---
title: "How should I roll out a new JSON schema without breaking OpenAI API clients?"  
description: "How should I roll out a new JSON schema without breaking OpenAI API clients?"  
author: "Ruslan Galiev"  
published: 2026-10-15  
updated: 2026-10-15  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/162348/how-should-i-roll-out-a-new-json-schema-without-breaking-openai-api-clients  
category: "OpenAI API"  
tags: ["OpenAI", "API Design", "JSON schema"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# How should I roll out a new JSON schema without breaking OpenAI API clients?

I have an OpenAI API integration that expects a fixed response shape, and now we need to add a couple of fields while keeping older clients working. For anyone using a strict JSON schema, how are you managing schema versions in practice?

Do you keep separate schemas per client version, or accept a flexible response and normalize it in your own service? I’m especially interested in what happens when fields are optional or their meaning changes, not just when a new field is added.


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Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/162348/how-should-i-roll-out-a-new-json-schema-without-breaking-openai-api-clients

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