Curated Claude Code catalog
Updated 07.05.2026 · 19:39 CET
01 / Skill
wannabehero

charles-proxy-extract-skill

Quality
9.0

This Claude Code skill parses Charles Proxy session files (.chlsj) to extract detailed HTTP/HTTPS traffic. It allows filtering by URL patterns and HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE), inspecting request bodies, and exporting filtered responses to JSON. Ideal for debugging API integrations, analyzing network traffic, generating test fixtures, and documenting APIs. It integrates seamlessly with Claude Code, automatically detecting .chlsj files and providing formatted output. The skill boasts zero external dependencies, relying solely on Python's standard library.

USP

Zero external dependencies, using only Python standard library. Automatically detects Charles Proxy .chlsj files when mentioned in Claude Code. Offers pattern-based filtering, method filtering, request body inspection, JSON export, and sum…

Use cases

  • 01Debugging API integrations
  • 02Analyzing network traffic
  • 03Generating test fixtures from real API traffic
  • 04Documenting APIs with real-world examples
  • 05Identifying new fields or enum values in API responses

Detected files (1)

  • SKILL.mdskill
    Show content (6007 bytes)
    ---
    name: charles-proxy-extract
    description: Extracts HTTP/HTTPS request and response data from Charles Proxy session files (.chlsj format), including URLs, methods, status codes, headers, request bodies, and response bodies. Use when analyzing captured network traffic from Charles Proxy debug sessions, inspecting API calls, debugging HTTP requests, or examining proxy logs.
    allowed-tools: Bash
    ---
    
    # Charles Proxy Session Extractor
    
    Parses and extracts structured data from Charles Proxy session files (.chlsj format).
    
    ## Prerequisites
    
    - Python 3.x (no external dependencies required)
    - Charles Proxy session file in .chlsj format
    
    ## When to Use This Skill
    
    Use this skill when the user:
    - Mentions "Charles Proxy" or "Charles session"
    - Asks to "extract", "analyze", or "inspect" .chlsj files
    - Wants to filter HTTP/HTTPS requests by endpoint or method
    - Needs to examine API request/response data from proxy logs
    - Wants to export network traffic data to JSON
    
    ## How to Execute This Skill
    
    When the user asks to extract, analyze, or inspect Charles Proxy session files, run the Python script using the Bash tool:
    
    ```bash
    python3 ./extract_responses.py <file.chlsj> <pattern> [options]
    ```
    
    ### Required Parameters
    1. `<file.chlsj>` - Path to the Charles Proxy session file (use exact path provided by user)
    2. `<pattern>` - URL path pattern to match (e.g., "/today", "/logs", "/" for all)
    
    ### Optional Flags
    - `-m, --method METHOD` - Filter by HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE)
    - `-f, --first-only` - Show only first matching request (for quick inspection)
    - `-s, --summary-only` - Show statistics without response bodies
    - `-o, --output FILE` - Save responses to JSON file
    - `--no-pretty` - Disable JSON pretty-printing
    
    ### Execution Examples
    
    **Extract all /today responses:**
    ```bash
    python3 ./extract_responses.py session.chlsj "/today"
    ```
    
    **Filter by POST method (automatically shows request bodies):**
    ```bash
    python3 ./extract_responses.py session.chlsj "/logs" --method POST
    ```
    
    **Quick peek (first result only):**
    ```bash
    python3 ./extract_responses.py session.chlsj "/users" --first-only
    ```
    
    **Summary without bodies:**
    ```bash
    python3 ./extract_responses.py session.chlsj "/" --summary-only
    ```
    
    **Export to file:**
    ```bash
    python3 ./extract_responses.py session.chlsj "/items" --output items_data.json
    ```
    
    ### User Request Patterns
    
    When users say things like:
    - "Extract [endpoint] from [file]" → Use basic extraction with pattern matching
    - "Show POST/PUT/PATCH to [endpoint]" → Add `--method` flag (request bodies auto-shown)
    - "First [endpoint] response" → Add `--first-only` flag
    - "Summarize [file]" or "What's in [file]" → Add `--summary-only` flag
    - "Save [endpoint] to [output]" → Add `--output` flag
    - "Compare [endpoint] with model" → Extract first response, then analyze structure
    
    ### Important Notes
    - Pattern matching is case-sensitive substring matching
    - Method filtering is case-insensitive
    - POST/PUT/PATCH methods automatically display request bodies when method filter is applied
    - Use `"/"` as pattern to match all requests
    
