# OpenAI .NET API library
[](https://www.nuget.org/packages/OpenAI)
The OpenAI .NET library provides convenient access to the OpenAI REST API from .NET applications.
It is generated from our [OpenAPI specification](https://github.com/openai/openai-openapi) in collaboration with Microsoft.
## Table of Contents
- [Getting started](#getting-started)
- [Prerequisites](#prerequisites)
- [Install the NuGet package](#install-the-nuget-package)
- [Experimental APIs](#experimental-apis)
- [Using the client library](#using-the-client-library)
- [Namespace organization](#namespace-organization)
- [Using the async API](#using-the-async-api)
- [Using the `OpenAIClient` class](#using-the-openaiclient-class)
- [How to use dependency injection](#how-to-use-dependency-injection)
- [How to use chat completions with streaming](#how-to-use-chat-completions-with-streaming)
- [How to use chat completions with tools and function calling](#how-to-use-chat-completions-with-tools-and-function-calling)
- [How to use chat completions with structured outputs](#how-to-use-chat-completions-with-structured-outputs)
- [How to use chat completions with audio](#how-to-use-chat-completions-with-audio)
- [How to use responses with streaming and reasoning](#how-to-use-responses-with-streaming-and-reasoning)
- [How to use responses with file search](#how-to-use-responses-with-file-search)
- [How to use responses with web search](#how-to-use-responses-with-web-search)
- [How to generate text embeddings](#how-to-generate-text-embeddings)
- [How to generate images](#how-to-generate-images)
- [How to transcribe audio](#how-to-transcribe-audio)
- [How to use assistants with retrieval augmented generation (RAG)](#how-to-use-assistants-with-retrieval-augmented-generation-rag)
- [How to use assistants with streaming and vision](#how-to-use-assistants-with-streaming-and-vision)
- [How to work with Azure OpenAI](#how-to-work-with-azure-openai)
- [Advanced scenarios](#advanced-scenarios)
- [Using mutual TLS](#using-mutual-tls)
- [Using protocol methods](#using-protocol-methods)
- [Mock a client for testing](#mock-a-client-for-testing)
- [Automatically retrying errors](#automatically-retrying-errors)
- [Observability](#observability)
## Getting started
### Prerequisites
To call the OpenAI REST API, you will need an API key. To obtain one, first [create a new OpenAI account](https://platform.openai.com/signup) or [log in](https://platform.openai.com/login). Next, navigate to the [API key page](https://platform.openai.com/account/api-keys) and select "Create new secret key", optionally naming the key. Make sure to save your API key somewhere safe and do not share it with anyone.
### Install the NuGet package
Add the client library to your .NET project by installing the [NuGet](https://www.nuget.org/) package via your IDE or by running the following command in the .NET CLI:
```cli
dotnet add package OpenAI
```
Note that the code examples included below were written using [.NET 10](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/10.0). The OpenAI .NET library is compatible with all .NET Standard 2.0 applications, but the syntax used in some of the code examples in this document may depend on newer language features.
### Experimental APIs
Some client APIs are marked with `[Experimental]` while their .NET design is still evolving. Using one produces a compiler error that you must explicitly suppress for its diagnostic ID. See [Preview APIs](https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/fundamentals/apicompat/preview-apis) for .NET guidance and [Feature lifecycle](./docs/FeatureLifecycle.md) for how OpenAI .NET APIs are introduced and promoted to stable.
## Using the client library
The public API listings for this library can be found in the [`api/`](https://github.com/openai/openai-dotnet/tree/main/api) folder (organized by target framework), and there are many [code examples](https://github.com/openai/openai-dotnet/tree/main/examples) to help. For instance, the following snippet illustrates the basic use of the chat completions API:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_ChatCompletion_Basic
ChatClient client = new(model: "gpt-5.1", apiKey: Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_API_KEY"));
ChatCompletion completion = client.CompleteChat("Say 'this is a test.'");
Console.WriteLine($"[ASSISTANT]: {completion.Content[0].Text}");
```
While you can pass your API key directly as a string, it is highly recommended that you keep it in a secure location and instead access it via an environment variable or configuration file as shown above to avoid storing it in source control.
### Using a custom base URL and API key
If you need to connect to an alternative API endpoint (for example, a proxy or self-hosted OpenAI-compatible LLM), you can specify a custom base URL and API key using the `ApiKeyCredential` and `OpenAIClientOptions`:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_CustomUrl
ChatClient client = new(
model: "MODEL_NAME",
credential: new ApiKeyCredential(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_API_KEY")),
options: new OpenAIClientOptions()
{
Endpoint = new Uri("https://YOUR_BASE_URL")
});
```
Replace `MODEL_NAME` with your model name and `BASE_URL` with your endpoint URI. This is useful when working with OpenAI-compatible APIs or custom deployments.
### Namespace organization
The library is organized into namespaces by feature areas in the OpenAI REST API. Each namespace contains a corresponding client class.
| Namespace | Client class |
| ------------------------------|------------------------------|
| `OpenAI.Assistants` | `AssistantClient` |
| `OpenAI.Audio` | `AudioClient` |
| `OpenAI.Batch` | `BatchClient` |
| `OpenAI.Chat` | `ChatClient` |
| `OpenAI.Embeddings` | `EmbeddingClient` |
| `OpenAI.Evals` | `EvaluationClient` |
| `OpenAI.FineTuning` | `FineTuningClient` |
| `OpenAI.Files` | `OpenAIFileClient` |
| `OpenAI.Images` | `ImageClient` |
| `OpenAI.Models` | `OpenAIModelClient` |
| `OpenAI.Moderations` | `ModerationClient` |
| `OpenAI.Realtime` | `RealtimeClient` |
| `OpenAI.Responses` | `ResponsesClient` |
| `OpenAI.VectorStores` | `VectorStoreClient` |
### Using the async API
Every client method that performs a synchronous API call has an asynchronous variant in the same client class. For instance, the asynchronous variant of the `ChatClient`'s `CompleteChat` method is `CompleteChatAsync`. To rewrite the call above using the asynchronous counterpart, simply `await` the call to the corresponding async variant:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_ChatCompletion_Async
ChatCompletion completion = await client.CompleteChatAsync("Say 'this is a test.'");
```
### Using the `OpenAIClient` class
In addition to the namespaces mentioned above, there is also the parent `OpenAI` namespace itself:
```csharp
using OpenAI;
```
This namespace contains the `OpenAIClient` class, which offers certain conveniences when you need to work with multiple feature area clients. Specifically, you can use an instance of this class to create instances of the other clients and have them share the same implementation details, which might be more efficient.
