curl --request DELETE \
--url https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view} \
--header 'X-Api-Key: <api-key>'import requests
url = "https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view}"
headers = {"X-Api-Key": "<api-key>"}
response = requests.delete(url, headers=headers)
print(response.text)const options = {method: 'DELETE', headers: {'X-Api-Key': '<api-key>'}};
fetch('https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view}', options)
.then(res => res.json())
.then(res => console.log(res))
.catch(err => console.error(err));<?php
$curl = curl_init();
curl_setopt_array($curl, [
CURLOPT_URL => "https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view}",
CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
CURLOPT_ENCODING => "",
CURLOPT_MAXREDIRS => 10,
CURLOPT_TIMEOUT => 30,
CURLOPT_HTTP_VERSION => CURL_HTTP_VERSION_1_1,
CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST => "DELETE",
CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
"X-Api-Key: <api-key>"
],
]);
$response = curl_exec($curl);
$err = curl_error($curl);
curl_close($curl);
if ($err) {
echo "cURL Error #:" . $err;
} else {
echo $response;
}package main
import (
"fmt"
"net/http"
"io"
)
func main() {
url := "https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view}"
req, _ := http.NewRequest("DELETE", url, nil)
req.Header.Add("X-Api-Key", "<api-key>")
res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
defer res.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))
}HttpResponse<String> response = Unirest.delete("https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view}")
.header("X-Api-Key", "<api-key>")
.asString();require 'uri'
require 'net/http'
url = URI("https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view}")
http = Net::HTTP.new(url.host, url.port)
http.use_ssl = true
request = Net::HTTP::Delete.new(url)
request["X-Api-Key"] = '<api-key>'
response = http.request(request)
puts response.read_body{
"id": "char_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2NABCDEFGHJKMR",
"object": "character",
"name": "Aurora the Adventurer",
"status": "ready",
"nudity": "clothed",
"refs": [
{
"pose": "front",
"view": "full_front",
"source": "generated",
"url": "https://storage-host.example/storage/v1/object/sign/characters/full_front.jpg?token=eyJhbGciOi..."
}
],
"views": [
{
"view": "full_front",
"status": "generated",
"url": null,
"nudity": "clothed",
"reason": null,
"detected_view": null,
"made_from": [
"head_front",
"full_front"
]
}
],
"build": {
"missing_views": [
"full_front",
"full_right"
],
"cost_credits": 123,
"per_view_credits": 123
},
"created_at": "2026-05-08T10:00:00Z",
"updated_at": "2026-05-08T10:00:00Z",
"client_reference_id": "bot_8472",
"attributes": {
"gender": "female",
"age": 28,
"ethnicity": "east-asian",
"hair_color": "black",
"hair_style": "shoulder-length straight",
"eye_color": "brown",
"body_type": "athletic",
"additional_details": "small scar above right eyebrow; warm smile"
},
"error_message": null,
"aurous_version": "2026-08-26"
}{
"error": {
"type": "invalid_request",
"code": "balance_too_low",
"message": "Team available balance is 1.5 credits, generation requires 2.0.",
"doc_url": "https://docs.aurous-labs.com/errors#balance_too_low",
"request_id": "req_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2VNABCDEFGHJKM",
"param": "prompt",
"reason": "wrong_view",
"detected_view": "full_left"
}
}{
"error": {
"type": "invalid_request",
"code": "balance_too_low",
"message": "Team available balance is 1.5 credits, generation requires 2.0.",
"doc_url": "https://docs.aurous-labs.com/errors#balance_too_low",
"request_id": "req_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2VNABCDEFGHJKM",
"param": "prompt",
"reason": "wrong_view",
"detected_view": "full_left"
}
}{
"error": {
"type": "invalid_request",
"code": "balance_too_low",
"message": "Team available balance is 1.5 credits, generation requires 2.0.",
"doc_url": "https://docs.aurous-labs.com/errors#balance_too_low",
"request_id": "req_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2VNABCDEFGHJKM",
"param": "prompt",
"reason": "wrong_view",
"detected_view": "full_left"
}
}{
"error": {
"type": "invalid_request",
"code": "balance_too_low",
"message": "Team available balance is 1.5 credits, generation requires 2.0.",
"doc_url": "https://docs.aurous-labs.com/errors#balance_too_low",
"request_id": "req_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2VNABCDEFGHJKM",
"param": "prompt",
"reason": "wrong_view",
"detected_view": "full_left"
}
}{
"error": {
"type": "invalid_request",
"code": "balance_too_low",
"message": "Team available balance is 1.5 credits, generation requires 2.0.",
"doc_url": "https://docs.aurous-labs.com/errors#balance_too_low",
"request_id": "req_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2VNABCDEFGHJKM",
"param": "prompt",
"reason": "wrong_view",
"detected_view": "full_left"
}
}{
"error": {
"type": "invalid_request",
"code": "balance_too_low",
"message": "Team available balance is 1.5 credits, generation requires 2.0.",
"doc_url": "https://docs.aurous-labs.com/errors#balance_too_low",
"request_id": "req_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2VNABCDEFGHJKM",
"param": "prompt",
"reason": "wrong_view",
"detected_view": "full_left"
}
}{
"error": {
"type": "invalid_request",
"code": "balance_too_low",
"message": "Team available balance is 1.5 credits, generation requires 2.0.",
"doc_url": "https://docs.aurous-labs.com/errors#balance_too_low",
"request_id": "req_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2VNABCDEFGHJKM",
"param": "prompt",
"reason": "wrong_view",
"detected_view": "full_left"
}
}Remove a view from a draft
Empty one named view on a draft so the next build renders it instead of keeping your photo.
