Agentuity Docs

Routes define how your application responds to HTTP requests. Built on Hono, the router provides a familiar Express-like API with full TypeScript support.

Routes Location

All routes live in src/api/. Import agents you need and call them directly.

Basic Routes

Create routes using createRouter():

import { createRouter } from '@agentuity/runtime';
 
const router = createRouter();
 
router.get('/', async (c) => {
  return c.json({ status: 'healthy' });
});
 
router.post('/process', async (c) => {
  const body = await c.req.json();
  return c.json({ received: body });
});
 
export default router;

Automatic Response Conversion

Return values are automatically converted: string → text response, object → JSON, ReadableStream → streamed response. You can also use explicit methods (c.json(), c.text()) for more control.

HTTP Methods

The router supports all standard HTTP methods:

router.get('/items', handler);        // Read
router.post('/items', handler);       // Create
router.put('/items/:id', handler);    // Replace
router.patch('/items/:id', handler);  // Update
router.delete('/items/:id', handler); // Delete

Route Parameters

Capture URL segments with :paramName:

router.get('/users/:id', async (c) => {
  const userId = c.req.param('id');
  return c.json({ userId });
});
 
router.get('/posts/:year/:month/:slug', async (c) => {
  const { year, month, slug } = c.req.param();
  return c.json({ year, month, slug });
});

Wildcard Parameters

For paths with variable depth, use regex patterns:

router.get('/files/:bucket/:key{.*}', async (c) => {
  const bucket = c.req.param('bucket');
  const key = c.req.param('key'); // Captures "path/to/file.txt"
  return c.json({ bucket, key });
});
// GET /files/uploads/images/photo.jpg → { bucket: "uploads", key: "images/photo.jpg" }

Query Parameters

Access query strings with c.req.query():

router.get('/search', async (c) => {
  const query = c.req.query('q');
  const page = c.req.query('page') || '1';
  const limit = c.req.query('limit') || '10';
 
  return c.json({ query, page, limit });
});
// GET /search?q=hello&page=2 → { query: "hello", page: "2", limit: "10" }

Calling Agents

Import and call agents directly. To create agents, see Creating Agents.

import { createRouter } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import assistant from '@agent/assistant';
 
const router = createRouter();
 
router.post('/chat', async (c) => {
  const { message } = await c.req.json();
  const response = await assistant.run({ message });
  return c.json(response);
});
 
export default router;

For background processing, use c.waitUntil():

import webhookProcessor from '@agent/webhook-processor';
 
router.post('/webhook', async (c) => {
  const payload = await c.req.json();
 
  // Process in background, respond immediately
  c.waitUntil(async () => {
    await webhookProcessor.run(payload);
  });
 
  return c.json({ status: 'accepted' });
});

Request Validation

Two validators are available depending on your use case:

Validator	Import	Use Case
`agent.validator()`	From agent instance	Routes that call an agent
`validator()`	`@agentuity/runtime`	Standalone routes (no agent)

With Agents

Use agent.validator() when your route calls an agent:

import { createRouter } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import userCreator from '@agent/user-creator';
 
const router = createRouter();
 
// Validates using agent's input schema
router.post('/users', userCreator.validator(), async (c) => {
  const data = c.req.valid('json'); // Fully typed from agent schema
  const user = await userCreator.run(data);
  return c.json(user);
});
 
export default router;

For custom validation (different from the agent's schema), pass a schema override:

import { type } from 'arktype';
import userCreator from '@agent/user-creator';
 
router.post('/custom',
  userCreator.validator({ input: type({ email: 'string.email' }) }),
  async (c) => {
    const data = c.req.valid('json'); // Typed as { email: string }
    return c.json(data);
  }
);

Validator Overloads

agent.validator() supports three signatures:

agent.validator() — Uses agent's input/output schemas
agent.validator({ output: schema }) — Output-only validation (GET-compatible)
agent.validator({ input: schema, output?: schema }) — Custom schemas

Standalone Validation

For routes that don't use an agent, import validator directly from @agentuity/runtime:

import { createRouter, validator } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import { s } from '@agentuity/schema';
 
const router = createRouter();
 
const createUserSchema = s.object({
  name: s.string(),
  email: s.string(),
  age: s.number(),
});
 
router.post('/',
  validator({ input: createUserSchema }),
  async (c) => {
    const data = c.req.valid('json');
    // data is fully typed: { name: string, email: string, age: number }
    return c.json({ success: true, user: data });
  }
);
 
export default router;

