When performing information extraction or structured data generation tasks, a model may return extra text (such as ```json ) that breaks downstream parsing. Enabling structured output ensures the model returns a valid JSON string. The JSON Schema mode also gives you precise control over the output structure and types, eliminating extra validation or retries.
Usage
Structured output supports two modes: JSON Object and JSON Schema.
-
JSON Object mode: Ensures the output is a valid JSON string, but does not guarantee a specific structure. Usage:
- Set the
response_formatparameter: In the request body, setresponse_formatto{"type": "json_object"}. - Include the JSON keyword in your prompt: The system message or user message must contain the word "JSON" (case-insensitive), otherwise the API returns:
'messages' must contain the word 'json' in some form, to use 'response_format' of type 'json_object'.
- Set the
-
JSON Schema mode: Ensures the output conforms to a specified structure. Usage: set
response_formatto{"type": "json_schema", "json_schema": {..., "strict": true}}.No JSON keyword required in the prompt.
Feature comparison:
Feature | JSON Object mode | JSON Schema mode |
|---|---|---|
Outputs valid JSON | Yes | Yes |
Strictly follows schema | No | Yes |
Supported models | Most Qwen models | Only selected qwen-plus models |
|
|
|
Prompt requirement | Must include "JSON" | Recommended to describe explicitly |
Use case | Flexible JSON output | Precise schema validation |
Supported models
JSON Object
Qwen
-
Text generation models
- Qwen-Max: Qwen3.8-Max series, Qwen3.7-Max series
- Qwen-Max (non-thinking mode): Qwen3.6-Max series, Qwen3-Max series, Qwen-Max series
- Qwen-Plus: Qwen3.7-Plus series
- Qwen-Plus (non-thinking mode): Qwen3.6-Plus series, Qwen3.5-Plus series, Qwen-Plus series
- Qwen-Flash: Qwen3.8-Flash series, Qwen3.7-Flash series
- Qwen-Flash (non-thinking mode): Qwen3.6-Flash series, Qwen3.5-Flash series, Qwen-Flash series
- Qwen-Turbo (non-thinking mode): Qwen-Turbo series
- Qwen-Coder: Qwen3-Coder series
- Qwen-Long: Qwen-Long series
- Qwen3.8 open-source series
- Qwen3.6 open-source series (non-thinking mode)
- Qwen3.5 open-source series (non-thinking mode)
- Qwen3 open-source series (non-thinking mode)
- Qwen3-Coder open-source series
- Qwen2.5 open-source series (excluding math and coder models)
-
Multimodal models
- Qwen-VL (non-thinking mode): Qwen3-VL-Plus series, Qwen3-VL-Flash series, Qwen-VL-Max series (excluding the latest and snapshot versions), Qwen-VL-Plus series (excluding the latest and snapshot versions)
- Qwen-Omni: Qwen3.5-Omni-Plus series
- Qwen3-VL open-source series (non-thinking mode)
NoteModels labeled "non-thinking mode" also accept response_format set to {"type": "json_object"} in thinking mode without error, but some may return content that is not strictly valid JSON; if you need reliably valid JSON, see the FAQ.
Kimi
kimi-k3, kimi-k2-thinking
GLM
- glm-5.1
- Non-thinking mode: glm-5, glm-4.7, glm-4.6
DeepSeek
deepseek-v4-pro, deepseek-v4-flash
JSON Schema
Qwen3.7-Plus series, Qwen3.7-Flash series, Qwen3.7-Max series, Qwen3.8-Max series, and Qwen3.8-Flash series models.
More models coming soon.
Getting started
This example extracts structured information from a personal profile.
JSON Object mode does not guarantee stable key names or field types. Results may vary across different prompts or calls. To enforce a fixed structure, use JSON Schema mode.
Obtain an API key and export the API key as an environment variable. If you use the OpenAI SDK or DashScope SDK to make calls, install the SDK.
OpenAI compatible
Python
from openai import OpenAI
import os
client = OpenAI(
# API keys differ by region. If you haven't configured an environment variable, replace the next line with: api_key="sk-xxx"
api_key=os.getenv("DASHSCOPE_API_KEY"),
# If you use Beijing region models, replace base_url with: https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1
base_url="https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1",
)
completion = client.chat.completions.create(
model="qwen3.8-max",
messages=[
{
"role": "system",
"content": "Extract the user's name and age, and return them in JSON format"
},
{
"role": "user",
"content": "Hi everyone, my name is Alex Brown, I'm 34 years old, my email is alexbrown@example.com, and I enjoy playing basketball and traveling",
},
],
response_format={"type": "json_object"}
)
json_string = completion.choices[0].message.content
print(json_string)
Response
{
"Name": "Alex Brown",
"Age": 34
}
Node.js
import OpenAI from "openai";
const openai = new OpenAI({
// If you haven't configured an environment variable, replace the next line with: apiKey: "sk-xxx"
apiKey: process.env.DASHSCOPE_API_KEY,
// For Beijing region models, replace baseURL with: https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1
baseURL: "https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1"
});
const completion = await openai.chat.completions.create({
model: "qwen3.8-max",
messages: [
{
role: "system",
content: "Extract the user's name and age, and return them in JSON format"
},
{
role: "user",
content: "Hi everyone, my name is Alex Brown, I'm 34 years old, my email is alexbrown@example.com, and I enjoy playing basketball and traveling"
}
],
response_format: {
type: "json_object"
}
});
const jsonString = completion.choices[0].message.content;
console.log(jsonString);
Response
{
"name": "Alex Brown",
"age": 34
}
curl
# ======= Important =======
# API keys differ by region. To obtain an API key, visit: https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/model-studio/get-api-key
# If you use a model in the Beijing region, replace the URL with: https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1/chat/completions
# === Delete this comment before execution ===
curl -X POST https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1/chat/completions \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $DASHSCOPE_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "qwen3.8-max",
"messages": [
{
"role": "system",
