostyman and the link can import and sync the collection automatically.
Data
Manage where Rostyman stores its data and create backups.
Data Location
Shows the current data directory path (the folder containing rostyman.db and related files).
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| Change Location | Opens a folder picker to move all data to a new directory. Rostyman copies all data to the new location and restarts. |
| Reset to Default | Returns the data location to the default platform path (only visible when a custom location is set) |
Default data locations:
| Platform | Default Path |
|---|---|
| Windows | %APPDATA%\Rostyman\ |
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/Rostyman/ |
| Linux | ~/.config/Rostyman/ |
If the custom data drive is disconnected or unavailable at launch, Rostyman falls back to the default location automatically.
Backup
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Create Backup | Exports the entire Rostyman database (all collections, requests, environments, history, etc.) to a .zip file. You choose the save location. A toast confirms the path when complete. |
| Restore Backup | Opens a file picker. Select a .zip backup file to restore. All current data is replaced. Rostyman restarts after a successful restore. |
Screenshots and recorded videos (from the screen capture feature) are not included in backups. Click Open Media Folder to locate the screenshots directory and back it up manually if needed.
Reset Settings
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Reset Settings | Resets all app preferences (theme, font, language, timeouts, SSL toggle, etc.) to factory defaults. Collections and request data are not affected. |
Reset App Data (Danger Zone)
The Reset App action permanently deletes all Rostyman data — every collection, request, environment, history entry, plugin, and setting. This cannot be undone.
A confirmation flow requires you to type RESET into an input field before the button becomes active. This prevents accidental resets.
After reset, Rostyman restarts and shows the first-run welcome dialog.
Shortcuts
A read-only reference showing all keyboard shortcuts in Rostyman. Displayed as a two-column grid of action + key combination.
On macOS, Ctrl shortcuts are shown as Cmd where applicable.
| Action | Windows / Linux | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Command palette | Ctrl+K | Cmd+K |
| New tab | Ctrl+N or Ctrl+T | Cmd+N or Cmd+T |
| Close tab | Ctrl+W | Cmd+W |
| Next tab | Ctrl+Tab | Ctrl+Tab |
| Previous tab | Ctrl+Shift+Tab | Ctrl+Shift+Tab |
| Tab by index (1–9) | Ctrl+1–Ctrl+9 | Cmd+1–Cmd+9 |
| Toggle sidebar | Ctrl+B | Cmd+B |
| Toggle right panel | Ctrl+J | Cmd+J |
| Toggle AI panel | Ctrl+Alt+P | Cmd+Alt+P |
| Send request | Ctrl+Enter | Cmd+Enter |
| Save request | Ctrl+S | Cmd+S |
| Import | Ctrl+O | Cmd+O |
| New collection | Ctrl+Shift+N | Cmd+Shift+N |
| Open runner | Ctrl+Shift+R | Cmd+Shift+R |
| Undo | Ctrl+Z | Cmd+Z |
| Redo | Ctrl+Y | Cmd+Y |
| Settings | Ctrl+, | Cmd+, |
| Reload app | F5 | F5 |
About
The About section has two sub-tabs: About and Updates.
About Sub-tab
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Version | Current installed version (e.g., v0.1.0-beta.13). Click to jump to the Updates sub-tab. A green dot appears if a newer version is available. |
| Error Log | Click Open Log File to open the Rostyman error log in your system text editor. Useful for diagnosing issues. |
| Crash Reporting | Toggle anonymous crash reports (error message + stack trace only — no personal data or request content). Off by default. |
| AI Assistant | Shows how to open the AI panel (Ctrl+Alt+P). |
| Feature Tips | A grid of 6 tips for lesser-known features: screen capture, AI assistant, SSE, request templates, history/schema diff, Git sync. |
| Replay Onboarding | Click to reset the onboarding completed flag and show the first-run welcome dialog on next reload. |
Updates Sub-tab
The Update Manager lets you check for, download, and install any version of Rostyman — including upgrades, downgrades, and beta releases.
Current version card:
- Shows the installed version with an upgrade available indicator (green dot)
- Check Now button — fetches the latest release list from GitHub
- Clean Cache button — removes any cached installer files
Upgrade banner:
- Appears when a newer version is available
- Shows version number and publish date
- Upgrade Now button — downloads and launches the installer
Release list: Each release in the list shows:
- Version number
- Badge: Current (blue) / Upgrade (green) / Older (amber) / Pre-release (purple)
- Release name and publish date
- Click to expand and see release notes and downloadable assets
- Download & Install button on each asset — shows a progress bar during download, then launches the installer
- Downgrading to an older version requires confirmation
The list shows the 5 most recent releases by default. Click Show more to see all releases.