How do I read a GraphQL query from a browser request?

Look at the POST body: it is JSON with query, variables and operationName keys. Copy the query string out and format it here. GET-based queries carry the same content URL-encoded in the query string.

What is introspection?

A built-in GraphQL feature that lets a client ask the server to describe its own schema. Handy in development, and commonly disabled in production to reduce the information exposed to attackers.

Is GraphQL encoded in any way?

No — it is plain text. When it looks encoded you are usually seeing URL-encoding or JSON string escaping, both of which the URL and Unicode decoders will unwrap.

GraphQL Query Decoder

Pretty-print and inspect GraphQL queries, mutations and schema documents.

on the roadmapWeb, API & Tokensfree · no sign-up

This bench is being wired up

The graphql-decoder decoder is on the roadmap. The heavier binary and cryptographic parsers ship after the core text and token decoders — all of which are already live and working.

Browse the live decoders

Input is processed on your device. Nothing you paste is sent anywhere.

What is the GraphQL Query Decoder?

A GraphQL query decoder parses a GraphQL document — a query, mutation, subscription or schema definition — and re-renders it with proper indentation and structure so a minified or URL-encoded operation becomes readable.

GraphQL operations travel as a single string, often minified into one line, URL-encoded into a GET request, or wrapped in a JSON body alongside a variables object and an operationName. Reading one in that state is painful; formatting it reveals the selection set, the fragments, the variable definitions and the directives at a glance.

Schema documents (SDL) benefit from the same treatment. Once formatted, an introspection result or a downloaded schema shows types, fields, arguments and deprecations in a structure you can actually scan — which is where you start when writing against an unfamiliar API, or when reviewing one for over-permissive fields.

GraphQL Query Decoder at a glance

Operations: query, mutation, subscription
Transport: POST JSON {query, variables, operationName}
Schema language: SDL — type, interface, union, enum, input
Introspection: __schema and __type meta-fields

How to use the GraphQL Query Decoder

1Paste the GraphQL operation or SDL document, minified or not.
2Read the formatted output with indentation and nesting restored.
3Check the variable definitions and directives against what your client sends.

When you would reach for it

Making sense of a minified GraphQL query captured from a network tab.
Reviewing a downloaded schema for deprecated or over-exposed fields.
Formatting an operation before pasting it into a bug report or ticket.

GraphQL Query Decoder — frequently asked questions

Last reviewed 25 July 2026 · questions or corrections: contact@decoder.tools