streaming

Stream real-time responses using Server-Sent Events (SSE) to progressively deliver Claude's output as it's generated. This enables word-by-word text delivery, live tool-use execution, and extended thinking visualization, improving user engagement without waiting for complete message generation.

Handle three main delta types: text_delta for streamed text content, input_json_delta for tool parameters, and thinking_delta for extended thinking output. Each event type requires distinct buffering and parsing logic to safely reconstruct content blocks without interrupting JSON structures mid-stream.

Yes. Streaming supports tool-use workflows by delivering tool calls progressively and buffering input_json_delta events until complete, preventing JSON parsing errors. This enables real-time visibility into multi-step tool-assisted tasks without blocking on full response generation.

Implement retry mechanisms with exponential backoff to handle transient failures. Gracefully manage connection drops and partial messages by validating event structures and maintaining state across reconnections for robust real-time delivery.

Streaming via SSE supports Python and TypeScript clients, enabling cross-platform real-time output delivery. Both language implementations handle event parsing, delta reconstruction, and asynchronous processing patterns natively.

Use streaming for long-running generations, complex report generation, interactive chatbots, and extended thinking workflows where immediate user feedback improves perceived performance. Avoid streaming for simple, fast responses where latency is negligible.