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# Semantic conventions for OpenAI client operations

**Status**: [Development][DocumentStatus]

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- [Spans](#spans)
  - [Inference](#inference)
  - [Embeddings](#embeddings)
- [Metrics](#metrics)
  - [Metric: `gen_ai.client.token.usage`](#metric-gen_aiclienttokenusage)
  - [Metric: `gen_ai.client.operation.duration`](#metric-gen_aiclientoperationduration)

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> [!Warning]
>
> Existing GenAI instrumentations that are using
> [v1.36.0 of this document](https://github.com/open-telemetry/semantic-conventions/blob/v1.36.0/docs/gen-ai/README.md)
> (or prior):
>
> * SHOULD NOT change the version of the GenAI conventions that they emit by default.
>   Conventions include, but are not limited to, attributes, metric, span and event names,
>   span kind and unit of measure.
> * SHOULD introduce an environment variable `OTEL_SEMCONV_STABILITY_OPT_IN`
>   as a comma-separated list of category-specific values. The list of values
>   includes:
>   * `gen_ai_latest_experimental` - emit the latest experimental version of
>     GenAI conventions (supported by the instrumentation) and do not emit the
>     old one (v1.36.0 or prior).
>   * The default behavior is to continue emitting whatever version of the GenAI
>     conventions the instrumentation was emitting (1.36.0 or prior).
>
> This transition plan will be updated to include stable version before the
> GenAI conventions are marked as stable.

The Semantic Conventions for [OpenAI](https://openai.com/) extend and override the [Gen AI Semantic Conventions](/docs/gen-ai/README.md).

## Spans

`gen_ai.provider.name` MUST be set to `"openai"`.

### Inference

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**Status:** ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue)

Semantic Conventions for [OpenAI](https://openai.com/) client spans extend and override the semantic conventions for [Gen AI Spans](gen-ai-spans.md).

`gen_ai.provider.name` MUST be set to `"openai"` and SHOULD be provided **at span creation time**.

**Span name** SHOULD be `{gen_ai.operation.name} {gen_ai.request.model}`.

**Span kind** SHOULD be `CLIENT`.

**Span status** SHOULD follow the [Recording Errors](/docs/general/recording-errors.md) document.

| Attribute  | Type | Description  | Examples  | [Requirement Level](https://opentelemetry.io/docs/specs/semconv/general/attribute-requirement-level/) | Stability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [`gen_ai.operation.name`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | string | The name of the operation being performed. [1] | `chat`; `generate_content`; `text_completion` | `Required` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`gen_ai.request.model`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | string | The name of the GenAI model a request is being made to. [2] | `gpt-4` | `Required` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`error.type`](/docs/registry/attributes/error.md) | string | Describes a class of error the operation ended with. [3] | `timeout`; `java.net.UnknownHostException`; `server_certificate_invalid`; `500` | `Conditionally Required` if the operation ended in an error | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |
| [`gen_ai.conversation.id`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | string | The unique identifier for a conversation (session, thread), used to store and correlate messages within this conversation. [4] | `conv_5j66UpCpwteGg4YSxUnt7lPY` | `Conditionally Required` when available | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`gen_ai.output.type`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | string | Represents the content type requested by the client. [5] | `text`; `json`; `image` | `Conditionally Required` [6] | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`gen_ai.request.choice.count`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | int | The target number of candidate completions to return. | `3` | `Conditionally Required` if available, in the request, and !=1 | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`gen_ai.request.seed`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | int | Requests with same seed value more likely to return same result. | `100` | `Conditionally Required` if applicable and if the request includes a seed | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`openai.request.service_tier`](/docs/registry/attributes/openai.md) | string | The service tier requested. May be a specific tier, default, or auto. | `auto`; `default` | `Conditionally Required` [7] | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`openai.response.service_tier`](/docs/registry/attributes/openai.md) | string | The service tier used for the response. | `scale`; `default` | `Conditionally Required` [8] | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`server.port`](/docs/registry/attributes/server.md) | int | GenAI server port. [9] | `80`; `8080`; `443` | `Conditionally Required` If `server.address` is set. | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |
| [`gen_ai.request.frequency_penalty`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | double | The frequency penalty setting for the GenAI request. | `0.1` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`gen_ai.request.max_tokens`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | int | The maximum number of tokens the model generates for a request. | `100` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`gen_ai.request.presence_penalty`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | double | The presence penalty setting for the GenAI request. | `0.1` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`gen_ai.request.stop_sequences`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | string[] | List of sequences that the model will use to stop generating further tokens. | `["forest", "lived"]` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`gen_ai.request.temperature`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | double | The temperature setting for the GenAI request. | `0.0` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`gen_ai.request.top_p`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | double | The top_p sampling setting for the GenAI request. | `1.0` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`gen_ai.response.finish_reasons`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | string[] | Array of reasons the model stopped generating tokens, corresponding to each generation received. | `["stop"]`; `["stop", "length"]` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`gen_ai.response.id`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | string | The unique identifier for the completion. | `chatcmpl-123` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`gen_ai.response.model`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | string | The name of the model that generated the response. [10] | `gpt-4-0613` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`gen_ai.usage.input_tokens`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | int | The number of tokens used in the GenAI input (prompt). | `100` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`gen_ai.usage.output_tokens`](/docs/registry/attributes/gen-ai.md) | int | The number of tokens used in the GenAI response (completion). | `180` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`openai.response.system_fingerprint`](/docs/registry/attributes/openai.md) | string | A fingerprint to track any eventual change in the Generative AI environment. | `fp_44709d6fcb` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`server.address`](/docs/registry/attributes/server.md) | string | GenAI server address. [11] | `example.com`; `10.1.2.80`; `/tmp/my.sock` | `Recommended` | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |

