File Management

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The Help Center explains this surface as users see it: Logs, Snapshots & Files.

Apps store their files (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, etc.) in an associated Library. The file management endpoints provide CRUD operations for app content.

Important Concepts

Library Association: Each app has a libraryId field that references its file storage. Apps without a library cannot use file management endpoints.

Path Structure: Files are organized hierarchically using forward-slash paths (e.g., index.html, css/styles.css, images/logo.png).

Content Types: Files have MIME types that determine how they're served. The system auto-detects types from file extensions.

Content Recency: File operations do NOT modify the app row. The app's content-modified time is exposed as the derived contentModifiedAt field — the latest modifiedAt across the app's library files (null when the library has no files). The app's own updatedAt/defnUpdatedAt reflect only changes to the app row itself (e.g. draft commits), not file edits.

GET /api/apps/{id}/contents/{path*}

Read a file from the app's library.

Authentication: Required (session or token)

Permissions Required: None for asset paths (read access to the app is enough). Server-side source paths (informer.yaml, server/, webhooks/, tools/, migrations/) additionally require app:write: run-level shared users can execute the app but must not read its server code.

Path Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
`id`	string	App UUID or natural ID
`path`	string	File path within the library (e.g., `index.html`, `css/styles.css`)

Query Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`download`	boolean	false	Force download instead of inline display

Response:

Returns the file content as a binary stream with appropriate Content-Type header.

Example Request:

GET /api/apps/analytics:sales-dashboard/contents/index.html

Example Response:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: text/html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head><title>Sales Dashboard</title></head>
  <body>...</body>
</html>

Download Example:

GET /api/apps/analytics:sales-dashboard/contents/logo.png?download=true

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: image/png
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="logo.png"

[binary data]

Error Responses:

400 Bad Request - App has no associated library
404 Not Found - App doesn't exist, user lacks access, or file not found
403 Forbidden - User lacks run permission

PUT /api/apps/{id}/contents/{path*}

Write or create a file in the app's library.

Authentication: Required

Permissions Required: app:write (Designer for Magic Reports, Admin for full Apps)

Path Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
`id`	string	App UUID or natural ID
`path`	string	File path within the library

Payload:

{
  "content": "<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html>...",
  "contentType": "text/html",
  "encoding": "utf8"
}

Payload Fields:

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
`content`	string	Yes	-	File content (can be empty string)
`contentType`	string	No	Auto-detect	MIME type
`encoding`	string	No	`utf8`	`utf8` or `base64`

Returns the created/updated file metadata with status 201 Created (new file) or 200 OK (updated file).

Write a filePUT /api/apps/admin%3Aorder-desk/contents/orders.html

Upsert: 201 when the file is created, 200 when overwritten. Writing informer.yaml additionally runs the manifest license gate and eagerly re-binds dependencies.

Request body

{
  "content": "<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html>\n  <head><title>Order Desk</title></head>\n  <body><h1>Open Orders</h1></body>\n</html>"
}

Response · 201

{
  "_links": {
    "self": {
      "href": "https://informer.example.com/api/apps/admin%3Aorder-desk/contents/orders.html"
    }
  },
  "extension": "html",
  "tenant": "acme",
  "id": "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001",
  "embedded": false,
  "directory": false,
  "libraryId": "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000002",
  "parentId": null,
  "filename": "orders.html",
  "contentType": "text/html",
  "modifiedAt": "2026-01-15T16:20:00.000Z",
  "updatedAt": "2026-01-15T16:20:00.000Z",
  "createdAt": "2026-01-15T16:20:00.000Z",
  "lobId": "16400",
  "ownerId": null,
  "data": {},
  "templateId": null,
  "role": null,
  "createdById": null,
  "letterheadId": null,
  "jobActionAttachmentId": null,
  "jobActionId": null,
  "oauthClientId": null,
  "description": null,
  "assistantId": null,
  "integrationId": null,
  "remoteId": null,
  "remoteUrl": null,
  "size": 524288,
  "indexed": false,
  "indexingStartedAt": null,
  "indexedAt": null,
  "indexingErroredAt": null,
  "indexingErrorMessage": null,
  "messageId": null,
  "chatId": null,
  "expiresAt": null
}

Captured from the API examples test suite; ids and timestamps are normalized.

