1. Start with Capture
Open the ordinary HTTP/HTTPS tab you may test. Select Start capture this tab, perform the page action, then choose the matching request, response or supported WebSocket message in Traffic. Opening the panel or switching tabs does not start another Capture.
2. Backend Send and Frontend Ready
Backend Send performs a real request or message and shows the actual server response in PayloadPigeon. Frontend Ready arms one supported modification; repeat the page action so the tested page receives it. Stop or Cancel cannot reverse a server action already performed.
3. One-off action, saved Test and Result
A one-off action is not a Result. Use Save as Test when the scenario is worth repeating. Current Check, Continue, Retest problems and Restart guide a manual Plan pass; they do not run every Test automatically. After running a saved Test, choose Works correctly or Found a problem yourself.
4. Exact body and fresh-response changes
An exact saved body is a frozen payload. Field changes apply to the fresh matching response. Example: changing items to [] can preserve unrelated live fields, while exact replacement can freeze IDs or timestamps. A status-only or delay-only change does not replace the body with an older payload.
Body labels are distinct: preview is only the displayed prefix and must not be treated as the full response; unavailable means the bytes cannot be retrieved; released means the retained body was intentionally discarded; empty means the response has no body. Capture Full Response waits for the next matching request and does not replay an older request automatically.
5. Credentials
Choose Current session, Don't send or Test value for supported backend HTTP credential headers. Current session requires one eligible recent value in the same context. Don't send omits only the selected header; cookies are separate. Test value is literal and remains unchanged after a 401. No arbitrary body/query credential rebinding is promised.
6. Local password, recovery and Lock
One-off Traffic and Modify actions work before library setup. Set a local password and save the separate recovery key the first time the extension asks while saving data. Unlock covers the extension session in that profile, not one tab. You unlock again after fully restarting Chrome, reloading, updating or disabling the extension, losing the session key, or choosing Lock. Keep the recovery key separately. If both the password and recovery key are lost while the library is locked, KIRAVS cannot recover it.
7. Import and export
Protect or unlock your local library, choose the file, and enter its separate password only if it is a protected package. Review the destination, matching conditions and saved data in the preview, then explicitly choose Import. Colleagues use their own local passwords. JSON and Markdown are readable; protected packages have an independent file password. A bundle is not a complete backup.
8. Result evidence
Result evidence is additional data you select for a particular run. Full retains the available body after recognized sensitive values are removed or replaced; Selected JSON retains selected fields. Choosing not to add evidence does not remove the Test configuration. Excluding evidence from an export leaves it out of that file; it does not delete evidence already stored in the library.
Automatic detection may not find every sensitive value. Full cannot restore unavailable bytes or old excerpts, and the Test configuration or its Result snapshot may still contain values saved with the scenario. Use the extension’s dedicated control when you want to remove stored evidence.
9. WebSocket checks
Start Capture before opening a new supported WebSocket connection from the page. Use stable matching conditions and do not treat a changing requestId as a fixed value. Ready applies to the next matching supported message; an unrelated message does not complete the check. Reconnect or reload if the connection predates Capture. Binary messages, worker connections and some other connections may be available for inspection only.
10. Current limits
Incognito is not supported. The minimum Chrome version is 125, but this does not mean every Chrome/OS combination has been tested. Backend HTTP Send does not automatically follow redirects. Test Plans run manually, there is no account or cloud synchronization, and WebSocket modification is limited to supported connections. The installed version enforces body, import and storage limits and reports an error when a limit is exceeded.
11. Troubleshooting
- READY has no match. Check the URL, method and event matching condition, then repeat the relevant page action.
- Current session cannot find credentials. Capture an eligible recent request in the same tab and compatible context, or choose another mode.
- Traffic is empty. Check whether Capture is stopped, confirm the page origin and panel state, then create new traffic.
- Storage write failed. Reduce the selected data or free profile space; unlimitedStorage is not infinite.
- Wrong password. Use the saved recovery key.
- Unknown file version. Do not force the import. Verify the file source and send support only technical details without real secrets or user data.
12. Practise in Playground
Open the HTTP/WebSocket Playground for sample HTTP requests and WebSocket messages. Start Capture before using the page control, follow each lesson, and use sample data only. The page sees only its own network results and cannot confirm Capture, saving a Test, Ready or a manually selected outcome.