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How to list available OpenAI models in python

Q: How to list available OpenAI models in python

Use the OpenAI Python SDK v1 to list available models by calling client.models.list(). This returns a list of all accessible models, including their IDs and details.

Quick answer

Use the OpenAI Python SDK v1 to list available models by calling client.models.list(). This returns a list of all accessible models, including their IDs and details.

PREREQUISITES

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

Setup

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

Run pip install openai 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

Step by step

Use the OpenAI client to list all available models. The models.list() method returns metadata about each model.

python

import os
from openai import OpenAI

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

response = client.models.list()

for model in response.data:
    print(f"Model ID: {model.id}")

output

Model ID: gpt-4o
Model ID: gpt-4o-mini
Model ID: gpt-4o
Model ID: o1
Model ID: o1-mini
Model ID: o3-mini
...

Common variations

You can also retrieve detailed model info by ID using client.models.retrieve(model_id). For asynchronous usage, use asyncio with the SDK's async client. Different SDKs like Anthropic or LangChain have their own methods to list models.

python

import asyncio
from openai import OpenAI

async def list_models_async():
    client = OpenAI(api_key=os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"])
    response = await client.models.list()
    for model in response.data:
        print(f"Async Model ID: {model.id}")

asyncio.run(list_models_async())

output

Async Model ID: gpt-4o
Async Model ID: gpt-4o-mini
Async Model ID: gpt-4o
...

Troubleshooting

If you get an authentication error, verify your OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable is set correctly. If the list is empty or incomplete, check your API plan and permissions. Network errors may require retry logic or checking your internet connection.

✅

Key Takeaways

Use client.models.list() from the OpenAI Python SDK v1 to get all available models.
Always set your API key securely via environment variables, never hardcode it.
You can retrieve detailed info for a specific model with client.models.retrieve(model_id).
Async calls are supported with Python's asyncio and the OpenAI SDK.
Check API key and network if you encounter authentication or connectivity issues.

Verified 2026-04 · gpt-4o, gpt-4o-mini, o1, o1-mini, o3-mini

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