**[1] `gen_ai.operation.name`:** If one of the predefined values applies, but specific system uses a different name it's RECOMMENDED to document it in the semantic conventions for specific GenAI system and use system-specific name in the instrumentation. If a different name is not documented, instrumentation libraries SHOULD use applicable predefined value.

**[2] `gen_ai.request.model`:** The name of the GenAI model a request is being made to. If the model is supplied by a vendor, then the value must be the exact name of the model requested. If the model is a fine-tuned custom model, the value should have a more specific name than the base model that's been fine-tuned.

**[3] `error.type`:** The `error.type` SHOULD match the error code returned by the Generative AI provider or the client library,
the canonical name of exception that occurred, or another low-cardinality error identifier.
Instrumentations SHOULD document the list of errors they report.

**[4] `gen_ai.conversation.id`:** Instrumentations SHOULD populate conversation id when they have it readily available
for a given operation, for example:

-  when client framework being instrumented manages conversation history
(see [LlamaIndex chat store](https://docs.llamaindex.ai/en/stable/module_guides/storing/chat_stores/))

- when instrumenting GenAI client libraries that maintain conversation on the backend side
(see [AWS Bedrock agent sessions](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/bedrock/latest/userguide/agents-session-state.html),
[OpenAI Assistant threads](https://platform.openai.com/docs/api-reference/threads))

Application developers that manage conversation history MAY add conversation id to GenAI and other
spans or logs using custom span or log record processors or hooks provided by instrumentation
libraries.

**[5] `gen_ai.output.type`:** This attribute SHOULD be set to the output type requested by the client:
- `json` for structured outputs with defined or undefined schema
- `image` for image output
- `speech` for speech output
- `text` for plain text output

The attribute specifies the output modality and not the actual output format.
For example, if an image is requested, the actual output could be a
URL pointing to an image file.

Additional output format details may be recorded in the future in the
`gen_ai.output.{type}.*` attributes.

**[6] `gen_ai.output.type`:** when applicable and if the request includes an output format.

**[7] `openai.request.service_tier`:** if the request includes a service_tier and the value is not 'auto'

**[8] `openai.response.service_tier`:** if the response was received and includes a service_tier

**[9] `server.port`:** When observed from the client side, and when communicating through an intermediary, `server.port` SHOULD represent the server port behind any intermediaries, for example proxies, if it's available.