curl --request DELETE \
--url https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view} \
--header 'X-Api-Key: <api-key>'import requests
url = "https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view}"
headers = {"X-Api-Key": "<api-key>"}
response = requests.delete(url, headers=headers)
print(response.text)const options = {method: 'DELETE', headers: {'X-Api-Key': '<api-key>'}};
fetch('https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view}', options)
.then(res => res.json())
.then(res => console.log(res))
.catch(err => console.error(err));<?php
$curl = curl_init();
curl_setopt_array($curl, [
CURLOPT_URL => "https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view}",
CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
CURLOPT_ENCODING => "",
CURLOPT_MAXREDIRS => 10,
CURLOPT_TIMEOUT => 30,
CURLOPT_HTTP_VERSION => CURL_HTTP_VERSION_1_1,
CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST => "DELETE",
CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
"X-Api-Key: <api-key>"
],
]);
$response = curl_exec($curl);
$err = curl_error($curl);
curl_close($curl);
if ($err) {
echo "cURL Error #:" . $err;
} else {
echo $response;
}package main
import (
"fmt"
"net/http"
"io"
)
func main() {
url := "https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view}"
req, _ := http.NewRequest("DELETE", url, nil)
req.Header.Add("X-Api-Key", "<api-key>")
res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
defer res.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))
}HttpResponse<String> response = Unirest.delete("https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view}")
.header("X-Api-Key", "<api-key>")
.asString();require 'uri'
require 'net/http'
url = URI("https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view}")
http = Net::HTTP.new(url.host, url.port)
http.use_ssl = true
request = Net::HTTP::Delete.new(url)
request["X-Api-Key"] = '<api-key>'
response = http.request(request)
puts response.read_body{
"id": "char_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2NABCDEFGHJKMR",
"object": "character",
"name": "Aurora the Adventurer",
"status": "ready",
"nudity": "clothed",
"refs": [
{
"pose": "front",
"view": "full_front",
"source": "generated",
"url": "https://storage-host.example/storage/v1/object/sign/characters/full_front.jpg?token=eyJhbGciOi..."
}
],
"views": [
{
"view": "full_front",
"status": "generated",
"url": null,
"nudity": "clothed",
"reason": null,
"detected_view": null,
"made_from": [
"head_front",
"full_front"
]
}
],
"build": {
"missing_views": [
"full_front",
"full_right"
],
"cost_credits": 123,
"per_view_credits": 123
},
"created_at": "2026-05-08T10:00:00Z",
"updated_at": "2026-05-08T10:00:00Z",
"client_reference_id": "bot_8472",
"attributes": {
"gender": "female",
"age": 28,
"ethnicity": "east-asian",
"hair_color": "black",
"hair_style": "shoulder-length straight",
"eye_color": "brown",
"body_type": "athletic",
"additional_details": "small scar above right eyebrow; warm smile"
},
"error_message": null,
"aurous_version": "2026-08-26"
}{
"error": {
"type": "invalid_request",
"code": "balance_too_low",
"message": "Team available balance is 1.5 credits, generation requires 2.0.",
"doc_url": "https://docs.aurous-labs.com/errors#balance_too_low",
"request_id": "req_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2VNABCDEFGHJKM",
"param": "prompt",
"reason": "wrong_view",
"detected_view": "full_left"
}
}{
"error": {
"type": "invalid_request",
"code": "balance_too_low",
"message": "Team available balance is 1.5 credits, generation requires 2.0.",
"doc_url": "https://docs.aurous-labs.com/errors#balance_too_low",
"request_id": "req_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2VNABCDEFGHJKM",
"param": "prompt",
"reason": "wrong_view",
"detected_view": "full_left"
}
}{
"error": {
"type": "invalid_request",
"code": "balance_too_low",
"message": "Team available balance is 1.5 credits, generation requires 2.0.",
"doc_url": "https://docs.aurous-labs.com/errors#balance_too_low",
"request_id": "req_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2VNABCDEFGHJKM",
"param": "prompt",
"reason": "wrong_view",
"detected_view": "full_left"
}
}{
"error": {
"type": "invalid_request",
"code": "balance_too_low",
