Creating HTTP Routes — Agentuity Documentation

Creating HTTP Routes

Define GET, POST, and other HTTP endpoints with Hono

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

Basic Routes

Create routes using new Hono<Env>():

import { Hono } from 'hono';
import type { Env } from '@agentuity/runtime';
 
const router = new Hono<Env>();
 
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;

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 { Hono } from 'hono';
import type { Env } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import assistant from '@agent/assistant/agent';
 
const router = new Hono<Env>();
 
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/agent';
 
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:

ValidatorImportUse Case
agent.validator()From agent instanceRoutes that call an agent
validator()@agentuity/runtimeStandalone routes (no agent)

With Agents

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

import { Hono } from 'hono';
import type { Env } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import userCreator from '@agent/user-creator/agent';
 
const router = new Hono<Env>();
 
// 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/agent';
 
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);
  }
);

Standalone Validation

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

import { Hono } from 'hono';
import { type Env, validator } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import { s } from '@agentuity/schema';
 
const router = new Hono<Env>();
 
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 { Hono } from 'hono';
import { type Env, validator } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import * as v from 'valibot';
 
const router = new Hono<Env>();
 
// 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 { Hono } from 'hono';
import { type Env, validator } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import { z } from 'zod';
 
const router = new Hono<Env>();
 
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;

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/agent';
await myAgent.run(input);     // Call an agent
 
await c.var.kv.get('bucket', 'key');       // Key-value storage
await c.var.vector.search('ns', opts);     // Vector search
await c.var.stream.create('name', opts);   // Durable streams
c.var.logger.info('message');              // Logging
await 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

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

Register specific routes before generic ones:

// 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/agent';
 
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. The agent must be created with schema: { stream: true } for agent.run() to return a ReadableStream.

First, define a streaming agent:

typescriptsrc/agent/chat/agent.ts
import { createAgent } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import { s } from '@agentuity/schema';
import { streamText } from 'ai';
import { openai } from '@ai-sdk/openai';
 
export default createAgent('chat', {
  schema: {
    input: s.object({ message: s.string() }),
    stream: true, 
  },
  handler: async (ctx, input) => {
    const { textStream } = streamText({
      model: openai('gpt-4o'),
      prompt: input.message,
    });
    return textStream;
  },
});

Then use stream() in the route to forward the ReadableStream to the client:

typescriptsrc/api/chat/route.ts
import { Hono } from 'hono';
import { type Env, stream } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import chatAgent from '@agent/chat/agent';
 
const router = new Hono<Env>();
 
router.post('/chat', stream(async (c) => {
  const body = await c.req.json();
  return chatAgent.run(body);
}));
 
export default router;

See Streaming Responses for more streaming patterns.

Creating Custom Streams

Return any ReadableStream for custom streaming:

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

Stream vs SSE vs WebSocket

TypeDirectionFormatUse Case
stream()Server → ClientRaw bytesLLM responses, file downloads
sse()Server → ClientSSE eventsProgress updates, notifications
websocket()BidirectionalMessagesChat, 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 { Hono } from 'hono';
import { type Env, validator } from '@agentuity/runtime';
import * as v from 'valibot';
 
const router = new Hono<Env>();
 
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 { Hono } from 'hono';
import type { Env } from '@agentuity/runtime';
 
const router = new Hono<Env>();
 
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;

Next Steps