> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.aurous-labs.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# max_tokens_exceeds_hard_cap

> Requested max_tokens is greater than the model's hard cap.

**Code**: `max_tokens_exceeds_hard_cap`
**HTTP status**: `400`
**Type**: `invalid_request`

## When it fires

The `max_tokens` field on your chat request is larger than the model's `aurous_metadata.max_output_tokens_hard_cap`. The cap is a per-model ceiling that bounds output length regardless of context window.

## How to recover

Read the model's `max_output_tokens_hard_cap` from [`GET /v1/models`](/api-reference/openapi#tag/models) and request a value at or below it. If you need more output than any current model supports, contact support.