The modifiedAt field is the per-file content timestamp that backs the app's derived contentModifiedAt (MAX(file.modifiedAt) across the library — see Content Recency above).

Example - Create HTML File:

PUT /api/apps/analytics:sales-dashboard/contents/index.html
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "content": "<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html>\n  <head><title>Dashboard</title></head>\n  <body><h1>Sales Dashboard</h1></body>\n</html>",
  "contentType": "text/html"
}

Example - Upload Binary File (Base64):

PUT /api/apps/analytics:sales-dashboard/contents/logo.png
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "content": "iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAUA...",
  "contentType": "image/png",
  "encoding": "base64"
}

Side Effects:

Does NOT modify the app row; bumps the affected file's modifiedAt, surfaced via the app's derived contentModifiedAt
Creates parent directories as needed
Overwrites existing file if present
Writing informer.yaml runs the manifest license gate first (Apps-tier content is rejected with 403 + apps_license_required on a Magic Report or unlicensed tenant) and, on success, eagerly re-binds the app's dependency rows so manifest edits take effect in preview without a deploy

Error Responses:

400 Bad Request - App has no library, or invalid payload
404 Not Found - App doesn't exist or user lacks access
403 Forbidden - User lacks write permission

PATCH /api/apps/{id}/contents/{path*}

Perform a patch operation on an existing file (replace, append, prepend, or insert text).

Authentication: Required

Permissions Required: app:write (Designer for Magic Reports, Admin for full Apps)

Path Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
`id`	string	App UUID or natural ID
`path`	string	File path within the library

Payload:

The payload structure depends on the operation:

Replace Operation

{
  "operation": "replace",
  "search": "oldText",
  "replacement": "newText",
  "replaceAll": false
}

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
`operation`	string	Yes	-	Must be `"replace"`
`search`	string	Yes	-	Text to search for
`replacement`	string	Yes	-	Replacement text (can be empty)
`replaceAll`	boolean	No	false	Replace all occurrences (default: first only)

Append Operation

{
  "operation": "append",
  "text": "Text to add at end"
}

Prepend Operation

{
  "operation": "prepend",
  "text": "Text to add at beginning"
}

Insert Operation

{
  "operation": "insert",
  "text": "Text to insert",
  "insertAt": 100
}

Field	Type	Required	Description
`operation`	string	Yes	Must be `"insert"`
`text`	string	Yes	Text to insert
`insertAt`	integer	Yes	Character position (0-based)

Patch a filePATCH /api/apps/00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001/contents/orders.html

Operations: replace (search/replacement/replaceAll), append (text), prepend (text), insert (text/insertAt). The file must already exist.

Request body

{
  "operation": "replace",
  "search": "Open Orders",
  "replacement": "Open Orders Today"
}

Response · 200

{
  "_links": {
    "self": {
      "href": "https://informer.example.com/api/apps/00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001/contents/orders.html"
    }
  },
  "extension": "html",
  "tenant": "acme",
  "id": "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000002",
  "filename": "orders.html",
  "embedded": false,
  "contentType": "text/html",
  "lobId": "16400",
  "role": null,
  "description": null,
  "data": {},
  "createdById": null,
  "letterheadId": null,
  "jobActionAttachmentId": null,
  "jobActionId": null,
  "oauthClientId": null,
  "assistantId": null,
  "directory": false,
  "indexed": false,
  "indexingStartedAt": null,
  "indexingErroredAt": null,
  "indexingErrorMessage": null,
  "indexedAt": null,
  "parentId": null,
  "libraryId": "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000003",
  "remoteId": null,
  "remoteUrl": null,
  "size": 524288,
  "modifiedAt": "2026-01-15T16:20:00.000Z",
  "messageId": null,
  "chatId": null,
  "expiresAt": null,
  "createdAt": "2026-01-15T16:20:00.000Z",
  "updatedAt": "2026-01-15T16:20:00.000Z",
  "ownerId": null,
  "templateId": null,
  "integrationId": null
}

Captured from the API examples test suite; ids and timestamps are normalized.

