Start an evaluation run
⚠️
Preview — this feature is being built; the design below is the spec.
POST https://app.syntic.ai/v1/evals/runsRun one or more prompt and model variants over every item in a dataset and grade the outputs. Generation goes through the batch path, so runs cost the batch rate and usually finish within the hour; set priority: interactive to pay the standard rate for faster results.
For how this fits into a full workflow, see Evaluations.
Headers
| Header | Required | Value |
|---|---|---|
Authorization | Yes | Bearer <key>: a private inference key (sk_live_...). See Authentication. |
syntic-beta | Yes, while in preview | evals-2026-12-01. Without it the call fails with 400 beta_required. See Versioning. |
Content-Type | Yes | application/json |
Idempotency-Key | No | Up to 255 characters. Retrying with the same key within 24 hours returns the first result instead of acting twice. See Idempotency. |
Body parameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
dataset_id | string | Yes | |
variants | array | Yes | 1 to 4 items, each with label, model, and either prompt_version (from prompt templates) or an inline messages template using {{variables}}. |
grader_ids | array of strings | Yes | 1 to 5 graders; an item passes when every grader passes. |
name | string | No | |
priority | string | No | batch (default) or interactive. |
item_tags | array of strings | No | Run only items with these tags. |
Response
202 Accepted, Content-Type: application/json
{
"id": "evrun_01JD35D7F9H1K3M5P7R9",
"type": "eval_run",
"name": "shorter system prompt vs baseline",
"dataset_id": "evds_01JD13B5D7F9H1K3M5P7",
"status": "queued",
"variants": [
{
"label": "baseline",
"model": "Amara S1.2",
"prompt_version": "support-v12"
},
{
"label": "short",
"model": "Amara S1.2",
"prompt_version": "support-v13"
}
],
"grader_ids": [
"evgr_01JD46E8G0J2L4N6Q8S0"
],
"progress": {
"total": 400,
"done": 0,
"errored": 0
},
"summary": null,
"created_at": "2026-11-05T10:00:00Z",
"finished_at": null
}| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
variants | array | Up to 4 prompt and model combinations, each run on every item. |
progress | object | Items done per variant summed across variants. |
summary | array | Per variant: pass rate, mean score, mean output length and cost, once finished. |
status | string | queued, running, succeeded, failed or canceled. |
Examples
curl -sS "https://app.syntic.ai/v1/evals/runs" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $SYNTIC_API_KEY" \
-H "syntic-beta: evals-2026-12-01" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: 8d6f0c1e-4b2a-4a57-9f0e-2f1d3c4b5a69" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"name": "shorter system prompt vs baseline",
"dataset_id": "evds_01JD13B5D7F9H1K3M5P7",
"variants": [
{
"label": "baseline",
"model": "Amara S1.2",
"prompt_version": "support-v12"
},
{
"label": "short",
"model": "Amara S1.2",
"prompt_version": "support-v13"
}
],
"grader_ids": [
"evgr_01JD46E8G0J2L4N6Q8S0"
]
}'Errors
Errors use the error envelope and carry a request_id. Codes specific to this operation:
| Status | type | code | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 | invalid_request_error | beta_required | The syntic-beta header is missing. |
| 400 | invalid_request_error | unknown_variable | A template uses a {{variable}} not present in the dataset’s inputs. |
| 404 | not_found_error | dataset_not_found | No dataset with this id. |
| 401 | authentication_error | invalid_api_key | The key is missing, unknown, revoked or expired. |
| 429 | rate_limit_error | rate_limited | Too many requests; wait for Retry-After. See Rate-limit headers. |
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