    ## What This Skill Does
    
    Extracts HTTP/HTTPS request and response data from Charles Proxy session files, allowing you to:
    - Filter requests by URL pattern (substring matching)
    - Filter requests by HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE)
    - View request bodies for mutation operations (POST/PUT/PATCH)
    - Export extracted data to JSON files
    - Generate traffic summaries with statistics
    - Pretty-print JSON response bodies
    
    ## Input Requirements
    
    **Required:**
    - Path to Charles Proxy session file (.chlsj format)
    - URL pattern to match (use "/" to match all requests)
    
    **Optional:**
    - HTTP method filter (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE)
    - Output mode (full, first-only, summary-only)
    - Output file path for JSON export
    - Pretty-print toggle for JSON formatting
    
    ## Output Format
    
    **Summary mode:**
    - Pattern match statistics
    - Grouped paths with request counts
    - Method and status code distribution
    
    **Full mode:**
    - Request details (method, path, status, timestamp)
    - Request body (for POST/PUT/PATCH when method filter applied)
    - Response body (JSON parsed or raw text)
    - Pretty-printed JSON by default
    
    **Export mode:**
    - JSON file with structure:
      ```json
      {
        "pattern": "/api/endpoint",
        "total_requests": 10,
        "extracted_at": "ISO8601 timestamp",
        "requests": [...]
      }
      ```
    
    ## Common Usage Scenarios
    
    **"Extract all /today responses from session.chlsj"**
    → Shows all requests matching /today pattern
    
    **"Show POST requests to /logs with request bodies"**
    → Filters by POST method and displays request bodies
    
    **"Export all /items responses to items.json"**
    → Saves filtered responses to JSON file
    
    **"Summarize requests in the Charles session"**
    → Shows statistics without response bodies
    
    ## Limitations
    
    - Only supports Charles Proxy JSON session format (.chlsj)
    - Pattern matching is case-sensitive substring matching
    - Method filtering is case-insensitive
    - Large response bodies may be truncated in display (not in exports)
    - Requires Python 3.x with standard library only (no external dependencies)
    
    ## Error Handling
    
    The skill handles:
    - Missing or inaccessible files (clear error message)
    - Invalid JSON in session files (decoding error details)
    - Empty result sets (informative message)
    - Malformed request/response structures (graceful degradation)
    
    ## Troubleshooting
    
    **"File not found" error:**
    - Verify the .chlsj file path is correct
    - Use absolute paths or ensure the file is in the current directory
    
    **"Invalid JSON" error:**
    - Ensure the file is a valid Charles Proxy session export
    - Re-export the session from Charles Proxy
    
    **No results found:**
    - Pattern matching is case-sensitive - check capitalization
    - Try using "/" to match all requests first
    - Verify the endpoint exists in the session file using --summary-only
    
    **Python not found:**
    - Ensure Python 3.x is installed and available in PATH
    - Try using `python` instead of `python3` or vice versa
    

README

Charles Proxy Session Extractor

License: MIT Python 3.x No Dependencies

A Claude Code skill that extracts and analyzes HTTP/HTTPS request and response data from Charles Proxy session files (.chlsj format).

When debugging API integrations or analyzing network traffic, simply mention a .chlsj file and Claude will automatically use this skill to parse and present the data.

Zero dependencies - uses Python standard library only.

Features

  • Pattern-based filtering - extract requests by URL pattern
  • Method filtering - filter by HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE)
  • Request body inspection - view request bodies for POST/PUT/PATCH operations
  • JSON export - save filtered responses for further analysis
  • Summary mode - get quick traffic overview without full response bodies
  • Pretty-printed output - formatted JSON by default for readability

How It Works

  1. Export a session from Charles Proxy in .chlsj (JSON) format
  2. Reference the file when chatting with Claude Code
  3. Claude automatically detects the file type and uses this skill
  4. Get filtered, formatted request/response data instantly

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.x (no external dependencies required)
  • Charles Proxy session files exported in .chlsj format

Installation

For Claude Code Users

Clone this repository into your skills directory:

# User-level (available in all projects)
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/charles-proxy-extract ~/.claude/skills/charles-proxy-extract

# Project-level (available in specific project)
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/charles-proxy-extract .claude/skills/charles-proxy-extract

That's it! No additional dependencies to install.

