Data transforms

When the shape of data on the wire differs from the shape SDK users should see, use the x-speakeasy-transform-from-api and x-speakeasy-transform-to-api extensions to bridge the gap automatically. These extensions apply jq expressions to transform data during serialization and deserialization, so SDK users work with a clean interface while the underlying API format is preserved.

Language support

Data transforms currently generate transform code for the Go target only. Other SDK targets (TypeScript, Python, Java, C#) will silently ignore these extensions.

When to use data transforms

Data transforms are useful when:

The API returns a response shape that could be cleaner for SDK consumers, such as deeply nested structures that should be flattened
The API schema cannot be changed, but the SDK should present a better interface
Fields need to be derived from other fields, such as combining first_name and last_name into display_name

Extensions

Place these extensions on a schema in the OpenAPI spec, typically on request body or response schemas.

x-speakeasy-transform-from-api: Transforms data from the API response before the SDK user sees it.
x-speakeasy-transform-to-api: Transforms data to the API request format before sending.

Both extensions can be used on the same schema when transforms are needed in both directions.

Format

The value must be a YAML mapping with a jq key:


x-speakeasy-transform-from-api:
  jq: '.your_expression_here'

Note

The only supported transform type is jq. Invalid syntax produces a build error with the expression and the parse error.

Examples

Copy a field


components:
  schemas:
    Resource:
      type: object
      x-speakeasy-transform-from-api:
        jq: '. + { backup_id: .id }'
      properties:
        id:
          type: string

Rename a field


components:
  schemas:
    Resource:
      type: object
      x-speakeasy-transform-to-api:
        jq: '{ displayName: .name }'
      properties:
        name:
          type: string

Add a derived field


components:
  schemas:
    User:
      type: object
      x-speakeasy-transform-from-api:
        jq: '. + { display_name: .first_name + " " + .last_name }'
      properties:
        first_name:
          type: string
        last_name:
          type: string

Flatten a nested structure


components:
  schemas:
    Order:
      type: object
      x-speakeasy-transform-from-api:
        jq: '. + { status: .metadata.status } | del(.metadata)'
      properties:
        id:
          type: string
        metadata:
          type: object
          properties:
            status:
              type: string

Conditional field addition


components:
  schemas:
    Account:
      type: object
      x-speakeasy-transform-from-api:
        jq: 'if .status == "active" then . + { is_active: true } else . end'
      properties:
        status:
          type: string

Remove a field before sending


components:
  schemas:
    UpdateRequest:
      type: object
      x-speakeasy-transform-to-api:
        jq: 'del(.internal_field)'
      properties:
        name:
          type: string
        internal_field:
          type: string

Bidirectional transforms

Apply both extensions on the same schema to transform data in both directions:


components:
  schemas:
    Service:
      type: object
      x-speakeasy-transform-to-api:
        jq: '{ displayName: .name, maxInstances: .max_instance_count }'
      x-speakeasy-transform-from-api:
        jq: '. + { name: .displayName, max_instance_count: .maxInstances }'
      properties:
        displayName:
          type: string
        maxInstances:
          type: integer

Convert an array to a map

Transform arrays from the API into a simpler map structure:


requestBody:
  content:
    application/json:
      schema:
        type: object
        x-speakeasy-transform-to-api:
          jq: |
            .tags |= (
              if type == "object" then
                to_entries | map({key: .key, value: .value})
              else
                .
              end
            )
        properties:
          tags:
            type: array
            items:
              type: object
              properties:
                key:
                  type: string
                value:
                  type: string

Build composite identifiers

Create combined identifiers from separate API fields:


responses:
  "200":
    content:
      application/json:
        schema:
          type: object
          x-speakeasy-transform-from-api:
            jq: |
              .id = "projects/\(.project_id)/regions/\(.region)/databases/\(.name)"
          properties:
            project_id:
              type: string
            region:
              type: string
            name:
              type: string

Last updated on March 30, 2026