Shapes API

Shapes are general purpose social agents. You can build for an existing shape from our catalogue of millions or create your own. Shapes have rich personalities, love hanging out in groupchats, and short-term + long-term memory across platforms. You can configure a Shape to use some of 50+ models we offer for free across text, image, and voice.

Open Source Contributions

Our API is designed with extensibility as a core principle. You can extend any Shape for tool calling, MCP, and more.

Star and contribute to this repository to receive free hosting for your integration. We will also be directing traffic from our user base to your integration.

What is the Shapes API?

Shapes API provides a programmatic way to integrate Shapes into any application or platform. It follows the OpenAI-compatible API standard, making it easy to implement with existing libraries and SDKs.

Demos

To get a sense of what's possible, see what people have already built:

• Omegle with Shapes https://omegle-ai.vercel.app by @khawajapartners
• Playing Chess with Shapes https://shapeschess.vercel.app by @kiyosh11
• Shapes on Telegram https://t.me/shapesinc by @missParadoxical
• Shapes on WhatsApp at +1 (424) 452-2786 by @anushkmittal
• Technical Interview Simulator with Carmack - see examples/education/interviewer

Getting Started

You will need to generate an API Key. Get yours here

Implementation Examples

🐍 Python

from openai import OpenAI

shapes_client = OpenAI(
    api_key="<your-API-key>",
    base_url="https://api.shapes.inc/v1/",
)

response = shapes_client.chat.completions.create(
    model="shapesinc/<shape-username>",
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}
    ]
)

print(response)

🌐 JavaScript

const { OpenAI } = require("openai");

const shapes_client = new OpenAI({
    apiKey: "<your-API-key>",
    baseURL: "https://api.shapes.inc/v1",
});

const response = await shapes_client.chat.completions.create({
    model: "shapesinc/<shape-username>",
    messages: [
        { role: "user", content: "Hello" }
    ]
});

console.log(response);

C#

using OpenAI;

var client = new ChatClient(
    "shapesinc/<shape-username>",
    new ApiKeyCredential("<your-API-key>"),
    new OpenAIClientOptions { Endpoint = new Uri("https://api.shapes.inc/v1/") }
);

var chatMessages = new List<ChatMessage>();

chatMessages.Add(new UserChatMessage.ChatMessageContentPart
	.CreateTextPart("""{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}"""));

var completion = await client.CompleteChatAsync(chatMessages);

Console.WriteLine(completion.Value.Content[0].Text);

🔄 CURL

curl -X POST https://api.shapes.inc/v1/chat/completions \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer <your-API-key>" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"model": "shapesinc/<shape-username>", "messages": [{ "role": "user", "content": "Hello" }]}'

Quick Setup

Requirement	Details
Base URL	https://api.shapes.inc/v1/
Model Format	shapesinc/<shape-username>
Authentication	Bearer token in Authorization header
Environment Variables	SHAPESINC_API_KEY and SHAPESINC_SHAPE_USERNAME

API Specifications

Feature	Details
Endpoints	/chat/completions
Rate Limits	20 RPM (request increase here)
Headers	X-User-Id for user identification, X-Channel-Id for conversation context
Response Format	Standard OpenAI-compatible JSON response

User Identification and Authorization

Custom Headers

Shapes API supports two types of custom headers:

1. X-User-Id for user identification - We HIGHLY recommend using custom headers whenever you're using the Shapes API in a user-facing project. By default, the Shapes API treats a user as the person who generated the API key. This can result in conversation context mix-ups and other risks, such as shape memory loss if a user uses the !reset command on the API.

2. X-Channel-Id for conversation context - Using this header is recommended for projects that support more than one conversation context per user.

You can find custom header examples HERE.

Shapes Inc Authorization

While custom headers anonymize users, Shapes authorization connects the shapes to the user's shapes.inc account. This way, the memory of conversations with shapes on the API is saved to the user's account, and the shape identifies the user by their shapes.inc name. This feature also allows you to use user personas available on shapes.inc.