Standalone Usage

If you want to use the script without Claude Code, just ensure Python 3.x is installed:

which python3

Using with Claude Code

Once installed, Claude will automatically suggest this skill when you mention Charles Proxy files. Try phrases like:

  • "Extract the /api/users responses from session.chlsj"
  • "Show me POST requests to /logs in this Charles session"
  • "Analyze the network traffic in debug-session.chlsj"
  • "Export all /items responses to a JSON file"
  • "Summarize what's in this Charles session file"
  • "Show the first /api/auth request"

Claude will use this skill to parse the file and present the results in a clear, formatted way.

Standalone Usage

You can also use the script directly from the command line:

python3 ./extract_responses.py <file.chlsj> <path_pattern> [options]

Arguments

  • file - Charles session file (.chlsj format)
  • pattern - String pattern to match in URL paths (case-sensitive)

Options

OptionDescription
-m, --method METHODFilter by HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE)
-f, --first-onlyShow only the first matching request
-s, --summary-onlyShow summary stats without response bodies
-o, --output FILESave all responses to a JSON file
--no-prettyDisable pretty-printing of JSON responses
-h, --helpShow help message

Note: When filtering by POST, PUT, or PATCH methods, request bodies are automatically displayed along with responses.

Workflow Examples

# Explore available endpoints
python3 ./extract_responses.py session.chlsj "/" --summary-only

# Inspect specific endpoint
python3 ./extract_responses.py session.chlsj "/logs" --method POST

# Quick peek at first result
python3 ./extract_responses.py session.chlsj "/api/users" --first-only

# Save all responses for analysis
python3 ./extract_responses.py session.chlsj "/items" -o items-response.json

# Filter POST requests with bodies
python3 ./extract_responses.py session.chlsj "/submit" --method POST

Example Output

Summary Mode

Found 145 total requests in session
Pattern '/api/logs' matched 12 requests

Matched paths:
  /api/logs/submit (8 requests)
  /api/logs/query (4 requests)

Methods: POST: 8, GET: 4
Status codes: 200: 11, 404: 1

Full Mode

Request 1/12: POST /api/logs/submit
Status: 200 OK
Timestamp: 2025-12-28T10:15:23Z

Request Body:
{
  "level": "error",
  "message": "Connection timeout"
}

Response:
{
  "id": "log_123",
  "status": "recorded"
}

Export Mode

Creates a JSON file with structure:

{
  "pattern": "/api/logs",
  "total_requests": 12,
  "extracted_at": "2025-12-28T10:15:23Z",
  "requests": [
    {
      "method": "POST",
      "path": "/api/logs/submit",
      "status": 200,
      "timestamp": "2025-12-28T10:15:23Z",
      "request_body": {...},
      "response": {...}
    }
  ]
}

Tips

Pattern Matching

Patterns use simple substring matching (case-sensitive):

  • /history matches /history/5fd95c39.../2025-12-04
  • /items matches both /items/... and /items-by-day/...
  • / matches all requests (useful for summary mode)

Best Practices

  1. Start with summary mode - Use --summary-only to understand what's in the session
  2. Narrow down gradually - Start broad, then filter by method or pattern
  3. Use first-only for inspection - Add --first-only when you just need a sample
  4. Export for analysis - Use -o to save data for programmatic analysis

Troubleshooting

"File not found"

  • Verify the .chlsj file path is correct
  • Use absolute paths or ensure you're in the right directory

"Invalid JSON"

  • Ensure the file is a valid Charles Proxy session export
  • Re-export the session from Charles Proxy in .chlsj format

No matching requests

  • Pattern matching is case-sensitive - check capitalization
  • Try broader pattern (e.g., / matches everything)
  • Use --summary-only to see all available paths

Python not found

  • Ensure Python 3.x is installed and available in PATH
  • Try using python instead of python3 or vice versa

Integration Use Cases

This skill is particularly useful for:

  • Extracting sample data - Generate test fixtures from real API traffic
  • Debugging integrations - Identify discrepancies between expected and actual API behavior
  • Documenting APIs - Extract real-world examples for API documentation
  • Model updates - Find new fields or enum values not yet in your models
  • Regression testing - Compare API responses before and after changes
  • Performance analysis - Identify slow endpoints or large payloads

Related Tools

License

MIT License - see LICENSE.md for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to:

  • Open issues for bugs or feature requests
  • Submit pull requests for improvements
  • Share your use cases and feedback