> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://respan.ai/docs/apis/gateway/upload-file/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://respan.ai/_mcp/server.

# Upload a file

POST https://api.respan.ai/api/files/
Content-Type: multipart/form-data

Upload a file to the upstream OpenAI Files API. Batch jobs use JSONL files with `purpose=batch`.

Reference: https://respan.ai/docs/apis/gateway/upload-file

## Authentication

- `Authorization` header (bearer token, required) — Use your Respan API key for Respan API authentication. Enter only the Respan API key value; clients send Authorization: Bearer \<RESPAN\_API\_KEY>. For /api/responses, provider credentials such as Perplexity, OpenAI, or Azure OpenAI go in Settings -> Providers or respan\_params.credential\_override in the request body, not in this authentication field.

## Request

### Body (multipart/form-data)

This endpoint expects a multipart form containing a file.

- `file` (file, required) — File to upload.
- `purpose` (string, required) — File purpose.
- `provider_id` (string, required) — Provider route with customer-owned credentials, for example `openai` or `parasail`.

## Response

### 200

Uploaded file.

- `id` (string, required) — File ID.
- `object` (string, required)
- `bytes` (integer, optional) — File size in bytes.
- `created_at` (integer, optional) — Unix timestamp.
- `filename` (string, optional)
- `purpose` (string, optional)
- `status` (string, optional) — File status.
- `status_details` (any, optional, nullable) — Provider status details, when available.

## Errors

### 400 Bad Request Error

`provider_id` is missing, or the upload is invalid.

- `error` (ApiFilesPostResponsesContentApplicationJsonSchemaError, required)

### 401 Unauthorized Error

You haven't added your own key for the provider in Settings › Providers, or the provider rejected it. Files and batches always run on your own key; Respan credits can't cover them.

- `error` (ApiFilesPostResponsesContentApplicationJsonSchemaError, required)

### 403 Forbidden Error

The API key is missing, invalid or expired.

- `detail` (string, required)

## Types

### ApiFilesPostResponsesContentApplicationJsonSchemaError

- `message` (string, required)
- `type` (string, required)
- `param` (any, optional, nullable)
- `code` (any, optional, nullable)

## Examples

**Request**

```json
{
  "file": "<file: <file1>>",
  "purpose": "batch",
  "provider_id": "openai"
}
```

**Response**

```json
{
  "id": "file-abc123",
  "object": "file",
  "bytes": 12345,
  "created_at": 1710000000,
  "filename": "batch_input.jsonl",
  "purpose": "batch",
  "status": "processed",
  "status_details": null
}
```

