Lightweight reasoning model for mathematics, science, and coding tasks
o3-mini is a small reasoning model built by OpenAI for technical tasks, focused on mathematics, science, coding, and multi-step logic problems. It offers adjustable reasoning effort and supports function calling, structured outputs, and streaming responses, making it suitable for integration into coding assistants, problem-solving applications, and technical analysis workflows. On this platform, you can choose standard chat, Responses, or managed sessions as needed.
import os
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
api_key=os.environ["ACEDATACLOUD_API_KEY"],
base_url="https://api.acedata.cloud/v1",
)
response = client.responses.create(
model="o3-mini",
input="Hello!",
)
print(response.output_text)
Choose an available protocol for this model. OpenAI SDK uses a Base URL ending in /v1; Anthropic SDK uses the root URL. See each guide for protocol-specific parameters, tools and response formats.
Specifications and interface features
Clarify capacity, input/output, and invocation methods before selecting a model.
Input and output
Text questions, code, and conversation history as input; text responses as output
Native reasoning control
Three levels: low, medium, and high
Structured output
Supports Structured Outputs; Chat Completions provides the json_schema setting
Function calling
Supports function definitions, call parameter generation, and tool result feedback
Messages and responses
Supports developer messages and streaming output
Vision capability
Does not support image understanding
Invocation methods
Chat Completions, Responses, AI Chat, and AI Chat v2
Native capabilities apply to o3-mini; each endpoint uses messages, input, or question to structure requests, and general service parameters do not mean all are supported by this model.
Core capabilities
Learn what o3-mini can bring to your work.
Apply reasoning resources to technical challenges
o3-mini focuses on reasoning in mathematics, science, and programming, rather than merely generating fluent text. For problems involving multiple conditions, you can ask it to organize solution steps, explain assumptions, and provide verification methods. When using it, clearly specify variables, units, and constraints to make it easier to obtain verifiable technical answers.
Adjust reasoning intensity by task difficulty
low, medium, and high allow the same model to adapt to tasks of varying complexity. For routine code explanations, start with low; for analyses involving multiple constraints, start with medium; and try high for difficult problems. Increasing intensity is a choice to invest more in reasoning; it does not mean you will get better answers every time, nor does it mean longer responses are required.
Bring answers into program workflows
Function calling and structured outputs make o3-mini suitable for handling analysis steps in applications. You can define function names and parameters for the model to generate calling recommendations; you can also specify a JSON structure to receive classifications, repair recommendations, or problem-solving results. Tool execution and result validation remain the application's responsibility; operations are not completed automatically merely because call parameters are generated.
Use cases
Start with specific tasks to find where the model can be effective.
Code debugging and repair recommendations
Provide relevant code, error logs, expected behavior, and runtime conditions, and let o3-mini analyze possible causes and produce modification plans and test case recommendations. It is suitable for identifying algorithm boundary issues, missing conditions, and implementation logic problems. Fixes that need to be run in practice should be validated in a test environment rather than deploying generated code directly to production.
Mathematics and science problem-solving guidance
Submit the text of the problem, formulas, known conditions, and your own attempted solution process, and let the model provide solution explanations, compare different methods, or check for gaps in derivations. Deliverables can include step-by-step explanations, a list of assumptions, and verification approaches. If the problem comes from an image, convert it to text first and retain necessary descriptions of symbols, units, and geometric relationships.
Technical rule and constraint analysis
Organize business rules, configuration conditions, or algorithm requirements into text, and let o3-mini analyze relationships between conditions and generate decision tables, explanations of exception branches, or structured inspection results. It is suitable for technical analysis with clear inputs and acceptance criteria; when using JSON output, define fields and allowed values first, then perform programmatic validation.
How to Choose This Model
Choose based on task complexity, input materials, and expected results.
Upgrade Technical Tasks from o1-mini
If you previously used o1-mini for code, math, or science problems, o3-mini is worth considering as a replacement. OpenAI's published evaluations show improvements in answer accuracy and clarity in these areas, along with support for function calling, structured outputs, and developer messages. Test it with your own problem sets, code samples, and formatting requirements before deciding the scope of migration.
How to Choose Between o1 and High-Intensity Options
For technical problems where you want flexible control over reasoning effort, choose o3-mini; for broader general-knowledge reasoning, consider o1. In some technical evaluations, o3-mini at the medium setting performs close to o1, but this should not be taken to mean they are equivalent for all tasks. o3-mini-high is the high-intensity option in ChatGPT; here, use o3-mini with high rather than switching to that name.
Get Started
Move from a small-scale task to full integration.
01
Prepare Tasks and Materials
Define objectives, required inputs, and output requirements, using real business examples as a starting point.
02
Try It in the API Playground
Open the playground, confirm the parameters supported by this entry point, then submit a small-scale task to review the results.
03
Integrate According to the API Documentation
Keep the full model ID, use the request format specified in the documentation, and confirm billing rules on the Pricing page.
Limitations
Understand output quality and capability boundaries before production use.
o3-mini does not support vision understanding and cannot reason directly from screenshots, photos, or scanned pages. For math problems with images, interface errors, and chart analysis, first extract the text and provide key relationships; if the task must preserve spatial or visual information, choose a model that supports vision.
Reasoning answers may still contain calculation errors, omitted conditions, or incorrect code assumptions. Verify math results through substitution or independent calculation, and run tests on repair suggestions. Especially for problems with incomplete information, ask the model to state its assumptions clearly rather than treating filled-in conditions as known facts.
Function-calling capability does not mean built-in code execution, and text reasoning does not mean automatic access to the latest information. Basic requests require the application to arrange tool execution and feed results back; tool permissions, data reads, and write operations should be configured according to the chosen workflow and cannot be guaranteed through prompting alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions about using o3-mini.
How should o3-mini's reasoning effort be set?
It is recommended to start with medium and compare results using real tasks; try low for simple explanations, and high for complex reasoning or difficult coding problems. Chat Completions uses reasoning_effort, while Responses uses reasoning configuration settings. o3-mini's native levels are low, medium, and high; other levels should not be applied to it.
Can o3-mini analyze code in screenshots?
It cannot directly understand screenshots because it does not support vision. First convert the code and errors in the screenshot to text, then submit file snippets, the runtime environment, and expected results. If the screenshot involves layout, graphics, or other information that cannot be fully transcribed, use a model that supports image understanding instead.
Can o3-mini return JSON with a fixed structure?
Yes, it supports structured outputs. When using Chat Completions, you can select json_schema through response_format and define the field structure, which is suitable for returning diagnostic results, rule classifications, or repair suggestions. Meeting the required structure does not guarantee that the content is correct; applications should still check field values and business conditions.
Which interface should I choose when integrating o3-mini?
Existing messages-based conversation code can use Chat Completions; Responses can be chosen for response flows organized with input. To simplify continuous Q&A, you can use AI Chat or AI Chat v2, ask questions through question and receive answer, and include id when saving the conversation to continue the discussion. Different approaches should parse responses separately.
Is o3-mini-high another callable model?
o3-mini-high is the high reasoning effort option provided in ChatGPT when OpenAI released it, not a model ID that needs to be substituted here. When calling it, still select o3-mini and set reasoning effort to high. It is also different from o3; their names or capabilities should not be regarded as completely identical.
Model information · Updated: 2026-10-01. For calling parameters and billing rules, see the API and pricing sections.