You can create an `OpenAIClient` by specifying the API key that all clients will use for authentication:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_OpenAIClient_Create
OpenAIClient client = new(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_API_KEY"));
```
Next, to create an instance of an `AudioClient`, for example, you can call the `OpenAIClient`'s `GetAudioClient` method by passing the OpenAI model that the `AudioClient` will use, just as if you were using the `AudioClient` constructor directly. If necessary, you can create additional clients of the same type to target different models.
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_OpenAIClient_GetAudioClient
AudioClient ttsClient = client.GetAudioClient("tts-1");
AudioClient whisperClient = client.GetAudioClient("whisper-1");
```
## How to use dependency injection
The OpenAI clients are **thread-safe** and can be safely registered as **singletons** in ASP.NET Core's Dependency Injection container. This maximizes resource efficiency and HTTP connection reuse. In your *Program.cs* file, register the `ChatClient` as follows:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_DependencyInjection_Register
builder.AddChatClient("Clients:ChatClient");
```
Then inject and use the client in your controllers or services:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_DependencyInjection_Controller
[ApiController]
[Route("api/[controller]")]
public class ChatController : ControllerBase
{
private readonly ChatClient _chatClient;
public ChatController(ChatClient chatClient)
{
_chatClient = chatClient;
}
[HttpPost("complete")]
public async Task<IActionResult> CompleteChat([FromBody] string message)
{
ChatCompletion completion = await _chatClient.CompleteChatAsync(message);
return Ok(new { response = completion.Content[0].Text });
}
}
```
> For a complete ASP.NET Core sample project, see the [dependency injection sample](examples/aspnet-core/README.md).
## How to use chat completions with streaming
When you request a chat completion, the default behavior is for the server to generate it in its entirety before sending it back in a single response. Consequently, long chat completions can require waiting for several seconds before hearing back from the server. To mitigate this, the OpenAI REST API supports the ability to stream partial results back as they are being generated, allowing you to start processing the beginning of the completion before it is finished.
The client library offers a convenient approach to working with streaming chat completions. If you wanted to re-write the example from the previous section using streaming, rather than calling the `ChatClient`'s `CompleteChat` method, you would call its `CompleteChatStreaming` method instead:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Streaming_Sync
CollectionResult<StreamingChatCompletionUpdate> completionUpdates = client.CompleteChatStreaming("Say 'this is a test.'");
```
Notice that the returned value is a `CollectionResult<StreamingChatCompletionUpdate>` instance, which can be enumerated to process the streaming response chunks as they arrive:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Streaming_Enumerate
CollectionResult<StreamingChatCompletionUpdate> completionUpdates = client.CompleteChatStreaming("Say 'this is a test.'");
Console.Write($"[ASSISTANT]: ");
foreach (StreamingChatCompletionUpdate completionUpdate in completionUpdates)
{
if (completionUpdate.ContentUpdate.Count > 0)
{
Console.Write(completionUpdate.ContentUpdate[0].Text);
}
}
```
Alternatively, you can do this asynchronously by calling the `CompleteChatStreamingAsync` method to get an `AsyncCollectionResult<StreamingChatCompletionUpdate>` and enumerate it using `await foreach`:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Streaming_Async
AsyncCollectionResult<StreamingChatCompletionUpdate> completionUpdates = client.CompleteChatStreamingAsync("Say 'this is a test.'");
Console.Write($"[ASSISTANT]: ");
await foreach (StreamingChatCompletionUpdate completionUpdate in completionUpdates)
{
if (completionUpdate.ContentUpdate.Count > 0)
{
Console.Write(completionUpdate.ContentUpdate[0].Text);
}
}
```
## How to use chat completions with tools and function calling
In this example, you have two functions. The first function can retrieve a user's current geographic location (e.g., by polling the location service APIs of the user's device), while the second function can query the weather in a given location (e.g., by making an API call to some third-party weather service). You want the model to be able to call these functions if it deems it necessary to have this information in order to respond to a user request as part of generating a chat completion. For illustrative purposes, consider the following:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Tools_Functions
static string GetCurrentLocation()
{
// Call the location API here.
return "San Francisco";
}
static string GetCurrentWeather(string location, string unit = "celsius")
{
// Call the weather API here.
return $"31 {unit}";
}
```
Start by creating two `ChatTool` instances using the static `CreateFunctionTool` method to describe each function:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Tools_Definitions
ChatTool getCurrentLocationTool = ChatTool.CreateFunctionTool(
functionName: nameof(GetCurrentLocation),
functionDescription: "Get the user's current location"
);
ChatTool getCurrentWeatherTool = ChatTool.CreateFunctionTool(
functionName: nameof(GetCurrentWeather),
functionDescription: "Get the current weather in a given location",
functionParameters: BinaryData.FromBytes("""
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"location": {
"type": "string",
"description": "The city and state, e.g. Boston, MA"
},
"unit": {
"type": "string",
"enum": [ "celsius", "fahrenheit" ],
"description": "The temperature unit to use. Infer this from the specified location."
}
},
"required": [ "location" ]
}
"""u8.ToArray())
);
```
Next, create a `ChatCompletionOptions` instance and add both to its `Tools` property. You will pass the `ChatCompletionOptions` as an argument in your calls to the `ChatClient`'s `CompleteChat` method.