**SDK Code**

```python
import requests

url = "https://api.respan.ai/api/files/"

files = { "file": "open('<file1>', 'rb')" }
payload = {
    "purpose": "batch",
    "provider_id": "openai"
}
headers = {"Authorization": "Bearer <respanApiKey>"}

response = requests.post(url, data=payload, files=files, headers=headers)

print(response.json())
```

```javascript
const url = 'https://api.respan.ai/api/files/';
const form = new FormData();
form.append('file', '<file1>');
form.append('purpose', 'batch');
form.append('provider_id', 'openai');

const options = {method: 'POST', headers: {Authorization: 'Bearer <respanApiKey>'}};

options.body = form;

try {
  const response = await fetch(url, options);
  const data = await response.json();
  console.log(data);
} catch (error) {
  console.error(error);
}
```

```go
package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"strings"
	"net/http"
	"io"
)

func main() {

	url := "https://api.respan.ai/api/files/"

	payload := strings.NewReader("-----011000010111000001101001\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"file\"; filename=\"<file1>\"\r\nContent-Type: application/octet-stream\r\n\r\n\r\n-----011000010111000001101001\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"purpose\"\r\n\r\nbatch\r\n-----011000010111000001101001\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"provider_id\"\r\n\r\nopenai\r\n-----011000010111000001101001--\r\n")

	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", url, payload)

	req.Header.Add("Authorization", "Bearer <respanApiKey>")

	res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)

	defer res.Body.Close()
	body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)

	fmt.Println(res)
	fmt.Println(string(body))

}
```

```ruby
require 'uri'
require 'net/http'

url = URI("https://api.respan.ai/api/files/")

http = Net::HTTP.new(url.host, url.port)
http.use_ssl = true

request = Net::HTTP::Post.new(url)
request["Authorization"] = 'Bearer <respanApiKey>'
request.body = "-----011000010111000001101001\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"file\"; filename=\"<file1>\"\r\nContent-Type: application/octet-stream\r\n\r\n\r\n-----011000010111000001101001\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"purpose\"\r\n\r\nbatch\r\n-----011000010111000001101001\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"provider_id\"\r\n\r\nopenai\r\n-----011000010111000001101001--\r\n"

response = http.request(request)
puts response.read_body
```

```java
import com.mashape.unirest.http.HttpResponse;
import com.mashape.unirest.http.Unirest;

HttpResponse<String> response = Unirest.post("https://api.respan.ai/api/files/")
  .header("Authorization", "Bearer <respanApiKey>")
  .body("-----011000010111000001101001\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"file\"; filename=\"<file1>\"\r\nContent-Type: application/octet-stream\r\n\r\n\r\n-----011000010111000001101001\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"purpose\"\r\n\r\nbatch\r\n-----011000010111000001101001\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"provider_id\"\r\n\r\nopenai\r\n-----011000010111000001101001--\r\n")
  .asString();
```

```php
<?php
require_once('vendor/autoload.php');

$client = new \GuzzleHttp\Client();

$response = $client->request('POST', 'https://api.respan.ai/api/files/', [
  'multipart' => [
    [
        'name' => 'file',
        'filename' => '<file1>',
        'contents' => null
    ],
    [
        'name' => 'purpose',
        'contents' => 'batch'
    ],
    [
        'name' => 'provider_id',
        'contents' => 'openai'
    ]
  ]
  'headers' => [
    'Authorization' => 'Bearer <respanApiKey>',
  ],
]);

echo $response->getBody();
```

```csharp
using RestSharp;

var client = new RestClient("https://api.respan.ai/api/files/");
var request = new RestRequest(Method.POST);
request.AddHeader("Authorization", "Bearer <respanApiKey>");
request.AddParameter("undefined", "-----011000010111000001101001\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"file\"; filename=\"<file1>\"\r\nContent-Type: application/octet-stream\r\n\r\n\r\n-----011000010111000001101001\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"purpose\"\r\n\r\nbatch\r\n-----011000010111000001101001\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"provider_id\"\r\n\r\nopenai\r\n-----011000010111000001101001--\r\n", ParameterType.RequestBody);
IRestResponse response = client.Execute(request);
```

```swift
import Foundation

let headers = ["Authorization": "Bearer <respanApiKey>"]
let parameters = [
  [
    "name": "file",
    "fileName": "<file1>"
  ],
  [
    "name": "purpose",
    "value": "batch"
  ],
  [
    "name": "provider_id",
    "value": "openai"
  ]
]

let boundary = "---011000010111000001101001"

var body = ""
var error: NSError? = nil
for param in parameters {
  let paramName = param["name"]!
  body += "--\(boundary)\r\n"
  body += "Content-Disposition:form-data; name=\"\(paramName)\""
  if let filename = param["fileName"] {
    let contentType = param["content-type"]!
    let fileContent = String(contentsOfFile: filename, encoding: String.Encoding.utf8)
    if (error != nil) {
      print(error as Any)
    }
    body += "; filename=\"\(filename)\"\r\n"
    body += "Content-Type: \(contentType)\r\n\r\n"
    body += fileContent
  } else if let paramValue = param["value"] {
    body += "\r\n\r\n\(paramValue)"
  }
}

let request = NSMutableURLRequest(url: NSURL(string: "https://api.respan.ai/api/files/")! as URL,
                                        cachePolicy: .useProtocolCachePolicy,
                                    timeoutInterval: 10.0)
request.httpMethod = "POST"
request.allHTTPHeaderFields = headers
request.httpBody = postData as Data

let session = URLSession.shared
let dataTask = session.dataTask(with: request as URLRequest, completionHandler: { (data, response, error) -> Void in
  if (error != nil) {
    print(error as Any)
  } else {
    let httpResponse = response as? HTTPURLResponse
    print(httpResponse)
  }
})

dataTask.resume()
```