**[10] `gen_ai.response.model`:** If available. The name of the GenAI model that provided the response. If the model is supplied by a vendor, then the value must be the exact name of the model actually used. If the model is a fine-tuned custom model, the value should have a more specific name than the base model that's been fine-tuned.

**[11] `server.address`:** When observed from the client side, and when communicating through an intermediary, `server.address` SHOULD represent the server address behind any intermediaries, for example proxies, if it's available.

---

`error.type` has the following list of well-known values. If one of them applies, then the respective value MUST be used; otherwise, a custom value MAY be used.

| Value  | Description | Stability |
|---|---|---|
| `_OTHER` | A fallback error value to be used when the instrumentation doesn't define a custom value. | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |

---

`gen_ai.operation.name` has the following list of well-known values. If one of them applies, then the respective value MUST be used; otherwise, a custom value MAY be used.

| Value  | Description | Stability |
|---|---|---|
| `chat` | Chat completion operation such as [OpenAI Chat API](https://platform.openai.com/docs/api-reference/chat) | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| `create_agent` | Create GenAI agent | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| `embeddings` | Embeddings operation such as [OpenAI Create embeddings API](https://platform.openai.com/docs/api-reference/embeddings/create) | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| `execute_tool` | Execute a tool | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| `generate_content` | Multimodal content generation operation such as [Gemini Generate Content](https://ai.google.dev/api/generate-content) | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| `invoke_agent` | Invoke GenAI agent | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| `text_completion` | Text completions operation such as [OpenAI Completions API (Legacy)](https://platform.openai.com/docs/api-reference/completions) | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |

---

`gen_ai.output.type` has the following list of well-known values. If one of them applies, then the respective value MUST be used; otherwise, a custom value MAY be used.

| Value  | Description | Stability |
|---|---|---|
| `image` | Image | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| `json` | JSON object with known or unknown schema | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| `speech` | Speech | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| `text` | Plain text | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |

---

`openai.request.service_tier` has the following list of well-known values. If one of them applies, then the respective value MUST be used; otherwise, a custom value MAY be used.

| Value  | Description | Stability |
|---|---|---|
| `auto` | The system will utilize scale tier credits until they are exhausted. | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| `default` | The system will utilize the default scale tier. | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |

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### Embeddings

See [common embeddings span definition](./gen-ai-spans.md#embeddings).

## Metrics

OpenAI metrics follow [Generative AI metrics](gen-ai-metrics.md) with the noted additional attributes.
Individual systems may include additional system-specific attributes. It is recommended to check system-specific documentation, if available.

### Metric: `gen_ai.client.token.usage`

Reports the usage of tokens following the common [gen_ai.client.token.usage](./gen-ai-metrics.md#metric-gen_aiclienttokenusage) definition.

Additional attributes:

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| Attribute  | Type | Description  | Examples  | [Requirement Level](https://opentelemetry.io/docs/specs/semconv/general/attribute-requirement-level/) | Stability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [`openai.response.service_tier`](/docs/registry/attributes/openai.md) | string | The service tier used for the response. | `scale`; `default` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`openai.response.system_fingerprint`](/docs/registry/attributes/openai.md) | string | A fingerprint to track any eventual change in the Generative AI environment. | `fp_44709d6fcb` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |

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### Metric: `gen_ai.client.operation.duration`

Measures the to complete an operation following the common [gen_ai.client.operation.duration](./gen-ai-metrics.md#metric-gen_aiclientoperationduration) definition.

Additional attributes:

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| Attribute  | Type | Description  | Examples  | [Requirement Level](https://opentelemetry.io/docs/specs/semconv/general/attribute-requirement-level/) | Stability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [`openai.response.service_tier`](/docs/registry/attributes/openai.md) | string | The service tier used for the response. | `scale`; `default` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`openai.response.system_fingerprint`](/docs/registry/attributes/openai.md) | string | A fingerprint to track any eventual change in the Generative AI environment. | `fp_44709d6fcb` | `Recommended` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |

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[DocumentStatus]: https://opentelemetry.io/docs/specs/otel/document-status
