Modify Request
modify_requestPartially update request files, changing only supplied fields (URL, method, headers, body, scripts, auth, settings) while preserving others. Supports file uploads and script replacement.
Instructions
Update an existing Bruno request file with partial-merge semantics. Only provided fields are updated; all other fields are preserved. Supports multipart/form-data with file uploads and per-part contentType. Inline scripts REPLACE the existing script of the same type by default (idempotent — repeated calls do not accumulate duplicate blocks); pass scriptMode:"append" to concatenate instead. Use remove_script to clear a script entirely.
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| url | No | ||
| auth | No | ||
| body | No | ||
| name | No | ||
| vars | No | ||
| query | No | ||
| assert | No | Replaces the whole assert block. Omit to leave existing assertions untouched. | |
| method | No | ||
| headers | No | ||
| scripts | No | Inline scripts to persist with the request. Keys: pre-request, post-response, tests (aliases before-request/after-response accepted). Avoids a separate add_test_script call. IMPORTANT for tests/post-response: only assertions inside a test() block are reported. Write test("status is 200", function() { expect(res.getStatus()).to.equal(200); }); — a bare expect() at the top level still runs, but a passing one records nothing, so run_collection reports "tests": [] and the request looks green with no assertions. Available in scripts: res.getStatus()/getStatusText()/getHeader(name)/getHeaders()/getBody()/getResponseTime(), bru.setVar(name, value)/getVar(name), and expect(actual) with .to.equal/.contain/.include, .to.have.property/.lengthOf, .to.be.a/.an, .to.be.above/.below/.at.least/.at.most (aliases .gt/.lt/.gte/.lte/.greaterThan/.lessThan), .to.be.within(min, max), .to.be.oneOf([...]), .to.match(/re/), .to.startWith/.endWith, .to.be.true/.false/.null/.undefined/.empty/.json,and .to.not.* negations. RETURN TYPE: res.getBody() returns the response already parsed into a JS object/array when the Content-Type is application/json or a +json type (raw text otherwise). Access fields directly — res.getBody().field — and do NOT JSON.parse() it, which throws SyntaxError: "[object Object]" is not valid JSON. | |
| filePath | Yes | Absolute path to the .yml or .bru request file to modify. Get from list_requests or get_collection_stats. | |
| settings | No | Request-level settings: transport behaviour (timeouts, redirects, URL encoding), not payload. What reaches the file depends on the dialect, because Bruno's own two writers differ: a .yml request always carries a fully resolved settings block whether or not you pass one, while a .bru request carries only what you supply. On modify_request the fields are merged individually over the existing block, so setting one does not clear the rest. Note the encodeUrl field: in .bru, creating a block at all changes the URL-encoding default. | |
| pathParams | No | Replaces the declared path parameters; query parameters are left alone. | |
| scriptMode | No | How to write the scripts field. "replace" (default) overwrites the existing script of each provided type, so calling modify_request repeatedly is idempotent. "append" concatenates onto the existing script, which accumulates blocks across calls. Each script type has its own slot in both .bru and .yml, so replacing one leaves the others untouched. One exception on .yml: supplying post-response and tests together in a single call still merges both into the after-response slot, so write the tests script in its own call to keep it in the tests slot. | replace |