Claude Code workflow

API testing for Claude Code

Give Claude Code runnable markdown API specs it can read, execute, validate, and update without rediscovering your backend on every task.

Install Reqbook Read the coding agents guide

Give Claude Code an executable API contract

Claude Code can inspect source files, but source-only API discovery wastes context. Reqbook gives Claude Code a compact api-docs/*.md layer with requests, expected responses, variables, and assertions in one repo-native file.

Read

Claude Code starts from the endpoint contract instead of scanning the entire backend for route shape and payload rules.

Run

The agent can execute rqb exec to test the endpoint and inspect structured results.

Update

When implementation changes, Claude Code updates the markdown contract in the same pull request.

Recommended setup

Install Reqbook, initialize an API workspace, and register agent skills in the repo Claude Code is editing.

$ rqb init --name=my-api --dev-url=http://localhost:8080 --yes
$ rqb skills install --agent=claude-code
$ rqb serve
  • Keep endpoint specs in api-docs/ so Claude Code can search them like source files.
  • Use rqb validate before commit to catch malformed specs.
  • Use rqb exec when the local or staging API is available.

Best first target

Start with one high-value endpoint or a short flow that captures an ID from one response and injects it into the next request. That gives Claude Code a stable API testing workflow before you expand coverage across the backend.

Related: compare file-based API contracts in the API client comparison, or install the CLI from the Reqbook package manager guide.