The Tool Desk
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What the Decisions API does
OpenAI describes Decisions as focusing GPT-6 Luna on user-defined questions with finite, predefined answers. The API accepts text and images and returns typed answers, according to the October 6, 2026 API changelog. OpenAI’s DevDay 2026 recap identifies classification, routing, and choosing an agent’s next action as intended uses.
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Think of its output as a proposed choice under an application-defined contract. Your software supplies the choices it knows how to handle, checks that the selected option is still valid, and invokes the matching handler. If the question calls for open-ended comparison or explanation rather than a choice from a defined set, route it to a reasoning call instead.
Build the workflow around application state
The OpenAI voice-to-Decisions guide demonstrates the essential sequence. Keep the user’s request, useful conversation context, current application state, and available actions together; pass only the context needed to make the choice.
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- Track what is true now. Maintain the request and relevant conversation alongside the application’s current state. Build the available choices from that state, rather than offering actions that may not apply.
- Frame a bounded question. Ask the model to choose among options your application is prepared to handle. For example, a browser voice interface might offer
back,reload, andnoopfor a request such as “Reload this page.” - Call the endpoint from your server. Send the context and choices to
POST /v1/decisions. The guide says to keepOPENAI_API_KEYon the server, not expose it in browser code. - Validate the returned choice. Check it against the current application state before acting. The guide’s example checks that a selected UI element remains available; state may have changed between constructing the choices and receiving the answer.
- Run the handler and report the result. Invoke the corresponding application code, then return the outcome to the surrounding experience. In the voice example, the application sends a session update after a browser reload completes.
This separation matters: a typed answer is not proof that an action remains possible, and the API does not perform the action. Keep validation and execution in the application that owns the state.
Choose between a decision and deeper reasoning
Use Decisions when the request can be resolved by selecting from a finite set of known outcomes and each outcome maps to an application handler. Use a general reasoning call when the user needs analysis that cannot be represented by those choices. The voice guide illustrates a hybrid: offer named actions such as slide navigation alongside a reason option; if the result is reason, call the Responses API with the original request and relevant context.
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| Question | Decisions fits when… | Use a reasoning call when… |
|---|---|---|
| Answer space | The application can define the complete set of relevant choices. | The answer needs to be developed freely rather than selected from that set. |
| Action contract | Each choice maps to a known handler that can be checked against current state. | The request needs an explanation or analysis before an action can be determined. |
| Context | The relevant request and state can be summarized clearly for the choice. | The decision depends on broader context or analysis not captured by the available options. |
| Deployment | The beta is available to your project and its data requirements are acceptable. | Your workflow requires a different access or data-control arrangement; verify current terms before choosing either path. |
The table is a design test, not a claim that one endpoint is universally better. An application can combine them: decide whether a request maps to a known action, then send requests that need deeper analysis to a reasoning workflow.
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Select an action from current state
For a voice-controlled browser, provide only actions currently available—such as back, reload, or noop. After receiving the choice, confirm it remains valid and invoke the matching handler. This keeps a stale or inapplicable option from being treated as executable just because it appeared in the original choice set.
Route a request to action or analysis
Offer specific action choices alongside a route such as reason. A direct navigation request can go to its handler; a request like “Compare these two plans and recommend one” calls for analysis. In the guide’s pattern, the application sends the original request and relevant context to the Responses API when the decision is reason.
Connect decisions to an ongoing voice session
The voice guide shows an application tracking transcripts and state, delegating a bounded choice to Decisions, performing the selected action, and returning the result to GPT-Live. It also mentions application-specific patterns such as UI controls, voice-guided games, and robot gestures. These examples describe workflow patterns; they are not a safety certification or a guarantee for autonomous or safety-critical control.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Beta status and performance claim
OpenAI’s changelog records v1/decisions as a beta release on October 6, 2026, using gpt-6-luna. The same entry says the endpoint is “up to 10 times faster than the Responses API.” That is OpenAI’s claim, not an independent measurement or a guarantee for every workload. Because access and beta details can change, check the current changelog, endpoint reference, and your project dashboard before implementation.
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The sources cited here do not establish the full request and response schema, error handling, rate limits, pricing, or account-specific access. Consult the current endpoint reference for those details rather than inferring them from the workflow examples.
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Check data controls before deployment
OpenAI says Decisions is available in all supported API regions, while regional processing is supported in the United States and Europe (EEA and Switzerland). The distinction matters: regional availability does not mean inference takes place in that region. Review OpenAI’s data controls documentation for the current terms relevant to your deployment.
The HIPAA eligible products and functionality page lists /v1/decisions as an eligible endpoint subject to an executed BAA and organizational provisioning with Modified Retention, unless OpenAI specifies otherwise. Eligibility is conditional; it does not mean every account or deployment may process protected health information.
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