Structured outputs with Amazon Nova: A guide for builders

The article discusses Amazon Nova's new capability for generating structured outputs using constrained decoding, which helps developers convert unstructured data into reliable, machine-readable formats.

• Constrained decoding reduces tool use errors by over 95%
• Two primary approaches for structured outputs: modifying system prompts and using tool calling
• Tool configurations define expected output schemas with specific properties and requirements
• The technique dynamically generates a grammar that constrains the model's token selection
• Demonstrated through a recipe extraction use case with a complex JSON schema

The method allows developers to use smaller models like Nova Lite to generate complex structured outputs reliably, with recommended use of Nova Pro or Premier for image-based complex schemas.