"message": "Team available balance is 1.5 credits, generation requires 2.0.",
"doc_url": "https://docs.aurous-labs.com/errors#balance_too_low",
"request_id": "req_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2VNABCDEFGHJKM",
"param": "prompt",
"reason": "wrong_view",
"detected_view": "full_left"
}
}{
"error": {
"type": "invalid_request",
"code": "balance_too_low",
"message": "Team available balance is 1.5 credits, generation requires 2.0.",
"doc_url": "https://docs.aurous-labs.com/errors#balance_too_low",
"request_id": "req_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2VNABCDEFGHJKM",
"param": "prompt",
"reason": "wrong_view",
"detected_view": "full_left"
}
}{
"error": {
"type": "invalid_request",
"code": "balance_too_low",
"message": "Team available balance is 1.5 credits, generation requires 2.0.",
"doc_url": "https://docs.aurous-labs.com/errors#balance_too_low",
"request_id": "req_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2VNABCDEFGHJKM",
"param": "prompt",
"reason": "wrong_view",
"detected_view": "full_left"
}
}{
"error": {
"type": "invalid_request",
"code": "balance_too_low",
"message": "Team available balance is 1.5 credits, generation requires 2.0.",
"doc_url": "https://docs.aurous-labs.com/errors#balance_too_low",
"request_id": "req_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2VNABCDEFGHJKM",
"param": "prompt",
"reason": "wrong_view",
"detected_view": "full_left"
}
}DELETE /v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view} empties one of the eight named views on a draft, so the next POST /v1/characters/{id}/build renders that view instead of keeping the photo you filed. The response is the full character with the updated views[] and a recalculated build — the emptied view is back in build.missing_views, and build.cost_credits has gone up by one view’s price.
Drafts only. Any other status returns 400 character_status_invalid with param: character_id — replace the view with a new upload instead of removing it.
Never charges, and idempotent: a view that holds no reference returns 200 with the character unchanged.
When to use
- You filed the wrong photo into a view and would rather the platform render it.
- You want to shrink an assembled draft back toward “let the platform do it” before building.
PUT a new photo into it — see Put a photo into a view. That works on draft, failed, reviewing and ready alike.
Examples
curl -X DELETE https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/char_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2VNABCDEFGHJKM/refs/upper_back \
-H "X-Api-Key: $AUROUS_API_KEY"
const character = await fetch(
`https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/${id}/refs/upper_back`,
{ method: "DELETE", headers: { "X-Api-Key": process.env.AUROUS_API_KEY! } },
).then((r) => r.json());
console.log(character.views.find((v) => v.view === "upper_back").status); // "missing"
console.log(character.build.missing_views.includes("upper_back")); // true
import os, requests
r = requests.delete(
f"https://api.aurous-labs.com/v1/characters/{character_id}/refs/upper_back",
headers={"X-Api-Key": os.environ["AUROUS_API_KEY"]},
).json()
print(next(v for v in r["views"] if v["view"] == "upper_back")["status"]) # missing
Path parameters
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
id | Opaque character id (char_…). |
view | One of head_front, upper_front, lower_front, upper_back, lower_back, full_left, full_front, full_right. Anything else is 400 invalid_format (param: "view") — and the same 400 fires whether or not the character exists, so it is not an existence probe. |
Removal is draft-only
Character status | DELETE /refs/{view} |
|---|---|
draft | Allowed. |
synthesizing | 409 character_busy with Retry-After — a render is in flight. |
failed, reviewing, ready, anything else | 400 character_status_invalid, param: character_id. |
PUT) but not removed, until the next successful build. Nothing was lost: the references you uploaded are stored on the character, not as expiring upload tickets, and POST /v1/characters/{id}/build accepts failed precisely so a retry needs no re-upload.Limits
- Cost: free. Removing a view renders nothing and charges nothing; it raises what the next build will cost, because there is one more view to render.