The standalone validator auto-detects the HTTP method:

GET: Validates query parameters via c.req.valid('query')
POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE: Validates JSON body via c.req.valid('json')

import { createRouter, validator } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import * as v from 'valibot';
 
const router = createRouter();
 
// GET route: validates query parameters
const searchSchema = v.object({
  q: v.string(),
  limit: v.optional(v.number()),
});
 
router.get('/search',
  validator({ input: searchSchema }),
  async (c) => {
    const { q, limit } = c.req.valid('query'); // GET uses query params
    return c.json({ results: [], query: q, limit });
  }
);
 
export default router;

Output Validation

Add output validation to ensure your responses match the expected schema:

import { createRouter, validator } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import { z } from 'zod';
 
const router = createRouter();
 
const userInputSchema = z.object({
  name: z.string(),
  email: z.string().email(),
});
 
const userOutputSchema = z.object({
  id: z.string(),
  name: z.string(),
  email: z.string(),
  createdAt: z.string(),
});
 
router.post('/users',
  validator({ input: userInputSchema, output: userOutputSchema }),
  async (c) => {
    const data = c.req.valid('json');
    const user = {
      id: crypto.randomUUID(),
      ...data,
      createdAt: new Date().toISOString(),
    };
    return c.json(user); // Validated against output schema
  }
);
 
export default router;

Schema Libraries

Both validators work with any Standard Schema library: @agentuity/schema, Zod, Valibot, or ArkType. Choose based on your needs: @agentuity/schema for zero dependencies, Zod for .describe() support with AI SDK, Valibot for minimal bundle size.

Import from @agentuity/runtime

Import validator from @agentuity/runtime, not from hono/validator. If you use Hono's validator directly, TypeScript won't know your types and c.req.valid('json') will show as never.

// Types work
import { validator } from '@agentuity/runtime';
 
// Types show as 'never'
import { validator } from 'hono/validator';

Request Context

The context object (c) provides access to request data and Agentuity services:

Request data:

await c.req.json();        // Parse JSON body
await c.req.text();        // Get raw text body
c.req.param('id');         // Route parameter
c.req.query('page');       // Query string
c.req.header('Authorization'); // Request header

Responses:

c.json({ data });          // JSON response
c.text('OK');              // Plain text
c.html('<h1>Hello</h1>');  // HTML response
c.redirect('/other');      // Redirect

Agentuity services:

// Import agents at the top of your file
import myAgent from '@agent/my-agent';
await myAgent.run(input);     // Call an agent
 
c.var.kv.get('bucket', 'key');       // Key-value storage
c.var.vector.search('ns', opts);     // Vector search
c.var.stream.create('name', opts);   // Durable streams
c.var.logger.info('message');        // Logging
c.var.sandbox.run({ ... });          // Code execution sandbox

Thread and session (for stateful routes):

c.var.thread.id;                     // Thread ID (persists across requests)
c.var.session.id;                    // Session ID (unique per request)
await c.var.thread.state.get('key'); // Thread state
c.var.session.state.get('key');      // Session state
await c.var.thread.getMetadata();    // Thread metadata

Exposing Storage to External Backends

Routes can serve as a bridge between external backends (Next.js, Express) and Agentuity storage services. Create authenticated routes that expose KV, Vector, or Stream operations. See SDK Utilities for External Apps.

Best Practices

Validate input

Always validate request bodies, especially for public endpoints:

// With an agent
router.post('/api', agent.validator(), async (c) => {
  const data = c.req.valid('json');
  // data is guaranteed valid and fully typed
});
 
// Without an agent
router.post('/api', validator({ input: schema }), async (c) => {
  const data = c.req.valid('json');
  // data is guaranteed valid and fully typed
});

Use structured logging

Use c.var.logger instead of console.log for searchable, traceable logs:

c.var.logger.info('Request processed', { userId, duration: Date.now() - start });
c.var.logger.error('Processing failed', { error: err.message });

Order routes correctly

// Correct: specific before generic
router.get('/users/me', getCurrentUser);
router.get('/users/:id', getUserById);
 
// Wrong: :id matches "me" first
router.get('/users/:id', getUserById);
router.get('/users/me', getCurrentUser); // Never reached

Use middleware for cross-cutting concerns

Apply middleware to all routes with router.use():

router.use(loggingMiddleware);
router.use(authMiddleware);
 
router.get('/protected', handler); // Both middlewares apply

For authentication patterns, rate limiting, and more, see Middleware.