You can learn more and review examples HERE.

Supported Commands

Shapes now support the following commands:

• !reset - Reset the Shape's long-term memory
• !sleep - Generate a long-term on demand
• !dashboard - Access the Shape's dedicated dashboard for configuration
• !info - Get information about the shape
• !web - Search the web (now free for all users)
• !help - Get help with commands
• !imagine - Generate images
• !wack - Reset the Shape's short-term memory

Advanced Features

Feature	Details
Vision Support	Send OpenAI API-compatible image_url with user messages.
Voice Recognition	Send OpenAI API-compatible audio_url with user messages.
Tool Calling	Shapes now support tool calling and MCP functionality.
Voice Features	Free voice for all shapes (custom or pre-made voices via shapes.inc).
Voice Configuration	Option to disable voice transcripts (set via shapes.inc).
Voice Formatting	Improved formatting for voice URLs with newline separation.
Authentication with Shapes	You can now authenticate with shapes.inc via your app.

API Multimodal Support

The Shapes API supports multiple types of input modalities:

Image Support

You can send image URLs in the API request using this format:

{
  "model": "shapesinc/your_shape",
  "messages": [
    {
      "role": "user",
      "content": [
        {
          "type": "text",
          "text": "What's in this image?"
        },
        {
          "type": "image_url",
          "image_url": {
            "url": "https://example.com/image.jpg"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Audio Support

You can send audio URLs in the API request using this format:

{
  "model": "shapesinc/your_shape",
  "messages": [
    {
      "role": "user",
      "content": [
        {
          "type": "text",
          "text": "Please transcribe and respond to this audio message"
        },
        {
          "type": "audio_url",
          "audio_url": {
            "url": "https://example.com/audio.mp3"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Supported audio formats: mp3, wav, ogg

API Endpoints

Get Shape Profile Data

Retrieve detailed information about any shape using their username.

Endpoint:

GET https://api.shapes.inc/shapes/public/{username}

Cross-Platform Examples:

Linux/macOS/Git Bash:

curl "https://api.shapes.inc/shapes/public/{username}"

Windows Command Prompt:

curl "https://api.shapes.inc/shapes/public/{username}"

Windows PowerShell:

curl.exe "https://api.shapes.inc/shapes/public/{username}"

Endpoint Details:

• URL: https://api.shapes.inc/shapes/public/{username}
• Method: GET
• Authentication: None required (public endpoint)
• Rate Limits: Standard API rate limits apply
• Response Format: JSON

📋 Complete Example Code & Response (Click to expand)

Example code:

async function getShapeProfile(username = 'tenshi') { 
    try {
        const response = await fetch(`https://api.shapes.inc/shapes/public/${username}`);
        const data = await response.json();
        
        // Display all available fields
        console.log('=== Complete Shape Profile ===');
        console.log(JSON.stringify(data, null, 2));
        
        // Extract commonly used fields
        const {
            id, name, username, search_description, search_tags_v2,
            created_ts, user_count, message_count, tagline,
            typical_phrases, screenshots, category, character_universe,
            character_background, avatar_url, avatar, banner,
            shape_settings, example_prompts, enabled
        } = data;
        
        console.log(`\n=== Key Information ===`);
        console.log(`Name: ${name}`);
        console.log(`Username: ${username}`);
        console.log(`Description: ${search_description}`);
        console.log(`Category: ${category}`);
        console.log(`Universe: ${character_universe}`);
        console.log(`Users: ${user_count?.toLocaleString() || 'N/A'}`);
        console.log(`Messages: ${message_count?.toLocaleString() || 'N/A'}`);
        console.log(`Avatar: ${avatar_url || avatar}`);
        console.log(`Enabled: ${enabled}`);
        
        return data; // Return complete profile data
    } catch (error) {
        console.log(`Error: ${error.message}`);
        return null;
    }
}

