Streaming

Both metered endpoints stream. Set stream: true and you get server-sent events in the OpenAI chunk shape, so a stock OpenAI client iterates them unchanged.

stream = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="auto",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Write a haiku about prepaid inference."}],
    max_tokens=100,
    stream=True,
)

for chunk in stream:
    delta = chunk.choices[0].delta.content
    if delta:
        print(delta, end="", flush=True)

Billing on a stream

The prepaid flow is the same as a non-streamed call, and the difference is only when the books close:

1. The worst-case hold is reserved before the first byte is sent.
2. Chunks stream to you.
3. The terminal chunk carries the final usage, and settlement happens there.

So a 402 for insufficient balance arrives before the stream starts, never halfway through one. If a stream begins, the hold cleared.

When a stream breaks

If the connection drops mid-stream, you have a partial completion and ModelBeat has an unsettled hold. The hold is reconciled on our side rather than being stranded against your balance — you are charged for what was actually generated, not for the reservation.

There is no resume. Reissue the request.

Errors during a stream

An error raised before the stream starts uses the ordinary envelopes and status codes in Errors — a normal JSON body, not an SSE frame. That covers authentication, rate limits, balance, and routing refusals, all of which are decided up front.

Every response carries X-Request-Id, streamed or not. Log it. See Errors.

What is not supported

• Streaming on the unsupported shapes. /v1/messages and /v1/responses return 501 in their streaming form exactly as they do otherwise. See Limits.