Side Effects:

Does NOT modify the app row; bumps the affected file's modifiedAt, surfaced via the app's derived contentModifiedAt
File must exist (PATCH doesn't create new files)

Error Responses:

400 Bad Request - Invalid operation or missing required fields
404 Not Found - App or file doesn't exist
403 Forbidden - User lacks write permission

GET /api/apps/{id}/files

List files in the app's library. Lists the library root by default; descend with parentId/dir, or search the whole tree with q.

Authentication: Required

Permissions Required: app:run (any user who can run the app)

Path Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
`id`	string	App UUID or natural ID

Query Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`parentId`	string	null	List children of this directory (null = root)
`dir`	string	null	List children of this directory path
`q`	string	—	Search the whole tree by filename
`start` / `end`	number	0 / 100	Paging window
`dirOnly`	boolean	false	Only return directories

List an App's filesGET /api/apps/00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001/files

Lists the library ROOT by default; pass parentId (or dir) to descend into a directory, q to search the whole tree, dirOnly to filter to directories.

Response · 200

"[{\"id\":\"00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000002\",\"filename\":\"pages\",\"canIndex\":true,\"remoteUrl\":null,\"directory\":true,\"contentType\":\"application/vnd.apple.pages\",\"indexed\":false,\"modifiedAt\":\"2026-01-15T16:20:00.000Z\",\"indexingErroredAt\":null,\"indexingErrorMessage\":null,\"indexingStartedAt\":null,\"indexedAt\":null,\"path\":\"/pages\",\"size\":null,\"runningDescendantsCount\":0},{\"id\":\"00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000003\",\"filename\":\"index.html\",\"canIndex\":true,\"remoteUrl\":null,\"directory\":false,\"contentType\":\"text/html\",\"indexed\":false,\"modifiedAt\":\"2026-01-15T16:20:00.000Z\",\"indexingErroredAt\":null,\"indexingErrorMessage\":null,\"indexingStartedAt\":null,\"indexedAt\":null,\"path\":\"/index.html\",\"size\":737,\"runningDescendantsCount\":0},{\"id\":\"00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000004\",\"filename\":\"informer.yaml\",\"canIndex\":true,\"remoteUrl\":null,\"directory\":false,\"contentType\":\"text/yaml\",\"indexed\":false,\"modifiedAt\":\"2026-01-15T16:20:00.000Z\",\"indexingErroredAt\":null,\"indexingErrorMessage\":null,\"indexingStartedAt\":null,\"indexedAt\":null,\"path\":\"/informer.yaml\",\"size\":283,\"runningDescendantsCount\":0}]"

Captured from the API examples test suite; ids and timestamps are normalized.

Key Fields:

Field	Description
`directory`	`true` if this is a directory, `false` for files
`parentId`	UUID of parent directory (null for root level)
`contentType`	MIME type (only present for files)
`size`	File size in bytes (only present for files)

Error Responses:

404 Not Found - App doesn't exist or user lacks access
403 Forbidden - User lacks write permission

DELETE /api/apps/{id}/files/{fileId}

Delete a file or directory from the app's library.

Authentication: Required

Permissions Required: app:write (Designer for Magic Reports, Admin for full Apps)

Path Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
`id`	string	App UUID or natural ID
`fileId`	string	File UUID (from the files list)

Delete a fileDELETE /api/apps/00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001/files/00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000002

Deleting a directory removes its whole subtree.

