---
title: "Step 4 of upload: release unused upload slots"
method: POST
path: "/events/{id}/photos/release"
tags: ["Photos"]
---

# Step 4 of upload: release unused upload slots

`POST /events/{id}/photos/release`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://findme.photo/api/v1`
- URL: `https://findme.photo/api/v1/events/{id}/photos/release`
- Auth: HTTP bearer

Gives back upload slots from `createPhotoUploads` that you will not fill (cancelled export, failed PUT), so they do not linger as blank entries. Only slots still `pending` in this album, reserved by you, are removed; any other id (already confirmed, unknown, another album) is left untouched and returned in `skipped`. A confirmed photo is never deleted here; use `deletePhoto`. Any file that did land in S3 for a released slot is deleted in the background.

## Request body

- ReleasePhotoUploadsRequest
  - `photo_ids` string[], required

## Response `200`

Which ids were released and which were skipped.

- object
  - `data` PhotoReleaseResult, required
    - `released` string[], required: Slots removed.
    - `skipped` string[], required: Ids left untouched (not a pending slot of yours in this album).
  - `meta` Meta, required
    - `request_id` string, required

## Other responses

- `400`: `invalid_request`: invalid id, query parameter, cursor or body. Validation failures list `details.issues`.
- `401`: `missing_or_invalid_token` (no or malformed `Authorization: Bearer fm_live_...` header) or `invalid_token` (unknown or revoked key).
- `403`: `tier_not_eligible`: the plan does not include API access (includes `upgrade_url`), or does not include the feature this endpoint needs.
- `404`: `not_found`: no such resource, or it is not yours, or (for albums) it is deleted.
- `429`: `rate_limited` (per-minute limit; `retry_after_seconds`) or `quota_exceeded` (monthly quota; `retry_after_seconds`, `resets_at`).
- `500`: `internal_error`: something failed on our side. Safe to retry reads; include `request_id` when reporting.

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/findme/apis/findme-photo-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/findme/apis/findme-photo-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/findme/apis/findme-photo-api/revisions/b68670b742a9?raw)