- The short version
- What does the OpenAI Decisions API do, and what answers can it return?
- Which model, endpoint and SDK versions support the OpenAI Decisions API?
- What text and image inputs does the OpenAI Decisions API accept?
- When should I use the OpenAI Decisions API instead of Structured Outputs or function calling?
- FAQs
The short version
- OpenAI released the Decisions API in public beta for developers on October 6, 2026.
- It returns a condition estimate, a choice or a score for text or images.
- OpenAI describes it as about 10x faster than the Responses API.
- With
gpt-6-luna, input costs $0.10 per million tokens, with no output-token or cache charges.
OpenAI’s Decisions API is available to developers in public beta, answering yes-or-no, pick-one and rate-it questions about text or images about 10 times faster than the Responses API at a base rate of $0.10 per million input tokens with GPT-6 Luna. The API changelog dates the beta release to October 6, 2026. The Decisions guide says general availability is expected “in the coming weeks.”
What does the OpenAI Decisions API do, and what answers can it return?
The Decisions API evaluates shared input and returns a typed answer for each question in a request. You provide a model, the input and the questions; a name assigned to a question is returned with its answer.
The three question types
| Question type | What you ask | What comes back |
|---|---|---|
| Predicate | Whether a condition holds, such as whether a photo shows damage. | An estimated probability from 0 to 1 that the condition is true. |
| Choice | Which value fits from options you provide, such as a department for a request. | One supplied value, plus probabilities for the options and a confidence value. |
| Score | How an input rates against ordered levels you define, such as issue severity. | A probability-weighted score that can fall between levels, plus per-level probabilities and confidence. |
Independent questions can share one input in a request. Send a separate request when a question depends on an earlier answer.
Speed and price
OpenAI describes Decisions as about 10x faster than the Responses API. With gpt-6-luna, the base price is $0.10 per million input tokens. Output tokens, cache reads and cache writes carry no charge on this endpoint.
Which model, endpoint and SDK versions support the OpenAI Decisions API?
The public beta currently supports only gpt-6-luna through POST /v1/decisions. The guide lists these minimum SDK versions for its examples:
- Python 3.26.0
- JavaScript 7.30.0
- Go 3.73.0
- Ruby 0.101.0
- Java 4.78.0
You can try questions and inputs in the Playground before writing code.
What text and image inputs does the OpenAI Decisions API accept?
The API accepts text, images or both. Its input field can hold a text string or user messages containing text and image parts.
Images must be supplied as inline base64 data URLs. Hosted HTTP or HTTPS image links and file_id inputs are unsupported. To evaluate an image with written context, combine input_text and input_image parts in a user message.
When should I use the OpenAI Decisions API instead of Structured Outputs or function calling?
Use Decisions when your app needs a condition estimate, a selection from fixed options or a rating against ordered levels. Choose the API feature based on the answer your app needs.
Choose by the answer your app needs
| Feature | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Decisions API | A predicate, choice or score about the input. |
| Structured Outputs with the Responses API | An object in your own JSON shape, such as extracted fields or a written explanation. |
| Function calling | A request for a tool call with arguments. |
For a category such as a support department, choice returns one of the values you define. For ordered levels such as severity, score can return a value between levels.
- Try a predicate, choice or score question in the Playground.
- Check your SDK version against the minimum for your language before using
POST /v1/decisions. - Budget from the $0.10 per million input-token base rate, accounting for regional processing premiums or long-context input multipliers where they apply.
FAQs
When did OpenAI release the Decisions API in beta?
OpenAI released the Decisions API in beta on October 6, 2026.
Is the OpenAI Decisions API available now, and when will it be generally available?
Yes. The Decisions API is in public beta for developers now. OpenAI expects general availability in the coming weeks.
How fast is the OpenAI Decisions API compared with the Responses API?
OpenAI describes the Decisions API as about 10x faster than the Responses API for typed answers.
How much does the OpenAI Decisions API cost?
With gpt-6-luna, the Decisions API costs $0.10 per million input tokens at the base rate. There are no output-token, cache-read or cache-write charges on this endpoint.
Can OpenAI Decisions API requests cost more than the base input rate?
Yes. Regional processing premiums and long-context input pricing multipliers can raise the cost above the $0.10 per million input-token base rate.
Can I try the OpenAI Decisions API in the Playground?
Yes. The Playground lets you experiment with Decisions questions and inputs before you write code.
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