Getting started

This page takes you from zero to a passing run in a few minutes: install the CLI, run the bundled example end-to-end, then build your own first collection.

Prerequisite: Node ≥ 22. TruSpec uses the platform fetch and modern streaming APIs.

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Install

The CLI ships as the truspec package.

npm i -g truspec        # global `truspec` command
truspec --help

Prefer not to install globally? Every command works through npx:

npx truspec --help

Other package managers:

pnpm add -g truspec
yarn global add truspec

Hacking on TruSpec itself? Run from source instead: git clone https://github.com/code-with-rashid/truspec && cd truspec, then pnpm install && pnpm build. After that, node packages/cli/dist/index.js is the truspec binary.

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Run the example loop (60 seconds, fully offline)

The repository ships ready-made collections plus an OpenAPI spec so you can see the whole loop — run, mock, drift, coverage, contract — without writing anything. These commands are copy-paste-safe.

git clone https://github.com/code-with-rashid/truspec
cd truspec

truspec mock --spec examples/blog/openapi.yaml > /tmp/truspec-mock.log 2>&1 &   # mock on :4000
truspec run examples/blog --env local                   # run requests + assertions
truspec drift examples/blog --spec examples/blog/openapi.yaml
truspec coverage examples/blog --spec examples/blog/openapi.yaml
truspec contract examples/blog --spec examples/blog/openapi.yaml --env local

You should see:

• run report 3 passing requests against the mock,
• drift flag GET /users/{id} as untracked (it's in the spec but no request references it yet),
• coverage show 75% (3/4) operations tested,
• contract confirm all 3 tested responses conform to the spec's schemas.

Two examples ship in examples/: a small petstore and a fuller blog.

When you're done, stop the mock server (it was started with &):

kill %1

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Your first collection

A collection is a folder of plain-text YAML files. Here's a minimal one you can create by hand.

1. The request — api/get-pet.tspec.yaml (one request per file):

name: Get pet by id
method: GET
url: "{{baseUrl}}/pets/{{petId}}"
assertions:
  - { type: status, equals: 200 }
  - { type: jsonpath, path: "$.id", exists: true }

2. An environment — api/environments/local.env.yaml (provides the {{variables}}):

name: local
variables:
  baseUrl: "http://localhost:4000"
  petId: "1"

3. Give it something to call. The request targets {{baseUrl}} → http://localhost:4000, so something has to be listening there. The repo ships a petstore spec that serves /pets/{id}, so mock it on port 4000 (run from the cloned repo root):

truspec mock --spec examples/petstore/openapi.yaml > /tmp/truspec-mock.log 2>&1 &   # mock on :4000

The > /tmp/truspec-mock.log 2>&1 keeps the server's startup banner out of your prompt so the background job doesn't look like it hijacked the terminal — your shell is ready for the next command immediately. If the run below ever reports fetch failed, check that log to see whether the mock came up.

Pointing at a real API instead? Skip this step and set baseUrl to that API's URL in local.env.yaml.

4. Run it:

truspec run ./api --env local

✓ PASS  Get pet by id  (api/get-pet.tspec.yaml)  200 41ms

1 passed, 0 failed, 1 total

When you're done, stop the mock (it was started with &):

kill %1

That's the whole flow: a request file, an environment that fills its variables, and a run that checks the assertions and exits non-zero if anything fails — which is exactly what makes it CI-ready.

This hand-written request mirrors examples/petstore/get-pet.tspec.yaml. Generate a mock from any OpenAPI spec the same way — truspec mock --spec openapi.yaml (see the mock server guide).

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Recommended project layout

TruSpec discovers everything by convention. A typical repo looks like this:

your-repo/
├─ openapi.yaml                     # your API spec (the source of truth)
└─ api/                             # your collection (the "workspace")
   ├─ folder.tspec.yaml             # shared baseUrl / headers / auth
   ├─ environments/
   │  ├─ local.env.yaml
   │  └─ staging.env.yaml
   ├─ auth/
   │  └─ 01-login.tspec.yaml        # order: 1 — captures a token
   └─ pets/
      ├─ list-pets.tspec.yaml
      └─ get-pet.tspec.yaml

• One request per file (*.tspec.yaml) keeps Git diffs clean.
• folder.tspec.yaml holds config inherited by every request in that folder and below (base URL, shared headers, auth).
• environments/<name>.env.yaml holds per-environment variables; secrets are referenced by name and resolved from the OS/​.env, never stored in the file.

See Core concepts for how discovery, inheritance, and variable resolution work, and the File format reference for every field.

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Where to go next

• Core concepts — understand the moving parts before you scale up.
• File format — the full schema: assertions, bodies, auth, capture.
• Spec sync — the reason TruSpec exists: keep code and spec honest.
• CI/CD integration — make truspec a build gate.
• AI agents (MCP) — let Claude Code author and run your collection.