Response · 204 · no body

Captured from the API examples test suite; ids and timestamps are normalized.

Behavior:

Deleting a directory also deletes all contained files and subdirectories
Does NOT modify the app row

Error Responses:

404 Not Found - App or file doesn't exist
403 Forbidden - User lacks write permission

POST /api/apps/{id}/files/_clear

Bulk-delete every file in the app's library in a single transaction. Intended for callers that need to wipe the library before re-uploading a fresh tree (e.g. CLI deploy workflows). One round-trip replaces N parallel per-file DELETEs; like the per-file path, the bulk-clear leaves the app row untouched (see Content Recency above).

Authentication: Required

Permissions Required: app:write (Designer for Magic Reports, Admin for full Apps). Same level as the per-file DELETE — bulk-clear is semantically a multi-row variant of it, not an app-lifecycle action.

Path Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
`id`	string	App UUID or natural ID

Clear an App's libraryPOST /api/apps/00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001/files/_clear

Bulk-deletes every file in one transaction; used by CLI deploys before re-uploading a fresh tree. Idempotent.

Response · 204 · no body

Captured from the API examples test suite; ids and timestamps are normalized.

Behavior:

Files and directories are removed in a single SQL DELETE statement scoped to the app's library; the per-row file.parentId → file.id cascade clears the whole tree without ordering concerns.
Large objects (LOBs) for files with stored content are unlinked via the per-row delete_file_lob trigger as part of the cascade.
The bulk delete does NOT touch the app row. After it completes the library is empty, so the app's derived contentModifiedAt becomes null.
Idempotent: calling on an already-empty library returns 204 with no state change.

Error Responses:

400 Bad Request - The app has no associated library
403 Forbidden - User lacks write permission
404 Not Found - App doesn't exist

Examples:

curl -X POST "${SERVER_URL}/api/apps/myapp/files/_clear" \
  -H "Authorization: Basic ${AUTH}"

POST /api/apps/{id}/files

Create a file or directory under a given parentId. Polymorphic — passing directory: true makes a directory; otherwise an empty file is created. Both share the same endpoint because directories are just File rows with directory: true.

Authentication: Required

Permissions Required: app:write (Designer for Magic Reports, Admin for full Apps)

Path Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
`id`	string	App UUID or natural ID

Request Body:

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
`filename`	string	Yes	-	Single-segment basename (no slashes). Max 255 chars.
`parentId`	string \| null	No	`null`	Containing directory id; `null` means library root
`directory`	boolean	No	`false`	`true` to create a directory; `false` for a file

Create a directoryPOST /api/apps/00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001/files

POST /files creates files and directories; sibling-name collisions are 409. PUT /contents is the upsert path for file content.

Request body

{
  "filename": "pages",
  "directory": true
}

Response · 201

{
  "_links": {
    "self": {
      "href": "https://informer.example.com/api/apps/00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001/files"
    }
  },
  "extension": "",
  "tenant": "acme",
  "id": "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000002",
  "embedded": false,
  "libraryId": "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000003",
  "parentId": null,
  "filename": "pages",
  "directory": true,
  "contentType": "application/vnd.apple.pages",
  "modifiedAt": "2026-01-15T16:20:00.000Z",
  "updatedAt": "2026-01-15T16:20:00.000Z",
  "createdAt": "2026-01-15T16:20:00.000Z",
  "lobId": null,
  "ownerId": null,
  "data": {},
  "templateId": null,
  "role": null,
  "createdById": null,
  "letterheadId": null,
  "jobActionAttachmentId": null,
  "jobActionId": null,
  "oauthClientId": null,
  "description": null,
  "assistantId": null,
  "integrationId": null,
  "remoteId": null,
  "remoteUrl": null,
  "size": null,
  "indexed": false,
  "indexingStartedAt": null,
  "indexedAt": null,
  "indexingErroredAt": null,
  "indexingErrorMessage": null,
  "messageId": null,
  "chatId": null,
  "expiresAt": null
}

Captured from the API examples test suite; ids and timestamps are normalized.

