reference

Responses API

After this page you should know what this surface is for, which source files own the behavior, which public route or adjacent page to use next, and which validation command to run before changing the claim. Public route:

PublicSource-ownedMarkdown export

HELM Decision PathEvery governed call produces receipts that can be inspected, exported, and verified.

Audience

Outcome

Source Truth

Public route: product/responses-api
Source document: helm-ai-enterprise/docs/public/product/responses-api.md
Public manifest: helm-ai-enterprise/docs/public-docs.manifest.json
Source inventory: helm-ai-enterprise/docs/source-inventory.manifest.json
Validation: corepack pnpm run docs:coverage, corepack pnpm run docs:truth, and npm run coverage:inventory from docs-platform

Do not expand this page with unsupported product, SDK, deployment, compliance, or integration claims unless the inventory manifest points to code, schemas, tests, examples, or an owner doc that proves the claim.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	First check
A link or route is missing from the docs website	Check `docs/public-docs.manifest.json`, `llms.txt`, search, and the per-page Markdown export before changing navigation.
A claim is not backed by code or tests	Remove the claim or add the missing code, example, schema, or validation command before publishing.

Position

HELM currently implements the OpenAI Chat Completions API (/v1/chat/completions) as its proxy compatibility layer. This is the industry-standard API used by the majority of AI agent frameworks.

Responses API (2025+)

OpenAI introduced the Responses API as a successor to Chat Completions, adding native tool orchestration, multi-turn state management, and built-in retrieval.

HELM's Stance

Aspect	Position
Chat Completions API	Fully supported — indefinite support, no deprecation planned
Responses API	Tracked — monitoring adoption across the ecosystem
Migration timeline	No near-term migration — will implement when ecosystem adoption reaches critical mass
Breaking changes	None — Chat Completions compatibility is a core contract

Rationale

HELM's value is orthogonal — HELM's security layer (Guardian, receipts, ProofGraph) operates at a layer below the API surface. The same governance applies regardless of the API format.
Ecosystem inertia — As of early 2026, Chat Completions remains the dominant API across providers (Anthropic, Google, Mistral, Cohere).
Clean separation — When/if HELM adds Responses API support, it will be an additional endpoint, not a replacement for Chat Completions.

What This Means for Integrators

No action required — Continue using /v1/chat/completions
Tool use — Pass tools array in the request body; HELM's Guardian validates and signs tool calls before execution
Future-proofing — HELM will announce Responses API support with a minimum 6-month notice period

Missing Parameters (Tracked)

The following Chat Completions parameters are not yet proxied by HELM:

Parameter	Status	Priority
`tool_choice`	Planned	P1
`parallel_tool_calls`	Planned	P1
`response_format`	Planned	P1
`logprobs`	Not planned	P2
`top_logprobs`	Not planned	P2

These parameters are pass-through to upstream providers and do not affect HELM's security guarantees. Implementation is tracked in the API conformance backlog.

Diagram

Diagram1. Ingestion & Context Plane -> Responses API Migration Stance -> Position -> Responses API (2025+) -> Missing Parameters (Tracked) -> Reader outcome

flowchart TD
    subgraph Ingestion["1. Ingestion & Context Plane"]
        source["Responses API Migration Stance"]
        s0["Position"]
        s1["Responses API (2025+)"]
        s2["Missing Parameters (Tracked)"]
        output["Reader outcome"]
    end

    %% Operational Flow Edges
    source --> s0
    s0 --> s1
    s1 --> s2
    s2 --> output

    %% Premium Styling Rules

Mermaid source

flowchart TD
    subgraph Ingestion["1. Ingestion & Context Plane"]
        source["Responses API Migration Stance"]
        s0["Position"]
        s1["Responses API (2025+)"]
        s2["Missing Parameters (Tracked)"]
        output["Reader outcome"]
    end

    %% Operational Flow Edges
    source --> s0
    s0 --> s1
    s1 --> s2
    s2 --> output

    %% Premium Styling Rules