Short answer: The scratchpad lets you work without an account, but it is a private vault inside the client. A local-first studio opens the OpenAPI file in your repo, so the work is versioned with the code and not locked in a client vault. Both work offline; only one keeps the file as the source.
What the scratchpad solves
It removes the account requirement for local work, which is a real convenience. The tradeoff is that the work lives in a client vault, a separate artifact from the contract and the repository.
What local-first keeps
| Property | Scratchpad | Local-first studio |
|---|---|---|
| No account | Yes | Yes |
| Where the work lives | Client vault | Spec in your repo |
| Versioned with code | No | Yes |
| Portable | Via the client | Plain files |
Why the repo matters
When the contract is in the repo, the requests are generated from it and reviewed with the code. A client vault is a private copy that is not part of the pull request.
The decision rule
Use the scratchpad for a quick, private call. Use a local-first studio when the work should be versioned, reviewed, and kept as the source of truth.
This is part of the Powerduck vs Insomnia comparison. Next, read migrating to OpenAPI.
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