Handle errors gracefully

Return appropriate status codes when things go wrong:

import processor from '@agent/processor';
 
router.post('/process', async (c) => {
  try {
    const body = await c.req.json();
    const result = await processor.run(body);
    return c.json(result);
  } catch (error) {
    c.var.logger.error('Processing failed', { error });
    return c.json({ error: 'Processing failed' }, 500);
  }
});

Streaming Responses

Use the stream() middleware to return a ReadableStream directly to the client without buffering:

import { createRouter, stream } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import chatAgent from '@agent/chat';
 
const router = createRouter();
 
router.post('/chat', stream(async (c) => {
  const body = await c.req.json();
  return chatAgent.run(body); // Returns a ReadableStream
}));
 
export default router;

Creating Custom Streams

Return any ReadableStream for custom streaming:

import { createRouter, stream } from '@agentuity/runtime';
 
const router = createRouter();
 
router.get('/events', stream((c) => {
  return new ReadableStream({
    start(controller) {
      controller.enqueue('data: event 1\n\n');
      controller.enqueue('data: event 2\n\n');
      controller.close();
    }
  });
}));
 
export default router;

With Middleware

Stream routes support middleware:

import { createRouter, stream } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import streamAgent from '@agent/stream';
 
const router = createRouter();
 
router.post('/protected', authMiddleware, stream(async (c) => {
  return streamAgent.run({ userId: c.var.userId });
}));
 
export default router;

Stream vs SSE vs WebSocket

Type	Direction	Format	Use Case
`stream()`	Server → Client	Raw bytes	LLM responses, file downloads
`sse()`	Server → Client	SSE events	Progress updates, notifications
`websocket()`	Bidirectional	Messages	Chat, collaboration

Use stream() middleware for raw streaming (like AI SDK textStream). Use sse() middleware when you need named events or auto-reconnection. See Streaming Responses for the full guide on streaming agents.

Routes Without Agents

Not every route needs an agent. Use routes directly for CRUD APIs, webhook handlers, health checks, and proxy endpoints.

KV-Backed API

import { createRouter, validator } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import * as v from 'valibot';
 
const router = createRouter();
 
const itemSchema = v.object({
  name: v.string(),
  value: v.number(),
});
 
router.get('/items/:key', async (c) => {
  const key = c.req.param('key');
  const result = await c.var.kv.get('items', key);
 
  if (!result.exists) {
    return c.json({ error: 'Not found' }, 404);
  }
 
  return c.json({ data: result.data });
});
 
router.post('/items/:key',
  validator({ input: itemSchema }),
  async (c) => {
    const key = c.req.param('key');
    const data = c.req.valid('json');
 
    await c.var.kv.set('items', key, data);
    c.var.logger.info('Item created', { key });
 
    return c.json({ success: true, key }, 201);
  }
);
 
router.delete('/items/:key', async (c) => {
  const key = c.req.param('key');
  await c.var.kv.delete('items', key);
 
  return c.json({ success: true });
});
 
export default router;

Webhook Handler

import { createRouter } from '@agentuity/runtime';
 
const router = createRouter();
 
router.post('/webhooks/stripe', async (c) => {
  const signature = c.req.header('stripe-signature');
  const payload = await c.req.text();
 
  // Verify webhook signature
  if (!verifyStripeSignature(payload, signature)) {
    c.var.logger.warn('Invalid webhook signature');
    return c.json({ error: 'Invalid signature' }, 401);
  }
 
  const event = JSON.parse(payload);
 
  // Store event for processing
  await c.var.kv.set('webhooks', event.id, {
    type: event.type,
    data: event.data,
    receivedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
  });
 
  c.var.logger.info('Webhook received', {
    eventId: event.id,
    type: event.type,
  });
 
  return c.json({ received: true });
});
 
export default router;

When to Use Agents

Use agents when you need LLM orchestration, complex schemas, streaming AI responses, or multi-step workflows. Use pure routes for simple CRUD, webhooks, or data proxying.

Next Steps

Middleware: Authentication, rate limiting, logging
Scheduled Jobs (Cron): Run tasks on a schedule
WebSockets: Real-time bidirectional communication
Server-Sent Events: Stream updates to clients
Creating Agents: Build agents to call from routes
Calling Other Agents: Multi-agent orchestration patterns

Need Help?

Join our Community for assistance or just to hang with other humans building agents.

Send us an email at hi@agentuity.com if you'd like to get in touch.

Please Follow us on

If you haven't already, please Signup for your free account now and start building your first agent!

Creating HTTP Routes