structured output

A structured output is a model response that adheres to a predefined format, such as a JSON Schema or formal grammar, so that programs can reliably parse and use the results.

This is achieved by constraining generation during decoding, allowing the model to emit only tokens that maintain validity under the target structure.

Structured outputs enhance robustness and reliability for tasks like information extraction, classification, and tool use, compared with free text generation. However, they still require careful schema design, semantic validation, and runtime checks in production systems to ensure correctness beyond syntactic structure.

Related Resources

Course

Building Type-Safe LLM Agents With Pydantic AI

Build type-safe LLM agents in Python with Pydantic AI using structured outputs, function calling, and dependency injection.

intermediate ai

For additional information on related topics, take a look at the following resources:

• Leverage OpenAI's API in Your Python Projects (Course)
• Pydantic AI: Build Type-Safe LLM Agents in Python (Tutorial)
• Pydantic AI: Build Type-Safe LLM Agents in Python (Quiz)