Required headers
| Header | Required | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
x-inference-provider | Yes | Tells the proxy which upstream provider to call, such as openai or anthropic |
x-inference-observability-api-key | Yes | Links the request to the correct Inference.net project |
Optional headers
| Header | Purpose |
|---|---|
x-inference-environment | Tag requests by environment, such as production, staging, or development |
x-inference-task-id | Group related requests under a logical workflow |
x-inference-provider-url | Override the upstream base URL for an OpenAI-compatible provider |
x-inference-metadata-* | Attach arbitrary metadata fields to the request |
Legacy compatibility
Inference.net still acceptsx-inference-project-api-key for backwards compatibility. New integrations should use x-inference-observability-api-key.
Metadata prefix
Any header that starts withx-inference-metadata- becomes a metadata field on the captured request.
Examples:
x-inference-metadata-chat-id: abc123x-inference-metadata-customer-tier: enterprisex-inference-metadata-release: 2026-03-11