Behavior:

Rejects sibling-name collisions with 409 Conflict (no silent overwrite — PUT /contents is the upsert endpoint)
Files get an empty content blob; reads of new files succeed and return zero bytes
parentId must reference an existing directory in the same library, or be null
Does NOT modify the app row; bumps the affected file's modifiedAt, surfaced via the app's derived contentModifiedAt

Error Responses:

404 Not Found - App doesn't exist
403 Forbidden - User lacks write permission
409 Conflict - A file or directory with the same filename already exists under parentId
400 Bad Request - Missing/invalid filename, unknown parentId, or parentId references a non-directory

Example - Create a file at the root:

curl -X POST "${SERVER_URL}/api/apps/myapp/files" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"filename": "index.html"}'

Example - Create a directory under another directory:

curl -X POST "${SERVER_URL}/api/apps/myapp/files" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"filename": "components", "parentId": "src-dir-uuid", "directory": true}'

PUT /api/apps/{id}/files/{fileId}

Rename and/or move a file or directory. Both filename and parentId are independently optional — pass either, both, or hit the no-op path by passing the current values.

Authentication: Required

Permissions Required: app:write (Designer for Magic Reports, Admin for full Apps)

Path Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
`id`	string	App UUID or natural ID
`fileId`	string	File UUID (from the files list)

Request Body:

Field	Type	Description
`filename`	string	New basename (single segment, no slashes, max 255 chars)
`parentId`	string \| null	New parent directory id; `null` means library root

At least one of filename or parentId must be present.

Rename or move a filePUT /api/apps/00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001/files/00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000002

filename and parentId are independently optional: rename in place, move, or both in one call. Moving a directory carries its children.

Request body

{
  "filename": "home.html",
  "parentId": "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000003"
}

Response · 200

{
  "_links": {
    "self": {
      "href": "https://informer.example.com/api/apps/00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001/files/00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000002"
    }
  },
  "extension": "html",
  "tenant": "acme",
  "id": "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000002",
  "filename": "home.html",
  "embedded": false,
  "contentType": "text/html",
  "lobId": "16400",
  "role": null,
  "description": null,
  "data": {},
  "createdById": null,
  "letterheadId": null,
  "jobActionAttachmentId": null,
  "jobActionId": null,
  "oauthClientId": null,
  "assistantId": null,
  "directory": false,
  "indexed": false,
  "indexingStartedAt": null,
  "indexingErroredAt": null,
  "indexingErrorMessage": null,
  "indexedAt": null,
  "parentId": "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000003",
  "libraryId": "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000004",
  "remoteId": null,
  "remoteUrl": null,
  "size": "524288",
  "modifiedAt": "2026-01-15T16:20:00.000Z",
  "messageId": null,
  "chatId": null,
  "expiresAt": null,
  "createdAt": "2026-01-15T16:20:00.000Z",
  "updatedAt": "2026-01-15T16:20:00.000Z",
  "ownerId": null,
  "templateId": null,
  "integrationId": null
}

Captured from the API examples test suite; ids and timestamps are normalized.

Behavior:

Pure rename (filename only), pure move (parentId only), or both in one call
For directories, children's paths follow automatically (paths derive from the parentId chain)
Cycle prevention: cannot move a directory into itself or any of its descendants
Does NOT modify the app row; bumps the affected file's modifiedAt, surfaced via the app's derived contentModifiedAt

Error Responses:

404 Not Found - App or file doesn't exist
403 Forbidden - User lacks write permission
409 Conflict - A sibling with the new filename already exists under parentId
400 Bad Request - Invalid filename, unknown parentId, parentId references a non-directory, or attempted cycle

Example - Rename in place:

curl -X PUT "${SERVER_URL}/api/apps/myapp/files/${fileId}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"filename": "Header.tsx"}'

Example - Move to a different directory:

curl -X PUT "${SERVER_URL}/api/apps/myapp/files/${fileId}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"parentId": "components-dir-uuid"}'

POST /api/apps/{id}/_upload

Upload a file using chunked multipart upload. This endpoint is designed for large file uploads from web browsers.

