{"id":257,"date":"2026-09-07T08:04:55","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T08:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/llmfly.ai\/blog\/?p=257"},"modified":"2026-09-07T08:04:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T08:04:57","slug":"openai-api-deprecations-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/llmfly.ai\/blog\/2026\/09\/07\/openai-api-deprecations-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"OpenAI API Deprecations in 2026: Migration Deadlines"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last reviewed: September 7, 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n

Quick answer: Which OpenAI APIs and models are shutting down in 2026?<\/h2>\n

OpenAI has multiple shutdowns remaining in 2026. The most urgent is the Videos API and Sora 2 models on September 24<\/strong>, followed by legacy completions and GPT-3.5 models on September 28. A larger group of GPT-4, GPT-4o, o1, o3-mini, and fine-tuned snapshots shuts down October 23. Reusable prompts, the Evals platform, and Agent Builder end November 30. Older GPT Image models end December 1, and older GPT-5 and o3 snapshots end December 11.<\/p>\n

Do not treat every migration as a model-ID replacement. Sora 2 currently has no listed replacement; reusable prompts must move into application code; Evals needs an external evaluation system; Agent Builder moves to the Agents SDK or ChatGPT Workspace Agents. Inventory model IDs and product endpoints now, add contract tests, and deploy replacements behind configuration flags before each deadline.<\/p>\n

What is the OpenAI API deprecation calendar for the rest of 2026?<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Shutdown date<\/th>\nModels or product<\/th>\nRecommended action<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Sep 24<\/td>\nVideos API, sora-2<\/code>, sora-2-pro<\/code>, listed snapshots<\/td>\nNo replacement listed; remove dependency or redesign video flow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sep 28<\/td>\ngpt-3.5-turbo-instruct<\/code>, babbage-002<\/code>, davinci-002<\/code>, gpt-3.5-turbo-1106<\/code><\/td>\nMove to gpt-5.6-terra<\/code><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oct 23<\/td>\nSelected GPT-3.5, GPT-4, GPT-4o, o1, o3-mini, GPT Image, and fine-tuned snapshots<\/td>\nUse the official per-model replacements and re-evaluate outputs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oct 31<\/td>\nOpenAI Evals<\/td>\nExisting evals become read-only<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nov 30<\/td>\n\/v1\/prompts<\/code>, reusable prompts, Evals dashboard\/API, Agent Builder<\/td>\nMove prompts to code; move evals; use Agents SDK or Workspace Agents<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dec 1<\/td>\ngpt-image-1-mini<\/code>, gpt-image-1.5<\/code>, chatgpt-image-latest<\/code><\/td>\nMove to gpt-image-2<\/code><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dec 11<\/td>\nOlder GPT-5 and o3 snapshots<\/td>\nMove to GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra, or Luna as specified<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

This table is a planning summary, not a substitute for OpenAI’s live deprecations page. OpenAI can add notices, so check the official source during every release cycle.<\/p>\n

What should Sora 2 and Videos API developers do before September 24?<\/h2>\n

OpenAI lists the Videos API, sora-2<\/code>, sora-2-pro<\/code>, and multiple dated snapshots for shutdown on September 24, 2026. The official table does not provide a replacement.<\/p>\n

That changes the migration plan. Do not silently point production to an assumed successor. Identify every video-generation endpoint, stop selling commitments that extend past the shutdown, export any metadata your application needs, and design a provider-neutral job interface:<\/p>\n

interface VideoJob {\n  prompt: string;\n  aspectRatio: \"16:9\" | \"9:16\" | \"1:1\";\n  durationSeconds: number;\n  idempotencyKey: string;\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
Put provider-specific fields behind adapters and return an explicit \u201ctemporarily unavailable\u201d state if no approved replacement exists. A model abstraction can make later integration easier, but it cannot manufacture a supported Sora replacement.<\/p>\n
Which legacy text models shut down on September 28?<\/h2>\n
gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct<\/code>, babbage-002<\/code>, davinci-002<\/code>, and gpt-3.5-turbo-1106<\/code> are scheduled to shut down on September 28. OpenAI recommends gpt-5.6-terra<\/code>.<\/p>\n
This is not always a drop-in replacement. Instruct-style completions, older chat payloads, token usage, and output behavior can differ. Create golden test cases for classification, extraction, rewriting, and refusal behavior. Compare structured-output validity and latency before switching all traffic.<\/p>\n
What changes on October 23?<\/h2>\n
The October 23 wave affects a broad set of older snapshots, including gpt-4-0613<\/code>, gpt-4-turbo<\/code>, gpt-4o-2024-05-13<\/code>, o1-2024-12-17<\/code>, o3-mini-2025-01-31<\/code>, and gpt-image-1<\/code>. It also removes multiple fine-tuned model families.<\/p>\n
OpenAI’s replacements vary by model: GPT-5.6 Sol for many high-capability models, GPT-5.6 Terra or Luna for smaller models, gpt-image-2<\/code> for image generation, and Sol with reasoning.mode: pro<\/code> for selected pro models.<\/p>\n
Search application code, environment variables, database configuration, prompt-management systems, background workers, and CI fixtures. A model ID can survive in a rarely used queue long after the main application has migrated.<\/p>\n
How do you migrate away from OpenAI reusable prompts?<\/h2>\n
The \/v1\/prompts<\/code> API and reusable prompt objects shut down November 30. OpenAI recommends moving prompt content into application code.<\/p>\n
Store prompts as versioned application assets rather than inline strings scattered across handlers:<\/p>\n
prompts\/\n  support_reply\/\n    v3.system.md\n    v3.schema.json\n    evals.jsonl\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
Record the prompt version with every response. Deploy prompt changes through code review, run a fixed evaluation set, and keep rollback capability. Never put secrets into source-controlled prompt files; inject them from the runtime secret store.<\/p>\n
What replaces the OpenAI Evals platform?<\/h2>\n
Existing OpenAI evals become read-only on October 31, and the dashboard and API shut down November 30. Export definitions, datasets, grader logic, score history, and release thresholds before read-only mode. OpenAI links to Promptfoo as one migration path, but teams can use any system that preserves reproducibility and CI integration.<\/p>\n
The critical artifact is not the dashboard. It is the contract connecting a task dataset, prompt version, model version, scoring rule, and release decision. Keep these in a repository or controlled evaluation store so a provider migration does not erase your quality history.<\/p>\n
What replaces Agent Builder?<\/h2>\n
Agent Builder shuts down November 30. OpenAI recommends the Agents SDK or ChatGPT Workspace Agents; ChatKit remains available.<\/p>\n
Before moving, document every tool, permission, state transition, approval point, and external side effect. Add idempotency keys to write operations and human approval to destructive actions. A visual workflow can hide important defaults, so migrate behavior\u2014not only boxes on a canvas.<\/p>\n
Which GPT Image models end on December 1?<\/h2>\n
gpt-image-1-mini<\/code>, gpt-image-1.5<\/code>, and chatgpt-image-latest<\/code> shut down December 1. OpenAI recommends gpt-image-2<\/code>. A separate October 23 deadline applies to gpt-image-1<\/code>.<\/p>\n
Re-run quality, aspect ratio, edit-mask, transparency, content-policy, and latency tests. Image migrations can change output dimensions and file handling even when the prompt is unchanged.<\/p>\n
Which GPT-5 and o3 snapshots end on December 11?<\/h2>\n
The December 11 shutdown includes:<\/p>\n