// Usage examples
getShapeProfile('tenshi');           // Get tenshi's profile
getShapeProfile('einstein');         // Get einstein's profile
getShapeProfile(process.argv[2]);    // Get profile from command line argument

Available API Fields: The API returns comprehensive shape data including:

• id - Unique shape identifier (UUID)
• name - Display name of the shape
• username - Unique username for API calls
• search_description - Shape description for search/discovery
• search_tags_v2 - Array of searchable tags
• created_ts - Creation timestamp (Unix timestamp)
• user_count - Number of users who have interacted
• message_count - Total messages sent by the shape
• tagline - Custom tagline/bio
• typical_phrases - Array of characteristic phrases
• screenshots - Array of conversation screenshots with captions
• category - Shape category (e.g., "meme", "educational")
• character_universe - Source universe/franchise
• character_background - Background story/lore
• avatar_url / avatar - Profile image URLs
• banner - Banner image URL
• shape_settings - Configuration (initial message, status, etc.)
• example_prompts - Suggested conversation starters
• enabled - Whether the shape is currently active
• allow_user_engine_override - Engine override permissions
• error_message - Error message
• wack_message - Wack message

Sample Response:

{
  "id": "aca2e51a-e79c-417a-9515-be27fa624a0c",
  "name": "tenshi",
  "username": "tenshi",
  "search_description": "yo! am tenshi, am better am cooler",
  "search_tags_v2": [
    "cool", "character ai", "tenshi", "ai chatbot", "maverick",
    "modern", "short messages", "mischief", "chill", "informal"
  ],
  "created_ts": 1690601301,
  "user_count": 122320,
  "message_count": 7918988,
  "tagline": "tenshi by dhruv, the most humanlike shape out there",
  "typical_phrases": ["ur mom"],
  "screenshots": [
    {
      "id": 1743863106924,
      "url": "https://files.shapes.inc/b4866ca3.png",
      "caption": "offended tenshi"
    },
    {
      "id": 1743863288091,
      "url": "https://files.shapes.inc/a63515d9.png",
      "caption": "random tenshi"
    }
  ],
  "category": "meme",
  "character_universe": "Touhou Project",
  "character_background": "no background, just foreground!",
  "avatar_url": "https://files.shapes.inc/avatar_aca2e51a-e79c-417a-9515-be27fa624a0c.png",
  "banner": "https://files.shapes.inc/api/files/banner_aca2e51a-e79c-417a-9515-be27fa624a0c.png",
  "shape_settings": {
    "shape_initial_message": "hey {user}, sup",
    "status_type": "custom",
    "status": "😎 trendsetter",
    "appearance": ""
  },
  "example_prompts": ["have fun, maximum fun!"],
  "enabled": true
}

Important Notes

Current Limitations

Limitation	Details
No System Messages	Shape personality comes from configuration
No Message History	API relies on Shape's built-in memory
No Streaming	Only full responses are supported
No Parameter Control	Temperature and other settings locked to shapes.inc settings configured for the Shape
Multimodility support limited to 1 input only	you can only send 1 image_url or 1 audio_url with a user message. if both image and audio urls are provided, only the audio url is processed

Note: Shapes set on Premium Engines WILL use credits when accessed via API.

Available Integrations

• Telegram
• Revolt
• Slack
• Bluesky
• IRC
• Chess
• Voice
• Twitch
• GitHub (to review PRs)

Requested Integrations

We're looking for developer contributions to build:

• Reddit
• Threads
• Roblox
• Minecraft
• LinkedIn
• Microsoft Teams
• WeChat
• Anything you can possibly imagine

If you'd like to build an integration:

1. Fork our repository
2. Build your integration following our guidelines
3. Submit a PR with comprehensive documentation

Coming Soon

We are shipping new features to the Shapes API every day. Next on our list is:

Feature	Details
Free Will	Proactively take actions
Messaging first	Shapes can't talk first...yet

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© 2025 Shapes, Inc.