"content": "You need to extract the name (string), age (string), and email (string). Output the result as a JSON string. Do not include any other irrelevant content.\nExamples:\nQ: My name is Alice, I am 25 years old, and my email is alice@example.com\nA: {\"name\":\"Alice\",\"age\":\"25 years old\",\"email\":\"alice@example.com\"}\nQ: My name is Bob, I am 30 years old, and my email is bob@example.com\nA: {\"name\":\"Bob\",\"age\":\"30 years old\",\"email\":\"bob@example.com\"}\nQ: My name is Charlie, my email is charlie@example.com, and I am 40 years old\nA: {\"name\":\"Charlie\",\"age\":\"40 years old\",\"email\":\"charlie@example.com\"}"
},
{
"role": "user",
"content": "Hello everyone, my name is Alex Brown, I am 34 years old, and my email is alexbrown@example.com"
}
],
"response_format": {
"type": "json_object"
}
}'
Response
{
"choices": [
{
"message": {
"role": "assistant",
"content": "{\"name\":\"Alex Brown\",\"age\":\"34 years old\"}"
},
"finish_reason": "stop",
"index": 0,
"logprobs": null
}
],
"object": "chat.completion",
"usage": {
"prompt_tokens": 207,
"completion_tokens": 20,
"total_tokens": 227,
"prompt_tokens_details": {
"cached_tokens": 0
}
},
"created": 1756455080,
"system_fingerprint": null,
"model": "qwen3.8-max",
"id": "chatcmpl-624b665b-fb93-99e7-9ebd-bb6d86d314d2"
}
DashScope
Python
import os
import dashscope
# For Beijing region models, replace the URL with: https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1
dashscope.base_http_api_url = 'https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1'
messages=[
{
"role": "system",
"content": "Extract the user's name and age, and return them in JSON format"
},
{
"role": "user",
"content": "Hi everyone, my name is Alex Brown, I'm 34 years old, my email is alexbrown@example.com, and I enjoy playing basketball and traveling",
},
]
response = dashscope.MultiModalConversation.call(
# If you haven't configured an environment variable, replace the next line with: api_key="sk-xxx" (Alibaba Cloud Model Studio API key),
api_key=os.getenv('DASHSCOPE_API_KEY'),
model="qwen3.8-max",
messages=messages,
response_format={'type': 'json_object'}
)
json_string = response.output.choices[0].message.content[0]["text"]
print(json_string)
Response
{
"name": "Alex Brown",
"age": 34
}
Java
DashScope Java SDK version must be 2.21.4 or higher.
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.Collections;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.aigc.multimodalconversation.MultiModalConversation;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.aigc.multimodalconversation.MultiModalConversationParam;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.aigc.multimodalconversation.MultiModalConversationResult;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.common.MultiModalMessage;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.common.Role;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.exception.ApiException;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.exception.NoApiKeyException;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.exception.UploadFileException;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.common.ResponseFormat;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.utils.Constants;
public class Main {
// To use models in the China (Beijing) region, replace the URL with: https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1
static {
Constants.baseHttpApiUrl="https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1";
}
public static void simpleMultiModalConversationCall()
throws ApiException, NoApiKeyException, UploadFileException {
MultiModalConversation conv = new MultiModalConversation();
MultiModalMessage systemMessage = MultiModalMessage.builder().role(Role.SYSTEM.getValue())
.content(Arrays.asList(
Collections.singletonMap("text", "Extract the user's name and age, and return them in JSON format"))).build();
MultiModalMessage userMessage = MultiModalMessage.builder().role(Role.USER.getValue())
.content(Arrays.asList(
Collections.singletonMap("text", "Hi everyone, my name is Alex Brown, I'm 34 years old, my email is alexbrown@example.com, and I enjoy playing basketball and traveling"))).build();
ResponseFormat jsonMode = ResponseFormat.builder().type("json_object").build();
MultiModalConversationParam param = MultiModalConversationParam.builder()
// If you have not configured an environment variable, replace the following line with: .apiKey("sk-xxx")
.apiKey(System.getenv("DASHSCOPE_API_KEY"))
.model("qwen3.8-max")
.messages(Arrays.asList(systemMessage, userMessage))
.responseFormat(jsonMode)
.build();
MultiModalConversationResult result = conv.call(param);
System.out.println(result.getOutput().getChoices().get(0).getMessage().getContent().get(0).get("text"));
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
try {
simpleMultiModalConversationCall();
} catch (ApiException | NoApiKeyException | UploadFileException e) {
System.out.println(e.getMessage());
}
}
}
Response
{
"name": "Alex Brown",
"age": 34
}
curl
# ======= Important notes =======
# For Beijing region models, replace the URL with: https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1/services/aigc/multimodal-generation/generation
# API keys differ by region. Get an API key: https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/model-studio/get-api-key
# === Delete this comment before running ===
curl -X POST https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1/services/aigc/multimodal-generation/generation \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $DASHSCOPE_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "qwen3.8-max",
"input": {
"messages": [
{
"role": "system",
"content": "Extract the user'\''s name and age, and return them in JSON format"
},
{
"role": "user",
"content": "Hi everyone, my name is Alex Brown, I'\''m 34 years old, my email is alexbrown@example.com, and I enjoy playing basketball and traveling"
}
]
},
"parameters": {
"response_format": {
"type": "json_object"
}
}
}'
Response
{
"name": "Alex Brown",
"age": 34
}
Image and video data processing
Multimodal models also support structured output for images and videos. Use JSON mode to extract structured data from visual content, such as field values from receipts, object locations in images, or events in video.
