OpenAI Assistants API will be deprecated in August 2026, what happens to Azure OpenAI?

Question

As for this page, the api will be deprecated soon.

https://platform.openai.com/docs/assistants/migration

What will happens to Azure OpenAI Assistants?

Answer 1

Hi Lorenzo,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A and Thank you for reaching out.

OpenAI has announced that its Assistants API will be deprecated on August 26, 2026. This API allowed developers to build AI agents with memory, tools, and file handling. OpenAI is transitioning developers to a new architecture called the Responses API, which offers more flexibility and better performance for multi-step workflows and tool integrations.

The migration guide provided by OpenAI outlines how developers should shift from the Assistants API to the Responses API. The new system supports persistent threads, tool calling, and file handling, but with a different structure. Developers using OpenAI’s platform directly will need to update their implementations before the deprecation date.

Azure OpenAI Service, provided by Microsoft, is not impacted by this deprecation. Azure OpenAI does not use the Assistants API from OpenAI’s platform. Instead, it offers its own endpoints for chat completions, embeddings, and other model capabilities. Microsoft has not announced any changes related to this deprecation, and users of Azure OpenAI can continue building assistants and agents as usual.

If you’re building with OpenAI’s platform directly, you’ll need to migrate to the Responses API before August 2026. If you’re using Azure OpenAI, no action is required at this time. Microsoft will provide updates if any changes are planned, but currently, Azure OpenAI remains stable and unaffected.

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