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Tools_Options
List<ChatMessage> messages =
[
new UserChatMessage("What's the weather like today?"),
];
ChatCompletionOptions options = new()
{
Tools = { getCurrentLocationTool, getCurrentWeatherTool },
};
```
When the resulting `ChatCompletion` has a `FinishReason` property equal to `ChatFinishReason.ToolCalls`, it means that the model has determined that one or more tools must be called before the assistant can respond appropriately. In those cases, you must first call the function specified in the `ChatCompletion`'s `ToolCalls` and then call the `ChatClient`'s `CompleteChat` method again while passing the function's result as an additional `ChatRequestToolMessage`. Repeat this process as needed.
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Tools_Loop
bool requiresAction;
do
{
requiresAction = false;
ChatCompletion completion = client.CompleteChat(messages, options);
switch (completion.FinishReason)
{
case ChatFinishReason.Stop:
{
// Add the assistant message to the conversation history.
messages.Add(new AssistantChatMessage(completion));
break;
}
case ChatFinishReason.ToolCalls:
{
// First, add the assistant message with tool calls to the conversation history.
messages.Add(new AssistantChatMessage(completion));
// Then, add a new tool message for each tool call that is resolved.
foreach (ChatToolCall toolCall in completion.ToolCalls)
{
switch (toolCall.FunctionName)
{
case nameof(GetCurrentLocation):
{
string toolResult = GetCurrentLocation();
messages.Add(new ToolChatMessage(toolCall.Id, toolResult));
break;
}
case nameof(GetCurrentWeather):
{
// The arguments that the model wants to use to call the function are specified as a
// stringified JSON object based on the schema defined in the tool definition. Note that
// the model may hallucinate arguments too. Consequently, it is important to do the
// appropriate parsing and validation before calling the function.
using JsonDocument argumentsJson = JsonDocument.Parse(toolCall.FunctionArguments);
bool hasLocation = argumentsJson.RootElement.TryGetProperty("location", out JsonElement location);
bool hasUnit = argumentsJson.RootElement.TryGetProperty("unit", out JsonElement unit);
if (!hasLocation)
{
throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(location), "The location argument is required.");
}
string toolResult = hasUnit
? GetCurrentWeather(location.GetString(), unit.GetString())
: GetCurrentWeather(location.GetString());
messages.Add(new ToolChatMessage(toolCall.Id, toolResult));
break;
}
default:
{
// Handle other unexpected calls.
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
}
requiresAction = true;
break;
}
case ChatFinishReason.Length:
throw new NotImplementedException("Incomplete model output due to MaxTokens parameter or token limit exceeded.");
case ChatFinishReason.ContentFilter:
throw new NotImplementedException("Omitted content due to a content filter flag.");
case ChatFinishReason.FunctionCall:
throw new NotImplementedException("Deprecated in favor of tool calls.");
default:
throw new NotImplementedException(completion.FinishReason.ToString());
}
} while (requiresAction);
```
## How to use chat completions with structured outputs
Beginning with the `gpt-4o-mini`, `gpt-4o-mini-2024-07-18`, and `gpt-4o-2024-08-06` model snapshots, structured outputs are available for both top-level response content and tool calls in the chat completion and assistants APIs. For information about the feature, see [the Structured Outputs guide](https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/structured-outputs).
To use structured outputs to constrain chat completion content, set an appropriate `ChatResponseFormat` as in the following example:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_StructuredOutputs
List<ChatMessage> messages =
[
new UserChatMessage("How can I solve 8x + 7 = -23?"),
];
ChatCompletionOptions options = new()
{
ResponseFormat = ChatResponseFormat.CreateJsonSchemaFormat(
jsonSchemaFormatName: "math_reasoning",
jsonSchema: BinaryData.FromBytes("""
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"steps": {
"type": "array",
"items": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"explanation": { "type": "string" },
"output": { "type": "string" }
},
"required": ["explanation", "output"],
"additionalProperties": false
}
},
"final_answer": { "type": "string" }
},
"required": ["steps", "final_answer"],
"additionalProperties": false
}
"""u8.ToArray()),
jsonSchemaIsStrict: true)
};
ChatCompletion completion = client.CompleteChat(messages, options);
using JsonDocument structuredJson = JsonDocument.Parse(completion.Content[0].Text);
Console.WriteLine($"Final answer: {structuredJson.RootElement.GetProperty("final_answer")}");
Console.WriteLine("Reasoning steps:");
foreach (JsonElement stepElement in structuredJson.RootElement.GetProperty("steps").EnumerateArray())
{
Console.WriteLine($" - Explanation: {stepElement.GetProperty("explanation")}");
Console.WriteLine($" Output: {stepElement.GetProperty("output")}");
}
```
## How to use chat completions with audio
Starting with the `gpt-4o-audio-preview` model, chat completions can process audio input and output.
This example demonstrates:
1. Configuring the client with the supported `gpt-4o-audio-preview` model
1. Supplying user audio input on a chat completion request
1. Requesting model audio output from the chat completion operation
1. Retrieving audio output from a `ChatCompletion` instance
1. Using past audio output as `ChatMessage` conversation history
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_ChatAudio
// Chat audio input and output is only supported on specific models, beginning with gpt-4o-audio-preview
ChatClient client = new("gpt-5.1", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_API_KEY"));
// Input audio is provided to a request by adding an audio content part to a user message
string audioFilePath = Path.Combine("Assets", "realtime_whats_the_weather_pcm16_24khz_mono.wav");
byte[] audioFileRawBytes = File.ReadAllBytes(audioFilePath);
BinaryData audioData = BinaryData.FromBytes(audioFileRawBytes);
List<ChatMessage> messages =
[
new UserChatMessage(ChatMessageContentPart.CreateInputAudioPart(audioData, ChatInputAudioFormat.Wav)),
];
// Output audio is requested by configuring ChatCompletionOptions to include the appropriate
// ResponseModalities values and corresponding AudioOptions.