For image and video file limits, see Image and video understanding .
OpenAI compatible
Python
import os
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
# API keys differ by region. Get an API key: https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/model-studio/get-api-key
api_key=os.getenv("DASHSCOPE_API_KEY"),
# For Beijing region models, replace base_url with: https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1
base_url="https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1"
)
completion = client.chat.completions.create(
model="qwen3-vl-plus",
messages=[
{
"role": "system",
"content": [{"type": "text", "text": "You are a helpful assistant."}],
},
{
"role": "user",
"content": [
{
"type": "image_url",
"image_url": {
"url": "http://duguang-labelling.oss-cn-shanghai.aliyuncs.com/demo_ocr/receipt_zh_demo.jpg"
},
},
{"type": "text", "text": "Extract ticket (array type, including travel_date, trains, seat_num, arrival_site, price) and invoice information (array type, including invoice_code and invoice_number) from the image. Output a JSON containing both ticket and invoice arrays"},
],
},
],
response_format={"type": "json_object"}
)
json_string = completion.choices[0].message.content
print(json_string)
Response
{
"ticket": [
{
"travel_date": "2013-06-29",
"trains": "stream",
"seat_num": "371",
"arrival_site": "Development Zone",
"price": "8.00"
}
],
"invoice": [
{
"invoice_code": "221021325353",
"invoice_number": "10283819"
}
]
}
Node.js
import OpenAI from "openai";
const openai = new OpenAI({
// API keys differ by region. Get an API key: https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/model-studio/get-api-key
// If you haven't configured an environment variable, replace the next line with: apiKey: "sk-xxx" (Model Studio API key)
apiKey: process.env.DASHSCOPE_API_KEY,
// For Beijing region models, replace base_url with https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1
baseURL: "https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1"
});
async function main() {
const response = await openai.chat.completions.create({
model: "qwen3-vl-plus",
messages: [{
role: "system",
content: [{
type: "text",
text: "You are a helpful assistant."
}]
},
{
role: "user",
content: [{
type: "image_url",
image_url: {
"url": "http://duguang-labelling.oss-cn-shanghai.aliyuncs.com/demo_ocr/receipt_zh_demo.jpg"
}
},
{
type: "text",
text: "Extract ticket (array type, including travel_date, trains, seat_num, arrival_site, price) and invoice information (array type, including invoice_code and invoice_number) from the image. Output a JSON containing both ticket and invoice arrays"
}
]
}
],
response_format: {type: "json_object"}
});
console.log(response.choices[0].message.content);
}
main()
Response
{
"ticket": [
{
"travel_date": "2013-06-29",
"trains": "stream",
"seat_num": "371",
"arrival_site": "Development Zone",
"price": "8.00"
}
],
"invoice": [
{
"invoice_code": "221021325353",
"invoice_number": "10283819"
}
]
}
curl
# ======= Important notes =======
# For Beijing region models, replace base_url with: https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1/chat/completions
# API keys differ by region. Get an API key: https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/model-studio/get-api-key
# === Delete this comment before running ===
curl --location 'https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1/chat/completions' \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $DASHSCOPE_API_KEY" \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data '{
"model": "qwen3-vl-plus",
"messages": [
{"role":"system",
"content":[
{"type": "text", "text": "You are a helpful assistant."}]},
{
"role": "user",
"content": [
{"type": "image_url", "image_url": {"url": "http://duguang-labelling.oss-cn-shanghai.aliyuncs.com/demo_ocr/receipt_zh_demo.jpg"}},
{"type": "text", "text": "Extract ticket (array type, including travel_date, trains, seat_num, arrival_site, price) and invoice information (array type, including invoice_code and invoice_number) from the image. Output a JSON containing both ticket and invoice arrays"}
]
}],
"response_format":{"type": "json_object"}
}'
Response
{
"ticket": [
{
"travel_date": "2013-06-29",
"trains": "stream",
"seat_num": "371",
"arrival_site": "Development Zone",
"price": "8.00"
}
],
"invoice": [
{
"invoice_code": "221021325353",
"invoice_number": "10283819"
}
]
}
DashScope
Python
import os
import dashscope
# For Beijing region models, replace the URL with: https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1
dashscope.base_http_api_url = 'https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1'
messages = [
{
"role": "system",
"content": [
{"text": "You are a helpful assistant."}]
},
{
"role": "user",
"content": [
{"image": "http://duguang-labelling.oss-cn-shanghai.aliyuncs.com/demo_ocr/receipt_zh_demo.jpg"},
{"text": "Extract ticket (array type, including travel_date, trains, seat_num, arrival_site, price) and invoice information (array type, including invoice_code and invoice_number) from the image. Output a JSON containing both ticket and invoice arrays"}]
}]
response = dashscope.MultiModalConversation.call(
# If you haven't configured an environment variable, replace the next line with: api_key ="sk-xxx" (Model Studio API key)
api_key = os.getenv('DASHSCOPE_API_KEY'),
model = 'qwen3-vl-plus',
messages = messages,
response_format={'type': 'json_object'}
)
json_string = response.output.choices[0].message.content[0]["text"]
print(json_string)
Response
{
"ticket": [
{
