Workspace and notes

Everything about a project in one folder, next to your code

Requests, environments, mocks, mock servers, monitors and Markdown notes are stored as plain files in a folder you choose. Keep it in your repository, hand it to your team and open it with no cloud and no accounts.

The Microkoi notes section: a tree of notes and folders on the left and a note in reading mode on the right.
A workspace inside a repository: what goes to git and what stays on your computer.

Getting started

  1. 1

    Create or open a folder

    ⌘⇧N creates a new workspace; ⌘O turns any existing folder into one — your repository root, for example. The same actions are in the File menu.

  2. 2

    Work as usual

    Capture traffic, save requests and mocks, write notes — everything lands in that folder.

  3. 3

    Commit

    Collections, environments, mocks, mock servers, monitors and notes go to git, while the traffic database is excluded automatically.

A whole project, not a pile of loose files

A workspace ties together everything about one API.

  • Git-friendly

    One file per request, mock or note. Changes show up in history and are easy to review.

  • As many workspaces as you need

    Each project has its own folder, traffic and capture filter. Switch from the workspace menu.

  • Markdown notes

    Document endpoints, test scenarios and team agreements right next to the requests.

  • No cloud, no account

    Your data never leaves your computer. Move or copy the folder as a whole — everything is inside.

  • Picks up where you left off

    On launch the app reopens your last workspace and restores your request tabs.

  • Personal settings stay personal

    Your selected environment, running mock servers and breakpoints are stored on your computer and never get in your teammates’ way.

  • Search across notes

    ⌘⇧F searches the names and text of every note in the workspace and shows matching lines highlighted.

  • Notes for endpoints

    A button on a node in the traffic tree opens a note for that address, and ⌘⇧K inserts a link to a request.

  • Workspace trust

    A workspace from someone else’s repository does not start mock servers or monitors on its own until you decide to trust it.

In detail

What is in the folder

The workspace root holds collections, environments, mocks, mock-servers, monitors and notes folders, while the .microkoi service folder holds the workspace description, a SQLite database with captured traffic and send history, and large traffic bodies as files.

  • The workspace description, collections, environments, mocks and notes go to git
  • The database and traffic bodies are excluded by rules inside .microkoi — your root .gitignore is untouched
  • Settings for this machine — selected environment, running servers, breakpoints — are kept outside the project folder
  • A disk root or your home folder cannot become a workspace, so you never turn the whole disk into a project

Notes with read and edit modes

Notes are plain .md files in the notes folder; tree folders are subdirectories. ⌘E switches between reading and editing, and saving happens on its own. Relative links to other notes open inside the app; external links open in your browser.

  • Shortcuts: ⌘B and ⌘I for bold and italic, ⌘K for a link, Tab and ⇧Tab to indent lines
  • Formatting keeps undo history — ⌘Z brings back the text before the change
  • Drag and drop notes between folders
  • Search every note with ⌘⇧F and link to collection requests with ⌘⇧K
  • A note for an endpoint is created from a node in the traffic tree and lives in a folder named after the host
  • Markdown is rendered without inline HTML, so a shared note can never run a script or reach out to external addresses

Edits from git and other editors are never lost

Microkoi watches the workspace folder: after a git pull or an edit in another editor, notes, collections, environments and mocks refresh immediately. Other people’s changes are never overwritten — if edits to a note overlap, the app lets you choose a version, and open environment and mock editors keep your draft.

Trusting a workspace from someone else’s repository

Workspaces often come from a repository, and anything in them may have been prepared by someone else. So a folder that has never been opened on this computer opens with a “Workspace opened on this computer for the first time” bar: mock servers and monitors do not start on their own, but everything works manually. The Trust button remembers your decision for that folder.

  • Workspace files replaced with symbolic links are never read or overwritten
  • The app shows a mock’s body file but never opens or runs it

Switching without restarting

A new workspace is opened completely before it replaces the current one — if opening fails, you stay where you were. The proxy keeps running during the switch, and traffic goes straight into the new database.

  • A welcome screen listing up to twenty recent workspaces
  • Quick switching between the last five from the workspace menu
  • Renaming in Microkoi leaves the folder on disk untouched

Questions and answers

Can I keep the workspace inside my project repository?

Yes, that is the recommended setup. Open a folder in your repository with “Open folder…” — Microkoi creates the .microkoi service folder and excludes the traffic database and local state from git by itself.

Will captured traffic end up in git?

No. Traffic and send history are stored in .microkoi/workspace.db, which is excluded by rules inside the service folder. Only what you type by hand goes to git.

What happens if I edit a note in another editor?

Microkoi notices the change immediately. If there are no unsaved edits in the app, the note simply refreshes; if there are, the app asks which version to keep.

How do I delete a workspace?

“Remove from list” only hides the workspace in Microkoi and leaves the files alone. To delete a project completely, delete its folder as you normally would.

Try it on your own project

The beta is free and needs no sign-up. Download it, pick your project folder and start the proxy — your first requests will show up within minutes.

Version 0.9.0 · macOS, Windows and Linux · no sign-up