Model status uncertainty in modelsList API

Problem:

The current /v1/models API returns all models (active, deprecated, preview, legacy) with no clear distinction.

Example current response:

{

“id”: “gpt-4.5-preview”,

“created”: 1690000000,

“owned_by”: “openai”

}

Issue:

• No way to know if a model is active or deprecated

• Developers must manually filter using naming conventions

• Leads to confusion and risk of using outdated models

Context:

OpenAI docs mention deprecations separately, but the API itself does not expose lifecycle info.

Suggested improvement:

{

“id”: “gpt-5.2”,

“lifecycle”: “active”, // active | deprecated | retired | preview

“created”: 1690000000,

“owned_by”: “openai”

}

Impact:

• Cleaner developer experience

• Safer production usage

• Eliminates fragile string-based filtering

• Aligns with standard API lifecycle practices

Current workaround:

Developers must maintain allow-lists or filter by name patterns (e.g. “preview”, “legacy”), which is brittle.

Ask: Can we expose lifecycle metadata or a “recommended models” subset directly in the API?