How to easy · 3 min read

How to delete an OpenAI assistant

Q: How to delete an OpenAI assistant

To delete an OpenAI assistant, use the client.assistants.delete() method from the OpenAI Python SDK v1, passing the assistant's unique ID. This requires initializing OpenAI with your API key and specifying the correct assistant ID.

Quick answer

To delete an OpenAI assistant, use the client.assistants.delete() method from the OpenAI Python SDK v1, passing the assistant's unique ID. This requires initializing OpenAI with your API key and specifying the correct assistant ID.

PREREQUISITES

Python 3.8+
OpenAI API key (free tier works)
pip install openai>=1.0

Setup

Install the latest OpenAI Python SDK and set your API key as an environment variable.

Run pip install openai>=1.0 to install the SDK.
Set your API key in your environment: export OPENAI_API_KEY='your_api_key' (Linux/macOS) or setx OPENAI_API_KEY "your_api_key" (Windows).

bash

pip install openai>=1.0

Step by step

Use the following Python code to delete an OpenAI assistant by its ID. Replace assistant_id with the actual assistant identifier.

python

import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(api_key=os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"])

assistant_id = "your-assistant-id"

response = client.assistants.delete(id=assistant_id)
print("Deleted assistant:", response)

output

Deleted assistant: {'id': 'your-assistant-id', 'deleted': True}

Common variations

You can delete assistants asynchronously using asyncio with the OpenAI SDK or delete multiple assistants in a loop. The model parameter is not required for deletion.

python

import os
import asyncio
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(api_key=os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"])

async def delete_assistant(assistant_id: str):
    response = await client.assistants.delete(id=assistant_id)
    print(f"Deleted assistant {assistant_id}:", response)

async def main():
    assistant_ids = ["assistant-id-1", "assistant-id-2"]
    await asyncio.gather(*(delete_assistant(aid) for aid in assistant_ids))

asyncio.run(main())

output

Deleted assistant assistant-id-1: {'id': 'assistant-id-1', 'deleted': True}
Deleted assistant assistant-id-2: {'id': 'assistant-id-2', 'deleted': True}

Troubleshooting

If you get a 404 Not Found error, verify the assistant_id is correct and the assistant exists.
If you see 401 Unauthorized, check your API key is set correctly in OPENAI_API_KEY.
Ensure you have permission to delete the assistant; some assistants may be protected or require specific scopes.

✅

Key Takeaways

Use client.assistants.delete(id=assistant_id) to delete an OpenAI assistant.
Always set your API key securely via environment variables.
Check for correct assistant ID and permissions to avoid errors.

Verified 2026-04 · gpt-4o

Verify ↗