RetrieverA native Paw alternative for Mac.
Retriever is a free native Mac API client with local JSON files and nothing to activate. If you are moving from Paw / RapidAPI for Mac, use a Postman Collection export to bring your requests across. This guide explains what transfers and what needs attention.
Why Retriever
Paw was loved for three things: it was a real Mac app, your work lived in a file you owned, and you paid once. Retriever is built for the people Paw left behind: native Swift, plain JSON files on your disk, no account, and free. Its bundled MCP server also lets AI agents work with your requests.
1. Export from Paw
In RapidAPI for Mac choose File → Export → Postman Collection and pick version 2.1. Do this for each project. If you use environments, export those too: File → Export → Postman Environment.
Paw's own .paw project format is proprietary and undocumented, so Retriever does not read it. The Postman route preserves folders, requests, headers, bodies, query parameters, auth including OAuth 2 settings, and {{variables}}. Redirect URIs registered for Postman keep working, because Retriever can sign in through an in-app browser that stops at the redirect.
2. Import into Retriever
Press ⌘O, then paste the JSON or click Open File…. Collections appear in the sidebar. Imported environments become selectable from the toolbar. A collection variable named baseUrl becomes the collection's base URL automatically.
3. What maps to what
| In Paw | In Retriever |
|---|---|
| Project | Collection |
| Group | Folder |
| Environment domain and environments | Environments, one active at a time, switched from the toolbar |
| Environment variable | {{name}}, same syntax |
| Dynamic value: UUID | {{$uuid}} |
| Dynamic value: Timestamp | {{$timestamp}}, {{$timestampMs}}, {{$isoTimestamp}} |
| Dynamic value: Random | {{$randomInt(1,100)}}, {{$randomString(16)}} |
| Dynamic value: Base64 | {{$base64(text)}} |
| Response Parsed Body (chaining) | {{@Request Name.body.path.to.value}}. Right-click a value in a response and choose Copy as Chain Reference. |
| Response Header | {{@Request Name.header.Name}} |
| HTTP Basic, bearer tokens | Auth tab: Basic, Bearer or API key, or inherit the collection default |
| OAuth 2 (any grant) | Auth tab: OAuth 2.0. Authorization code with PKCE, client credentials, device code, password or refresh token, with automatic refresh |
| Code generator extensions | ⇧⌘C: cURL, Swift, JavaScript, Node.js, Python, Go, HTTPie |
What Retriever doesn't do yet
- Custom JavaScript dynamic values and Paw extensions
- Server-Sent Events and GraphQL subscriptions
Everything that is in: the full feature list. If one of these blocks your move, email me. The order of the roadmap is set by what migrating users run into first.
Get it
Free, in full. No license key, no account, no subscription, no feature behind a paid tier. A signed and notarized DMG for macOS 15 or later: download it, drag Retriever to Applications, done. If you want to support the work, there is a pay what you want link.