"travel_date": "2013-06-29",
"trains": "Liushui",
"seat_num": "371",
"arrival_site": "Development Zone",
"price": "8.00"
}
],
"invoice": [
{
"invoice_code": "221021325353",
"invoice_number": "10283819"
}
]
}
Java
// DashScope Java SDK version must be 2.21.4 or higher
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.Collections;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.aigc.multimodalconversation.MultiModalConversation;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.aigc.multimodalconversation.MultiModalConversationParam;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.aigc.multimodalconversation.MultiModalConversationResult;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.common.MultiModalMessage;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.common.Role;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.exception.ApiException;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.exception.NoApiKeyException;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.exception.UploadFileException;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.common.ResponseFormat;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.utils.Constants;
public class Main {
// For Beijing region models, replace the URL with: https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1
static {
Constants.baseHttpApiUrl="https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1";
}
public static void simpleMultiModalConversationCall()
throws ApiException, NoApiKeyException, UploadFileException {
MultiModalConversation conv = new MultiModalConversation();
MultiModalMessage systemMessage = MultiModalMessage.builder().role(Role.SYSTEM.getValue())
.content(Arrays.asList(
Collections.singletonMap("text", "You are a helpful assistant."))).build();
MultiModalMessage userMessage = MultiModalMessage.builder().role(Role.USER.getValue())
.content(Arrays.asList(
Collections.singletonMap("image", "http://duguang-labelling.oss-cn-shanghai.aliyuncs.com/demo_ocr/receipt_zh_demo.jpg"),
Collections.singletonMap("text", "Extract ticket (array type, including travel_date, trains, seat_num, arrival_site, price) and invoice information (array type, including invoice_code and invoice_number) from the image. Output a JSON containing both ticket and invoice arrays"))).build();
ResponseFormat jsonMode = ResponseFormat.builder().type("json_object").build();
MultiModalConversationParam param = MultiModalConversationParam.builder()
// If you haven't configured an environment variable, replace the next line with: .apiKey("sk-xxx") (Model Studio API key)
.apiKey(System.getenv("DASHSCOPE_API_KEY"))
.model("qwen3-vl-plus")
.messages(Arrays.asList(systemMessage, userMessage))
.responseFormat(jsonMode)
.build();
MultiModalConversationResult result = conv.call(param);
System.out.println(result.getOutput().getChoices().get(0).getMessage().getContent().get(0).get("text"));
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
try {
simpleMultiModalConversationCall();
} catch (ApiException | NoApiKeyException | UploadFileException e) {
System.out.println(e.getMessage());
}
}
}
Response
{
"ticket": [
{
"travel_date": "2013-06-29",
"trains": "stream",
"seat_num": "371",
"arrival_site": "Development Zone",
"price": "8.00"
}
],
"invoice": [
{
"invoice_code": "221021325353",
"invoice_number": "10283819"
}
]
}
curl
# ======= Important notes =======
# For Beijing region models, replace the URL with: https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1/services/aigc/multimodal-generation/generation
# API keys differ by region. Get an API key: https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/model-studio/get-api-key
# === Delete this comment before running ===
curl -X POST https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1/services/aigc/multimodal-generation/generation \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $DASHSCOPE_API_KEY" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{
"model": "qwen3-vl-plus",
"input": {
"messages": [
{
"role": "system",
"content": [
{
"text": "You are a helpful assistant."
}
]
},
{
"role": "user",
"content": [
{
"image": "http://duguang-labelling.oss-cn-shanghai.aliyuncs.com/demo_ocr/receipt_zh_demo.jpg"
},
{
"text": "Extract ticket (array type, including travel_date, trains, seat_num, arrival_site, price) and invoice information (array type, including invoice_code and invoice_number) from the image. Output a JSON containing both ticket and invoice arrays"
}
]
}
]
},
"parameters": {
"response_format": {
"type": "json_object"
}
}
}'
Response
{
"output": {
"choices": [
{
"message": {
"content": [
{
"text": "{\n \"ticket\": [\n {\n \"travel_date\": \"2013-06-29\",\n \"trains\": \"train number\",\n \"seat_num\": \"371\",\n \"arrival_site\": \"Development Zone\",\n \"price\": \"8.00\"\n }\n ],\n \"invoice\": [\n {\n \"invoice_code\": \"221021325353\",\n \"invoice_number\": \"10283819\"\n }\n ]\n}"
}
],
"role": "assistant"
},
"finish_reason": "stop"
}
]
},
"usage": {
"total_tokens": 598,
"input_tokens_details": {
"image_tokens": 418,
"text_tokens": 68
},
"output_tokens": 112,
"input_tokens": 486,
"output_tokens_details": {
"text_tokens": 112
},
"image_tokens": 418
},
"request_id": "b129dce1-0d5d-4772-b8b5-bd3a1d5cde63"
}
Optimize prompts
Ambiguous prompts like "return user information" lead to unpredictable output structures. For reliable results, describe the expected schema in your prompt: specify field names, types, required vs. optional status, format constraints (such as date format), and include examples.
