---
title: "Ask several frontier models the same question and get one..."
method: POST
path: "/api/ai/council"
tags: ["ai"]
---

# Ask several frontier models the same question and get one...

`POST /api/ai/council`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://2s.io`
- URL: `https://2s.io/api/ai/council`
- Auth: API key in header `PAYMENT-SIGNATURE`

Ask several frontier models the same question and get one synthesized answer. Choose a preset council — fast (3 quick models), balanced (3 strong models with a peer-refine round), or deep (5 models plus refine) — or supply your own set of 2–8 models. A chairman model merges the responses into a single consensus with a confidence score and any points of dissent, and each member’s individual answer is returned alongside. Price scales with the council size and answer length, and is quoted up front in the 402. Models auto-resolve to their latest available version; any unavailable model simply drops out (at least 2 are needed). Billing: payment settles before this endpoint runs (paid upstream), so an error after settlement IS charged — the error response then carries the payment receipt (PAYMENT-RESPONSE) and `X-2s-Charged: true`. upto-scheme payments settle only after success.

## Request body

- object
  - `prompt` string, required: The question to put to the council.
  - `mode` 'fast' | 'balanced' | 'deep': Preset council. Default balanced. Ignored if `models` is given.
  - `models` string[]: Custom council of 2–8 gateway model ids, e.g. ["openai/gpt-5","anthropic/claude-opus","google/gemini-3-pro"] (overrides `mode`). Full selectable list + live prices: GET /api/ai/council/menu.
  - `maxTokens` integer: Max output tokens per model. Default 640.

## Other responses

- `200` (unresolved $ref)
- `400`: Invalid request. Parameter validation (BAD_REQUEST / INVALID_PARAM with error.details.issues, MALFORMED_JSON) runs before payment and is never charged; a request-specific 400 raised by the endpoint itself runs after settlement on this paid-upstream operation and IS charged (`X-2s-Charged: true` + PAYMENT-RESPONSE receipt).
- `402`: Payment required. Body is the x402 PaymentRequirements envelope with a multi-network accepts array; the per-call price is in accepts[].amount (and on the operation as x-2s-price). Sign for whichever rail you hold USDC on (EIP-3009 for Base, partial SPL transfer for Solana) and retry with the PAYMENT-SIGNATURE header (X-PAYMENT also accepted for v1 clients). Also PAYMENT_SETTLE_FAILED (error envelope) when a verified payment failed to settle: error.details.chargeStatus is "not_charged" (retry with a fresh payment) or "unknown" (the authorization may still settle before its deadline — check it before retrying).
- `409`: Conflict — PAYER_BUSY: another upto call from this payer is still in flight. Not charged; retry after Retry-After, run upto calls from one wallet sequentially, or pay with the exact scheme.
- `429`: Too many requests — RATE_LIMITED: our per-IP / per-payer limiter. Not charged; retry after Retry-After.
- `5XX`: Server-side failure. 500 INTERNAL: unexpected error; quote error.errorId (also the X-2s-Error-Id header). 502 UPSTREAM_UNAVAILABLE (or another UPSTREAM_* code): the data provider failed — composite endpoints refuse unbilled when every source fails. 503 SERVICE_PAUSED: endpoint paused by the operator kill switch, retry after Retry-After; 503 SPEND_CAP: daily upstream budget exhausted. 504 UPSTREAM_TIMEOUT. On a paid-upstream operation (see its description) this can follow settlement: then the call WAS charged and the response carries `X-2s-Charged: true` plus the PAYMENT-RESPONSE receipt. SERVICE_PAUSED and SPEND_CAP are never charged.

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/2s-io/apis/2s-the-most-everything-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/2s-io/apis/2s-the-most-everything-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/2s-io/apis/2s-the-most-everything-api/revisions/da4c5caf686e?raw)