Compatibility fallback

Debug response_format unavailable errors on OpenAI-compatible Chinese model routes.

Some DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi, and other Chinese-strong model routes accept the OpenAI-style chat request shape but do not implement every OpenAI structured-output feature. Treat compatibility as a capability matrix, not a blanket guarantee.

Create account and run a smoke test

First isolate connectivity from capability

Plain chat

Run one tiny /v1/chat/completions request without response_format. If it succeeds, auth, base URL, and model routing are probably fine.

JSON object

Add the smallest response_format json_object case. If it fails, the provider may be chat-compatible but not structured-output-compatible.

Strict schema

Only use strict JSON schema when the provider documents support. OpenAI-compatible endpoints may reject, ignore, or translate this field.

Visible fallback

Log when your app downgrades from strict schema to json_object or prompt-level JSON so failures are debuggable.

Fallback request shape

When response_format is unsupported, keep the output contract in your application and validate the model output after generation.

{
  "model": "YOUR_ACCOUNT_MODEL_ID",
  "messages": [
    {
      "role": "system",
      "content": "Return only valid JSON matching this schema: ..."
    },
    {
      "role": "user",
      "content": "Summarize this non-sensitive Chinese text."
    }
  ],
  "stream": false
}

Provider capability flags

Keep flags such as supports_json_object, supports_strict_json_schema, supports_tools, supports_streaming, and supports_reasoning_fields near your model config. Do not let one unsupported parameter break every OpenAI-compatible provider.

Where Botat fits

Botat is an OpenAI-compatible gateway for overseas developers testing Chinese-strong models for non-sensitive Chinese content, batch jobs, coding assistance, and retryable tasks. Verify exact model IDs and supported fields inside your account before publishing production examples.

Data boundary

Do not send sensitive personal data, confidential customer data, regulated data, or workloads with strict residency requirements through China-model routes. Keep this path for non-sensitive, retryable work.