ChatCompletionOptions options = new()
{
ResponseModalities = ChatResponseModalities.Text | ChatResponseModalities.Audio,
AudioOptions = new(ChatOutputAudioVoice.Alloy, ChatOutputAudioFormat.Mp3),
};
ChatCompletion completion = client.CompleteChat(messages, options);
void PrintAudioContent()
{
if (completion.OutputAudio is ChatOutputAudio outputAudio)
{
Console.WriteLine($"Response audio transcript: {outputAudio.Transcript}");
string outputFilePath = $"{outputAudio.Id}.mp3";
using (FileStream outputFileStream = File.OpenWrite(outputFilePath))
{
outputFileStream.Write(outputAudio.AudioBytes);
}
Console.WriteLine($"Response audio written to file: {outputFilePath}");
Console.WriteLine($"Valid on followup requests until: {outputAudio.ExpiresAt}");
}
}
PrintAudioContent();
// To refer to past audio output, create an assistant message from the earlier ChatCompletion, use the earlier
// response content part, or use ChatMessageContentPart.CreateAudioPart(string) to manually instantiate a part.
messages.Add(new AssistantChatMessage(completion));
messages.Add("Can you say that like a pirate?");
completion = client.CompleteChat(messages, options);
PrintAudioContent();
```
Streaming is highly parallel: `StreamingChatCompletionUpdate` instances can include a `OutputAudioUpdate` that may
contain any of:
- The `Id` of the streamed audio content, which can be referenced by subsequent `AssistantChatMessage` instances via `ChatAudioReference` once the streaming response is complete; this may appear across multiple `StreamingChatCompletionUpdate` instances but will always be the same value when present
- The `ExpiresAt` value that describes when the `Id` will no longer be valid for use with `ChatAudioReference` in subsequent requests; this typically appears once and only once, in the final `StreamingOutputAudioUpdate`
- Incremental `TranscriptUpdate` and/or `AudioBytesUpdate` values, which can incrementally consumed and, when concatenated, form the complete audio transcript and audio output for the overall response; many of these typically appear
## How to use responses with streaming and reasoning
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_ResponsesStreaming
ResponsesClient client = new(
apiKey: Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_API_KEY"));
CreateResponseOptions options = new()
{
Model = "gpt-5.1",
ReasoningOptions = new ResponseReasoningOptions()
{
ReasoningEffortLevel = ResponseReasoningEffortLevel.High,
},
};
options.InputItems.Add(ResponseItem.CreateUserMessageItem("What's the optimal strategy to win at poker?"));
ResponseResult response = await client.CreateResponseAsync(options);
CreateResponseOptions streamingOptions = new()
{
Model = "gpt-5.1",
ReasoningOptions = new ResponseReasoningOptions()
{
ReasoningEffortLevel = ResponseReasoningEffortLevel.High,
},
StreamingEnabled = true,
};
streamingOptions.InputItems.Add(ResponseItem.CreateUserMessageItem("What's the optimal strategy to win at poker?"));
await foreach (StreamingResponseUpdate update
in client.CreateResponseStreamingAsync(streamingOptions))
{
if (update is StreamingResponseOutputItemAddedUpdate itemUpdate
&& itemUpdate.Item is ReasoningResponseItem reasoningItem)
{
Console.WriteLine($"[Reasoning] ({reasoningItem.Status})");
}
else if (update is StreamingResponseOutputItemAddedUpdate itemDone
&& itemDone.Item is ReasoningResponseItem reasoningDone)
{
Console.WriteLine($"[Reasoning DONE] ({reasoningDone.Status})");
}
else if (update is StreamingResponseOutputTextDeltaUpdate delta)
{
Console.Write(delta.Delta);
}
}
```
## How to use responses with file search
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_ResponsesFileSearch
ResponsesClient client = new(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_API_KEY"));
string vectorStoreId = "vs-123";
ResponseTool fileSearchTool
= ResponseTool.CreateFileSearchTool(vectorStoreIds: [vectorStoreId]);
CreateResponseOptions options = new()
{
Model = "gpt-5.1",
Tools = { fileSearchTool }
};
options.InputItems.Add(ResponseItem.CreateUserMessageItem("According to available files, what's the secret number?"));
ResponseResult response = await client.CreateResponseAsync(options);
foreach (ResponseItem outputItem in response.OutputItems)
{
if (outputItem is FileSearchCallResponseItem fileSearchCall)
{
Console.WriteLine($"[file_search] ({fileSearchCall.Status}): {fileSearchCall.Id}");
foreach (string query in fileSearchCall.Queries)
{
Console.WriteLine($" - {query}");
}
}
else if (outputItem is MessageResponseItem message)
{
Console.WriteLine($"[{message.Role}] {message.Content.FirstOrDefault()?.Text}");
}
}
```
## How to use responses with web search
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_ResponsesWebSearch
ResponsesClient client = new(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_API_KEY"));
CreateResponseOptions options = new()
{
Model = "gpt-5.1",
Tools = { ResponseTool.CreateWebSearchTool() },
};
options.InputItems.Add(ResponseItem.CreateUserMessageItem("What's a happy news headline from today?"));
ResponseResult response = await client.CreateResponseAsync(options);
foreach (ResponseItem item in response.OutputItems)
{
if (item is WebSearchCallResponseItem webSearchCall)
{
Console.WriteLine($"[Web search invoked]({webSearchCall.Status}) {webSearchCall.Id}");
}
else if (item is MessageResponseItem message)
{
Console.WriteLine($"[{message.Role}] {message.Content?.FirstOrDefault()?.Text}");
}
}
```
## How to generate text embeddings
In this example, you want to create a trip-planning website that allows customers to write a prompt describing the kind of hotel that they are looking for and then offers hotel recommendations that closely match this description. To achieve this, it is possible to use text embeddings to measure the relatedness of text strings. In summary, you can get embeddings of the hotel descriptions, store them in a vector database, and use them to build a search index that you can query using the embedding of a given customer's prompt.
