cEarl
/ˈkɜrl/- A calm HTTP client for macOS. Composes, chains, and replays HTTP requests without the bloat.
- The quiet way to swap environments, extract response values, and read .http files.I’ll send the auth chain in cEarl, give me a sec.
Multi-step flows that read top to bottom.
Authenticate, extract, replay — without leaving the window. Pull values from one response and wire them into the next with a path like data.user.id.
- Extract from JSON. Pluck token, userId, or any nested value with a familiar dot-path syntax.
- Reference anywhere. Drop {{authToken}} into headers, URLs, or a request body in later steps.
- Run Chain. Replay the whole sequence with one click — perfect for smoke tests before standup.
One workspace. Every stage. Zero ceremony.
Local, staging, prod — keep them clean, switch with ⌘E, and never paste the wrong URL into a Slack thread again.
- Variables, properly typed. {{baseUrl}}, {{apiKey}}, {{customerId}} — defined once, referenced everywhere.
- Per-environment overrides. Override any variable per stage. The active env is always one tap away.
- Secrets stay local. Sensitive values are stored in your Keychain — never written into your collection files.
Plain text in. Plain text out.
Every request renders as a portable .http file you can commit to your repo, share in a PR, use as documentation, or paste into a teammate's IDE.
- Backed by standards. Import existing .http files to immediately begin making requests.
- Live preview. Watch the .http rendering update as you edit headers, body, or auth in the GUI.
- Git-friendly. Diffs are readable. Reviews are calmer. Your future self thanks you.
Six small things that make a big difference.
Native isn't a slogan — it's a checklist. Here's what we sweat so the app gets out of your way.
Truly native
Swift + AppKit. Lightweight, fast, and built for Mac.
Fast as flat
Every keypress and request render off the main thread. No spinners for the basics.
Offline-first
Your collections and .http files live on your machine. Stay as local as you want.
Keyboard everywhere
Common and sensical keyboard shortcuts make the mouse optional.
Private by default
No accounts, only telemetry. Your request data stays local.
Dark or light
Follows your system theme — and a thoughtful warm palette either way.
