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飯野竜矢
飯野竜矢

Posted on Originally published at marketplace.visualstudio.com

Thunder Client collections to `.http` files without rewriting them by hand

#vscode #thunderclient #http #rest

Thunder Client moved git-sync behind a paid plan. The usual advice in 2026 is still: export the collection, then rewrite every request as a .http file for REST Client.

That last step is the part people stall on. A 40-request collection is not “usually straightforward.”

This post is the missing middle: export JSON → files on disk → commit → send with REST Client (or httpYac). You do not need another GUI client.

What you are leaving

Free Thunder Client still sends requests. What you lost is collections as files in the repo.

REST Client wants the opposite: one (or many) .http files next to the code.

GET {{host}}/me
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
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Those files diff. They review. They do not live in extension storage.

Export the collection you already have

In Thunder Client:

  1. Right-click the collection
  2. Export
  3. Pick Thunder Client JSON (Postman JSON also works)

Keep that file out of git if it still has live tokens. The conversion step below replaces Authorization values with {{placeholders}} by default.

What the files should look like

A tiny Thunder collection with “Me” (GET + bearer) and “Login” (POST JSON) becomes two files:

users/me.http

# @name me
GET {{host}}/me
Authorization: {{authorization}}
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login.http

# @name login
POST {{host}}/login?nudge=1

{"user":"a"}
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Folder names follow the collection. Existing .http files in that folder should be left alone — a converter that overwrites handmade edits is worse than no converter.

Do it in VS Code

Install HttpCopy (I am the publisher; say so if you reply).

  1. Drop the export .json into the workspace
  2. Right-click it → HttpCopy: Convert Collection File
  3. Open httpcopy-out/
  4. Install REST Client (or any .http runner) and send

Free converts the first 12 requests in a run so you can see the files are real before you pay. Pro is $9 once, not a new monthly client.

HttpCopy does not send HTTP. It does not upload the collection. It does not run pre-request scripts.

If you only have Postman

A free browser converter (Karve) already covers Postman → .http. Do not pay $9 for Postman-only if that tool is enough.

HttpCopy is for the Thunder Client export sitting on disk, plus Postman in the same editor pass, with secrets redacted and no overwrite.

If you would rather run a script

thunder-client-to-rest-client on GitHub still exists. It expects the older thunder-tests layout and JSON bodies only. Clone, copy, node ., then move files. Fine if you like that.

The in-editor path is the same conversion without the clone step.

After the files exist

  • Commit httpcopy-out/ (or move the .http files where you want them)
  • Put real tokens in a local env / REST Client environment, not in the files
  • Delete the JSON export if it still has secrets
  • Uninstall Thunder Client when you are ready — not before you have opened one converted request and seen it send

Honest limits

  • Multipart file bodies are not invented
  • Pre-request scripts are not replayed
  • This does not replace Thunder Client as a GUI
  • April 2026 writeups that say “no automated converter exists” are out of date for Thunder JSON → .http

If a converted file is wrong for your collection, comment with the request shape (no tokens). That is more useful than a star.

Listing: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=buildnestlab.httpcopy

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