To generate a text embedding, use `EmbeddingClient` from the `OpenAI.Embeddings` namespace:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Embeddings
string description = "Best hotel in town if you like luxury hotels. They have an amazing infinity pool, a spa,"
+ " and a really helpful concierge. The location is perfect -- right downtown, close to all the tourist"
+ " attractions. We highly recommend this hotel.";
OpenAIEmbedding embedding = client.GenerateEmbedding(description);
ReadOnlyMemory<float> vector = embedding.ToFloats();
```
Notice that the resulting embedding is a list (also called a vector) of floating point numbers represented as an instance of `ReadOnlyMemory<float>`. By default, the length of the embedding vector will be 1536 when using the `text-embedding-3-small` model or 3072 when using the `text-embedding-3-large` model. Generally, larger embeddings perform better, but using them also tends to cost more in terms of compute, memory, and storage. You can reduce the dimensions of the embedding by creating an instance of the `EmbeddingGenerationOptions` class, setting the `Dimensions` property, and passing it as an argument in your call to the `GenerateEmbedding` method:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Embeddings_WithDimensions
string description = "Best hotel in town if you like luxury hotels.";
EmbeddingGenerationOptions options = new() { Dimensions = 512 };
OpenAIEmbedding embedding = client.GenerateEmbedding(description, options);
```
## How to generate images
In this example, you want to build an app to help interior designers prototype new ideas based on the latest design trends. As part of the creative process, an interior designer can use this app to generate images for inspiration simply by describing the scene in their head as a prompt. As expected, high-quality, strikingly dramatic images with finer details deliver the best results for this application.
To generate an image, use `ImageClient` from the `OpenAI.Images` namespace:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Images_CreateClient
ImageClient client = new("dall-e-3", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_API_KEY"));
```
Generating an image always requires a `prompt` that describes what should be generated. To further tailor the image generation to your specific needs, you can create an instance of the `ImageGenerationOptions` class and set the `Quality`, `Size`, and `Style` properties accordingly. Note that you can also set the `ResponseFormat` property of `ImageGenerationOptions` to `GeneratedImageFormat.Bytes` in order to receive the resulting PNG as `BinaryData` (instead of the default remote `Uri`) if this is convenient for your use case.
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Images_Options
string prompt = "The concept for a living room that blends Scandinavian simplicity with Japanese minimalism for"
+ " a serene and cozy atmosphere. It's a space that invites relaxation and mindfulness, with natural light"
+ " and fresh air. Using neutral tones, including colors like white, beige, gray, and black, that create a"
+ " sense of harmony. Featuring sleek wood furniture with clean lines and subtle curves to add warmth and"
+ " elegance. Plants and flowers in ceramic pots adding color and life to a space. They can serve as focal"
+ " points, creating a connection with nature. Soft textiles and cushions in organic fabrics adding comfort"
+ " and softness to a space. They can serve as accents, adding contrast and texture.";
ImageGenerationOptions options = new()
{
Quality = GeneratedImageQuality.High,
Size = GeneratedImageSize.W1792xH1024,
Style = GeneratedImageStyle.Vivid,
ResponseFormat = GeneratedImageFormat.Bytes
};
```
Finally, call the `ImageClient`'s `GenerateImage` method by passing the prompt and the `ImageGenerationOptions` instance as arguments:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Images_Generate
GeneratedImage image = client.GenerateImage(prompt, options);
BinaryData bytes = image.ImageBytes;
```
For illustrative purposes, you could then save the generated image to local storage:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Images_Save
using FileStream stream = File.OpenWrite($"{Guid.NewGuid()}.png");
bytes.ToStream().CopyTo(stream);
```
## How to transcribe audio
In this example, an audio file is transcribed using the Whisper speech-to-text model, including both word- and audio-segment-level timestamp information.
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Audio_Transcribe
AudioClient client = new("whisper-1", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_API_KEY"));
string audioFilePath = Path.Combine("Assets", "audio_houseplant_care.mp3");
AudioTranscriptionOptions options = new()
{
ResponseFormat = AudioTranscriptionFormat.Verbose,
TimestampGranularities = AudioTimestampGranularities.Word | AudioTimestampGranularities.Segment,
};
AudioTranscription transcription = client.TranscribeAudio(audioFilePath, options);
Console.WriteLine("Transcription:");
Console.WriteLine($"{transcription.Text}");
Console.WriteLine();
Console.WriteLine($"Words:");
foreach (TranscribedWord word in transcription.Words)
{
Console.WriteLine($" {word.Word,15} : {word.StartTime.TotalMilliseconds,5:0} - {word.EndTime.TotalMilliseconds,5:0}");
}
Console.WriteLine();
Console.WriteLine($"Segments:");
foreach (TranscribedSegment segment in transcription.Segments)
{
Console.WriteLine($" {segment.Text,90} : {segment.StartTime.TotalMilliseconds,5:0} - {segment.EndTime.TotalMilliseconds,5:0}");
}
```
## How to use assistants with retrieval augmented generation (RAG)
In this example, you have a JSON document with the monthly sales information of different products, and you want to build an assistant capable of analyzing it and answering questions about it.
To achieve this, use both `OpenAIFileClient` from the `OpenAI.Files` namespace and `AssistantClient` from the `OpenAI.Assistants` namespace.
Important: `AssistantClient` is attributed as `[Experimental]`. See [Experimental APIs](#experimental-apis) for what this designation means and how to acknowledge its compiler error.
