Messages
The Anthropic Messages format, used by Claude Code.
Creates a message in the Anthropic Messages format, the format Claude Code uses. Works with the official Anthropic SDKs.
Method and path
POST/v1/messages
Anthropic SDKs take the base URL https://api.relayvia.dev. Send the key as x-api-key: sk-... or Authorization: Bearer sk-..., together with the anthropic-version header your SDK already sends.
Common parameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| model | string | Yes | Official model name. |
| max_tokens | integer | Yes | Output limit (required); it decides how much is reserved before the call. |
| messages | array | Yes | The conversation: user and assistant turns with text, image and document content. |
| system | string | array | No | System prompt. |
| stream | boolean | No | true to receive Server-Sent Events. |
| tools | array | No | Tools your code runs: no type, or type: custom. |
| tool_choice | object | No | Whether the model must, may or must not call a tool. |
| thinking | object | No | Extended thinking settings. |
| metadata | object | No | user_id for abuse tracking. |
Requests are forwarded in the original format, so the original API's parameters work unless the next section says otherwise. This table lists the common ones; see the official reference for the rest.
Differences from the original API
tools[]only accepts tools your code runs: notype, ortype: custom. Server tools (web fetch, code execution and similar) andmcp_serversreturn 400unsupported_parameter.- Web search is not available.
web_search_*tools are removed and the request runs without search. If web search is the only tool, as in Claude Code's WebSearch requests, ortool_choicenames it, the request returns 400. - Files from the Files API (
source.type: file) and documents by URL (source.type: url) return 400unsupported_parameter; send them as base64. anthropic-betavalues Relayvia does not support are dropped without an error; the rest are forwarded.- Message Batches (
/v1/messages/batches) are not provided and return 400. metadata.user_idis scoped to your account before forwarding, so it is never shared with other accounts.- Events are forwarded as they arrive, and
message_deltacarries the final output usage. A: keepalivecomment is sent after every 15 seconds without data.message.modelshows the name you sent. - A non-streaming request with no response within 95 seconds returns 500
upstream_timeout; use streaming for long outputs. Or send the headerX-Robi-Keepalive: 1: if there is no response within 30 seconds you get a 200 right away and a space every 15 seconds until the JSON arrives, and a later failure arrives as an error object in the body.
Request examples
cURL
curl https://api.relayvia.dev/v1/messages \
-H "x-api-key: sk-..." \
-H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"model":"claude-opus-5","max_tokens":1024,"messages":[{"role":"user","content":"Hello!"}]}'Python
import anthropic
client = anthropic.Anthropic(base_url="https://api.relayvia.dev", api_key="sk-...")
resp = client.messages.create(model="claude-opus-5", max_tokens=1024, messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}])
print(resp.content[0].text)JavaScript
import Anthropic from "@anthropic-ai/sdk";
const client = new Anthropic({ baseURL: "https://api.relayvia.dev", apiKey: "sk-..." });
const resp = await client.messages.create({
model: "claude-opus-5",
max_tokens: 1024,
messages: [{ role: "user", content: "Hello!" }],
});
console.log(resp.content[0].text);Response and streaming examples
Response
{
"id": "msg_abc123",
"type": "message",
"role": "assistant",
"model": "claude-opus-5",
"content": [
{
"type": "text",
"text": "Hello! How can I help?"
}
],
"stop_reason": "end_turn",
"usage": {
"input_tokens": 9,
"output_tokens": 8
}
}Streaming
event: message_start
data: {"type":"message_start","message":{"id":"msg_abc123","model":"claude-opus-5","usage":{"input_tokens":9,"output_tokens":1}}}
event: content_block_delta
data: {"type":"content_block_delta","index":0,"delta":{"type":"text_delta","text":"Hello!"}}
event: message_delta
data: {"type":"message_delta","delta":{"stop_reason":"end_turn"},"usage":{"output_tokens":8}}
event: message_stop
data: {"type":"message_stop"}Errors this endpoint returns
| HTTP | code | When |
|---|---|---|
| 400 | invalid_request | A parameter is invalid. If the model rejected it, the message is this sentence, or Invalid value for parameter <param>. with param set. |
| 400 | unsupported_parameter | The request uses something Relayvia does not offer: stored server-side state, a hosted tool or a remote file. param names it. |
| 400 | invalid_media | The model reports that an input image or file format is not supported. |
| 400 | media_unreachable | The model could not read the media URL you sent. |
| 400 | content_policy | The input did not pass the model's safety review. If the model does not say whether the input or the output was refused, the message is Content did not pass safety review. |
| 400 | content_policy_output | The model generated a result, but the result did not pass safety review. Your input was not the problem. |
| 401 | invalid_api_key | The API key does not exist, is disabled or has expired. |
| 402 | insufficient_quota | Not enough credits: the account's credits, the key's limit, the team member's limit or an account spend limit cannot cover the request, or the account is frozen. |
| 403 | forbidden | The key may not use this model, the source IP is not on the allowlist, or the account is disabled. |
| 404 | model_not_found | The model is not listed. |
| 413 | request_too_large | The request body is over 20 MB, or the model reports that the input exceeds its context or size limit (then with this sentence). |
| 429 | rate_limited | Too many requests: per IP, per key, per account, or too many requests in progress at once. |
| 500 | model_price_error | The model has no price yet, so it cannot be called. |
| 500 | upstream_error | Relayvia tried other model services and every attempt failed. |
| 503 | no_available_channel | No model service is available for this model right now. |
| 503 | service_busy | Every model service for this model reported being busy. |
| 500 | upstream_timeout | Every attempt timed out. |
Every code, its fixed message and what to do are on the error codes page.