Platform Notebooks - Build, Test, and Debug Integrations with Ease

API documentation has long been stuck in a frustrating paradox: it’s either too rigid, too fragmented, or simply not updated when you need it most. Traditional API client tools (like Postman, Bruno, or Insomnia) do a great job of storing API requests, but they aren’t built to capture the full context behind an API—design rationale, dependencies, changes over time — and how it interacts with other APIs.

With this latest release, Platform Notebooks move beyond static API documentation. Now, teams can write, test, sequence, and debug API integrations—all in one place. By combining documentation, executable API calls, and live debugging, Platform Notebooks provide a fully interactive and always up-to-date API workspace.

Where Platform Notebooks started: a single source of truth for system design docs

The original vision for Platform Notebooks was to create a single source of truth for system design documentation—capturing not just what was built, but also why and how those decisions were made.

When designing a distributed system, a diagram is only the most visible artifact. The real complexity lies in the context behind the architecture—the trade-offs discussed, the environment-specific configurations, and the reasoning behind key technical decisions.

Some teams take a structured approach using, for example, Architecture Decision Records (ADR) or Software Requirements Specifications (SRS). But in most cases, this information gets scattered across Confluence pages, Slack threads, Notion docs, and handwritten notes—quickly becoming outdated and difficult to find.

Platform Notebooks were designed to consolidate this tribal knowledge in one place, alongside critical system data—Platforms, Components, Repositories, and more—so teams could quickly access the full picture.

But we quickly realized documentation alone wasn’t enough.

To truly streamline how teams design, test, and refine their systems, documentation needs to be live and actionable—which is why we’re taking Platform Notebooks a step further with integrated API testing and debugging.

The problem with traditional API client tools

Tools like Postman, Bruno, and Insomnia are widely used for managing API requests, but they fall short when it comes to documentation, collaboration, and system-wide visibility — essentially a holistic approach to how developers work with APIs.

Many teams rely on these tools, but our users consistently flagged key pain points:

• API collections are static snapshots: They don’t update when your API changes, leading to outdated collections that require manual upkeep.
• API usage guides are disconnected: Documentation often lives in separate tools, making it difficult to understand how multiple APIs work together. At best, teams are left with a clunky list of API calls; at worst, they’re forced into constant context switching just to piece together information.
• No system-wide visibility: API testing happens in isolation, with no connection to architecture insights or debugging workflows. Developers can’t easily trace API behavior across the broader system.
• Limited collaboration: API clients aren’t designed for team-wide sharing, reviewing, and iterating on integrations. Workspaces feel like personal sandboxes rather than collaborative environments where engineers, QA, and stakeholders can refine API interactions together.

Traditional API clients help you send API requests—but they don’t help teams understand, document, or troubleshoot APIs effectively.

Interactive API documentation with Multiplayer

Platform Notebooks solve these pain points by providing live, executable API documentation that integrates directly with our Platform Debugger, allowing teams to see in practice how API’s should work and immediately identify when they don’t work as expected.

Here’s what you can do with the latest updates to Platform Notebooks:

1. Write, test & debug API calls in one place

Instead of juggling separate tools for documentation, API testing, and debugging, you can now do it all in a single Notebook.

→ Executable API Blocks – Create API requests, sequence calls, and validate responses.
→ Executable Code Blocks – Process API responses with JavaScript inline.
→ Notebook Variables – Store and reuse variables across multiple blocks.

2. Sequence API calls

Notebooks let you chain API calls together, using the output from one as the input for another. This makes it easy to:

→ Simulate real API workflows (e.g., user signup → authentication → data retrieval)
→ Test integrations between services
→ Automatically format and process API responses

3. Debug API calls in context

What happens when an API call doesn’t work as expected? Traditional API clients leave you on your own to investigate.

With Multiplayer’s Platform Debugger, you can:

→ Run API calls with deep session replays enabled.
→ See real-time backend traces, logs, and metrics for each API execution.
→ Debug API failures without manually hunting through logs.

4. Share and collaborate on API documentation

Platform Notebooks aren’t just for individual developers—they’re designed for teams.

→ Share Notebooks with teammates, partners, and users.
→ Explain API usage with rich markdown, code snippets, and inline comments.
→ Replace scattered docs with a single, interactive, and version-controlled source of truth.

Conclusion: the future of API documentation is interactive

APIs aren’t static—so why should their documentation be?

With Platform Notebooks, teams can now:

• Write, test, and debug API integrations—all in one place.
• Collaborate seamlessly, ensuring everyone has the latest API knowledge
• Eliminate manual updates and outdated documentation.
• Debug issues instantly with full backend visibility.

Platform Notebooks go beyond traditional API clients by integrating API documentation with live execution, collaboration, and debugging. It’s time to rethink how we document APIs.

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Help your teammates, partners, and end users have all the context they need to immediately understand how to use an API.

Try Platform Notebooks today or schedule a demo with our team.