diff --git a/crates/anthropic/src/anthropic.rs b/crates/anthropic/src/anthropic.rs
index 2c5acfc0f2b7051f5309d28049f75b3c8809c15b..b4dd343d07fcba7e9ed3723ecaefb69f10afc57b 100644
--- a/crates/anthropic/src/anthropic.rs
+++ b/crates/anthropic/src/anthropic.rs
@@ -585,6 +585,13 @@ pub enum Thinking {
     Enabled { budget_tokens: Option<u32> },
 }
 
+#[derive(Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(untagged)]
+pub enum StringOrContents {
+    String(String),
+    Content(Vec<RequestContent>),
+}
+
 #[derive(Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct Request {
     pub model: String,
@@ -597,7 +604,7 @@ pub struct Request {
     #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     pub tool_choice: Option<ToolChoice>,
     #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
-    pub system: Option<String>,
+    pub system: Option<StringOrContents>,
     #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     pub metadata: Option<Metadata>,
     #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Vec::is_empty")]
diff --git a/crates/language_models/src/provider/anthropic.rs b/crates/language_models/src/provider/anthropic.rs
index 7d2660571de0e4ff50b0bdc5d5f92d7dd27f094a..b3daaf2ecf7cf8029eafcf0cb3981f4439712cff 100644
--- a/crates/language_models/src/provider/anthropic.rs
+++ b/crates/language_models/src/provider/anthropic.rs
@@ -586,7 +586,11 @@ pub fn into_anthropic(
         model,
         messages: new_messages,
         max_tokens: max_output_tokens,
-        system: Some(system_message),
+        system: if system_message.is_empty() {
+            None
+        } else {
+            Some(anthropic::StringOrContents::String(system_message))
+        },
         thinking: if let AnthropicModelMode::Thinking { budget_tokens } = mode {
             Some(anthropic::Thinking::Enabled { budget_tokens })
         } else {