Source Watching - amitsri/rostyman-releases GitHub Wiki

Source Watching

When you import a collection from a file or URL, Rostyman can watch the source for changes and notify you when updates are available.

How It Works

  1. Import a collection from a local file (Postman JSON, OpenAPI, etc.) or from a URL
  2. Rostyman remembers the source path or URL
  3. Periodically, it checks whether the source has changed
  4. If changes are detected, you receive a notification with a Sync Now button
  5. Click Sync Now to update your collection with the latest data

Supported Sources

  • Local files — .json, .yaml, .rostyman, and other supported import formats
  • URLs — any publicly accessible URL that returns a valid collection or API spec

Configuring the Check Interval

  1. Go to Settings > Import
  2. Find the Source watch interval setting
  3. Choose how often Rostyman checks for changes (e.g., every 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 1 hour, or manually only)

Setting a longer interval reduces background activity. Choose "Manually only" if you prefer to check on demand.

Change Notifications

When a source change is detected:

  • A notification appears in the Notifications Center (right panel > bell icon)
  • The notification shows which collection has an update available
  • Click Sync Now to import the updated version
  • Or Dismiss to keep your current version

If Rostyman is minimized, you'll also receive a native OS notification.

Import from URL

You can import collections directly from a URL:

  1. Go to File > Import (or press Ctrl+O)
  2. Select the URL tab
  3. Paste the URL (e.g., a raw GitHub link to a Postman collection)
  4. Click Import
  5. The collection is created and the URL is saved as the source for future watching

This is useful for:

  • Importing shared API specs that are hosted online
  • Keeping a local copy of a team's collection that's published to a URL
  • Tracking public APIs that publish their OpenAPI spec

One-Click Sync

When a source change notification appears:

  1. Open the Notifications Center
  2. Find the notification for the updated collection
  3. Click Sync Now
  4. The collection updates in place — your local changes to request names, folder structure, and custom scripts are preserved where possible

Tips

  • Source watching works for both file and URL sources
  • The watched source is shown in the collection's import details (Collection Overview tab)
  • You can manually re-import at any time via right-click > Re-import from Source
  • If a source file is moved or a URL becomes unavailable, the notification will inform you