Hello,
I have a FastAPI server that provides an openapi link out of the box that I can import into postman, which works fine.
My Problem is: If I update my Server then I have to delete my collection and import it again with the link.
I would like to have the option to simply refresh the collection if the collection was imported with a link.
Something like: Right click on collection → Refresh
This would compare the current collection with the source and would apply changes/differences of the source onto the collection, while preserving stuff like tests or other small things like request bodies if nothing changed structurally.
If you want to be really cool you can add some kind of periodic sync, but right now I would be happy with a simple refresh that would stop deleting and re-importing collections.
But maybe this feature exists but I was to dumb to find it.
Greetings
Eric
Hi there,
You’ve described a really common pain point when working with Postman and dynamically updating APIs. Currently, Postman doesn’t have a built-in “refresh collection from link” feature that automatically updates an imported collection while preserving things like tests, pre-request scripts, or custom request bodies. Once a collection is imported from a URL, the only way to sync it is basically to delete and re-import, which is exactly what you’re trying to avoid.
Some tips and workarounds:
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Manual JSON merging:
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You can export your collection as JSON before re-importing the updated version.
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Use a diff/merge tool to combine your custom scripts or request body changes with the new OpenAPI import.
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This is a bit manual, but it preserves your added scripts and customizations.
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Postman CLI / API automation:
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Postman has a Postman API that lets you programmatically update collections.
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You could write a small script that fetches the OpenAPI spec, converts it to a collection via postman-to-openapi or Postman’s import endpoint, and merges changes automatically using JSON logic.
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This would essentially mimic a “refresh” without losing your local modifications, though it requires some setup.
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Feature request / community feedback:
- This is a highly requested feature in the Postman community. Submitting feedback or upvoting existing feature requests for collection refresh from link / periodic sync could help push it onto the roadmap.
Right now, there’s no one-click “Refresh” option inside Postman that does exactly what you want, but the CLI/API approach is probably the closest workaround until Postman adds native support.
If you want, I can draft a step-by-step example showing how to automate refreshing a collection from an OpenAPI link while preserving custom scripts using the Postman API. That would save you a lot of repetitive manual work.