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Assistants_CreateClients
OpenAIClient openAIClient = new(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_API_KEY"));
OpenAIFileClient fileClient = openAIClient.GetOpenAIFileClient();
AssistantClient assistantClient = openAIClient.GetAssistantClient();
```
Here is an example of what the JSON document might look like:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Assistants_Document
Stream document = BinaryData.FromBytes("""
{
"description": "This document contains the sale history data for Contoso products.",
"sales": [
{
"month": "January",
"by_product": {
"113043": 15,
"113045": 12,
"113049": 2
}
},
{
"month": "February",
"by_product": {
"113045": 22
}
},
{
"month": "March",
"by_product": {
"113045": 16,
"113055": 5
}
}
]
}
"""u8.ToArray()).ToStream();
```
Upload this document to OpenAI using the `OpenAIFileClient`'s `UploadFile` method, ensuring that you use `FileUploadPurpose.Assistants` to allow your assistant to access it later:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Assistants_UploadFile
OpenAIFile salesFile = fileClient.UploadFile(
document,
"monthly_sales.json",
FileUploadPurpose.Assistants);
```
Create a new assistant using an instance of the `AssistantCreationOptions` class to customize it. Here, we use:
- A friendly `Name` for the assistant, as will display in the Playground
- Tool definition instances for the tools that the assistant should have access to; here, we use `FileSearchToolDefinition` to process the sales document we just uploaded and `CodeInterpreterToolDefinition` so we can analyze and visualize the numeric data
- Resources for the assistant to use with its tools, here using the `VectorStoreCreationHelper` type to automatically make a new vector store that indexes the sales file; alternatively, you could use `VectorStoreClient` to manage the vector store separately
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Assistants_CreateAssistant
AssistantCreationOptions assistantOptions = new()
{
Name = "Example: Contoso sales RAG",
Instructions =
"You are an assistant that looks up sales data and helps visualize the information based"
+ " on user queries. When asked to generate a graph, chart, or other visualization, use"
+ " the code interpreter tool to do so.",
Tools =
{
new FileSearchToolDefinition(),
new CodeInterpreterToolDefinition(),
},
ToolResources = new()
{
FileSearch = new()
{
NewVectorStores =
{
new VectorStoreCreationHelper([salesFile.Id]),
}
}
},
};
Assistant assistant = assistantClient.CreateAssistant("gpt-5.1", assistantOptions);
```
Next, create a new thread. For illustrative purposes, you could include an initial user message asking about the sales information of a given product and then use the `AssistantClient`'s `CreateThreadAndRun` method to get it started:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Assistants_CreateThreadAndRun
ThreadCreationOptions threadOptions = new()
{
InitialMessages = { "How well did product 113045 sell in February? Graph its trend over time." }
};
ThreadRun threadRun = assistantClient.CreateThreadAndRun(assistant.Id, threadOptions);
```
Poll the status of the run until it is no longer queued or in progress:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Assistants_Poll
do
{
Thread.Sleep(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1));
threadRun = assistantClient.GetRun(threadRun.ThreadId, threadRun.Id);
} while (!threadRun.Status.IsTerminal);
```
If everything went well, the terminal status of the run will be `RunStatus.Completed`.
Finally, you can use the `AssistantClient`'s `GetMessages` method to retrieve the messages associated with this thread, which now include the responses from the assistant to the initial user message.
For illustrative purposes, you could print the messages to the console and also save any images produced by the assistant to local storage:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Assistants_GetMessages
CollectionResult<ThreadMessage> messages
= assistantClient.GetMessages(threadRun.ThreadId, new MessageCollectionOptions() { Order = MessageCollectionOrder.Ascending });
foreach (ThreadMessage message in messages)
{
Console.Write($"[{message.Role.ToString().ToUpper()}]: ");
foreach (MessageContent contentItem in message.Content)
{
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(contentItem.Text))
{
Console.WriteLine($"{contentItem.Text}");
if (contentItem.TextAnnotations.Count > 0)
{
Console.WriteLine();
}
// Include annotations, if any.
foreach (TextAnnotation annotation in contentItem.TextAnnotations)
{
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(annotation.InputFileId))
{
Console.WriteLine($"* File citation, file ID: {annotation.InputFileId}");
}
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(annotation.OutputFileId))
{
Console.WriteLine($"* File output, new file ID: {annotation.OutputFileId}");
}
}
}
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(contentItem.ImageFileId))
{
OpenAIFile imageInfo = fileClient.GetFile(contentItem.ImageFileId);
BinaryData imageBytes = fileClient.DownloadFile(contentItem.ImageFileId);
using FileStream stream = File.OpenWrite($"{imageInfo.Filename}.png");
imageBytes.ToStream().CopyTo(stream);
Console.WriteLine($"<image: {imageInfo.Filename}.png>");
}
}
Console.WriteLine();
}
```
And it would yield something like this:
```text
[USER]: How well did product 113045 sell in February? Graph its trend over time.
[ASSISTANT]: Product 113045 sold 22 units in February【4:0†monthly_sales.json】.
Now, I will generate a graph to show its sales trend over time.
* File citation, file ID: file-hGOiwGNftMgOsjbynBpMCPFn
[ASSISTANT]: <image: 015d8e43-17fe-47de-af40-280f25452280.png>
The sales trend for Product 113045 over the past three months shows that:
- In January, 12 units were sold.
- In February, 22 units were sold, indicating significant growth.
- In March, sales dropped slightly to 16 units.
The graph above visualizes this trend, showing a peak in sales during February.
```
## How to use assistants with streaming and vision
This example shows how to use the v2 Assistants API to provide image data to an assistant and then stream the run's response.
As before, you will use a `OpenAIFileClient` and an `AssistantClient`:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Assistants_Vision_CreateClients
OpenAIClient openAIClient = new(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_API_KEY"));
OpenAIFileClient fileClient = openAIClient.GetOpenAIFileClient();
AssistantClient assistantClient = openAIClient.GetAssistantClient();
```
For this example, we will use both image data from a local file as well as an image located at a URL. For the local data, we upload the file with the `Vision` upload purpose, which would also allow it to be downloaded and retrieved later.
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Assistants_Vision_UploadImage
OpenAIFile pictureOfAppleFile = fileClient.UploadFile(
Path.Combine("Assets", "images_apple.png"),
FileUploadPurpose.Vision);
Uri linkToPictureOfOrange = new("https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openai/openai-dotnet/refs/heads/main/examples/Assets/images_orange.png");
```
Next, create a new assistant with a vision-capable model like `gpt-4o` and a thread with the image information referenced:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Assistants_Vision_CreateAssistantAndThread
Assistant assistant = assistantClient.CreateAssistant(
"gpt-5.1",
new AssistantCreationOptions()
{
Instructions = "When asked a question, attempt to answer very concisely. "
+ "Prefer one-sentence answers whenever feasible."