Authentication: Required

Permissions Required: app:write (Designer for Magic Reports, Admin for full Apps)

Path Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
`id`	string	App UUID or natural ID

Payload:

Multipart form data with file chunks. Refer to the chunked upload implementation for specific field requirements.

Response:

Returns upload status and file metadata.

Use Case:

This endpoint is used by the file upload UI for:

Large binary files
Progress tracking
Resume capability

Error Responses:

404 Not Found - App doesn't exist or user lacks access
403 Forbidden - User lacks write permission

Common File Operations

Create a Simple App

// 1. Create the app
const app = await POST('/api/apps', {
  type: 'report',
  name: 'My Dashboard'
});

// 2. Add HTML file
await PUT(`/api/apps/${app.id}/contents/index.html`, {
  content: '<!DOCTYPE html><html>...',
  contentType: 'text/html'
});

// 3. Add CSS file
await PUT(`/api/apps/${app.id}/contents/styles.css`, {
  content: 'body { margin: 0; }',
  contentType: 'text/css'
});

// 4. Add JavaScript file
await PUT(`/api/apps/${app.id}/contents/app.js`, {
  content: 'console.log("Ready");',
  contentType: 'application/javascript'
});

Update a File

// Read current content
const response = await GET('/api/apps/analytics:sales-dashboard/contents/index.html');
const currentHTML = await response.text();

// Modify it
const updatedHTML = currentHTML.replace('Old Title', 'New Title');

// Write back
await PUT('/api/apps/analytics:sales-dashboard/contents/index.html', {
  content: updatedHTML,
  contentType: 'text/html'
});

Bulk Replace Across File

// Replace all occurrences of a string
await PATCH('/api/apps/analytics:sales-dashboard/contents/index.html', {
  operation: 'replace',
  search: 'oldClassName',
  replacement: 'newClassName',
  replaceAll: true
});

List and Delete Old Files

// Get all files
const files = await GET('/api/apps/analytics:sales-dashboard/files');

// Find old temp files
const tempFiles = files.filter(f => f.filename.startsWith('temp-'));

// Delete them
for (const file of tempFiles) {
  await DELETE(`/api/apps/analytics:sales-dashboard/files/${file.id}`);
}

Important Concepts​

GET /api/apps/{id}/contents/{path*}​

PUT /api/apps/{id}/contents/{path*}​

PATCH /api/apps/{id}/contents/{path*}​

Replace Operation​

Append Operation​

Prepend Operation​

Insert Operation​

GET /api/apps/{id}/files​

DELETE /api/apps/{id}/files/{fileId}​

POST /api/apps/{id}/files/_clear​

POST /api/apps/{id}/files​

PUT /api/apps/{id}/files/{fileId}​

POST /api/apps/{id}/_upload​

Common File Operations​

Create a Simple App​

Update a File​

Bulk Replace Across File​

List and Delete Old Files​

Important Concepts

GET /api/apps/{id}/contents/{path*}

PUT /api/apps/{id}/contents/{path*}

PATCH /api/apps/{id}/contents/{path*}

Replace Operation

Append Operation

Prepend Operation

Insert Operation

GET /api/apps/{id}/files

DELETE /api/apps/{id}/files/{fileId}

POST /api/apps/{id}/files/_clear

POST /api/apps/{id}/files

PUT /api/apps/{id}/files/{fileId}

POST /api/apps/{id}/_upload

Common File Operations

Create a Simple App

Update a File

Bulk Replace Across File

List and Delete Old Files