Output Formats
Markdown, structured JSON, metadata, HTML, links, images, summary, question/answer, highlights
Thunderbit can return any combination of the formats below. Use the formats array on /distill, /extract, and /search to add anything beyond the default. The legacy include array stays supported for metadata / html.
Available formats
| Format | How to request | Returned as | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Markdown | formats: ["markdown"] (default for /distill) | data.markdown | Free — included by default. |
| Structured JSON | Default for /extract; provide a schema or let Thunderbit auto-generate one | data.data | Schema is optional from 2026-05-19. |
| Metadata | include: ["metadata"] | data.metadata | Free. Available on /distill. |
| Original HTML | include: ["html"] | data.html | Use sparingly — large payloads. |
| Links | formats: ["links"] | data.links (array of {text, href}) | Free. |
| Images | formats: ["images"] | data.images (array of {src, alt, width, height}) | Free. |
| Summary | formats: [{"type":"summary"}] | data.summary (Markdown) | +4 credits on success. |
| Question / Answer | formats: [{"type":"question","question":"…"}] | data.answer | +4 credits on success. |
| Highlights | formats: [{"type":"highlights","query":"…"}] | data.highlights (array of strings) | +4 credits on success. |
Combining formats
curl -X POST https://openapi.thunderbit.co/openapi/v1/distill \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"url": "https://example.com/article",
"formats": [
"markdown",
"links",
"images",
{"type": "summary"},
{"type": "question", "question": "What is this page about?"},
{"type": "highlights", "query": "key takeaways"}
]
}'The response carries each requested key in data — data.markdown, data.links, data.images, data.summary, data.answer, data.highlights. Unrequested keys are omitted, not nulled.
Credit math
LLM formats (summary, question, highlights) are billed only when they return a result. The response carries a creditsUsed companion in batch and search responses; for single-page calls, check your account ledger.
- Distill with one LLM format → 1 + 4 = 5 credits
- Distill with three LLM formats → 1 + 3×4 = 13 credits
- Extract with one LLM format → 20 + 4 = 24 credits
- Search with
limit: 5andsummary→ 5 × (1 + 4) + 1 = 26 credits
Legacy booleans and include
Older requests used includeHtml: true and extractLinks: true. Both still work; prefer formats (and include for metadata / html) in new code — they're composable and clearer in code review.