});
AssistantThread thread = assistantClient.CreateThread(new ThreadCreationOptions()
{
InitialMessages =
{
new ThreadInitializationMessage(
OpenAI.Assistants.MessageRole.User,
[
"Hello, assistant! Please compare these two images for me:",
MessageContent.FromImageFileId(pictureOfAppleFile.Id),
MessageContent.FromImageUri(linkToPictureOfOrange),
]),
}
});
```
With the assistant and thread prepared, use the `CreateRunStreaming` method to get an enumerable `CollectionResult<StreamingUpdate>`. You can then iterate over this collection with `foreach`. For async calling patterns, use `CreateRunStreamingAsync` and iterate over the `AsyncCollectionResult<StreamingUpdate>` with `await foreach`, instead. Note that streaming variants also exist for `CreateThreadAndRunStreaming` and `SubmitToolOutputsToRunStreaming`.
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Assistants_Vision_CreateRunStreaming
CollectionResult<StreamingUpdate> streamingUpdates = assistantClient.CreateRunStreaming(
thread.Id,
assistant.Id,
new RunCreationOptions()
{
AdditionalInstructions = "When possible, try to sneak in puns if you're asked to compare things.",
});
```
Finally, to handle the `StreamingUpdates` as they arrive, you can use the `UpdateKind` property on the base `StreamingUpdate` and/or downcast to a specifically desired update type, like `MessageContentUpdate` for `thread.message.delta` events or `RequiredActionUpdate` for streaming tool calls.
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Assistants_Vision_HandleStreamingUpdates
foreach (StreamingUpdate streamingUpdate in streamingUpdates)
{
if (streamingUpdate.UpdateKind == StreamingUpdateReason.RunCreated)
{
Console.WriteLine($"--- Run started! ---");
}
if (streamingUpdate is MessageContentUpdate contentUpdate)
{
Console.Write(contentUpdate.Text);
}
}
```
This will yield streamed output from the run like the following:
```text
--- Run started! ---
The first image depicts a multicolored apple with a blend of red and green hues, while the second image shows an orange with a bright, textured orange peel; one might say it’s comparing apples to oranges!
```
## How to work with Azure OpenAI
Switching from OpenAI to Azure OpenAI is simple, and in most cases requires little to no code changes. To get started quickly, check out the starter kit at https://aka.ms/openai/start. If you want to understand how endpoint switching works, you can also read: https://aka.ms/openai/switch.
### Secure Access with Microsoft Entra ID (No API Keys)
The starter kit includes examples showing how to call Azure OpenAI securely using Microsoft Entra ID instead of API keys. This is the recommended approach for production scenarios. Here’s a direct link to the .NET sample using Entra ID in the starter kit: https://github.com/Azure-Samples/azure-openai-starter/blob/main/src/dotnet/responses_example_entra.cs
Below is the core pattern using the OpenAI SDK for .NET with Azure OpenAI + Entra ID:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_AzureOpenAI
var endpoint = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT")
?? throw new InvalidOperationException("AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT is required.");
var client = new ResponsesClient(
new BearerTokenPolicy(new DefaultAzureCredential(), "https://ai.azure.com/.default"),
new ResponsesClientOptions { Endpoint = new Uri($"{endpoint}/openai/v1/") }
);
var response = await client.CreateResponseAsync("gpt-5-mini", "Hello world!");
Console.WriteLine(response.Value.GetOutputText());
```
### Why this works
- One OpenAI SDK: You use the official OpenAI SDK for .NET. Azure OpenAI is just a different endpoint you point the client library to.
- Unified /openai/v1/ endpoint: Azure OpenAI uses the same path shape as OpenAI, so most client code can stay unchanged.
- Enterprise-ready auth: Azure Identity SDK with Microsoft Entra ID lets you access Azure OpenAI without storing secrets.
- Drop‑in model switching: Swap "gpt-5-mini" or any other model as long as the Azure model deployment has the same name as the model.
## Advanced scenarios
### Using mutual TLS
The API mTLS beta combines your API key with a client certificate. For how request authentication works, certificate requirements, activation, and supported API operations, see the [OpenAI Mutual TLS Beta Program](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/10876024-openai-mutual-tls-beta-program). To upload and activate the issuing CA programmatically, see the [Certificates API reference](https://developers.openai.com/api/reference/resources/admin/subresources/organization/subresources/certificates/).
Upload and activate the CA certificate that signs the client leaf; keep the leaf certificate and its private key in the PFX used by the application. Certificate-chain support is available by request and must be enabled for your organization. Without it, the leaf must be signed directly by the uploaded CA. When chain support is enabled, the PFX/PKCS#12 file must contain exactly one certificate with a private key—the leaf—and every intermediate certificate needed to build a chain to the uploaded CA.
Configure that bundle on a `SocketsHttpHandler`, then provide its `HttpClient` to the SDK through `HttpClientPipelineTransport`. This example uses `X509CertificateLoader`, available in .NET 9 and later.
Choose the base URL that matches your data residency:
| Scope | Base URL |
| --- | --- |
| Global | `https://mtls.api.openai.com/v1` |
| EU Data Residency | `https://mtls-eu.api.openai.com/v1` |
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_MutualTls
string pfxPath = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_CLIENT_PFX_PATH")
?? throw new InvalidOperationException("OPENAI_CLIENT_PFX_PATH is required.");
string apiKey = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_API_KEY")
?? throw new InvalidOperationException("OPENAI_API_KEY is required.");
X509Certificate2Collection certificates =
X509CertificateLoader.LoadPkcs12CollectionFromFile(
pfxPath,
Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_CLIENT_PFX_PASSWORD"));
try
{
X509Certificate2 clientCertificate =
certificates.Single(certificate => certificate.HasPrivateKey);
X509Certificate2Collection intermediateCertificates = new(
certificates
.Where(certificate => !certificate.HasPrivateKey)
.ToArray());
SslStreamCertificateContext certificateContext =
SslStreamCertificateContext.Create(
clientCertificate,
intermediateCertificates,
// Build the local chain without revocation network lookups.
offline: true);
SocketsHttpHandler handler = new()
{
// Do not automatically follow a redirect with a certificate-bearing handler.