- Rate limit: bucket
characters_post— 30 requests/min sustained, 60 burst per team. Shared with the other cheap character writes (draft create, uploads init/classify,PATCH,DELETE /v1/characters/{id}, save). - Idempotency: no
Idempotency-Keyis needed. The operation is naturally idempotent — removing an already-empty view is a200with the character unchanged.
Errors
| Code | HTTP | When |
|---|---|---|
invalid_format | 400 | view is not one of the eight names. param is view. |
character_status_invalid | 400 | The character is not a draft. param is character_id; the message names the current status and the statuses this operation accepts. |
invalid_api_key | 401 | Missing, malformed, or revoked X-Api-Key. |
insufficient_scope | 403 | The key does not carry the write scope. |
resource_not_found | 404 | Unknown character id, soft-deleted, or cross-team. The 404 is intentional — cross-team existence is never leaked. |
character_busy | 409 | A render is in flight; retry after Retry-After seconds. |
too_many_requests | 429 | Burst > 60 or sustained > 30/min. |
2026-08-26 contract. No Aurous-Version pin isolates them: the version catalogue carries image and video pricing pointers only, not character pricing or the size of the reference set. Pinning an earlier Aurous-Version restores neither the smaller reference set nor the previous price. A character created before 2026-09-14 keeps the references it already has — add either of the two newer views on demand with POST /v1/characters/{id}/refs/{view}/regenerate; every character created on or after that date carries eight.Common pitfalls
- This removes a view, not the character. To delete the character itself use
DELETE /v1/characters/{id}, which hard-deletes adraft. - Removing a view raises
build.cost_credits— you have given the platform one more view to render. Re-readbuildafter every change rather than caching a quote. - The
200on an already-empty view is deliberate, so a retry after a dropped connection is safe. Don’t treat it as “the view existed”. - Removing the view your cover pointed at clears the cover; the head view is the default cover when none is set.
Authorizations
Your team API key (starts with al_live_).
Headers
Optional API version pin (YYYY-MM-DD). Omit the header to receive the platform default, currently 2026-08-26.
^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}$"2026-08-26"
Path Parameters
Opaque character ID
"char_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2NABCDEFGHJKMR"
The view to empty
head_front, upper_front, lower_front, upper_back, lower_back, full_left, full_front, full_right Response
View emptied (or already empty); updated character returned
Opaque character ID.
"char_01HXMQ7Z3K8Y2NABCDEFGHJKMR"
Discriminator
character "character"
Display name.
"Aurora the Adventurer"
Lifecycle state. draft: references are being assembled; nothing has been charged and the character cannot be used for generation. New lifecycle states may be added in future — treat any status other than ready as "not yet usable". synthesizing: references are being built. ready: usable on POST /v1/images — both create flows advance here on their own. reviewing: reached only after POST /:id/resynthesize or POST /:id/build; call POST /:id/save to return to ready. failed: the build failed; error_message carries the reason and POST /:id/build (builder characters) or POST /:id/resynthesize retries. deleted: soft-deleted (filtered out of the list endpoint).
draft, synthesizing, reviewing, ready, failed, deleted "ready"
What the reference set is rendered as — nude unless you chose clothed, or — when you omitted nudity — your team's default is clothed. An explicit value always wins. Fixed once the references are built.
nude, clothed "clothed"
Reference images, one per view the character has. A character built today has eight; an older one can have fewer than eight (typically six, some of the oldest four). Do not assume a count — read views[], the canonical read model for new integrations, or build.missing_views. refs[] lists only the references that exist.
Show child attributes
Show child attributes
One entry per named view, in canonical order — every reference that maps to a named view, keyed by view, plus what is missing or was rejected. A reference from before named views existed (refs[].view is other) appears only in refs[].
Show child attributes
Show child attributes
What a build would render and cost right now. Always present.
Show child attributes
Show child attributes
Creation timestamp (ISO 8601).
"2026-05-08T10:00:00Z"
Last-update timestamp (ISO 8601).
"2026-05-08T10:00:00Z"
Caller-supplied reference echoed back (the value sent on create). Null if unset.
"bot_8472"
Character attributes. Null when unset.
Show child attributes
Show child attributes
Machine-readable failure code from the most recent synthesize/resynthesize attempt. One of synthesis_failed, synthesis_timeout, provider_unavailable — a closed set to switch on, not customer-facing prose. Null when the most recent attempt succeeded (or none has run yet). Set on failed, but NOT failed-exclusive: a failed resynthesize restores the character to its prior working status (reviewing) rather than overwriting a good generation, so a reviewing row can carry a non-null code here — check this field for failure, not status. Cleared on the next resynthesize attempt and on success.
null
API contract version applied at the time this row was minted (D25 — frozen for replay across future version bumps).
"2026-08-26"

