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Documentation Index

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The OpenAI provider supports two complementary configuration paths. For most applications the fastest approach is to set environment variables — the provider picks them up automatically and you write zero configuration code. When you need runtime control (different keys per request, proxy URLs, or multiple provider instances), pass an options array directly to OpenAI::create(), which returns an OpenAIProvider instance and stores it as the package-wide default.

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Environment Variables

Place these variables in your .env file or server environment before the SDK is first used. The provider reads them lazily on the first call, so no explicit bootstrap step is required.
VariableDescriptionDefault
OPENAI_API_KEYAPI key used for authentication.Required
OPENAI_BASE_URLBase URL for all API requests. Override to route through a proxy or use Azure OpenAI.https://api.openai.com/v1
OPENAI_ORGANIZATIONOpenAI Organization ID sent as the OpenAI-Organization request header.None
Never commit API keys to source control. Use environment variables or a secrets manager such as Laravel’s encrypted .env, AWS Secrets Manager, or HashiCorp Vault.

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Programmatic Configuration

Call OpenAI::create() with an options array to override any environment variable at runtime. The call both creates an OpenAIProvider instance and registers it as the default, so subsequent calls to OpenAI::model() automatically use it. 
$provider = OpenAI::create([
    'apiKey'       => 'sk-...',
    'baseUrl'      => 'https://api.openai.com/v1',
    'organization' => 'org-...',
    'headers'      => ['X-Custom-Header' => 'value'],
]);
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apiKey
string
required
Your OpenAI API key. When omitted, falls back to the OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable. The value is sent as a Bearer token in the Authorization header on every request.
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baseUrl
string
default:"https://api.openai.com/v1"
Base URL for API requests. Trailing slashes are stripped automatically. Override this value to route traffic through an HTTP proxy, a corporate gateway, or an Azure OpenAI endpoint.
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organization
string
OpenAI Organization ID. When provided, the value is attached to every request as the OpenAI-Organization header, allowing usage to be attributed to the correct organization in your OpenAI dashboard.
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headers
array<string, string>
An associative array of additional HTTP headers merged into every outbound request. Useful for tracing, rate-limit routing, or any custom gateway requirements. Example: ['X-Request-Source' => 'my-app'].

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Setting a Default Model

After configuring the provider, you can register a default model with Generate::model(). Every subsequent Generate::text() call that omits an explicit model will use it, keeping individual calls concise. 
use AiSdk\Generate;
use AiSdk\OpenAI;

Generate::model(OpenAI::model('gpt-4o'));

$result = Generate::text('Explain closures in PHP.')->run();

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Multiple Providers

OpenAI::create() returns an OpenAIProvider instance. Store that instance to manage multiple configurations side by side — for example, a production key and a lower-cost key for background tasks. 
use AiSdk\Generate;
use AiSdk\OpenAI;

$primary = OpenAI::create(['apiKey' => 'sk-primary...']);
$economy = OpenAI::create(['apiKey' => 'sk-economy...']);

// Use a specific provider instance directly on a request:
$result = Generate::text('Summarise this article.')
    ->model($economy->textModel('gpt-4o-mini'))
    ->run();
Call OpenAI::reset() to clear the stored singleton default — useful in test suites between test cases to prevent state leaking between tests. 
OpenAI::reset();

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