AllowAutoRedirect = false,
};
handler.SslOptions.ClientCertificateContext = certificateContext;
using HttpClient httpClient = new(handler)
{
// Let the SDK pipeline enforce OpenAIClientOptions.NetworkTimeout.
Timeout = System.Threading.Timeout.InfiniteTimeSpan,
};
OpenAIClientOptions options = new()
{
Endpoint = new Uri("https://mtls.api.openai.com/v1"),
Transport = new HttpClientPipelineTransport(httpClient),
};
OpenAIClient client = new(
new ApiKeyCredential(apiKey),
options);
ChatCompletion completion = await client
.GetChatClient("gpt-4o-mini")
.CompleteChatAsync("Reply with exactly: mTLS request succeeded.");
}
finally
{
foreach (X509Certificate2 certificate in certificates)
{
certificate.Dispose();
}
}
```
Keep the `HttpClient` alive for as long as the OpenAI client uses it, and create a new handler, transport, and client when rotating the certificate so new TLS connections use the replacement credentials. This transport recipe applies to HTTP clients created from `OpenAIClient`; it does not configure Realtime WebSocket connections.
See the [complete mTLS example](examples/MutualTls/README.md) for setup and a runnable end-to-end request.
### Using protocol methods
In addition to the client methods that use strongly-typed request and response objects, the .NET library also provides _protocol methods_ that enable more direct access to the REST API. Protocol methods are "binary in, binary out" accepting `BinaryContent` as request bodies and providing `BinaryData` as response bodies.
For example, to use the protocol method variant of the `ChatClient`'s `CompleteChat` method, pass the request body as `BinaryContent`:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_ProtocolMethods
BinaryData input = BinaryData.FromBytes("""
{
"model": "gpt-5.1",
"messages": [
{
"role": "user",
"content": "Say 'this is a test.'"
}
]
}
"""u8.ToArray());
using BinaryContent content = BinaryContent.Create(input);
ClientResult result = client.CompleteChat(content);
BinaryData output = result.GetRawResponse().Content;
using JsonDocument outputAsJson = JsonDocument.Parse(output.ToString());
string message = outputAsJson.RootElement
.GetProperty("choices")[0]
.GetProperty("message")
.GetProperty("content")
.GetString();
Console.WriteLine($"[ASSISTANT]: {message}");
```
Notice how you can then call the resulting `ClientResult`'s `GetRawResponse` method and retrieve the response body as `BinaryData` via the `PipelineResponse`'s `Content` property.
### Mock a client for testing
The OpenAI .NET library has been designed to support mocking, providing key features such as:
- Client methods made virtual to allow overriding.
- Model factories to assist in instantiating API output models that lack public constructors.
To illustrate how mocking works, suppose you want to validate the behavior of the following method using the [Moq](https://github.com/devlooped/moq) library. Given the path to an audio file, it determines whether it contains a specified secret word:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Mocking_MethodUnderTest
bool ContainsSecretWord(AudioClient client, string audioFilePath, string secretWord)
{
AudioTranscription transcription = client.TranscribeAudio(audioFilePath);
return transcription.Text.Contains(secretWord);
}
```
Create mocks of `AudioClient` and `ClientResult<AudioTranscription>`, set up methods and properties that will be invoked, then test the behavior of the `ContainsSecretWord` method. Since the `AudioTranscription` class does not provide public constructors, it must be instantiated by the `OpenAIAudioModelFactory` static class:
```C# Snippet:ReadMe_Mocking_Test
// Instantiate mocks and the AudioTranscription object.
Mock<AudioClient> mockClient = new();
AudioTranscription transcription = OpenAIAudioModelFactory.AudioTranscription(text: "I swear I saw an apple flying yesterday!");
// Set up mocks' properties and methods.
mockClient
.Setup(client => client.TranscribeAudio(It.IsAny<string>()))
.Returns(ClientResult.FromValue(transcription, Mock.Of<PipelineResponse>()));
// Perform validation.
AudioClient client = mockClient.Object;
bool containsSecretWord = ContainsSecretWord(client, "<audioFilePath>", "apple");
Assert.That(containsSecretWord, Is.True);
```
All namespaces have their corresponding model factory to support mocking with the exception of the `OpenAI.Assistants` and `OpenAI.VectorStores` namespaces, for which model factories are coming soon.
### Automatically retrying errors
By default, the client classes will automatically retry the following errors up to three additional times using exponential backoff:
- 408 Request Timeout
- 429 Too Many Requests
- 500 Internal Server Error
- 502 Bad Gateway
- 503 Service Unavailable
- 504 Gateway Timeout
### Observability
OpenAI .NET library supports experimental distributed tracing and metrics with OpenTelemetry. Check out [Observability with OpenTelemetry](./docs/Observability.md) for more details.
### Telemetry and privacy
To help OpenAI understand which platforms the SDK runs on, requests include a small set of headers by default describing the library and the runtime that issued them:
| Header | Example |
| --- | --- |
| `X-Stainless-Lang` | `csharp` |
| `X-Stainless-Package-Version` | `2.12.0` |
| `X-Stainless-Runtime` | `dotnet` |
| `X-Stainless-Runtime-Version` | `8.0.11` |
| `X-Stainless-OS` | `Windows` |
| `X-Stainless-Arch` | `x64` |
These restate, in a machine-parseable form, information already present in the `User-Agent` header the library has always sent, plus the process CPU architecture. They contain no user names, machine names, file paths, or persistent identifiers, and nothing that is unique to you or to your installation: every value is derived locally, and two installations of the same package version on the same platform and runtime send byte-for-byte identical values.
To turn this off, set the `OPENAI_DISABLE_TELEMETRY` environment variable to `true`, or set the corresponding context switch in your application code before creating any clients:
```csharp
AppContext.SetSwitch("OpenAI.DisableTelemetry", true);
```
Opting out suppresses both these headers and the `User-Agent` header that the library adds. It does not affect the `Authorization`, `OpenAI-Organization`, or `OpenAI-Project` headers, and a `User-Agent` you supply yourself is still sent.
See [Telemetry and privacy](./docs/Observability.md#telemetry-and-privacy) for the full contract.