OpenAI compatible
Python
from openai import OpenAI
import os
import json
import textwrap # Handles indentation for multi-line strings to improve code readability
# Predefined example responses to show the model the expected output format
# Example 1: Complete response with all fields
example1_response = json.dumps(
{
"info": {"name": "Alice", "age": "25 years old", "email": "alice@example.com"},
"hobby": ["singing"]
},
ensure_ascii=False
)
# Example 2: Response with multiple hobbies
example2_response = json.dumps(
{
"info": {"name": "Bob", "age": "30 years old", "email": "bob@example.com"},
"hobby": ["dancing", "swimming"]
},
ensure_ascii=False
)
# Example 3: Response without hobby field (hobby is optional)
example3_response = json.dumps(
{
"info": {"name": "Dave", "age": "28 years old", "email": "dave@example.com"}
},
ensure_ascii=False
)
# Example 4: Another response without hobby field
example4_response = json.dumps(
{
"info": {"name": "Sun Qi", "age": "35 years old", "email": "sunqi@example.com"}
},
ensure_ascii=False
)
# Initialize the OpenAI client
client = OpenAI(
# If you haven't configured an environment variable, replace the next line with: api_key="sk-xxx"
# API keys differ by region. Get an API key: https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/model-studio/get-api-key
api_key=os.getenv("DASHSCOPE_API_KEY"),
# This is the Beijing region base_url. If you use Singapore region models, replace base_url with: https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1
base_url="https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1",
)
# dedent removes common leading whitespace from each line, allowing the string to be indented nicely in code without including extra spaces at runtime
system_prompt = textwrap.dedent(f"""\
Extract personal information from the user input and output it in the specified JSON Schema format:
[Output format requirements]
The output must strictly follow this JSON structure:
{{
"info": {{
"name": "string type, required field, user's name",
"age": "string type, required field, format 'number years old', e.g., '25 years old'",
"email": "string type, required field, standard email format, e.g., 'user@example.com'"
}},
"hobby": ["string array type, optional field, contains all user hobbies; omit entirely if not mentioned"]
}}
[Field extraction rules]
1. name: Identify the user's name from the text, must extract
2. age: Identify age information, convert to 'number years old' format, must extract
3. email: Identify email address, keep original format, must extract
4. hobby: Identify user hobbies, output as string array; omit hobby field entirely if hobbies are not mentioned
[Reference examples]
Example 1 (with hobby):
Q: My name is Alice, I'm 25 years old, my email is alice@example.com, and my hobby is singing
A: {example1_response}
Example 2 (with multiple hobbies):
Q: My name is Bob, I'm 30 years old, my email is bob@example.com, and I enjoy dancing and swimming
A: {example2_response}
Example 3 (without hobby):
Q: My name is Dave, I'm 28 years old, and my email is dave@example.com
A: {example3_response}
Example 4 (without hobby):
Q: I'm Sun Qi, 35 years old, and my email is sunqi@example.com
A: {example4_response}
Extract information and output JSON strictly according to the above format and rules. Do not include the hobby field if the user doesn't mention hobbies.\
""")
# Call the model API for information extraction
completion = client.chat.completions.create(
model="qwen3.8-max",
messages=[
{
"role": "system",
"content": system_prompt
},
{
"role": "user",
"content": "Hi everyone, my name is Alex Brown, I'm 34 years old, my email is alexbrown@example.com, and I enjoy playing basketball and traveling",
},
],
response_format={"type": "json_object"}, # Specify JSON format return
)
# Extract and print the model-generated JSON result
json_string = completion.choices[0].message.content
print(json_string)
Response
{
"info": {
"name": "Alex Brown",
"age": "34 years old",
"email": "alexbrown@example.com"
},
"hobby": ["Basketball", "Traveling"]
}
Node.js
import OpenAI from "openai";
// Predefined example responses (to show the model the expected output format)
// Example 1: Complete response with all fields
const example1Response = JSON.stringify({
info: { name: "Alice", age: "25 years old", email: "alice@example.com" },
hobby: ["singing"]
}, null, 2);
// Example 2: Response with multiple hobbies
const example2Response = JSON.stringify({
info: { name: "Bob", age: "30 years old", email: "bob@example.com" },
hobby: ["dancing", "swimming"]
}, null, 2);
// Example 3: Response without hobby field (hobby is optional)
const example3Response = JSON.stringify({
info: { name: "Dave", age: "28 years old", email: "dave@example.com" }
}, null, 2);
// Example 4: Another response without hobby field
const example4Response = JSON.stringify({
info: { name: "Sun Qi", age: "35 years old", email: "sunqi@example.com" }
}, null, 2);
// Initialize OpenAI client configuration
const openai = new OpenAI({
// If you haven't configured an environment variable, replace the next line with: apiKey: "sk-xxx" (Alibaba Cloud Model Studio API key),
// API keys differ by region. Get an API key: https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/model-studio/get-api-key
apiKey: process.env.DASHSCOPE_API_KEY,
// This is the Beijing region base_url. If you use Singapore region models, replace base_url with: https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1
baseURL: "https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1"
});
// Create chat completion request using structured prompts to improve output accuracy
const completion = await openai.chat.completions.create({
model: "qwen3.8-max",
messages: [
{
role: "system",
content: `Extract personal information from the user input and output it in the specified JSON Schema format:
[Output format requirements]
The output must strictly follow this JSON structure:
{
"info": {
"name": "string type, required field, user's name",
"age": "string type, required field, format 'number years old', e.g., '25 years old'",
"email": "string type, required field, standard email format, e.g., 'user@example.com'"
},
"hobby": ["string array type, optional field, contains all user hobbies; omit entirely if not mentioned"]
}
[Field extraction rules]
1. name: Identify the user's name from the text, must extract
2. age: Identify age information, convert to 'number years old' format, must extract
3. email: Identify email address, keep original format, must extract
4. hobby: Identify user hobbies, output as string array; omit hobby field entirely if hobbies are not mentioned
[Reference examples]
Example 1 (with hobby):
Q: My name is Alice, I'm 25 years old, my email is alice@example.com, and my hobby is singing
A: ${example1Response}
Example 2 (with multiple hobbies):
Q: My name is Bob, I'm 30 years old, my email is bob@example.com, and I enjoy dancing and swimming
A: ${example2Response}
Example 3 (without hobby):
Q: My name is Dave, I'm 28 years old, and my email is dave@example.com
