> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.usedecentral.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.usedecentral.org/api-reference/index.md).

# API Reference

The Decentral API is an OpenAI-compatible REST API backed by the decentralized inference network. It accepts the same request shapes as the OpenAI API, returns the same response shapes, and supports the same streaming protocol.

**Base URL:** `https://api.usedecentral.org/v1`

Existing code that talks to the OpenAI API can typically be pointed at Decentral with a single line change. See \[OpenAI-compatible usage]\(

) for specifics.

***

## API sections

* \[Authentication]\(): API keys, wallet authentication, request signing
* \[Chat Completions]\(): `/v1/chat/completions` endpoint
* \[Models]\(): listing available models and their properties
* \[Jobs]\(): retrieving job status and on-chain receipts
* \[Webhooks]\(): event delivery for job and account events
* \[Errors]\(): error codes and handling

***

## Request format

All requests must include an `Authorization` header with a bearer token:

```
Authorization: Bearer dcntrl_live_your_key_here
```

Request bodies are JSON. All responses are JSON. Streaming responses use Server-Sent Events (SSE) in the same format as the OpenAI streaming protocol.

***

## Response headers

Every API response includes standard HTTP headers plus several Decentral-specific headers:

| Header                          | Description                                                         |
| ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `x-decentral-job-id`            | The unique job ID for this inference request                        |
| `x-decentral-tx-signature`      | The Solana transaction signature for the escrow lock                |
| `x-decentral-settlement-tx`     | The settlement transaction signature (appears after job completion) |
| `x-decentral-worker`            | The worker's on-chain address (for verification)                    |
| `x-decentral-credits-remaining` | Your remaining credit balance after this request                    |

***

## Rate limits

There are no rate limits enforced by a policy team. Capacity is dynamically priced by network demand. If no workers are available for the requested model tier, the API returns a `503` with a `retry_after` field.

Credit balance is the only hard constraint: requests fail with a `402` if your balance is insufficient for the model tier.


---

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