Runtime Variables

Runtime variables are in-memory values generated or extracted during request execution. They are available across requests in the same APIScope session but are never saved to disk — they clear when you close VS Code or Cursor.

Use them to chain requests: generate test data, extract tokens from responses, and reuse values in the next call without editing environment files.

Viewing runtime variables

Open the Environments tab and select the active environment. Below Environment Variables, the Runtime Variables (Memory Only) section lists every value currently in memory.

From each row you can:

• Copy Value — paste into another field or tool
• Promote to Environment Variable — move the value into the selected environment (persisted to disk)
• Delete Variable — remove a single runtime entry

Use Clear Runtime Variables to wipe the entire runtime store at once.

How values are created

Runtime variables come from three sources on the request editor:

Source	When it runs	Persists to disk
Pre-request variables	Before send	No — stored in runtime
Post-request extraction	After response	No — stored in runtime
Pre/post scripts (env.set)	Before or after send	No — stored in runtime

Pre-request variables

On the Variables → Pre tab, add generators that produce a fresh value on every send:

Supported types: UUID, Timestamp, Random Number, Random String, Random Email, and Static Value. Reference them with in the URL, headers, or body.

Post-request extraction

On the Variables → Post tab, map response fields into runtime variables for later requests:

Click + Extract Variable to add a mapping from the response body, a header, or a cookie. Each extraction can be enabled or disabled independently.

Scripts

Pre- and post-request scripts can read and write runtime variables through the env API:

env.get("token");           // Request → Runtime → Environment
env.set("authenticated", "true");
env.unset("token");
env.clear();

Open Documentation in the script panel for the full APIScope script API.

Variable resolution

When APIScope substitutes or scripts call env.get(), values resolve in this order (highest priority last):

1. Environment variables — persisted in .apiscope/environments/
2. Runtime variables — memory only
3. Request-scoped pre variables — generated for the current send

A request-scoped pre variable with the same name overrides a runtime value, which in turn overrides an environment variable.

Example flow

Using the POST Echo request in a Spring Boot sample:

1. Pre tab generates uuid, date, and email before send
2. Post tab extracts emailres from the response body field email
3. Pre script sets authenticated to "true"
4. The Environments tab shows all five runtime values after send

Subsequent requests in the same session can reference , , or without re-running the echo call.

Related

• Environments — persisted variables and
• Sending Requests — full request editor, scripts, and tests