A: ${example3Response}
Example 4 (without hobby):
Q: I'm Sun Qi, 35 years old, and my email is sunqi@example.com
A: ${example4Response}
Extract information and output JSON strictly according to the above format and rules. Do not include the hobby field if the user doesn't mention hobbies.`
},
{
role: "user",
content: "Hi everyone, my name is Alex Brown, I'm 34 years old, my email is alexbrown@example.com, and I enjoy playing basketball and traveling"
}
],
response_format: {
type: "json_object"
}
});
// Extract and print the model-generated JSON result
const jsonString = completion.choices[0].message.content;
console.log(jsonString);
Response
{
"info": {
"name": "Alex Brown",
"age": "34 years old",
"email": "alexbrown@example.com"
},
"hobby": [
"playing basketball",
"traveling"
]
}
DashScope
Python
import os
import json
import dashscope
# If you use Singapore region models, uncomment the following line
# dashscope.base_http_api_url = "https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1"
# Predefined example responses (to show the model the expected output format)
example1_response = json.dumps(
{
"info": {"name": "Alice", "age": "25 years old", "email": "alice@example.com"},
"hobby": ["singing"]
},
ensure_ascii=False
)
example2_response = json.dumps(
{
"info": {"name": "Bob", "age": "30 years old", "email": "bob@example.com"},
"hobby": ["dancing", "swimming"]
},
ensure_ascii=False
)
example3_response = json.dumps(
{
"info": {"name": "Charlie", "age": "40 years old", "email": "charlie@example.com"},
"hobby": ["Rap", "basketball"]
},
ensure_ascii=False
)
messages=[
{
"role": "system",
"content": f"""Extract personal information from the user input and output it in the specified JSON Schema format:
[Output format requirements]
The output must strictly follow this JSON structure:
{{
"info": {{
"name": "string type, required field, user's name",
"age": "string type, required field, format 'number years old', e.g., '25 years old'",
"email": "string type, required field, standard email format, e.g., 'user@example.com'"
}},
"hobby": ["string array type, optional field, contains all user hobbies; omit entirely if not mentioned"]
}}
[Field extraction rules]
1. name: Identify the user's name from the text, must extract
2. age: Identify age information, convert to 'number years old' format, must extract
3. email: Identify email address, keep original format, must extract
4. hobby: Identify user hobbies, output as string array; omit hobby field entirely if hobbies are not mentioned
[Reference examples]
Example 1 (with hobby):
Q: My name is Alice, I'm 25 years old, my email is alice@example.com, and my hobby is singing
A: {example1_response}
Example 2 (with multiple hobbies):
Q: My name is Bob, I'm 30 years old, my email is bob@example.com, and I enjoy dancing and swimming
A: {example2_response}
Example 3 (with multiple hobbies):
Q: My email is charlie@example.com, I'm 40 years old, my name is Charlie, and I can Rap and play basketball
A: {example3_response}
Extract information and output JSON strictly according to the above format and rules. Do not include the hobby field if the user doesn't mention hobbies."""
},
{
"role": "user",
"content": "Hi everyone, my name is Alex Brown, I'm 34 years old, my email is alexbrown@example.com, and I enjoy playing basketball and traveling",
},
]
response = dashscope.MultiModalConversation.call(
# If you haven't configured an environment variable, replace the next line with: api_key="sk-xxx" (Alibaba Cloud Model Studio API key),
api_key=os.getenv('DASHSCOPE_API_KEY'),
model="qwen3.8-max",
messages=messages,
response_format={'type': 'json_object'}
)
json_string = response.output.choices[0].message.content[0]["text"]
print(json_string)
Response
{
"info": {
"name": "Alex Brown",
"age": "34 years old",
"email": "alexbrown@example.com"
},
"hobby": [
"playing basketball",
"traveling"
]
}
Java
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.Collections;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.aigc.multimodalconversation.MultiModalConversation;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.aigc.multimodalconversation.MultiModalConversationParam;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.aigc.multimodalconversation.MultiModalConversationResult;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.common.MultiModalMessage;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.common.Role;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.exception.ApiException;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.exception.NoApiKeyException;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.exception.UploadFileException;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.common.ResponseFormat;
import com.alibaba.dashscope.utils.Constants;
public class Main {
// To use models in the China (Beijing) region, replace the URL with: https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1
static {
Constants.baseHttpApiUrl="https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1";
}
public static void simpleMultiModalConversationCall()
throws ApiException, NoApiKeyException, UploadFileException {
MultiModalConversation conv = new MultiModalConversation();
MultiModalMessage systemMessage = MultiModalMessage.builder().role(Role.SYSTEM.getValue())
.content(Arrays.asList(
Collections.singletonMap("text", """
Extract personal information from the user input and output it in the specified JSON Schema format:
[Output Format Requirements]
The output must strictly follow the JSON structure below:
{
"info": {
"name": "String type, required field, user's name",
"age": "String type, required field, in the format of 'Number years old', for example, '25 years old'",
"email": "String type, required field, standard email format, for example, 'user@example.com'"
},
"hobby": ["String array type, optional field, contains all of the user's hobbies. If no hobbies are mentioned, do not include this field in the output."]
}
[Field Extraction Rules]
1. name: Identify the user's name from the text. This is a required field.
2. age: Identify the age information and transform it into the 'Number years old' format. This is a required field.
3. email: Identify the email address and keep its original format. This is a required field.
4. hobby: Identify the user's hobbies and output them as a string array. If no hobbies are mentioned, completely omit the hobby field.
[Examples]
Example 1 (with a hobby):
Q: My name is Alice, I am 25 years old, my email is alice@example.com, and my hobby is singing.
A: {"info":{"name":"Alice","age":"25 years old","email":"alice@example.com"},"hobby":["singing"]}
Example 2 (with multiple hobbies):
Q: My name is Bob, I am 30 years old, my email is bob@example.com, and I like dancing and swimming.
A: {"info":{"name":"Bob","age":"30 years old","email":"bob@example.com"},"hobby":["dancing","swimming"]}
Example 3 (without hobbies):
Q: My name is Charlie, my email is charlie@example.com, and I am 40 years old.
