---
title: "Delete a resource"
description: "Permanently delete a resource, its files and everything indexed from it. Refused while an assistant uses it by name."
canonical: "https://lookio.app/docs/api/resources/delete-resource"
updated: "2026-10-17"
---

# Delete a resource

Requires `resources:delete`.

Deleting is permanent. Lookio removes the resource's passages from the index first, then the resource and its files. If the index cannot be cleaned, the call fails with `service_unavailable` and nothing changes: retry.

A resource that an assistant uses **by name** cannot be deleted. Remove it from the assistant first, or the call fails with `conflict`. An assistant that reads all resources, or a tag, simply reads one fewer. See [Deleting things](/docs/platform/deleting).

```http
DELETE https://api.lookio.app/v1/resources/{resource_id}
```

## Authorizations

- `Authorization` (bearer, in header, required)

## Path parameters

- `resource_id` (`string`, required, pattern: `^res_[abcdefghjkmnpqrstuvwxyz23456789]{12}$`)

## Response

**200**: Delete a resource

- `data` (`object`, required)
- `data.id` (`string`, required, pattern: `^(?:res|doc|ver|ast|wdg|cnv|msg|att|acc|aky)_[abcdefghjkmnpqrstuvwxyz23456789]{12}$`)
- `data.deleted` (`boolean`, required)
- `request_id` (`string`, required)

```json
{
  "data": {
    "id": "res_thk6smb5nvts",
    "deleted": true
  },
  "request_id": "req_01K9X7M2Q4"
}
```

**401**: Possible codes: authentication_required, invalid_api_key, api_key_expired, api_key_revoked, invalid_access_key

- `error` (`object`, required)
- `error.type` (`string`, required)
- `error.code` (`string`, required)
- `error.message` (`string`, required)
- `error.param` (`string`)
- `error.docs_url` (`string`, required)
- `error.action_url` (`string<uri>`)
- `request_id` (`string`, required)

```json
{
  "error": {
    "type": "<string>",
    "code": "<string>",
    "message": "<string>",
    "param": "<string>",
    "docs_url": "<string>",
    "action_url": "<string>"
  },
  "request_id": "<string>"
}
```

**403**: Possible codes: insufficient_scope, feature_not_available, admin_required, permission_denied

- `error` (`object`, required)
- `error.type` (`string`, required)
- `error.code` (`string`, required)
- `error.message` (`string`, required)
- `error.param` (`string`)
- `error.docs_url` (`string`, required)
- `error.action_url` (`string<uri>`)
- `request_id` (`string`, required)

```json
{
  "error": {
    "type": "<string>",
    "code": "<string>",
    "message": "<string>",
    "param": "<string>",
    "docs_url": "<string>",
    "action_url": "<string>"
  },
  "request_id": "<string>"
}
```

**404**: Possible codes: resource_not_found

- `error` (`object`, required)
- `error.type` (`string`, required)
- `error.code` (`string`, required)
- `error.message` (`string`, required)
- `error.param` (`string`)
- `error.docs_url` (`string`, required)
- `error.action_url` (`string<uri>`)
- `request_id` (`string`, required)

```json
{
  "error": {
    "type": "<string>",
    "code": "<string>",
    "message": "<string>",
    "param": "<string>",
    "docs_url": "<string>",
    "action_url": "<string>"
  },
  "request_id": "<string>"
}
```

**409**: Possible codes: conflict, assistant_has_no_resources

- `error` (`object`, required)
- `error.type` (`string`, required)
- `error.code` (`string`, required)
- `error.message` (`string`, required)
- `error.param` (`string`)
- `error.docs_url` (`string`, required)
- `error.action_url` (`string<uri>`)
- `request_id` (`string`, required)

```json
{
  "error": {
    "type": "<string>",
    "code": "<string>",
    "message": "<string>",
    "param": "<string>",
    "docs_url": "<string>",
    "action_url": "<string>"
  },
  "request_id": "<string>"
}
```

**429**: Possible codes: rate_limited

- `error` (`object`, required)
- `error.type` (`string`, required)
- `error.code` (`string`, required)
- `error.message` (`string`, required)
- `error.param` (`string`)
- `error.docs_url` (`string`, required)
- `error.action_url` (`string<uri>`)
- `request_id` (`string`, required)

```json
{
  "error": {
    "type": "<string>",
    "code": "<string>",
    "message": "<string>",
    "param": "<string>",
    "docs_url": "<string>",
    "action_url": "<string>"
  },
  "request_id": "<string>"
}
```

**500**: Possible codes: internal_error

- `error` (`object`, required)
- `error.type` (`string`, required)
- `error.code` (`string`, required)
- `error.message` (`string`, required)
- `error.param` (`string`)
- `error.docs_url` (`string`, required)
- `error.action_url` (`string<uri>`)
- `request_id` (`string`, required)

```json
{
  "error": {
    "type": "<string>",
    "code": "<string>",
    "message": "<string>",
    "param": "<string>",
    "docs_url": "<string>",
    "action_url": "<string>"
  },
  "request_id": "<string>"
}
```

**Example request**

```bash
curl --request DELETE \
  --url 'https://api.lookio.app/v1/resources/<resource_id>' \
  --header 'Authorization: <api-key>'
```