A: {"info":{"name":"Charlie","age":"40 years old","email":"charlie@example.com"}}"""))).build();
MultiModalMessage userMessage = MultiModalMessage.builder().role(Role.USER.getValue())
.content(Arrays.asList(
Collections.singletonMap("text", "Hello everyone, my name is Alex Brown, I am 34 years old, my email is alexbrown@example.com, and I enjoy playing basketball and traveling."))).build();
ResponseFormat jsonMode = ResponseFormat.builder().type("json_object").build();
MultiModalConversationParam param = MultiModalConversationParam.builder()
// If you have not configured an environment variable, replace the following line with: .apiKey("sk-xxx")
.apiKey(System.getenv("DASHSCOPE_API_KEY"))
.model("qwen3.8-max")
.messages(Arrays.asList(systemMessage, userMessage))
.responseFormat(jsonMode)
.build();
MultiModalConversationResult result = conv.call(param);
System.out.println(result.getOutput().getChoices().get(0).getMessage().getContent().get(0).get("text"));
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
try {
simpleMultiModalConversationCall();
} catch (ApiException | NoApiKeyException | UploadFileException e) {
System.out.println(e.getMessage());
}
}
}
Response
{
"info": {
"name": "Alex Brown",
"age": "34 years old",
"email": "alexbrown@example.com"
},
"hobby": [
"Playing basketball",
"Traveling"
]
}
Getting structured output
Setting response_format type to json_object returns a valid JSON string, but the structure may not match your expectations - suitable for simple scenarios. For automated parsing, API interoperability, and other complex scenarios requiring strict type constraints, set type to json_schema to force the model to output content that strictly conforms to a specified format. The response_format format and example:
{
"type": "json_schema",
"json_schema": {
"name": "schema_name", // Name of the schema
"strict": true, // Recommended: strictly follow the format
"schema": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {...}, // Define field structure (see example on right)
"required": [...], // List of required fields
"additionalProperties": false // Recommended: only output defined fields
}
}
}
{
"type": "json_schema",
"json_schema": {
"name": "user_info",
"strict": true,
"schema": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"name": {
"type": "string",
"description": "User name"
},
"age": {
"type": "integer",
"description": "User age"
},
"email": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Email address"
}
},
"required": ["name", "age"],
"additionalProperties": false
}
}
}
The example above forces the model to output a JSON object with two required fields (name and age) and an optional email field.
Singapore region models are not supported yet.
How to use
With the OpenAI SDK parse method, you can pass a Python Pydantic class or Node.js Zod object directly. The SDK automatically converts it to a JSON Schema - no need to write complex JSON manually. For the DashScope SDK, construct the JSON Schema manually following the format above.
OpenAI compatible
Python
from pydantic import BaseModel, Field
from openai import OpenAI
import os
client = OpenAI(
api_key=os.getenv("DASHSCOPE_API_KEY"),
# The following URL is for the Singapore region. Replace {WorkspaceId} with your actual Workspace ID. URLs vary by region.
base_url="https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1"
)
class UserInfo(BaseModel):
name: str = Field(description="User name")
age: int = Field(description="User age in years")
completion = client.chat.completions.parse(
model="qwen3.8-max",
messages=[
{"role": "system", "content": "Extract name and age information."},
{"role": "user", "content": "My name is Liu Wu, I'm 25 years old."},
],
response_format=UserInfo,
)
result = completion.choices[0].message.parsed
print(f"Name: {result.name}, Age: {result.age}")
Node.js
import OpenAI from "openai";
import { zodResponseFormat } from "openai/helpers/zod";
import { z } from "zod";
const openai = new OpenAI(
{
apiKey: process.env.DASHSCOPE_API_KEY,
// The following URL is for the Singapore region. Replace {WorkspaceId} with your actual Workspace ID. URLs vary by region.
baseURL: "https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1"
}
);
const UserInfo = z.object({
name: z.string().describe("User name"),
age: z.number().int().describe("User age in years"),
});
const completion = await openai.chat.completions.parse({
model: "qwen3.8-max",
messages: [
{ role: "system", content: "Extract name and age information." },
{ role: "user", content: "My name is Liu Wu, I'm 25 years old." },
],
response_format: zodResponseFormat(UserInfo, "user_info"),
});
const userInfo = completion.choices[0].message.parsed;
console.log(`Name: ${userInfo.name}`);
console.log(`Age: ${userInfo.age}`);
Running the code produces the following output:
Name: Liu Wu, Age: 25
DashScope
Java SDK is not supported yet.
Python
import os
import dashscope
import json
# The following URL is for the Singapore region. Replace {WorkspaceId} with your actual Workspace ID. URLs vary by region.
dashscope.base_http_api_url = "https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/api/v1"
messages = [
{
"role": "user",
"content": [{"text": "My name is Liu Wu, I'm 25 years old."}],
},
]
response = dashscope.MultiModalConversation.call(
api_key=os.getenv("DASHSCOPE_API_KEY"),
model="qwen3.8-max",
messages=messages,
response_format={
"type": "json_schema",
"json_schema": {
"name": "user_info",
"strict": True,
"schema": {
"properties": {
"name": {"title": "Name", "type": "string"},
"age": {"title": "Age", "type": "integer"},
},
"required": ["name", "age"],
"title": "UserInfo",
"type": "object",
},
},
},
)
json_object = json.loads(response.output.choices[0].message.content[0]["text"])
print(f"Name: {json_object['name']}, Age: {json_object['age']}")
Running the code produces the following output:
Name: Liu Wu, Age: 25
Configuration guide
Follow these guidelines when using JSON Schema for more reliable structured output:
-
Required field declaration
It is recommended to list required fields in the
requiredarray. Optional fields can be omitted, for example:
{
"properties": {
"name": {"type": "string"},
"age": {"type": "integer"},
"email": {"type": "string"}
},
"required": ["name", "age"]
}
If the input does not provide email information, the output will not contain this field.
-
Implementing optional fields
Besides omitting from
required, you can also allow thenulltype:
{
"properties": {
"name": {"type": "string"},
"email": {"type": ["string", "null"]} // Can be string or null
},
"required": ["name", "email"] // Both in required
}
The output will always include the email field, but its value may be null.
-
additionalProperties configuration
Controls whether to allow extra fields not defined in the schema:
{
"properties": {"name": {"type": "string"}},
"required": ["name"],
"additionalProperties": true // Allow extra fields
}
Example input: "I'm Zhang San, 25 years old"; output: {"name": "Zhang San", "age": 25} (includes the undefined age field).
Value | Behavior | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| Only output defined fields | Precise structure control |
| Allow extra fields | Capture more information |
- Supported data types: string, number, integer, boolean, object, array, enum.
Going live
-
Validate before passing downstream
When using JSON Object mode, validate the output before passing it to downstream services. Use a library such as jsonschema (Python), Ajv (JavaScript), or Everit (Java) to ensure it conforms to the expected JSON Schema, preventing downstream parsing failures, data loss, or business logic disruptions due to missing fields, type errors, or malformed formats. On failure, retry the request or use a model to rewrite the output.
-
Do not set max_tokens
Do not set
max_tokenswhen structured output is enabled. This parameter caps the number of output tokens and defaults to the model's maximum. Setting it may truncate the JSON string mid-output, producing invalid JSON that fails to parse. -
Use SDK to generate schemas
Use the SDK to auto-generate schemas. This avoids errors from manual maintenance and provides automatic validation and parsing.
from pydantic import BaseModel, Field from typing import Optional from openai import OpenAI import os client = OpenAI( api_key=os.getenv("DASHSCOPE_API_KEY"), # The following URL is for the Singapore region. Replace {WorkspaceId} with your actual Workspace ID. URLs vary by region. base_url="https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1" ) class UserInfo(BaseModel): name: str = Field(description="User name") age: int = Field(description="User age") email: Optional[str] = None # Optional field completion = client.chat.completions.parse( model="qwen3.8-max", messages=[ {"role": "system", "content": "Extract name and age information."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My name is Liu Wu, I'm 25 years old."}, ], response_format=UserInfo # Pass the Pydantic model directly ) result = completion.choices[0].message.parsed # Type-safe parsed result print(f"Name: {result.name}, Age: {result.age}")import { z } from "zod"; import { zodResponseFormat } from "openai/helpers/zod"; import OpenAI from "openai"; const client = new OpenAI( { apiKey: process.env.DASHSCOPE_API_KEY, // The following URL is for the Singapore region. Replace {WorkspaceId} with your actual Workspace ID. URLs vary by region. baseURL: "https://{WorkspaceId}.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1" } ); const UserInfo = z.object({ name: z.string().describe("User name"), age: z.number().int().describe("User age"), email: z.string().optional().nullable() // Optional field }); const completion = await client.chat.completions.parse({ model: "qwen3.8-max", messages: [ { role: "system", content: "Extract name and age information." }, { role: "user", content: "My name is Liu Wu, I'm 25 years old." }, ], response_format: zodResponseFormat(UserInfo, "user_info") }); console.log(completion.choices[0].message.parsed);
FAQ
Q: How does Qwen's thinking mode model produce structured output?
Models labeled "non-thinking mode" returns content that is not a strictly valid JSON string in thinking mode, you can use the following two-step approach to fix it: first call the thinking model to get high-quality output, then pass any malformed JSON through a model that supports JSON mode to fix it.
-
Get output from the thinking mode model
Call the thinking mode model. The result may not be valid JSON.
Note: setting the
response_formatparameter to{"type": "json_object"}when thinking mode is enabled does not cause an error. The following is a fallback example that intentionally omitsresponse_format; use it only to fix cases where a model's output is not valid JSON.
completion = client.chat.completions.create(
model="qwen3.8-max",
messages=[
{"role": "system", "content": system_prompt},
{
"role": "user",
"content": "Hi everyone, my name is Alex Brown, I'm 34 years old, my email is alexbrown@example.com, and I enjoy playing basketball and traveling",
},
],
# Enable thinking mode; this fallback example omits the response_format parameter (setting it directly does not cause an error)
extra_body={"enable_thinking": True},
# Streaming output is required in thinking mode
stream=True
)
# Extract and print the model-generated JSON result
json_string = ""
for chunk in completion:
if not chunk.choices:
continue
if chunk.choices[0].delta.content is not None:
json_string += chunk.choices[0].delta.content
-
Validate and fix the output
Try to parse the
json_stringfrom the previous step:- If the model returned valid JSON, parse and use it directly.
- If the model returned invalid JSON, call a model that supports structured output (a fast, low-cost model such as qwen-flash in non-thinking mode works well) to fix the format.
import json
from openai import OpenAI
import os
# Initialize the OpenAI client (if the client variable isn't defined in the previous code block, uncomment the lines below)
# client = OpenAI(
# api_key=os.getenv("DASHSCOPE_API_KEY"),
# base_url="https://{WorkspaceId}.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1",
# )
try:
json_object_from_thinking_model = json.loads(json_string)
print("Generated standard JSON string")
except json.JSONDecodeError:
print("Did not generate standard JSON string; fixing with a model that supports structured output")
completion = client.chat.completions.create(
model="qwen-flash",
# Use non-thinking mode
extra_body={"enable_thinking": False},
messages=[
{
"role": "system",
"content": "You are a JSON format expert. Fix the user's JSON string to standard format",
},
{
"role": "user",
"content": json_string,
},
],
response_format={"type": "json_object"},
)
json_object_from_thinking_model = json.loads(completion.choices[0].message.content)
Error codes
If the model call fails and returns an error message, see Error codes for resolution.